Book Review: Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust is a nonfiction resource. For too many people, the simple act of contacting a plumber or repair person can feel like a game of chance. As a transwoman and a professional maintenance technician, Mercury Stardust has discovered (the hard way) that we live in a world with much to fear. If you've ever felt panicked about opening your home to strangers in order to fix a maintenance issue, this book is for you. Renting a home can be a complex process—from finding a safe and affordable space, to hiring help for moving in and out, and of course, managing any repairs that come up during your stay. You deserve to feel empowered to take matters into your own hands—and it’s not as hard as you might think. In this book, Mercury will show you how to tackle the projects that need improvement in your home—from how to properly fix a clog in your bathroom sink and safely hang things on your walls to patching small and medium drywall holes. Remember—a little bit of knowledge can go a long way toward making you feel more safe and in control of your own life.

Safe and Sound is a great resource for renters, that have rules and conditions that they need to follow in their lease. The book offers useful information about renters rights, as well as support and encouragement that readers can do new and challenging things. I found the text to be well written, easy to follow, and strangely comforting. I loved the gentle tone of the writing, and the space for emotional resets.  I have followed Mercury Stardust on Instagram for awhile, and I was thrilled to get a copy of this book via NetGalley. I have always leaned towards trying to fix the little problems in my apartments, now house, myself and this is resource I wish I had back when I first was on my own. I think that homeowners who would rather tackle the doable repairs themselves rather than invite other people into their space unless they have to could get a great deal from this book as well, even if apartment hunting and all they trials that go with it are not something they need. 

Safe and Sound is a well written and valuable resource for renters, and a good book to have on hand for anyone that might need to deal with a household emergency. I will be buying copies of this book for all the young adults in my extended family when they are ready to strike out on their own.

Early Book Review: The Upside-Down Book of Sloths by Elizabeth Shreeve, Illustrated by Isabella Grott

The Upside-Down Book of Sloths, written by Elizabeth Shreeve and illustrated by Isabella Grott, is currently scheduled for release on September 5 2023. Many find sloths cute, while some find them just plain bizarre. This book shares the less-well-known evolutionary history of sloths and how they became the beloved—and unique—creatures of today. The author pairs and compares the six extant modern species, like the pygmy sloth, the brown-throated sloth, and the ai, with their prehistoric counterparts, such as Thalassocnus, the tough seafaring sloth; Paramylodon, which had armor-like skin and walked on the sides of its feet; and Megatherium, which could weigh up to 8,000 pounds. She even reveals how modern sloths have adapted to hang upside down, how they learned to swim, and even how they poop!

The Upside-Down Book of Sloths is an entertaining, cute, and informative book for readers of all ages that want to know more about sloths. I thought the art work was extremely well done. The sloths looked very real, many images looking like photographs. The skill and work that went into the art is impressive, and frankly makes to book worth flipping through for the art alone. However, that is not to say that the text is not well done or important, it is both. I found the information to be well written and organized. The text is more aimed at the upper elementary and older readers- especially for those loving the sloth or doing a research project on them. However, the artwork and text combined make this a great book to share with he younger readers as well. As someone that loves reading about the less expected animals, including sloths, I still learned a great deal about these creatures and their history. Best of all, the author includes a time line and recommendations for further reading at the end of the book. This is a great addition to public, school, and personal library collections. 

Early Book Review: The World's Most Atrocious Animals by Philip Bunting

The World's Most Atrocious Animals is the third title in the series from Philip Bunting. It is currently scheduled for release on July 11 2023 and is filled with facts about some of the scariest creatures in the natural world. Meet the enormous murder hornets of east and southeast Asia, the poisonous blue-ringed octopus, Africa's hungry but deadly hippos and some truly shocking electric eels, among many more truly scary creatures! The antagonist voice (speaking though cheeky annotations) points out the most frightening aspects of each creature's characteristics, while the narrator's voice describes engaging, factual information about each animal's seemingly scary characteristics. Are they really as scary as they seem? With humorous text and bright illustrations, this guide to terrifying animals contains funny labelled diagrams and fabulous facts. It will help teach kids about the animals we fear and whether their gruesome reputation is deserved!

