Pruning Simplified

Pruning Simplified is a new tutorial gardening guide specifically for pruning by Steven 'Brad'  Bradley. Due out 5th Feb 2019 (original edition 2005) from Timber Press, it's 192 pages and available in paperback format.

I'm a keen gardener. Despite enjoying gardening and growing up with grandparents who were keen gardeners and always let me have my own 'patch', I've been intimidated by pruning. Pruning was always my grandfather's purview and even though he was always generous with his time and had infinite patience with me, it never really 'stuck' with me.  I think in my case at least the threat of ruining a potentially very valuable plant leads to intimidation. I don't want to 'ruin' my roses or the fruit trees I overtook when we bought our property, and so I wind up doing nothing (and generally making the situation worse).

The author has an encouraging 'voice'. His instructions are well-written and factual. He explains what the natural growing mechanisms are for each of the 50 plants in this primer and how to best utilize them to get the best performance from the various trees, shrubs, and vining plants.  The included pruning diagrams are concise and easy to understand.

The book opens with an introduction including the whys and wherefores of pruning strategy. The introduction represents about 8% of the page content.  The 'meat' of the book is the species by species primer section, roughly 70%. They include garden staples such as several types of rose, both deciduous and evergreen barberry, forsythia, wisteria, clematis, and a host of fruit trees. This list is by no means exhaustive. I do know that there wasn't a bush or tree in my eclectic garden which wasn't represented. The primers are followed by a more general technique and theory section, along with a very valuable section on remedial pruning to get plants which have run wild back into shape and production.  There are appendices with tables covering hedge plant use and maintenance and when to undertake pruning of different species as well as a very basic glossary.

The index is cross referenced by species and variety.

All in all a very useful addition to the gardener's bookshelf.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Classic to Contemporary String Quilts: Techniques, Inspiration

Classic to Contemporary String Quilts is a new tutorial guide for using even the tiniest scraps, sewn together ('strings') to make larger units for piecing.  The history of quilting contains a lot of frugality. It was relatively rare long ago for fabric to be purchased specifically for quilting or coverlet projects.  Scrap baskets contained leftover materials from clothing construction, household furnishings, worn out clothes, etc. These were recycled into quilts and even the smallest pieces were saved and used.

Author Mary M. Hogan is a quilt designer and teacher with several books to her credit. Due out 8th April 2019 on  Fox Chapel's Landauer imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is an appealing book. It's full color and lavishly photographed and diagrammed throughout. There's a good introduction and tools and materials list included in the introductory chapter. Worth noting that there are no additional tools necessary for these techniques, other than the basic ones which are likely to already be in the quilter's sewing room.

The basic instructions are followed by more in-depth methods for using every type of scrap, even the tiniest ones.  The 13 project tutorials which come after are built on the introductory sections and many of them cleverly utilize the limits of having uneven bits of fabric which don't extend evenly ('disappearing stings') as a bonus, for example to represent bare branches in a still life tree quilt. (loved that one on page 37). There were several of the projects which called out to me.  I followed the instructions to piece some basic blocks, including a few churn dash blocks which will see use as a baby quilt for a colleague who's expecting.

There's just something so fundamentally satisfying to me about having and using my 'stash'. I learned to quilt from both of my grandmothers who grew up in the depression and never outgrew the frugality they learned as a necessity during their childhoods. This book speaks to that reluctance to throw any usable scrap away. I'm always on the lookout for clever and attractive ways to 'bust' my stash. This one definitely fits the bill.

This is a nice addition to the quilter's library and especially for those of us who have generous stash baskets, will provide a very satisfying way to use up some of those scraps.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Smokehouse Handbook

Smokehouse Handbook is a niche technique and recipe collection for adventurous cooks. Due out 30th April 2019 from Storey, it's 200 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats. Author Jake Levin is a 'nose-to-tail' butcher and traveling educator.

