Early Book Review: Picturing Joy: Stories of Connection by George Lange

Picturing Joy: Stories of Connection by George Lange is a guide to Lange’s approach to life as well as the highlights of his career. It is currently scheduled for release on November 7 2023. This optical and optimistic book captures his curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm for people and photography. It also distills wisdom gleaned from a lifelong search for quotidian beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed. Through intimate stories and more than eighty photos, Picturing Joy invites readers to appreciate life with all their senses and to change their perspective by being open to new things.

Picturing Joy is a lovely coffee table book that offers stories and photographs from Lange's career and life. Some of the people he has had the opportunity to work with, and the amazing shots he has taken are wonderful to read about and enjoy. I was glad that he included stories for the celebrates that he did, but that he also included 'normal' folks and lesser known individuals in the book. I love that he also included information on why and how he does this job, and offers encouragement and tips for others to follow their own path. I think aspiring photographers, and those just starting out or interested in the field will get the most out of this book. 

Book Review: How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler is a collection of essays from a queer, mixed race writer working in a largely white, male field. Science and conservation journalist Sabrina Imbler has always been drawn to the mystery of life in the sea, and particularly to creatures living in hostile or remote environments. Each essay in their debut collection profiles one such creature: the mother octopus who starves herself while watching over her eggs, the Chinese sturgeon whose migration route has been decimated by pollution and dams, the bizarre Bobbitt worm (named after Lorena) and other uncanny creatures lurking in the deep ocean, far below where the light reaches. Fusing genres to create a new kind of essay, Imbler's debut collection weaves the wonders of marine biology with stories of their own family and coming of age, implicitly connecting endangered sea life to marginalized human communities and asking how they and we adapt, survive, and care for each other.

How Far the Light Reaches is a merging of scientific exploration and information with a personal memoir. I thought the essay collection was interesting, and that the book would appeal and resonate with many individual- and would frankly be great for some people to read in order to gain empathy and understand others a bit more. However, I have to admit that I was hoping to learn more about sea life and new discoveries than the author's personal life- although this has nothing to do with the narrative of their life and is more about the book not being what I was looking for or needing to read in that moment. I did think that the book was very well written, with plenty of understanding and heart. I think it will be a very important read for some, and enlightening read for many, and a highly engaging read for all. It is a fantastic book- just not what I was looking for when I read it. 

Early Book Review: Into the Forest: The Secret Language of Trees by Susan Tyler Hitchcock

I received a sample of Into the Forest: The Secret Language of Trees by Susan Tyler Hitchcock, which is currently scheduled for release on April 5 2022. This review is based on the sample rather than the complete book. 

For millennia, trees have offered renewal and inspiration. They have provided for humanity on every level, from spiritual sanctuary to the raw material for our homes, books, and food. In this beautiful and revealing book, National Geographic combines photography with  science to illuminate how trees influence the life of planet Earth; from our personal lives to the weather cycle. Illustrated essays tell the stories of the world’s most remarkable trees; from Tane Mahura in New Zealand, the ancient Maori "lord of the forest," to Pando, a single aspen spreading over 100 acres: Earth’s largest living thing. You’ll also discover how an astronaut carried tree seeds to the moon and back; the reason "microdosing" on tree gas is a sure way to boost your immune system; and why playing in the dirt boosts serotonin, happiness hormone.

Into the Forest: The Secret Language of Trees grabbed my attention first because of the photography. I found the chosen photographs to be stunning in their own right. When combined with the information about the trees themselves, and how amazing they are in the grand scheme of things the images took on even more beauty and importance.  I really enjoyed the sample I received of this book, and I anticipate enjoying the final product as well, both visually and intellectually. I look forward to getting my hands on a print copy, and would recommend it for library collections and those that are interested in the subject matter and photography.  

Early Book Review: Good Enough: A Cookbook: Embracing the Joys of Imperfection, in and out of the Kitchen by Leanne Brown

Good Enough: A Cookbook: Embracing the Joys of Imperfection, in and out of the Kitchen by Leanne Brown is currently scheduled for release on January 4 2022. After writing and launching Good and Cheap, the cookbook with a social purpose that has over 500,000 copies in print, Leanne Brown went into a tailspin. She was burnt out and depressed, and fell into a pattern of using guilt and fear to get herself back into facing the day. Her dream of becoming a cookbook author was turning into a nightmare. Something had to change. What changed, and how, is the journey of Good Enough, a deeply personal cookbook with a profoundly uplifting, relatable message.  A generous mix of essays, stories and nearly 100 dazzling recipes, Good Enough is about self-compassion, and knowing it's OK to have a cheese plate for dinner. About the practice of gratitude, and ten breakfasts to start your morning right, like Creamy Hands-Off Scrambled Eggs. About cooking as self-care, and healing your spirit with a comforting Salmon Dinner Pie. About overcoming barriers like social anxiety, and embracing entertaining with Smoky Honey Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Fennel Slaw. About knowing it’s hard but you’re completely worth it—and indulging yourself with My Spicy Umami Noodles. About giving yourself permission to feel great—so go ahead, have another Sticky Toffee Cookie. There are no judgments here. And ultimately, it's about embracing the joy of imperfection to find peace and happiness in and out of the kitchen. Because good enough is great.