The World's Most Atrocious Animals is another great addition to this series. There is a great balance of humor and information. While there was a good deal of information that I knew, I still learned a good deal. The illustrations are fun, and accurate while still maintaining the humorous tone of the book. There is a wide range of creatures covered here- with plenty of interesting information about each of them. The only things I would have liked to see here that I didn't, is some sources for further reading in the endmatter of the book and some kind of organization for the order of creatures in the book. If there was a reason for the order I missed it, but organizing them by something would have been nice; location, habitat, alphabetically, anything at all would have been helpful to me personally but no one else might be bothered by this at all.  Fans of the previous books in this series will not be disappointed, either will readers that like a little fun along side their information.

Book Review: Sheepology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia by Ilaria Demonti, Camilla Pintonato

Sheepology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia, written by Ilaria Demonti and illustrated Camilla Pintonato, is filled with incredible sheep facts told in a playful tone and endearing illustrations. Discover all there is to know about sheep in all their woolly glory in this illustrated guide ewe will flock to again and again! For instance, did you know that sheep do not like to be alone and get along well with other animals? Or that a sheep was the first mammal to be cloned by humans? Have you ever wondered how sheep's milk turns into cheese? Or how sheep are shorn and wool is made into cloth? These and other intriguing and engaging facts about this lovable animal can be found in Sheepology, a visual encyclopedia and follow-up to Chickenology and Pigology. Nature- and animal-loving readers of all ages will find something to learn and love about these fascinating farm friends.

Sheepology offers readers exactly what the title and blub suggest. There is a humorous tone in the interesting information shared about sheep here, some I knew and some was new to me. I thought the illustrations were well done, and the art style felt a bit like some of the classic picturebooks I remember fondly from my own childhood. I thought the information was well chosen, and the text was accessible and I learned more about sheep in this relatively short book than I thought I would. While there is a bit on anatomy and animal husbandry, the information and images are completely age appropriate for the target audience of children 6-10 years old. This book would be great for an animal obsessed young reader, a child doing a report, or anyone interested in learning more about sheep. 

Book Review: The Science of Witchcraft: The Truth Behind Sabrina, Maleficent, Glinda, and More of Your Favorite Fictional Witches by Meg Hafdahl; Kelly Florence

The Science of Witchcraft: The Truth Behind Sabrina, Maleficent, Glinda, and More of Your Favorite Fictional Witches by Meg Hafdahl; Kelly Florence (authors of The Science of Women in Horror and co-hosts of the Horror Rewind podcast called “the best horror film podcast out there” by Film Daddy), is a guide to the history of witchcraft through the stories and characters we all know and love. Reveal the spellbinding science behind the legends and lore surrounding fiction’s most iconic witches, answering such questions as; what is the science behind divination and spellcraft? When did witchcraft begin to show up in literature and media? Has science made it possible to uncover the truth behind the powers of necromancy and employing familiars? How has witchcraft been thought of throughout the world? Through interviews, film and literary analysis, and bone-chilling discoveries, join Kelly and Meg as they learn about the complicated and rich science of witchcraft throughout the centuries and discover why now is the season of the witch!

The Science of Witchcraft is a bit of a scattered read, full of interesting information and thoughts about the witches found in media, and how some of the aspects of those witches and their activities could (or could not) happen via science. It felt like each segment was written for a podcast, which kind of makes sense, hoping for a conversational tone and jumping around a bit as different thoughts came to mind. That works well in a podcast format, since it sounds like a natural conversation, but it did not hold up quite as well in book format. I learned a few things, and found the text to be interesting, but I was often frustrated by the choppy flow and could not sit and read without breaks. This would be much better suited for readers that like to read a section or chapter a day, or perhaps in small bits as and audiobook rather than sitting to read cover to cover.  

Book Review: Better Than Balderdash by Owen Janssen

Better Than Balderdash by Owen Janssen is a collection of interesting facts and trivia for all ages. For instance: Did you know that you can heat up a cup of coffee by yelling at it? How about the fact that bananas are radioactive? Or that Google hires goats as gardeners? Or that competitive slapping is a sport in Russia? Our world is chock-full of fascinating facts, unbelievable but true stories, and mind-blowing trivia. This book is your one-stop guide to all the extraordinary, shocking and enthralling information you didn’t know you needed to learn. Impress your friends and family with a vast knowledge of topics guaranteed to stimulate interesting conversations! If you want to learn some of the world’s most intriguing stories to pass the time at work, fuel the fire on your next trivia games night, or are looking for top-notch entertainment for that family road trip, then you need this book.