There is something very special about feeding our friends and families. Most of my best memories in the company of other people has at least some component of shared food.  There's this visceral connection which bonds people over really good shared food.  This book, and this author, clearly 'get it' when it comes to making shared memories with others over food.  The very act of preparing and eating food, especially in company, gives a shared experience that can be enriching and nourishing physically and mentally.  In the introduction, the author talks about backyard cooking with his family and:

 "...talk about chemistry, biology, and physics; describe simple
building techniques; and breathe in a lot of smoke. But, in the end,
this book is about being in your backyard with your loved ones,
eating delicious food you’ve smoked in a smoker you built."

That's exactly what it's all about.

The book is split into logical parts. The introduction discusses a little bit of the philosophy and history of preservation and smoking techniques along with rubs and brining.  The next section discusses equipment choices and acquisition of tools.  The third section is full of recipes; enough to keep an adventurous cook experimenting for a long while. The fourth part has advanced and specific plans with materials and supplies list to enable readers to build and use purpose built smokers for their own use.

There's also a resource list and index.  For readers outside North America, supplies and hardware can be sourced online without any trouble.  For meat and other comestibles it's probably worthwhile to build up a relationship with an old-fashioned butcher or farm supplier (or family member who is a hunting enthusiast).

The included recipes and instructions are logical, easily followed, and complete. Admittedly many of the recipes take time.  There's no 'quick fix' here.  Most of the prep-work can be done ahead of time, making star meat ingredients to be used later.

Wonderful book, definitive instruction. Good tutorial photographs and plans.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Burn the Stage: The Rise of BTS and Korean Boy Bands

Burn the Stage is a bio and pop-cultural commentary on the K-pop phenomenon. Written by culture biographer Marc Shapiro, it's a concise 110 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.  The book seemed to me to be written to a specific formula. The author clearly had access to earlier interviews and media releases with band members and entourage.  It's not clear that Mr. Shapiro talked with or spent any time with the members of BTS himself. The photo appendices contain wiki commons free license images.  There is a potentially useful/interesting discography timeline with international releases listed by country of release. The appendix also contains a comprehensive list of awards and nominations listed in alphabetical order by award name.

Very little here which will be new for fanatical K-pop fans.  Possibly a good trivia crash course if you're taking your daughters to see BTS in concert and want to impress the other moms with your knowledge of the band members.

Three stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Speakeasy

Speakeasy is the first book in a new series by Alisa Smith. Released 10th April 2018 by Macmillan on their Thomas Dunne imprint, it's 240 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I really love noir. The premise ticked all the boxes for me. I love the location and time period, and I liked the idea of a strong intelligent female lead who's a codebreaker during WWII.  The story itself I found engaging and interesting. 

The problems for me were technical in nature. Much of the dialogue was awkward and stilted. The alternating pov and timelines were jarring for me and I found myself having to go back and re-read passages to be sure who was talking.  Bill Bagley (the male 'lead' and Lena's former lover) was an abrasive jerk. The author did a lot more 'telling' than 'showing' (a fair bit of the plot elements were provided by characters talking to one another and saying things for the benefit of the reader). Some of the dialogue also seemed anachronistic. If I had 'blind read' the book, I wouldn't have thought that it was a period novel. That might be a plus for readers who don't like period-authentic dialogue and writing, but to me it sometimes felt as though the setting and time period were tacked on stage scenery.

Some of my favorite series have taken a few books to develop and for the authors to really find their voices.  I'll give this series another book or two before I make a final assessment.

Three stars, an interesting debut.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Doubleweave Revised & Expanded (The Weaver's Studio)

Doubleweave Revised & Expanded is a complete update and re-release of the book originally published in 2010. This edition includes a number of new projects and updated text and resources lists.  Released 15th Jan 2019 by Interweave in collaboration with F+W media, it's a hefty 381 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a primer specifically for exploring doubleweave. As such, it presupposes a degree of familiarity with weaving techniques. It should also be noted that the tutorials and projects in the book are woven on shaft looms and not rigid heddle looms.  Many fibre arts guilds have shaft looms for rental, so access to the necessary equipment needn't be impossible.

The author explains the structure and the process and gives step-by-step diagrams for set up and draft. She also covers materials selection and color use. The illustrations are in color but the book's real value is in the meticulous explanations of technique.

There are 12 included tutorial projects (including an introductory sampler) and there's not a single one that is less than gorgeous. They're all beautiful.

