Review: Edible Party Bouquets by Fox Chapel Publishing

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Make a lasting impression with a stunning fruit, appetizer or dessert bouquet. Perfect for gift‑giving or any celebration, these 40 homemade, edible centerpieces are easy‑to‑make, inexpensive, and beautiful. Just follow the step‑by‑step instructions to learn how to easily assemble fruit, appetizers or treats into impressive arrangements that will make your next special occasion memorable.

MY TAKE:

I'm no Martha Stewart, but I'm all for making pretty arrangements, especially if they are edible.

Edible Party Bouquets contains easy step-by-step guides to create some really cool sweet and savory party bouquets.

A lot of the sweet bouquets were made of fruit, so I pretty much skipped that, although I did like the Truffle Tower bouquet. I might try that out. The savory bouquets were what really grabbed my attention. The Taco Blooms and the Oriental Garden Bundles look really yummy and easy to make. Those two things are the first on my to-do list.

Thanks to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for the e-ARC. Publication date of Edible Party Bouquets is on June 1, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. There are pictures for every step, so you won't get lost.
2. The instructions are easy to understand.
3. The bouquets all look yummy.

THE BAD:

1. You might have to buy special equipment before you can start.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

It is important to keep most fruits and vegetables cool while preparing and arranging your bouquet.

READ IT IF:

1. You are interested in making tasty centerpieces.
2. You want to try something creative.
3. You enjoy baking.

RATING:

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Review: The Get Yourself Organized Project by Kathi Lipp

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Finally, an organizational book for women who have given up trying to be Martha Stewart but still desire some semblance of order in their lives.

Most organizational books are written by and for people who are naturally structured and orderly. For the woman who is more ADD than type A, the advice sounds terrific but seldom works. These women are looking for help that takes into account their free-spirited outlook while providing tips and tricks they can easily follow to live a more organized life.

Kathi Lipp, author of The Husband Project and other “project” books, is just the author to address this need. In her inimitable style, she offers

• easy and effective ways women can restore peace to their everyday lives
• simple and manageable long-term solutions for organizing any room in one’s home (and keeping it that way)
• a realistic way to de-stress a busy schedule
• strategies for efficient shopping, meal preparation, cleaning, and more

Full of helpful tips and abundant good humor, The Get Yourself Organized Project is for those who want to spend their time living and enjoying life rather than organizing their sock drawer.

MY TAKE:

I always say I'm going to keep the house clean, but after just a few days of cleaning, everything's a mess again.

For messy or disorganized girls like me, The Get Yourself Organized Project is definitely a useful read. This book gives you a room-by-room guide on how to organize your room and your life.

One of the best things I learned from this book is that you should try to work with your habits and not force yourself to organize according to how you think you should do things. It makes total sense. If you're used to dumping your shoes in one place, then creating a shoe rack in a whole other place is going to make it harder for you to keep organized because you're not used to it.

The content gets a little repetitive towards the end, but overall, this is still a good buy. Plus, there are some suggestions for projects you can do and guides you can download to help you get organized.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Get Yourself Organized Project is on May 1, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. It has plenty of good tips.
2. There are plenty of light-hearted and funny stories.
3. The author's writing style is very easy to get comfortable with.

THE BAD:

1. It can get boring and repetitive.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Be kind to your family, and to yourself, and once a path appears, follow the path.

READ IT IF:

1. You find it hard to get organized.
2. You need some motivation to get organized.
3. You find most organizing books boring and useless.

RATING:

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Review: Everything You Need to Know About Everything You Need to Know About by Daniel Tatarsky

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

We would all like to expand our knowledge of the world around us, but who has the time to do it? On these pages you will find everything you need to know about, well, everything. By combining original illustrations with jargon-free text, this book ensures that you'll soon be familiar with all of the most important facts of life: from the big bang and the evolution of human beings to the age of the Internet and the growth of social networking--it's all here.

• Everything you've ever wanted to know presented in a way that's easy to grasp
• Straightforward text and illustrations make even the most difficult subjects accessible
• Packed with helpful charts, graphs, and diagrams that make learning fun
• Brush up on all those things you wish you'd remembered from school--without sitting through the lectures

MY TAKE:

The great thing about reference books is how much you learn after reading.

Everything You Need to Know About Everything You Need to Know About is filled with facts about things like our solar system, humans and science and technology. Most of the topics for each section have a feature called Something to Think About, which has tons of fun facts. For example, did you know that finding objects in a cloud's shape is called nephelococcygia?