Better Than Balderdash is a fun and entertaining read that easily kept me entertained. I love random trivia, from Jeopardy to the bathroom readers that the author mentions in the opening in this book. I squirrel away bits of strange but interesting information because you never know when they will come in handy. That being said, I new several of the stranger facts shared in this book (like the bat bombs) because of the weird history and science shows that I have running in my house all the time. But, I did learn some new things. My whole family loves this kind of this, and I am thinking that this book will make a great addition to my son's book collection. 

Book Review: Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age by Dennis Duncan

Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age by Dennis Duncan is a playful history of the humble index and its outsized effect on our reading lives. Most of us give little thought to the back of the book—it’s just where you go to look things up. But here is the secret world of the index: an unsung but extraordinary everyday tool, with an illustrious but little-known history. Charting its curious path from the monasteries and universities of thirteenth-century Europe to Silicon Valley in the twenty-first, Dennis Duncan reveals how the index has saved heretics from the stake, kept politicians from high office, and made us all into the readers we are today. We follow it through German print shops and Enlightenment coffee houses, novelists’ living rooms and university laboratories, encountering emperors and popes, philosophers and prime ministers, poets, librarians, and—of course—indexers along the way. Duncan reveals the vast role of the index in our evolving literary and intellectual culture, and he shows that in the Age of Search we are all index-rakers at heart.

Index, A History of the: covers a topic that I had given little thought to, aside from how useful a good index can be when I need it. Like all parts of human history, personality, politic, and power all had a role to play in any steps forward made in indexing. I really like that the author made an effort to give a well balanced look at how indexes came about and evolved over the years while including a look at the rivalries, drama, and humor that can be found along the way. I also like that he acknowledged the hard work that goes into creating a proper subject index, in the past and still today, and how many of the people that do the work get little to no credit for the labor intensive process.  I greatly enjoyed the read and learned a great deal. I think those that value indexes, and are interested in bookish history of any kind, will greatly enjoy this book. For those that are interested, there is a very well done audiobook version of this title as well. 

Early Book Review: No Recipe? No Problem! How to Pull Together Tasty Meals without a Recipe by Phyllis Good

No Recipe? No Problem! How to Pull Together Tasty Meals without a Recipe by Phyllis Good is currently scheduled for release on May 11 2021. Cook anything without a recipe—just let the ingredients lead the way! This book offers tips, tricks, and inspiration for winging it in the kitchen. Each chapter offers practical kitchen and cooking advice, from an overview of essential tools and pantry items to keep on hand to how to combine flavors and find good substitute ingredients, whether it’s sheet pan chicken, vegetables, pasta, grain bowls, or pizza for tonight’s dinner. Freestyle Cooking charts provide a scaffolding for building a finished dish from what cooks have available; Kitchen Cheat Sheets lend guidance on preparing meats, vegetables, and grains with correct cooking times and temperatures; and stories from Good’s Cooking Circle offer personal experiences and techniques for successfully improvising for delicious results, such as how to combine flavors that work well together or how to use acid to draw out the sweetness in unripened fruit. Like being in the kitchen with a trusted friend or family member who delivers valuable information in a friendly, encouraging way, this book will inspire readers to pull ingredients together, dream up a dish, stir in a little imagination, and make something delicious take shape.

No Recipe? No Problem! is not a recipe book. It is a collection of information, stories, and ideas that will make those looking to be more creative or inventive in the kitchen. This book encourages thoughtful and sustainable cooking, respecting ingredients and reducing waste as much as possible. I liked the stories from Good's cooking circle, reading stories of successes, and failures, in the kitchen from others makes the prospect of trying things yourself much less intimidating. I have always been one to alter recipes that i am comfortable with- like meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, or muffins. However, less familiar recipes often make me more nervous about substitutes or additions. This book helped me consider cooking methods and ingredients, and how I can better create my own unique creations and take a more mindful approach in the kitchen, and in my grocery shopping. There is instruction- particularly how to best cook certain foods, and some suggestions for things that go together well. I also liked the tools and tips given that help with meal prep and freezing certain components or entire meals.  I just wish this book had come out before the pandemic and related lock downs, because now that I am back to working on site rather than at home the nightly cooking is back in the hands of my wonderful husband- which means I do not get to dabble and try new things in the kitchen nearly as often.

