Book Reviews



A Box Awesome Things: Matching Game is another awesome find from Wee Society. This company provides the neatest books, activities and games that are educational with a humorous twist. This matching game is top notch in my book. Not only does it include awesome things that kids would think are spectacular like fireflies, lava or yellow but it also includes a blank card for your child to write their own awesome thing to include in this entertaining matching game. 

The creators of this game obviously put some thought into making this rather than just finding some obscure clip-art images they came up with exciting, creative and fun things for kids to match up in an entertaining way. The cards are sturdy, durable and printed with bright, bold and clean looking colors and images. In addition to the awesome things are not-so-awesome things such as cavities or splinters. If you are looking for an out-of-the-box game for your child that does in fact come in a box, this is it. 






Carve: A Simple Guide To Whittling is the perfect book for the woodworker in your life. Whether you are buying this for a child, adult or yourself, you will not be disappointed. The photographs are vivid, capturing every detail of the hard work involved in the whittling process. I have thumbed through a few books that teach you how to whittle and this book raises the bar. The projects are practical yet pleasing to the eye. I love the catch-all tray project. I couldn't put this book down, the tips and tricks of the trade were informative and enticing. I bought this for my son but now I might try my hand at a project or two from this book now. 






Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking was all kinds of fun. Donabe cooking has a real community quality to it, everyone is involved serving himself from the one clay pot.  Although we did not have a fancy clay pot to make everything in we improvised and were able to make a few of the recipes in the book. They were amazing. There are many pictures to show what the finished product should look like which is a big help. I don't know about you but here in our house we aren't well versed in authentic Japanese cuisine. However this book made it easy to to get our feet wet. There were many flavorings that were new to us and were unavailable in our area but the authors had helpful descriptions of the flavors and in some cases substitutions. There was a section on how Donabes are made and I know this was not a how to pottery book but I would have liked to see more on the making the pots. Maybe in the next book. Overall this is a very nice book that should be in any ones collection that appreciates Asian cuisine or just good fun food. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for this review. All thoughts expressed here are my own. 




Eric Plum & Josh Williams are pretty creative and enterprising guys. They have made a business out of selling specialized tops for Mason jars. Their book “Infuse” is full of beautiful pictures and some interesting recipes. This book is mainly an advertisement for their Mason jar lids. However it’s a very good advertisement, leafing through its colorful photos and recipes makes you want to try them out. This is a fun attractive book and a good conversation piece worthy of any coffee table. The only negative thing I can say is that there just aren’t enough recipes. Overall though a worth while book.



Disclaimer: This book was received as a part of the Blogging For Books program. All opinions stated here are my own.
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The River Cottage Booze Handbook is another great book from the River Cottage group. I don’t drink, but this book is still a great read. 

I enjoy anything pertaining to fermentation and herbal remedies. This book has plenty of both. Although this book does not seem to be marketed to the herbalist it probably should be. It has piles recipes for wines, liquors and beers that contain medicinal herbs.  Ginger beer, nettle beer, dandelion and burdock beer, dandelion wine, elder flower and gooseberry wine and fennel vodka just to name a few. 

These recipes are included for those wanting to try a new brewing experience or a taste not found at the local state store however I can see these being a valuable addition to the herbalist’s arsenal. This book is a complete manual for someone wanting to make their own alcoholic beverage. Full of detailed explanations, tips and tricks the Booze Handbook makes the whole process seem easy and exciting. It makes me want to make nettle beer just to say I did, and maybe try it out on my neighbor. The River Cottage Booze Handbook is a must have in the library of any brewer beginner to pro, any herbalist wanting to expand their skills and anyone interested at all in the fermentation process.





Disclaimer: This book was received as a part of the Blogging For Books program. All opinions stated here are my own.


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Natural Color by Sasha Duerr is an intriguing book teaching you how to create beautiful textiles using homemade plant dyes. This book takes the intimidation out of the seemingly difficult process and presents it in a way that seems easily doable. Reading about the author in the beginning of the book was interesting. She used the familiar word, Permaculture which is a highly popular farming method popular in Australia, the Middle East, America and all over the world. She then introduces a new term, which I believe was coined by her, and that is Permacouture. In this method, she uses the whole plant in fashion and textiles. She has joined forces with farmers, perfumers, herbalists and chefs to create and bond with natural dyes. She provides classes and social events within the community to teach how to make stunning creations out of plants you interact with on a regular basis. 

She informs the reader that it is important to harvest the plant that you want to use for your dye during the correct season. Therefore, she has divided the book up by seasons making it easy to jump right into the dying the process if you want to! As soon as I received this book, my whole family began leafing through the pages to find which dye we wanted to try first! In our homeschool we are presently studying Botany for science class. This book couldn't have arrived at a more appropriate time! The kids are chomping at the bit to create some fun plant extracted dyes! 

The first recipes that caught my eye were ones that included items that I already have here at home; onion, avocado seeds, passion fruit stems and leaves and black walnut. The pictures are gorgeous and make me want to dive right into the process. Some of the ingredients needed might need to be ordered but other recipes, such as the avocado seed one only needs a few things, most of which we have and what we don't have we can make thanks to her instructions in the back of the book! 

There is a large list of kitchen utensils that she recommends you get that fortunately I already have so I don't have to compromise my everyday dishes such as a strainer, large pot and measuring cup. If you are artsy in any way, shape or form, then you probably have a stash of "craft only" dishes hidden away somewhere too!

I appreciate how this book is set up like a recipe book. Easy, and simple to understand. I highly recommend this book if you or someone you know has been wanting to try to dye!
Disclaimer: This book was received from Blogging For Books. All opinions stated here are my own.

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