I wouldn't say that this is the most interesting reference book I've read, it's still worth a look, especially if you're looking for some quick trivia tidbits.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thunder Bay Press for the e-ARC. Publication date of Everything You Need to Know About Everything You Need to Know About is on April 1, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. Fascinating trivia tidbits.
2. It covers a variety of topics.
3. There's plenty to read about.

THE BAD:

1. Some people might find it boring.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The Jedi religion, based on the beliefs of the Jedi Knights in the Star Wars films, was officially recognized as a religion in the UK in 2001.

READ IT IF:

1. You like trivia.
2. You like books that teach you something new.
3. You're feeling extra studious.

RATING:


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Review: Celebrity, Inc. by Jo Piazza

SUMMARY FROM OPENROADMEDIA.COM:

From $10,000 tweets to making money in the afterlife, a recovering gossip columnist explores the business lessons that power the Hollywood Industrial Complex

Why do celebrities get paid so much more than regular people to do a job that seems to afford them the same amount of leisure time as most retirees? What do Bush-era economics have to do with the rise of Kim Kardashian? How do the laws of supply and demand explain why the stars of Teen Mom are on the cover of Us Weekly? And how was the sale of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s baby pictures a little like a street drug deal? After a decade spent toiling as an entertainment journalist and gossip columnist, Jo Piazza asks the hard questions about the business behind celebrity.

Make no mistake: Celebrity is an industry. Never in the course of human history has the market for celebrities been as saturated as it is today. Nearly every day most Americans will consume something a celebrity is selling—a fragrance, a sneaker, a song, a movie, a show, a tweet, or a photo in a magazine.

With the benefits of Piazza’s unique access to the celebrity market, Celebrity, Inc. explains in detail what generates cash for the industry and what drains value faster than a starlet downs champagne—in twelve fascinating case studies that tackle celebrities the way industry analysts would dissect any consumer brand.

MY TAKE:

I've always wondered what it would be like to be a celebrity who gets paid a ton of money by making movies, shows, music, commercials or appearances. It seems like such an easy way to get rich. Celebrity, Inc. tells us otherwise.

Celebrity, Inc. contains 12 essays about things like celebrity babies, Spencer Pratt, Paris Hilton, American Idol and the Kardashians.

There's more to being a celebrity than what we see on television. In a way, you could say that sometimes, celebrities are treated as commodities. Even their babies' pictures are fought over and bought. There's a lot of interesting things here that I wasn't aware of, such as that Oscar winners aren't always chosen based entirely on merit and that some companies actually create campaigns in order to boost their film's chance of winning an Oscar. As for the celebrities, I had no idea that the Kardashians are so hardworking and have great work ethic. Spencer Pratt, on the other hand, is just how he appears on TV.

This is very well-researched book with lots of footnotes. However, it's more than a celebrity lifestyle book; it's also a great business strategy book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Media for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It's well-researched.
2. You learn more about the machinations of Hollywood.
3. It's inspiring.

THE BAD:

1. There are a lot of facts and figures.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Kelly Clarkson, one of the few superstars the show has created, exhibited the perfect slow unraveling underdog narrative.

READ IT IF:

1. You like mixing business with pleasure.
2. Celebrities fascinate you.
3. You're curious about how fame works and how to achieve it.

RATING:

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Review: Warriors and Wailers: One Hundred Ancient Chinese Jobs You Might Have Relished or Reviled by Sarah Tsiang

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Ever thought of becoming an emperor? How about a silk maker?

China was one of the most advanced societies in the ancient world. Whether in medicine, the arts, or education, the Chinese far outpaced the Europeans. Although most people were peasants, society included a myriad of other jobs.

It may sound like a great position, but being emperor had its downside. If you displeased the gods, you could be put to death. As a silk maker, you would be sworn to secrecy so foreigners wouldn't learn how to spin the precious thread. Other jobs included wailer (yes, you'll cry whether you want to or not), noodle maker (noodles were not only delicious, but also a symbol of long life), or Shaolin warrior monk (if you were really good, you could break stone slabs with your fists).

A fact-filled introduction, index, and timeline make this book-the sixth in the series-perfect for research projects, while the humorous illustrations keep it fun.

MY TAKE:

I've been fascinated by China ever since I saw Mulan. Ancient China is a very interesting place and that's why I was eager to read this book.