No Recipe? No Problem! is a good read, and a wonderful resource to becoming more comfortable, creative, and mindful in the kitchen.

Book Review: Gardening to Eat: Connecting People and Plants by Becky Dickinson

Gardening to Eat: Connecting People and Plants by Becky Dickinson is a nonfiction book. Embrace a plant-based lifestyle all the way from seed to plate. This inspiring and informative book takes the mystery out of gardening and reveals how to grow an array of fruits and vegetables using simple, organic techniques. Packed with fresh ideas for turning home-grown produce into delicious, nutritious meals, you'll find heaps of no-nonsense recipes created for real people with busy lives and healthy appetites. No fads, no fuss, no fancy ingredients, just real, honest, ethical food. With a passion for connecting people and plants, Gardening to Eat brings the garden into the kitchen. For people who love food and love to know where it's come from.

Gardening to Eat is a book for those that want to be more self sufficient, and grow their own fresh fruits and veggies. I liked the idea of the book- and there was some good advice. However, some of it was over the top. Many of us do not have the room for things like greenhouses or the processes of crop rotation, and in that regard I think the book felt a little uneven. Support for even growing some herbs indoors is given- and then the importance of going large and going all out is stated. Once the book got to the individual crop possibilities- and recipes for the rewards and possible over abundance- I was much happier with the read. Granted, I am in the states so there were a few things that were not relevant to me (like hedgehogs for slug control) a great deal was universal.

Early Book Review: What Breathes Through Its Butt?: Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman, Alice Bowsher

What Breathes Through Its Butt?: Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered, written by Emily Grossman and illustrated by Alice Bowsher, is currently scheduled for release on November 10 2020. Why is your elbow called your funny bone? How could you escape the grip of a crocodile’s jaw? Which animal can breathe through its butt? This book uncovers the amazing scientific explanations behind all sorts of questions that can pop into our heads. Can an egg bounce? How can a giraffe’s ridiculously long neck contain the same number of bones as a human’s? How much does the Internet weigh? With delightful interactive features that invite readers to guess answers to questions and make links between different scientific concepts.

What Breathes Through Its Butt? is a book that answers a number of the wacky and interesting questions that wee might never have thought to ask. Some of the information was very interesting and I learned a bit about things I never thought to wonder about. I found that the writing and illustrations were well paired, and aimed at readers that like silly or gross humor, and those with fairly short attention spans. I think this might be a great book for getting reluctant readers to read, and maybe reread. I feel like the author and illustrator worked well together on this book and the final product will certainly interest and entertain a number of young readers- and I can picture it being a regular check out in an elementary school library. For my tastes it just catered a little too much to the goofy and not quite as much on the encouraging further research as I would have liked. 

Book Review: Life Through Time: The 700-Million-Year Story of Life on Earth by John Woodward

 Life Through Time: The 700-Million-Year Story of Life on Earth by John Woodward is a book that uses panoramic images to tell the story of life on Earth, from its earliest origins to the present day. The amazing story of life's evolution begins in vast oceans and swamp forests and is shaken by dramatic extinctions caused by ice, violent volcanic eruptions, and meteor impacts. It explores geological time and the origins of species that still exist today in early fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals. It takes readers up to the appearance of our first human ancestors around 6 million years ago, the evolution of hunter-gathering Homo sapiens in the Ice Age, Stone Age farmers, the earliest civilization in Mesopotamia, the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the natural world, and people living with nature in the modern world.

Life Through Time is a book that makes great use of bold, full page images depicting the development of life on our planet. The images have great detail, and every time I look I see something that I had not noticed before. I thought that the texted was well done, accessible and interesting. The little snippets pulling out images and extra information about specific creatures or features were also very well done. A great deal was covered, but thanks to the artwork the depth of information in those little paragraphs never became overwhelming. I thought the chart at the very end of the book that showed how the planet has shifted and changed just as much as the life that calls it home was a nice addition. A great deal of time was covered in just over thirty pages, I would have loved to see it extend just a bit longer into human civilization. We make up such a short part of this planet's history that one page more would have been enough, but I understand why thy might not have done so. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Life Through Time and think it will appeal to many young readers. It would be well loved in a public, school, or personal library. 

