Crafts, Hobbies & Home

52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series)
52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series)

Review:I love this book. Having used several "how to" art books in the classroom, this little book gives more helpful ideas and thought than any I have ever seen. I can't wait to start using it as a motivator for my summer school art class. Wonderful gift to the art educator from the creative mind of my sister-in-law! Read more

The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy - and Well-Behaved Dog
The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy - and Well-Behaved Dog

Review:I had a few issues with the extreme expectations he had. I read this book shortly before adopting my 8 week old little rescue mutt. The first issue I had is his mentality about choosing the "correct" puppy, and really he's speaking on the fact that one should purchase a puppy from a breeder to be sure you have chosen the correct "qualities". Unfortunately- many people like myself prefer to rescue puppies, regardless of what their breed and qualities are. According to Dr. Dunbar, if you do not "c... Read more

Storm King's Thunder (Dungeons & Dragons)
Storm King's Thunder (Dungeons & Dragons)

Review:The flow chart is very helpful to help keep track of where they players should be but around the middle of the story it leaves the players in a very sandbox style environment the DM will have a lot to manage. Overall it seems like a great story with the ever dreaded escort mission for the players that will open or close opportunities for players leading them to make certain moral decisions that might create lasting effects to the story. Read more

and Loving Your Home Every Day - The Secret to Cleaning Better
and Loving Your Home Every Day - The Secret to Cleaning Better

Review:Great cleaning advice and tips even for those seasoned cleaners. Love the recipes for easy, environmentally safe and healthier products. I have been watching Melissa Maker's YouTube videos for a long time so it was an easy decision to buy her book. Whether you are familiar with her or not, this book is a must! Especially for younger adults, or any one starting out with no idea how to clean. Even though I have been a wife and mother for a long time, I still greatly benefitted from this book.... Read more

Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (D&D Accessory)
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (D&D Accessory)

Review:If you are new to the Forgotten Realms setting in D&D then this book might be for you. The majority of the content is backstory on the various areas of the sword coast and there is a very small portion at the end that has new class descriptions. Since this is the 5th edition and there has been similar books to this in previous editions, I was hoping for a lot more character classes that would work with 5e.

I don't recommend getting this book unless you are planning on DM'ing in this s... Read more

Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder - Unweaving the Rainbow
Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder - Unweaving the Rainbow

Review:Dawkins fans like me will be horrified by this book. Roughly speaking , it could be sub-titled 'Why Science isn't boring' but, unlike the thrilling romp of 'The Selfish Gene' or the interest of 'The Blind Watchmaker', here Dawkins bangs wearily on, often on his own hobby horses or things he evidently knows little about.
He hectors us about watching the X-Files, he has a predictable go at Stephan Jay Gould, he repeats earlier work almost verbatim. His previous books demonstrated brilliantl... Read more

A Coloring Book Adventure - The Mind Palace
A Coloring Book Adventure - The Mind Palace

Review:I was very curious about this colouring book, having heard a positive critique on the Baker Street Babes blog. They went on mostly about the positive fan aspect of it, a type of feedback I will leave to the countless fans to do here. Practically speaking, the line art in this book is pretty disappointing. Yes, it has to be line art for colouring, i.e. one must leave empty/blank spaces everywhere to be filled with colour, but the aesthetic of it is truly what ticked me off in many pieces, especia... Read more

How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps
How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps

Review:I was expecting a comedy book about failings at becoming an adult - and that was in this book - but there were also really helpful tips for young adults setting out on their own. Kelly did an excellent job of mixing the two. Read more

The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition)
The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition)

Review:This came in great shape. I will be honest though, my reading load has been heavy and I haven't got to this book yet. I did however read their other book, and know they are great dog trainers. I suggest this book to anyone try to train their dog. Also look into other books about the monks of new skete's german shepards. Read more

Second Nature: A Gardener's Education
Second Nature: A Gardener's Education

Review:Who could have predicted that a young Michael Pollan writing about gardening would become a leading advocate for responsible agriculture and one of the country's biggest-selling writers? Just about anyone who read him then, is my guess. Pollan shows in this gem of a book what a terrific and layered writer he is.

For all the fantastic writing, the book, however, is uneven. Many of the chapters were published as magazine articles before the book came out, and it shows. The organization of t... Read more

More information