The book also has a really useful bibliography.  I heartily recommend this book as an addition to the weaver's library. Even if you use a rigid heddle loom at the moment, Doubleweave provides a lot of information for 'someday'.

Five stars, definitive treatment of the subject matter.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Murder at Archly Manor (High Society Lady Detective #1)

 Murder at Archly Manor is the first novel in the High Society Lady Detective series by cozy maven Sara Rosett. Released 15th Oct 2018 by the author, it's 256 pages and available in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

I love English country house mysteries. Golden age is a definite plus for me.  This book was maybe a little more 'cozy' style than Marsh or Christie, but it was such a lovely read.  The settings are well described and the plotting never drags.  I like that Olive (lead character) is intelligent and brave and plucky.

The murdered man is a cad and a blackguard (another nice golden age touch - the corpse 'had it coming'). There's a stately home absolutely full of suspects and it's up to Olive to sort them out, since the local plod has his eye firmly fixed on Olive's cousin, the dead man's fianceé.

This book is well researched and it shows in the details of setting, dress, and dialogue.  I was actually impressed at how seamlessly it worked within the time period.

I will absolutely look out for the next books in the series (second book is already released, third is to come in April 2019).

The language and narrative are very clean; no bad language or sexual content. There is some brief mention of drug abuse, but it's not graphic or glamorized.

Well worth a look for mystery lovers and fans of the golden age.  I really enjoyed it.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
 

How to Build Chicken Coops: Everything You Need to Know

How to Build Chicken Coops: Everything You Need to Know is a book in the FFA series of publications. Originally published in 2015, this re-release on Quarto's Voyageur imprint released 8th Jan 2019, is 192 pages and available in ebook and spiral bound formats.

This book is slanted toward young people and provides a lot of good step by step advice on why to build a shelter for your flock, how to site your coop, choice of materials and designing and building the structure.

The book is not oversimplified. With only the instructions provided, one could certainly build a suitable coop. The text is lively and the photographs are numerous, full color, and well done. It's peppered with trivia and entertaining notes in sidebars throughout.  The information provided is mostly slanted toward readers in North America, but can be adapted for other locales. There's a useful resource index (again, mostly for readers in NA), and a cross referenced index at the back. 

Well written and entertaining (bad chicken trivia jokes included), it's a fun read with practical use.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Start Your Farm

Start Your Farm is an interesting new volume aimed at people looking to become farmers or who want to re-evaluate their business philosophy and direction for their farming work.  Released 10th Sept 2018 by The Experiment, it's 272 pages and available in paperback, ebook, and audio formats.  Authors Forrest Pritchard and Ellen Polishuk are well known business farming experts.

There are a lot of people who are keen gardeners (and some pure dreamers) who want to increase their connection to the land and either be or become more self-reliant and sustainable.  This book aims to speak to that wish and help the dreamers and wishers seriously evaluate whether they're capable physically and mentally to become farmers and for those who are committed, how to get from dreaming to planning and finally to fulfilling those dreams.

This could have been a very depressing book. Farming is a physically and mentally demanding job. The realities of dealing with weather uncertainty, mechanical equipment failure and repair, costs, bookkeeping, regulations, to name just a few, are daunting at best.  This book manages to be quite realistic whilst also being supportive and encouraging.  There's a lot of experience detailed in the authors' narrative. I was impressed with the level of detail included about realistic expectations, problem solving, finding motivation, navigating uncertainty and unexpected costs and a lot more.

There's an old chestnut of a farming joke. How do you make a small fortune farming? Start with a large fortune!  Seriously though, the authors manage to encompass satisfaction and lifestyle change as a tangible reward.  It doesn't have a monetary value but living the life that suits you certainly has value (huge value). 

This is a very personal book.  It's not full of photographs of lush countryside and fluffy ducklings and lambs.  It might be that some readers' takeaway from the book will be that farming is not in their future, and that's a good and valuable thing to know before staking said future on becoming a farmer.

