The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook by Jenn Sebestyen

The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook by Jenn Sebestyen ISBN-13: 9781592339051 Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Fair Winds Press Released: November 19th 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook features more than 100 delicious, plant-based, kid-approved recipes perfect for busy weeknights, or whenever you feel like trying out a meat-free meal. From filling Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti to Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers and Smoky BBQ Burgers, these meals will satisfy even the pickiest of palates. And most can be made in 30 minutes or less!

Chapters cover all types of meals, from Bountiful Bowls (perfect for lunch or dinner), to One-Pot Wonders, to everyone's favorite—Breakfast for Dinner. You'll also find great tips for getting the kids involved, which has a funny way of making them enjoy the meal even more.

Find something for everyone with recipes like: Creamy Tomato Soup with Orzo, Sloppy Lentil Sandwiches, BBQ Chickpea and Veggie Bowls, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, Quick Peanut Noodles, Black Bean and Zucchini Enchiladas, Thai Sweet Potato Curry, Cheesy Broccoli Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Banana Walnut Baked Oatmeal.


My Review:
The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook is a cookbook with kid-friendly, plant-based recipes for those wanting to try out a meatless Monday or wanting to add more plant-based dishes throughout the week. The recipes used no meat or dairy, and most were gluten-free or had tips on how to make them gluten-free. She did use added oil, but she also explains how to cook a dish without added oil if you want to. The recipes were often similar to familiar dishes, like mac & cheese, and usually used familiar or common ingredients that should be easy to find. The recipes look relatively simple to make. The meal recipes usually served 4 to 6 people.

She had 11 recipes for soups, 9 for salads, 12 for wraps, sandwiches, and burgers, 11 for bowls, 11 for pasta, 11 one-pot meals, 8 for casseroles, 9 for vegetable–centered main dishes, 8 breakfast for dinner dishes, and 13 sauces and staples. Each recipe included cooking tips and ways to involve kids in the cooking. She did not include estimated preparation or cooking time, nor did she include nutritional information per serving. They included pictures of many of the recipes.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Healing Plan by Caitlin Samson

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Healing Plan by Caitlin Samson MSACN CEP CPT CET ISBN-13: 9781641528665 Paperback: 234 pages Publisher: Rockridge Press Released: October 15th 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When it comes to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), diet, exercise, and stress management can be the best medicine. The Rheumatoid Arthritis Healing Plan is a holistic, three-part approach to managing pain and inflammation in RA patients, specifically. Learn how to take control of your own comfort and long-term well-being with the easy-to-understand methods in this book.

Discover approachable workout routines, mindfulness-based meditations, simple meal plans, and 75 delicious recipes with anti-inflammatory ingredients that help ease RA symptoms. Help relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms with scrumptious dishes like Shrimp Veggie Noodle Soup, Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash, and Navy Bean Chard Soup. 2 helpful meal plans—Flare-Soothing and Everyday RA meal plans.


My Review:
The Rheumatoid Arthritis Healing Plan covered some natural ways to help reduce inflammation and RA symptoms. The author started by talking about the basics of RA and what causes it. She also discussed several methods of reducing RA symptoms, including exercise, certain stretching exercises, good sleep, stress reduction, and the food you eat. She included a couple meal plans and 75 recipes. These recipes included some anti-inflammatory ingredients and avoided foods that commonly provoke RA symptoms. I was disappointed that she didn't point out that GMO's can cause inflammation. Avoiding GMOs has put my RA in remission. She suggested avoiding processed foods, refined sugar, dairy, gluten, and maybe avoiding some other foods, while adding whole foods like fruits and vegetables.

She included 10 breakfast recipes, 10 snacks, 15 vegetarian main dishes, 15 fish and seafood main dishes, 15 poultry, pork, lamb, or beef main dishes, and 10 desserts. These recipes served between two and six people. She included cook time, prep time, and nutritional information per serving (calories, trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, fiber, protein). There was only one recipe pictured for each section, so many recipes did not have a picture. This is fine with me, but I know some people prefer more pictures. Overall, I'd recommend this book to people with RA who are new to the idea of using diet and exercise to reduce their symptoms.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Sound Bath by Sara Auster

Sound Bath by Sara Auster ISBN-13: 9781982132941 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Tiller Press Released: Nov. 19, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Discover the use of sound in ancient traditions to transform consciousness, heal the mind, calm the body, build diverse communities, and help people live more mindfully. Sound Baths help people achieve a reflective, self-healing state. Sound therapist, meditation teacher, and thought leader Sara Auster has traveled the world facilitating sound bath experiences. Sara shares her personal journey to recovery from a traumatic accident and how she got involved with leading Sound Baths. She talks about what attending a Sound Bath is like and answers the most commonly asked questions about sound therapy, meditation, deep listening, and the ancient traditions that inspire her Sound Baths.