Good Enough is a cookbook that embraces mindfulness and kindness, toward ourselves and others. We all have moments of being overwhelmed, burned out, depressed, or just out of it enough that putting in the effort to feed ourselves (and/or our families) seems like it is too much. This book offers a judgement free look at how we can be prepared enough to already have most necessary ingredients around so that we do not have to make an extra trip to the store, and the understanding to know that a dinner of snack like foods is just fine if that is what we want or all that we can handle on any given day. It gives great recipes and tip to make cooking less stressful, and offers readers the sense of forgiveness and kindness that so many of us offer others while failing to provide it for ourselves. The majority of the book is not the recipes, but essays and suggestions for self care and taking care of yourself even when it might feel like it is too much effort. Looking at the last two years, I think this book could be a helpful and interesting read for many. I would have preferred more recipes, preferably with more photographs of the food. I also had some serious issues with formatting in the digital galley- however I am going to hope that formatting will be a non issue with the final version of the book.

Good Enough is a book about self care and kindness towards ourselves, with a selection of recipes and cooking tips to make the process more mindful than stressful.

Early Book Review: Barely Functional Adult: It'll All Make Sense Eventually by Meichi Ng

 Barely Functional Adult: It'll All Make Sense Eventually by Meichi Ng is currently scheduled for release on November 24 2020. This collection of four color, never before seen, short stories holds a mirror to our past, present, and future selves. Featuring a swaddled Barely Functional Adult as its protagonist who says all the things we think but dare not say, this book is equal parts humorous and heartbreaking as it spans a spectrum of topics from impostor syndrome, therapy, friendships, first loves, letting go of exes, to just trying to find your purpose in the world. 

Barely Functional Adult had a little more text than I was expecting, but I really enjoyed the read. The illustrations are charming and cute, and I recognized the artist's work as something I have enjoyed in the past. As an introvert that has struggled with some of the same thoughts, I related to the personal narrative. I liked the honesty and frankness of the text, and think that there are a great many people that could relate to the book. We are all just struggling in our own way through life, and seeing that no one choice is perfect, and feelings might be troublesome but most are universal, can make readers feel less alone. Impostor syndrome and not really knowing what we are supposed to be doing are pretty common, and I hate to break it to you- age does not lessen the possibility of these feelings. While this is marketed mainly at readers that share the author's generational labels, I think everyone can find something here to relate to, including middle and high school students. I tell my own kids all the time that the adults they see are faking it just as much as they are- and that reminder that we are all just getting through life a day at a time is good for all of us. I do not mean all that to mean this book is depressing, rather that it foster the knowledge that none of us are alone, and that there is hope and humor to be found in it all.

Early Book Review: Close to Birds: An Intimate Look at Our Feathered Friends by Roine Magnusson, Mats Ottosson, Asa Ottosson, Kira Josefsson

Close to Birds: An Intimate Look at Our Feathered Friends was written by Mats Ottosson and Asa Ottosson will photographs by Roine Magnusson and the translation to English by Kira Josefsson. It is currently scheduled for release on October 22 2019. The stunning and intimate photographs capture the beauty and detail of each bird's form, as well as their unique character and personality. The accompanying short essays share charming and often-hidden details from birds' lives. Discover why robins sing so early in the morning and learn the science behind the almost magical iridescence of mallard feathers. Close to Birds shares the irresistible joy and marvel of birds.

Close to Birds is an interesting read. I like that I learned about the birds included, not the basics of habitat and diet, but the scientific studies and opinions on the birds with the inclusion of quotes about them. I do need to admit that I have a different opinion from the authors, and that we diverged right away. I find birds fascinating and interesting, but unlike our authors I do not find that all people find them more interesting than other creatures. So, this insistence that birds are so much more interesting than other creatures bothered me from the start. However, the essays were accessible and had some tidbits of information that were interesting. The star of this book is not the text. Rather the stunning photography of birds that captured them clearly, up close, and in living color. The images were very much worth my time and I think animal lovers, and birders in particular, will want to give this a look. Those that are birders and share a deep love of birds will very much enjoy the essays as well.

Book Review: Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Anderson

Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Anderson is a collection of artwork from Sarah's Scribbles along with biographical material including her struggles with anxiety. Swimsuit season is coming up! Better get beach-body ready! Work on those abs! Lift those butts! Or how about never mind to all that and just be a lump, a happy lump. The comics, and the book, are for those of us who boast bookstore-ready bodies and Netflix-ready hair, who are always down for all-night reading-in-bed parties and extremely exclusive after-hour one-person music festivals. 

Big Mushy Happy Lump is a fun bunch of comics that I can relate to. However, it is a lot more than that. Sarah uses the book to share some very personal experience and struggles that she has had with anxiety, depression, and so much more. I think that since I could see myself so clearly in parts of the book, that others will see at least a little of themselves, or someone they love, in the book as well. It helps those of us struggling with life in general because we can see that we are not alone. In fact, I think we make up the majority- if only we could interact enough with each other to share that information. I laughed at moments, and tears threatened at others. I think this is a nice balance of memoir and humor, and that the honest and uplifting tone of the book will resonate with a wide variety of readers.