This fills a vacant niche in the farming library.  Think of it as philosophy of farming and a good in-depth job description.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Atlas of Disease

The Atlas of Disease is a non-fiction historically and scientifically accurate book on epidemiology.  Released 27th Nov 2018, by Quarto on their White Lion imprint,  it's 224 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Author Sandra Hempel is a journalist with long experience writing about medical and social issues. The book is aimed at the layperson and whilst the book is scientifically accurate, it's doesn't require a lot of background knowledge of disease or epidemiology to understand.

The chapters are arranged around methods of transfer: airborne diseases, waterborne, zoonose (animal/insect to human), and human to human. Each of the individual disease entries includes map and graphical data along with historical background and info. The most devastating epidemics and pandemics in history are covered individually.

I found the book very educational but not dry or boring at all.  I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who enjoys medical nonfiction. It's well researched, well written, and accessible to a wide audience.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Unicorn Anthology

The Unicorn Anthology is a collection of 16 pieces of short fiction by some literal titans of speculative fiction. Every single story in this collection is top-shelf, there are no weak stories.  All of these have been published previously and date from 1975-2017. Many of the older stories are quite difficult to find and several were new to me in any form.

Due out 19th April 2019 from Tachyon, it's 288 pages and will be available in ebook and paperback formats.

One reason I prefer collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging.  It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting.  Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away.  I can only recall a few times where I've read a collection (or anthology) straight through from cover to cover.  This one I did. I even re-read the stories which I had read before.

I won't precìs all the stories, and all are strong, but there are a few true standouts:

My Son Heydari and the Karkadann by Peter S. Beagle is a first person story in the form of an anecdote. Based in both folklore and Persian oral history, it's a twisty tale that kept me guessing completely to the end.  The nuance and flavor of the storytelling is amazing and I am utterly in awe of Mr. Beagle's command of the form.  Just a really superlative story.  This one was also included in The Overneath reviewed on this blog here. 

The Transfigured Hart by Jane Yolen. Part fable and part coming of age. This one is a modern story and in a way is all about perceptions and consensual reality (what things actually are depends on how we perceive them).  I adore Ms. Yolen's writing and this story is gentle and wistful and beautifully written.  I believe I have read this one years ago, but had forgotten about it for a long time.  Such a melancholy piece. 

Ghost Town by Jack C. Haldeman II.  A grifter gets a rare chance to change the path he's on.  I really loved this one even though it's more or less straightforward.  It's an upbeat and very well written story.

Just a really super collection of short stories. 

Five stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Vertical Vegetables: Simple Projects that Deliver More Yield in Less Space

Vertical Vegetables is a DIY tutorial guide for gardeners who want to increase the efficiency of their use of space.  The book contains numerous projects for hardscaping extra usable growing space vertically by incorporating trellises, living walls, towers, vertical containers and hanging planters.

Released 6th Nov 2018 by Quarto on their Cool Springs imprint, it's 192 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.  Author Amy Andrychowicz is a gardening and DIY blogger and this book showcases those talents well.

I'm one of those people who spends a LOT of time in the garden.  I have drawings and plans and notes all over the place and generally fill in a couple of journals a year with ideas and plans to try next year.  I'm also the person who is critically short of planting space and can usually be found wandering around in my garden with a plant in hand trying to find a little space to slot it into.  This book is full of creative ideas and tutorials for spreading planting space upwards instead of outwards.

Like any DIY book, not all of the ideas will be practical for all applications or gardens.  There are quite a few which are intriguing to me and look nice or have enough whimsy and humor to fit well into my very informal garden.

The intro covers concepts and benefits of vertical gardening and takes up about 12% of the page content. There's a chapter on plant selection, followed by tutorials on building and using trellises and other structures. The next chapter covers living walls and hanging gardens and the book finishes up with a chapter on container gardening.

The entire book is peppered with full color photographs of healthy and appealing plantings and structures.  This is a nice resource for inspiration pictures as well and includes a lot of material which can be adapted to suit most needs. 

This book is slanted toward the suburban gardener. There are clever ideas for increasing planting space in attractive ways, but readers are not really likely to increase food yields overwhelmingly.  Decorative plantings intermingled with herbs and some small fruits would be ideal and provide at least some food and flowers for use.

There is an adaptable trellis box planter which could easily be used with raised beds which could potentially produce vegetables if used with succession planting.