My Review:
Sound Bath is about the author's life, what led her into facilitating Sound Baths, and what her Sound Baths are like. The book sometimes came across as an ad for hiring the author to do a Sound Bath for your group or for buying her recordings. She spent chapters describing how she got into doing Sound Baths, what attending one of her sound bath sessions is like (with sound alone or in combination with scents, yoga, etc.), and how to get the most out of a Sound Bath session. There was a chapter full of letters from people who attended a sound bath and how it helped them.

She also gave an overview of the (mostly Eastern) ideas that inspired what she does in a sound bath. She talked about deep listening, yoga, mindfulness meditation (using sound as your guide), why stress is bad, your voice and words as sound, mantras, doshas, meridians, prana, chakras, etc. I thought the book was supposed to be about how sound benefits physical health, but she started talking like the point of Sound Baths is to achieve an altered state of consciousness. The author also briefly described the instruments that she uses and their history (origins, what they were used for in religious rituals, etc.). At the end of each chapter, she gave an exercise relating to that topic that you can do by yourself, but I felt like this was primarily a what-she-does book rather than a how-to book (especially if you're not interested in dabbling in Eastern religious practices).


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Start Your Own Photography Business by The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc., Jason R. Rich

Start Your Own Photography Business by The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc., Jason R. Rich ISBN-13: 9781599186573 Paperback: 180 pages Publisher: Entrepreneur Press Released: October 22, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
If you have a talent for snapping great pictures, why not turn your hobby into a lucrative business? You can take portraits in a studio or on location, submit photos as a freelancer to media companies or businesses, frame and display your favorite shots in a gallery, or record special events like weddings and sweet sixteen parties. Whether you want to earn a little extra money or set yourself up as a full-time, professional photographer, all the information you need to succeed is inside.

Determine your specialty. Set up a home office and/or functional studio. Choose the right equipment for all types of photos--and find great deals on the cameras and accessories you need. Build an attractive online or traditional portfolio. Find paying jobs and market yourself professionally. Setup a fee structure for your service. Get great exposure for your work at art festivals, contests, galleries, local businesses and more. Protect yourself from legal concerns such as copyright infringement and privacy issues.


My Review:
Start Your Own Photography Business is intended to help people interested in becoming professional photographers to set up a business. It does not cover how to take photographs, but it does talk about what professional level equipment you will need and where to find it at a good price. The book started by talking about the different specialties that you can choose as a professional photographer, like taking stock photos versus taking on assignments, taking portraits or product pictures or fine art prints, and so on. They talked about setting your rates, creating a business plan, and figuring out the costs of running a business. They talked about hiring employees and paying them, creating logos and signs, going online and creating a website, marketing, office and business equipment you will need, finances and taxes, and legal issues related to photography. They also included advice from successful professionals. The information was useful and easy to follow. Overall, this is very helpful information for anyone trying to set up a professional photography business.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Urban Sketching Handbook by Stephanie Bower

The Urban Sketching Handbook by Stephanie Bower ISBN-13: 9781631597657 Paperback: 112 pages Publisher: Quarry Books Released: November 5th 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Illustrator, architect, and international workshop instructor and Urban Sketcher Stephanie Bower has collected 101 of her best insider drawing tips, hacks, and techniques and shares them in this fully illustrated, portable book. Learn shortcuts to getting your perspective right, determining your composition, and balancing your light and shadow. This book collects many basic drawing techniques into one handy volume.

The book also features beautiful example illustrations from Urban Sketchers around the globe! Whether you are new to sketching or are an experienced artist, this book is chock-full of useful, practical, and clever tips to take your drawing to the next level.


My Review:
The Urban Sketching Handbook provided 101 drawing tips with a focus on urban drawing. The author provided tips that would be helpful to an absolute beginner at drawing as well as some tips that would be helpful to someone more experienced who wanted to learn to draw urban environments better. She started by talking about what materials to use for urban drawing and the basics about drawing lines and shading. She gave some very good tips on determining and including perspective in your drawings. She also gave tips on composition and how to use watercolor with your drawings. Overall, I'd recommend this book to artists interested in learning how to make more expressive and accurate urban drawings.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Grimy 1800s by Andre Gren

The Grimy 1800s by Andre Gren ISBN-13: 9781526731401 Paperback: 136 pages Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Released: December 19, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the nineteenth century, as towns grew, Britain became increasingly grimy. The causes of dirt and pollution were defined legally as 'nuisances' and, in 1835, the new local authorities very rapidly appointed an army of 'inspectors of nuisances'.

This book is the inspectors' chronicle: it offers their eye-witness accounts and a plethora of details pertaining to the workings of the scrutinising Parliamentary Committees that were set up in an attempt to ease the struggles against filth. Inspectors battled untreated human excreta in rivers black as ink, as well as insanitary drinking water, home to tadpoles and portions of frogs so large that they blocked taps. They dealt with putrid animal carcases in cattle markets and slaughter-houses, not to mention the unabated smoke from mill chimneys that covered towns with a thick layer of black grime. Boggle Hole Pond was a source of drinking water full of dead dogs; ice cream was coated in bugs; stinking rotting crabs, poultry and pigeon smells polluted the air. Even the dead floating out of badly drained burial grounds were 'nuisances', leading to the practice of burning the remains of the dead.