Early Book Review: Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills: 214 Things You Can Actually Learn How to Do by How-To Experts at Storey Publishing

Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills: 214 Things You Can Actually Learn How to Do by How-To Experts at Storey Publishing is currently scheduled for release on September 15 2020. Readers with a hunger for knowledge and an interest in the myriad ways people have taught themselves to make, grow, and build will discover the ins and outs of how to do everything they’ve ever wondered about in this colorful, inviting volume. With dozens of useful and intriguing visual tutorials that cover how to carve a turkey, capture a swarm of bees, predict the weather by the clouds, darn socks, create a butterfly garden, set up a dog agility course, keep a nature sketchbook, navigate by the stars, and more, this rich compendium will educate, fascinate, spark conversation, and inspire new hobbies and experiences.

Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills is exactly what the title states, and is a helpful resource to have in the home, or to check out regularly from the library. I cannot tell you how many times I planned to do something or ran into one of the myriad of problems that come with home ownership and had to quick search up if my ideas of how to do something are right or will only make things worse. Is the solution in my head really something I remember reading or learning somewhere, and is it the best way to go? The variety of things covered in this book cover a wide range of projects, from the expected and fairly common gardening advice to making beer, candles, and herbal tinctures, to training your dog to run an agility course. A little bit of everything is covered- including many things I had never expected. The text and images come together nicely to make all of the instructions clear and concise. It was fun to look through, and I found many interested parts that I sat and studied. I think this is a great resource for every household, and a perfect gift to those striking out on their own for their first time.

Early Book Review: Grow Your Own Tea: The Complete Guide to Cultivating, Harvesting, and Preparing by Christine Parks; Susan M. Walcott

Grow Your Own Tea: The Complete Guide to Cultivating, Harvesting, and Preparing by Christine Parks; Susan M. Walcott is currently scheduled for release on September 1 2020. Consumer interest in tea has grown rapidly in recent years and continues to climb. Worldwide there are 25,000 cups of tea consumed every second—more than billion cups per day. For tea drinkers interested in the freshest flavor, growing the leaves at home is the ideal solution. Lucky for them, tea is not an exotic, hard-to-grow crop—it can be successfully grown anywhere that camellias can be grown. In Grow Your Own Tea, readers will learn how to cultivate, harvest, and process this venerable crop. Parks and Wolcott share details on how to get started; describe cultivation, long-term maintenance, and harvesting; show how to grow tea plants in containers; and describe how to process and store harvested tea leaves. This book includes information on how to produce white, green, oolong, and black teas.

Grow Your Own Tea caught my eye as soon as I saw it on Netgalley. I am an avid tea drinker and an avid gardener, so this book was right up my alley. I already grow many of my own herbs and have used my own mints and other herbs to flavor loose tea, but was interested to learn more about the cultivation and drying process. I had read about the different types of tea before, but I leaned even more about the history and diversity of tea in this book. I thought I was too far north to grow tea, but was thrilled to discover that there is a variety of tea I just might be able to cultivate and use. I found the information to be very well organized, accessible, and interesting. Everything a tea grower might need is covered, from how to plant, to how to harvest and make use of the results, and everything in between. I cannot wait to put my newfound knowledge into action, and to share the results with the other tea drinkers in my life. The resources and information at the end of the book was helpful as well.

Grow Your Own Tea is an informative and valuable resource for tea lovers. I am planning on buying a physical copy of this book for my own reference library.

Early Book Review: Builders by Reina Ollivier, Karel Claes, Steffie Padmos

Builders, written by Reina Ollivier and Karel Claes and illustrated by Steffie Padmos, is currently scheduled for release on August 11 2020. Just like people, animals need a place to live. The nine animals in this book are very talented builders and make their own homes. Readers can learn about the amazing beaver, cross spider, sociable weaver, termite, stork, meerkat, honeybee, Japanese puffer fish, and mole.

Builders is a well written book that clearly explains the basic information these nine animals and their homes. It does not go into great depth of detail, but gives enough information to give readers a good understanding of the animals. I really enjoyed the illustrations. I thought they were done with great skill, and offered details and visual interest to the read. This book offers readers exactly what it promises and just might trigger greater interest and curiosity in readers, inspiring them to research and read further on their own. 

Book Review: Easy Frugal Cookbook: 100 Satisfying Recipes That Won't Break the Bank by Sarah Walker Caron

Easy Frugal Cookbook: 100 Satisfying Recipes That Won't Break the Bank by Sarah Walker Caron aims to give readers the ability to make hearty meals that are tasty, budget-friendly, and nutritious. Recipes include dishes like Crispy Coconut Drumsticks or Open-Face Turkey Sandwiches for everyone in the house for just $5. All it takes is the right recipe, a few tricks, and a little planning to make the most of your food budget. The cookbook offers budget tricks and tips to lower the cost of ingredients even further.