Lot of good ideas here, many of which are good starting points.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Art of Crochet Blankets: 18 Projects Inspired by Modern Makers

The Art of Crochet Blankets is a new tutorial crochet blanket project book. Released 13th Nov 2018 by Interweave in collaboration with F+W, it's 144 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

The 'hook' for this collection is that the designs are collaborative and inspired by other arts such as weaving, digital art, fabric design, paper cutting, tilemaking, and quilting.  There are some beautiful and evocative projects here. It's impressive how most of the 18 original projects coordinate so well with their inspiration art without copying them slavishly. That, for me, was the most valuable takeaway from the entire book; that it was possible to look for inspiration and pattern design from other items in your interior decor which can be used to coordinate with textile projects.

For each of the inspiration design chapters there are 3 projects listed. The tutorials are well written and complete, with materials lists and abundant photography. The designers for each chapter have a short and interesting bio introduction.  The book doesn't include website info for the designers, but there is a short materials resource guide at the end of the book.  A short google search turns up website info and e-tailers for most of the designers in the book.

There are several of these projects which called to me.  Many of them would also be adaptable to use up yarn scraps and remnants.

Lovely book, well photographed and clearly written. The tutorials include diagram keys and instructions for the special shapings used in several of the projects in the book.

Four stars, well done!
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

100 Knits

100 Knits is a new collection of previously released knitting patterns from Interweave Knits magazine, Knitscene, special holiday releases and a few miscellaneous other sources.  Released 2nd Oct 2018 by Interweave in collaboration with F+W, it's an encyclopedic 512 (!) pages and available in hardcover format.

I'm a magpie knitter.  I spend a ridiculous amount of time on Ravelry with a list as long as my arm of 'must knits'. I also often find myself flipping through knitting magazines and thinking 'I must remember this pattern and do it later'.  I generally forget where I've seen the project and spend a large amount of time with the nagging feeling of not being able to remember where I saw it.

When I was flipping through this colossal collection, there were several projects which immediately dinged that 'THAT' project bell up in my head.  It's so cool to have them at my fingertips and know where they are instead of having to look through years of magazines and books to (maybe) find the particular one I'm looking for. This book literally made me really happy.

The projects are up to Interweave's artisanal standards.  They're beautifully curated and most types of knitwear is represented.  There is a dearth of plus sized, men's and children's projects, mittens, and there aren't any afghans/quilts/decor projects.  There are a number of unisex projects (mostly hats and cowls) which are suitable for and pictured with both male and female models. 

There are so many of these I want to do.  In fact, the projects I didn't want to do were by far in the minority.

The designers are credited on each of their projects. Many of these projects have coordinating projects on Ravelry, just search by designer (or project).  Many of these have literally thousands of finishes in the Ravelry galleries.  Truly impressive.

Classic, funky, gorgeous, stylish, beatnik, hipster, whatever you're looking for, there's something in this collection which will satisfy.

Five stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Quilt Big

Quilt Big is a new project/tutorial book with a relatively simple premise.  If you upsize traditional geometric quilt blocks to larger units, it will take fewer of them to make a full size quilt or wall hanging.  The included projects (and they are many) are exuberant and charming.

Author Jemima Flendt is a blogger and artist.  Published 4th Dec 2018 by the Quilting Company and F+W, it's 144 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.

These are really big and bold designs. The traditional blocks are represented: flying geese, churn dash, stars of several types, log cabin, and many more. Worth noting, the instructions are general and easily adaptable to any design which the reader fancies, but none of the included tutorials have curved edges (no wedding ring, pickle glass etc).  These are all pieced into units and sewn with straight seams. As such, it would make an ideal first tutorial book for beginning quilters. One other bonus for new quilters is that they're more likely to not have a huge scrap basket. If all the project fabric needs to be purchased anyhow, it makes sense to save some time and effort in piecing the quilt tops.

One of the most difficult parts of quilting for me is picking out fabrics and settling on a pattern.  I make a lot of 'experiments' and wind up piecing them into album quilts.  Sizing up means it takes significantly fewer blocks to wind up with another quilt top.  This is great! 

In addition to the introduction and tools and methods chapters, there are a number of start to finish home decor projects including pillows, wall hangings, and lots of quilts.

