Twenty Dinners

Twenty Dinners is a collection of recipes from photographer Ithai Schori and Musician Chris Taylor. This is not your average cookbook, neither is it meant to be. Your average cookbook produces recipes to be followed. The key component to these recipes is to teach the reader how to build a foundation of what they like. These recipes are meant to be reconstructed and added to according to your palette. I really liked the idea of people cooking together, instead of someone slaving over the stove and ignoring their guest. So the party is centered around the cooking. Schori and Taylor aren't into desserts so much so they used guest pastry chef Lillie O'Brien. O'Brien is famous for her jams. Which was the inspiration for her successful business, London Borough of Jam.

In the table of contents, I noticed the recipes were divided into four categories: fall, winter, spring, summer with 5 dinners each complete with tips and what cocktail would be best. I don't drink so I would substitute a flavored sparkling water. These are very unconventional dinner parties that don't start at any particular time and the food may not be spread out like you are use to it being.  In the back there are two glossaries. The first one is techniques, terms, and handy advice. The second one is tools, pantry, and shopping for ingredients. I really like this book. I would buy it just for the tips in the back. 

I received this book free from WaterBrook Publishing Group for doing this review. I was not required to write a positive review, all thoughts and opinions are mine.

Refinery29

I have always loved fashion, so when I heard about the book Refinery 29, I was very much interested.  I have to admit that I had never heard of the Refinery 29-the place to go for fashion trends- website before this book. If you haven’t checked it out before, go to http://www.refinery29.com/. You will appreciate the book so much better afterwards.

Christene Barberich and Piera Gelardi teamed up to create this wonderful fashion guide.  They show you how to push the limits in so many ways.  The contents is divided into 10 categories: brights, layering, denim, good vintage, ugly pretty, ladylike, black, mixed prints, metallics, and tomboy. If that’s not enough, each one of these categories is broken up into subcategories.  For example each subcategory consist of: basic training, style moves, 1 piece, 3 ways, rule breakers, year around, question and answer, and zoom lens.

My favorite category is good vintage because I am a bargain shopper. I do a lot of yard sales and second had stores. So I got a lot of tips. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fashion. There’s something in this book for every woman.  This book is basically geared towards women. You will see style trends from all over the globe. I think it’s worth every penny of 19.99 US. The best self help fashion guide I have seen.

I recieved this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for doing this review. I was not required to write a positive review, all thoughts and opinions are mine.

Adventure Time Crafts: Flippin' Adorable Stuff To Make From Land Of OOO

Cartoon Network and Chelsea Bloxsom have penned a book of  DIY  craft projects inspired  by the Cartoon Network show Adventure Time. This collaboration of crafts desiged by the fans of the show,  are the cutest crafts representing the land of OOO and it's characters: Marceline, Jake, and Gunter, just to name a few. Some of the projects range from easy to the more advanced. Like the bubblegum's like-like sweater, which you embellish a sweater that has already been made. The crafts range from earrings, bracelets, puppets complete with DIY stage, hats, nail art, etc. Each project comes with an introduction, list of items you will need, and steps complete with pictures. The book consists of four chapters: Total Toytopia, Bling-A-Ding-Ding, Rhombus Home Decor, and Geek Chic Fashion, with such eye-catching sub titles as: Shrink-a-Cow-Tastic Earrings,Oh my Glob, Nail Art.

In the back of the book you will find templates of the various projects and an index. What I like about this book is the crafts can be implemented by young as well as older crafters. They are very professional looking and it consists of something that someone would actually do. Like the bracelet and earrings. I would recommend this book to crafters of small child and to libraries.  A little bit about the author. Chelsea Bloxsom is a native of Boston. She is the founder of Love and Sandwich, where she makes plush stuff toys and embroidery hoops show casing  characters from movies and shows. Some of her work can be viewed at  http://www.tumblr.co

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review