Easy Frugal Cookbook is a book that offered something very much needed, ideas for keeping your family fed for less money than you might expect. The recipes are easy to follow, practical, and include ingredients that are common and generally easy to get. I did find it to be very simple, and as someone that grew up in a very frugal home as a child and still of the same mentality, a little condescending. However, that could just be because of my mindset when reading and the fact that very little of the book was new to me. I think this book would be most helpful for readers that are just getting started in their adult lives, or those that have never really thought about cooking or a budget before. Some of the recipes gave me ideas, but for me including recipes like scrambled eggs, sandwiches, and wraps was a bit basic- although I know there people that need instruction for the things I no longer need to think about.

Easy Frugal Cookbook is a cookbook for those just starting out cooking and thinking about budgeting. This might be a good gift to those striking out as lone adults for the first time or adding members to their household and needing to readjust the budget.

Book Review: Fossils for Kids: A Junior Scientist's Guide to Dinosaur Bones, Ancient Animals, and Prehistoric Life on Earth by Ashley Hall

Fossils for Kids: A Junior Scientist's Guide to Dinosaur Bones, Ancient Animals, and Prehistoric Life on Earth by Ashley Hall is filled with photographs and facts for junior fossil hunters ages 5 to 9. It includes how fossils form, where they are found, and tips on how to identify them. Start by learning more about some of your favorite dinosaurs—from Velociraptor to Tyrannosaurus rex—and where you can see the coolest dinosaur skeletons. Then discover the creatures that predate even the dinosaurs! You’ll meet famous birds, like the Archaeopteryx, explore tiny invertebrate trilobites, and learn which ancient plant is the source of a delicious drink—root beer!  Readers won’t just be learning about dinosaurs; this book covers mammals, other reptiles, and plant fossils. 

Fossils for Kids is a solid and well organized book that gives a summary of fossil study and finding for young readers. The information is accessible and covers a broad range of information that is valuable to readers just getting started on the topic. The pictures, illustrations, and occasional fact box and sidebar were well placed and added value while keeping the book from becoming too text heavy. I though the book as a whole is a great starting point for readers that are intrigued by fossil hunting, and want to know more about the process both so they can get started and so they can know what the professionals are doing in the field. However, I think that readers that have been interested in the subject for awhile and maybe already read other books on the topic might find it less valuable than those just getting started. 

Fossils for Kids is a good introduction to fossils and related fields for young readers.

Book Review: Beginner's Guide to Whiskey: Traditions, Types, and Tastes of the Ultimate Spirit by Sam Green

Beginner's Guide to Whiskey: Traditions, Types, and Tastes of the Ultimate Spirit is a nonfiction book by Sam Green. It shares whiskey's rich history, the detailed process from grain to glass, the main types of brown liquor, and, of course, the fine art of savoring handcrafted whiskey. 

Beginner's Guide to Whiskey is an accessible guide to the history, varieties, making, drinking, and meal pairing of whiskey. I have been fascinated by whiskey for years, but am not a big drinker and have been intimidated by the varieties with no clear idea of where to start exploring whiskey without wasting time or money. This guide explained the differences between how the difference types are made, and in turn how they vary in taste. I really liked the charts at the end of each chapter giving some suggests as to where to start and what they each taste like. Making cocktails, and pairing drinks with food are covered as well, which I found helpful. I think i specifically liked the accessible narrative tone of the writing, and the reassurance that there is no wrong way to drink whiskey. Drink what you like, responsibly of course, and enjoy it. Neat, on the rocks, with water, or as part of a cocktail- the important part is finding what you enjoy and doing so is what matters.

Beginner's Guide to Whiskey is a well written, researched guide with suggestions that have put a few things on my mental shopping list.

Early Book Review: Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen by Heather Ferranti Kinser

Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen by Heather Ferranti Kinser is currently scheduled for release on April 7 2020. Can something small matter at all? Of course it can! In this book for young readers (who know a thing or two about being small), you can take a super close look at details too little to be seen with the human eye. Powerful shots from scanning electron microscopes show shark skin, bird feathers, the hairs on a honeybee's eye, and so much more, proving that tiny details can make a BIG difference.