There isn't much page content devoted to materials choices or color coordination, that's outside the scope of this book. Construction and finishing methods are clearly and thoroughly explained.

This is a great quilting tutorial book. I really liked a lot of the included projects.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Knitting for Little Sweethearts

Knitting for Little Sweethearts is a collection of attractive practical and ever-so-slightly whimsical knitwear for small people. Written by Klompelompe designers Hanna Andreassen Hjelmås and Torunn Steinsland, it was released 28th Oct 2018, is 168 pages and available in hardcover format.

I live and work much of the year in Norway. There's been a huge resurgence of classic handknitting here especially in the last decade. Norway is a lovely country very far north and very full of mountains. And sheep.  And many many Norwegians who spend (to my American sensibilities) an insane amount of time on skis running around in the snow.  This leads, not unnaturally, to an appreciation for wool clothing which can absorb a pretty stunning amount of water without feeling wet to the touch and insulates very very well when one is running around in the snow. 

This book is chock full of really pretty and sensible designs.  They're classic and are honestly heirloom quality.  You could use these patterns now and 25 years from now.  They're not going to go out of date.

The book itself is translated for North American audiences.  I'm not 100% sure about the availability of the yarns. Most of the yarns in the book are Norwegian or at least European suppliers, for example Sandnes Garn (one of the major Norwegian wool manufacturers and widely available here in Norway). There are certainly universally available substitute yarns available worldwide, but there is no 'built in' converter in the book.  Needle sizes are converted to US measurements, but the gauge swatch measurements are in metric.

The patterns themselves run the gamut from very simple to more complex.  Most of the designs are knitted, but there are a few crochet pieces. There are hats, mittens and other accessories as well as larger pieces such as jackets and pullovers.

This is not a learn-to-knit book. There are no stitch or shaping diagrams.  Those can be found elsewhere or as the authors suggested, at your local yarn shop.

I loved that the authors gave a shout out to local yarn shops.  Yarn shops are a golden resource for people learning to knit and are full of people who are invested in helping their customers become the best knitters they can become.

This is a lovely book and will become a standard go-to for anyone needing gifts for expectant friends or future family members.  I've knitted several of these as gifts for expectant colleagues and have found the patterns mistake free and easy to follow.

Five stars. Very very good knitting book for the small humans in your life.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Leather Crafting Starter Book: Tools, Techniques, and 16 Step-By-Step Projects for Beginners

Leather Crafting Starter Book is a tutorial guide for beginning leathercrafters from Studio TAC Creative. Due out 12th Feb 2019 in partnership with Fox Chapel, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback format.  Originally published in Japanese in 2012, the English translation is seamless. The measurements for the Japanese tools used in the original have been adjusted and sourced for North American and European readers. 

This is a really well photographed guide with very appealing projects.  The book begins with a pictorial gallery of included projects and an introduction to tools and supplies. The introductory chapter covers about 10% of the page content.  The next technique and tutorial chapter comprises about 20% of the content and includes both basic construction (sewing, lacing, closures) and decoration (dyeing, pyrography, applique, punching, carving).

The next 65% of the book is split into three chapters with projects arranged more or less in order of complexity: 1)no sew items, 2)basic stitching, and 3)complex items.

Full size patterns are provided for all of the projects along with a basic index. There doesn't appear to be a resource list, but an online search turns up lots of e-tailers for supplies and tools used in the tutorials.

This is a solidly well written and photographed book full of really appealing and professional looking projects.  The dinosaur sculptures are amazing! The pen covers and pen carry case are definitely on my to-do list (I'm a fountain pen nerd, and they would make superlative gifts for any pen lover).

Five stars. I loved this!

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Dragons in Love

Dragons in Love is a cute illustrated story for young readers. The illustrations by Ronan Badel are sweet and whimsical.

Released 15th Jan 2019 from Quarto on their words & pictures imprint, it's 32 pages and available in hardcover (board) format.  It was originally published in 2014 in French and translated into the English by Vanessa Miéville.  The text has been translated very well although it does have nuances of cadence in language from the French (which I found charming).