Warriors and Wailers: One Hundred Ancient Chinese Jobs You Might Have Relished or Reviled gives you a look at the different jobs available in Ancient China.

Who knew that there were so many specialized jobs then? Some jobs, especially civil service ones, were available only to men. There are other jobs, such as concubines, that while available to women, aren't exactly something that women nowadays would be eager to have.

One surprising fact that I learned from this book is that merchants were looked down upon. Merchants have definitely come a long way.

Thanks to NetGalley and Annick Press for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. You learn a lot of interesting things.
2. It's not boring.
3. It's well-organized.

THE BAD:

1. The illustration style may not be interesting for everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

If you wanted to make your parents proud, you wouldn't become a doctor. Instead, you would dream of passing the difficult civil service exams and climbing the ladder of government rank.

READ IT IF:

1. You like learning about new things.
2. You find Ancient China interesting.
3. You're trying to find inspiration for your future career.

RATING:


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Review: World in Your Lunch Box, The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods by Claire Eamer

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Discover the tasty stories behind the foods we love.

A ham sandwich on white bread. Macaroni and cheese. Peanut-butter-and-banana roll-ups. They may sound like ordinary items, but they take us on an amazing journey through the rich history and astonishing science of food.

Explore a week of lunches-from apples to pizza-by taking a romp through thousands of years of extraordinary events. Some are amusing, like the accidental invention of potato chips. Others are tragic, such as the Spice Wars, which killed thousands of people.

Consider that ham sandwich: Ancient Romans first made ham by curing meat with salt and smoke to kill microbes, while yeast (which burps gas) produces the fluffy texture of bread.

Aztec farmers bred tomatoes from small, bitter berries into plump, sweet fruit, and watermelons sustained travelers 10,000 years ago in the Kalahari Desert.

With a vibrant design and quirky illustrations, THE WORLD IN YOUR LUNCH BOX is like the perfect lunch: satisfying, well-balanced, and totally delicious.

MY TAKE:

Food and science in one book. What's not to love?

World in Your Lunch Box, The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods is a fun way to learn more about food. The stories about each food are arranged like a kid's food diary.

The food diary is a good idea as it makes the info very colorful and entertaining. The book contains a lot of fun stories and facts such as how ham was made and that tomatoes come from South America. Also, I found out that Brazil has quial egg and chocolate pizzas. Two of my favorite things in one pizza. Definitely sounds like a must-try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Annick Press for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It's packed with interesting information.
2. It's colorful and not boring.
3. Its illustrations are witty.

THE BAD:

1. The illustration style may not appeal to everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry are just the beginning in ice cream flavors. How about purple yam ice cream? You can eat that in the Philippines.

READ IT IF:

1. You like food.
2. You're curious about the history of your food.
3. You like trivia.

RATING:



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Review: Honey Badger Don't Care by Randall

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

Sweet Jesus--a riotous wildlife book for adults! The mononymous Randall, narrator of the You Tube sensation (15 MILLION views) "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger," is the wild new voice of nature. In Honey Badger Don't Care(tm), Randall presents a dozen crazy, badass animals of the wild kingdom as only Randall could. Don't be stupid--buy this book!

MY TAKE:

When I first saw the title, I immediately thought of Sue Sylvester's code name for Terry Schuester on Glee. I guess Sue got the name from the video.

The narrator for this book is the same person who narrates the video. As such, I knew that I had to look for and watch the video to make the experience more authentic for me. For those who, like me, haven't seen any of the videos, I have embedded one of the videos below.

Now, imagine that video in book form and you have Honey Badger Don't Care. While the book title mentions the Honey Badger, the book also features other bad-ass endangered animals. My favorite of the animals included in this book is the emperor tamarin because it looks like a kung fu master. :P

I found the writing style to be entertaining and funny, although it could get a little bit tiring occasionally. The layout is also quite colorful: think Time Almanac for Kids.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. Informative but not boring.
2. It promotes animal conservation.
3. Its writing style is funny and tongue-in-cheek.

THE BAD:

1. There are a lot of swear words.
2. The writing style might not appeal to everyone. If you like the video, though, chances are, you'll like the book.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

They also eat various insects, including beetles, which they love---but, hey---who isn't a beetles fan?

READ IT IF:

1. You like honey badgers and other bad-ass animals.
2. You like funny educational books.
3. You don't mind books with a lot of swear words.

RATING:



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