Small Matters is a wonderful book graphically. I loved the combination of images, both in normal and microscopic proportions. The colors and images popped on every page and are simply stunning to look at all on their own. I also loved the text of the book, teaching readers of all ages interesting facts about nature and showing them that sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference, even if they typically get overlooked. I learned several things, for instance I had no idea that a bee's eye had hairs, while some things I did already know. I also enjoyed that at the end of the book there was more information on the electron microscope and nano scale, and the science behind their invention and use. The further details on the close up images, and the suggestions for further reading were other nice touches that made the book even better in my eyes. I think those inclusions help the book reach a wider range of readers, and allow the youngest readers to continue loving the book as their reading skills and interests grow.

Small Matters is a visually stunning book that would make a great addition to libraries, particularly in schools and classrooms.

Book Review: Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids—Building Vocabulary Through Etymology, Definitions & Stories by Jess Zafarris

Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids—Building Vocabulary Through Etymology, Definitions & Stories by Jess Zafarris shows readers of all ages that the English language is made up of words from different places, events, and periods of time. Each of those words has an exciting story to tell us about where, when, how, and why they came about. It has easy-to-understand definitions and awesome word-origin stories, helping readers understand the history and meaning of English words, improve vocabulary and spelling, and learn to play with language. Explore how weird words like gnome, fun words like zombie, and common words like caterpillar came to exist. Discover why some words sound funnier than others (like cackle, sizzle, and twang) and why some groups of words start with the same few letters (like hydrate, hydrogen, and fire hydrant). 

Once Upon a Word is an accessible and entertaining resource for readers of all ages. I like that it uses the history of words, the building blocks of words, and how different languages have created and continue to change the English language. After the rundown on the building blocks and things that have shaped language starts the actually dictionary part of the book- explaining each word in detail. This is a great tool for gaining a better understanding of favorite or interesting words, but it is not the most entertaining part. I really enjoyed the two sections that follow, which explore food  and music related words. Since food and music are two of my favorite things I found this to be very interesting.  I think that this would be a good classroom or school library resource for middle grade readers and older. However, it might also be helpful to those approaching the high school horrors of standardized tests that seem to be very important to their adults. The understanding of the roots and building blocks of words that are laid out in the beginning of the book can help all readers with their vocabulary and the ability to guess the correct meaning of most words- especially in a multiple choice test. I thought that some of the color and formatting choices really broke up the text on the pages nicely, making the read book as a whole less intimidating to readers. 

Once Upon a Word is a well organized and written resources that will help its readers understand some of the building blocks and influences of the English language while offering some humor and interesting tidbits along the way.

Early Book Review: Just Draw Fineliner Art: Incredible Illustrations Crafted With Fineliner Pens by Liam Carver

Just Draw Fineliner Art: Incredible Illustrations Crafted With Fineliner Pens by Liam Carver presents a collection of more than 85 beautiful blackwork images by contemporary artists from around the world. It is currently scheduled for release on March 3 2020. Readers can browse the book for advice or inspiration. Each image is accompanied by a short introduction, information on the approaches, techniques and tools used, and useful tips. Learn about stippling and hatching to produce immensely detailed drawings. This is the perfect guide for artists and art lovers alike.

Just Draw Fineliner Art might just be a thinly veiled advertisement for their products at first, but it can also be a solid resource for inspiration and technique. I have never been more than an amatur artist, someone that doodles for fun and has had no formal art education past some advanced high school courses. I enjoyed looking at the art, reading a bit about the tools and techniques used to create them, and might just pull out some of my art supplies to test my muscle memory and skills to see how much I remember and can still pull off. I did find some of the 'tips' to be things I still remember from those high school classes, which are farther away that I might like to admit. Other tips and challenges offered by them were more unique and had my full attention. I did like the information about the artist and how they achieved the look in each piece. Like any other collection of images or other art there will always be favorites and pieces that speak to us less. That is the case here as well, but each piece does show skill that I could fully appreciate while some just had me staring at an individual piece for a good length of time. I do appreciate that at the end of the book the is the recommendation to explore different brands of pens, and information on a variety of tools and mediums that any artist might want to try in the effort to find what works best for them. There are also resources for further information and an index of artists, so you can see if the artist of your favorite piece in the book has more that you might want to give attention to as well.