My Review:
The Grimy 1800s summarizes reports given by Inspectors of Nuisances in England on various sanitation topics between 1846 and 1915. These inspectors were created in the mid 1800s and reports were recorded by Parliamentary Committees over the years. The author summarized the contents of these reports, selecting ones that he felt were the most interesting. He covered overcrowding, privies, poor or no drainage, improper human waste disposal, lack of availability of clean water, water pollution, food safety, bad smells, reporting of infectious diseases, excess smoke from mills and such, and what type of ground made for a good cemetery. I'd recommend this to anyone researching specific examples of these problems (what town and at what time). It gets a little repetitive if you just want a general overview of the problem.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Vegan Spiralizer Cookbook by Barb Musick

The Vegan Spiralizer Cookbook by Barb Musick ISBN-13: 9781641528177 Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Rockridge Press Released: October 8th 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Vegan Spiralizer Cookbook is your how-to guide for vegan dishes with a twist—literally. It serves up 101 recipes that can be prepared with a spiralizer, making it easy and fun to eat more plant-based meals and create delicious, healthy options where fruits and veggies are the star, not just a sideshow. Whether you’re completely vegan, trying to cut back on calories, or just want to sneak some more vegetables onto your loved ones’ plates, this spiralizer cookbook can change the way you cook. No vegan or spiralizer experience required.

The Vegan Spiralizer Cookbook offers a huge variety of flavor-packed recipes for every meal, including pancakes, soups, and even fancy drinks! How to purchase, maintain, and safely use both hand crank and hourglass spiralizers. Find handy references for what to spiralize, how to spiralize it, and how to cook it—plus lists of other kitchen tools to keep on hand.


My Review:
The Vegan Spiralizer Cookbook is a vegan cookbook that uses a spiralizer to chop the vegetables and fruits in a visually interesting way rather than shredding or otherwise cutting them into pieces. She started by talking about how to buy and use a spiralizer and what vegetables and fruits work well with it. She used a lot of tofu in the recipes and would also use things like vegan cheese, vegan sausage, vegan butter, etc. Most of these recipes were made with ingredients that should be easy to find. The meal recipes usually served 4 to 6 people. Some recipes took under 20 minutes while others took over an hour.

She had 15 recipes for breakfast, 10 recipes for "bowls," 10 recipes for sides, 10 recipes for sandwichs, wraps, and burgers, 11 recipes for soups and salads, 20 recipes for main meals, 15 recipes for desserts, 5 recipes for drinks with a spiral of fruit or vegetable, and 5 recipes for sauces. Each recipe included preparation and cooking time and contained the nutritional information of calories, fat, carbs, fiber, sugar, protein, and sodium. She also indicated if a recipe was gluten-, soy-, or nut-free. There was a picture of one recipe in each section. While I usually don't mind if there is a lack of pictures, I think I would've liked more pictures this time since the point was how the spirals added visual interest.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Vegan Everything by Nadine Horn; Jörg Mayer

Vegan Everything by Nadine Horn; Jörg Mayer ISBN-13: 9781615195886 Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: The Experiment Released: Nov. 1, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
100 gorgeously photographed, accessible recipes for every meal! Vegan Everything is the ultimate uncomplicated cookbook for everyone interested in plant-based foods. No matter what your skill level in the kitchen, these meals come together quickly, easily, and inexpensively. Here are recipes for pizza, falafel, burgers, banh mi, quesadillas, curry, ramen, jambalaya . . . in short, vegan versions of every dish you’re likely to look for.

But you won’t just find delicious vegan dinners here. Vegan Everything also contains a tempting array of breakfasts, snacks, and desserts. From bagels and frittata to brownies and ice cream sandwiches, veteran vegan authors Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer have got readers covered. These 100 recipes can feed you all day, every day.


My Review:
Vegan Everything is a vegan cookbook covering a wide variety of recipes. I liked that she didn't always mimic meat-lover favorites but sometimes created unfamiliar dishes. She did use gluten-containing grains and occasionally even added gluten (seitan), but there were some gluten-free recipes. She did use soy, but there were plenty of recipes without soy, too. Because of this variety, probably everyone can find some new recipes that they can use.

The author occasionally used store-bought vegan "dairy" or "meat" in a recipe. Some recipes added oil or sugar or used less healthy options like white bread. But other recipes used whole grain bread or used fruit for sweetening. Most of the ingredients can be found in my grocery store. I also felt like I could easily make substitutions to the recipes to suit my tastes.

Each of the 110 recipes had full-color picture of the finished product. The recipes usually served 2-4 people. There were 11 recipes for Breakfast, 8 for Snacks (including chips, salads, crackers), 10 recipes for 20-Minute Meals (for which the prep time was 10-20 minutes, but the cook time added another 20-40 minutes), 11 for One Pan Used Meals, 12 for Family Dinners, 8 for Date-Night Dinners, 9 for Party Hits, 7 for Breads, 25 for Dips, Spreads, etc., and 9 for Sweets. I intend to try out a good number of these recipes.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.