I have to admit, I found the art wonderful.  In fact, I spent a little while online trying to find the artist's other work in order to possibly obtain prints or other graphics from M. Badel.  

So, the art is superlative and detailed enough to provide amusement to both young readers and their adults.

There are some lovely aspects to the story itself. The dragons in the story appear to be a solo dad and son family unit. Dad is willing and able to talk about feelings and life experiences with Drake, his son, and it never comes across as preachy or strident.  I like their relationship.  I like that he notices Drake's discomfort with the unexpected kiss and does his best to explain what's going on and help.

That being said there are some issues.  The story revolves around the fact that drake gets kissed on the snout unexpectedly by his friend Violet. This confuses him and makes him sad (he avoids her and even avoids going places she likes to go), he doesn't want to eat, etc. His dad notices and tries to help by saying that breathing fire is just what dragons do when they fall in love.  I think this is even more confusing to little kids (I might be overthinking things). The situation comes to a crisis when Drake sees Violet being bullied and flambés the mean kid.  So is it ok for people to intervene with violence in a good cause? Dragons breathe fire when they're stressed...or mad.... or in love? Or... I'm not quite sure what the author is aiming for here (probably an audience of kids who take the story for what it is and don't try to interpret it). 

At the end of the day, it's a kids' story and we adults might be over-analyzing everything... but there are so many really valuable genuinely moving children's books that I can't recommend this one unreservedly.  I might have bought it for my own kids when they were small, but I really wouldn't feel comfortable buying it for someone else's kids unless I -knew- that their caregivers wouldn't be offended by the issues.

The art is superlative; a clear 5 stars.  The story is iffy; 2,5-3 stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Homicide in Hardcover

This is a cute cozy/romance. This is the first in the series which is up to 13 books now. The main character is a book restorer and historian (and amateur sleuth).

Original release was 2009 from Obsidian publishing, it's 289 pages and available in most formats.

Fair warning. For anyone who is honestly interested in rare/historic books, this one will have you crying or running for the exits. The book 'restoration' this book is written around would not be acceptable in any museum/exhibition venue. That being said, it's a cute lighthearted read and well written. Some of the dialogue is fairly silly, but it is a cozy. There's a romantic scene which came across as slightly creepy to me (the hot security guy is kissing the main character immediately after she's been bludgeoned and is likely concussed at the very least?!).

There's very light language use, I'd say PG-level, but nothing to shock or dismay most readers.

Three and a half stars. I'll pick up the next book in the series. I love cozies about books, and librarians, and bookmobiles (bonus for cat inclusions).

The Proven Winners Garden Book: Simple Plans, Picture-Perfect Plants, and Expert Advice for Creating a Gorgeous Garden

The Proven Winners Garden Book is a garden design and tutorial book from plant breeders and suppliers, Proven Winners. In the springtime all of the big box stores and a fair number of independent retailers sell bedding packs and flats of plants for home gardeners to take home and set out in their gardens and containers. In North America, a large proportion of these are from Proven Winners.

Due out 19th Feb 2019 from Timber Press, it's 188 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is an appealing and well photographed book.  There is inspiration to be found here. I liked a lot of the container plantings especially. These designs and combinations utilize easily sourced plants so readers can get -exactly- the pictured result with -exactly- the same plants as pictured.  For readers who are bewildered about what to plant and what plants (and colors) to combine to get an effect which won't startle or offend the neighbors/housing association, this book has some good answers.

People spend a fortune and a lot of time on their gardens.  This book will get new suburban gardeners up to speed relatively painlessly and without panic.

This is definitely written with the new gardener in mind.  Experienced gardeners who are used to spending a month or more sequestered with the new seed catalogues in the depth of winter probably aren't going to have any epiphanies over this book.  There's enough basic info here to get started.  The authors have covered designing with and planting bedding packs from their own brand.  There's a lot of emphasis on spot planting containers and coordinated plantings.  The plantings are decorative.  There's no discussion on edible plantings or xeriscaping. Vegetables are not covered.

There is a resource listing (for NA gardeners), a bibliography, and an index.

Three stars, probably four+ for people who want to buy packs of plants, plant them in their balcony window boxes and get a consistent result without a lot of effort or expense. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.