Adaptogens by Melissa Petitto, R.D.

Adaptogens by Melissa Petitto, R.D. ISBN-13: 9780785838470 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Chartwell Books Released: May 26th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Harness the ancient healing power of adaptogens: herbs, roots, and other medicinal plants that help the body function better than its natural capacity. Learn all you need to know about 50 of the most common healing herbs and how to make delicious, nutrient-dense recipes to have you functioning at a higher frequency. Adaptogens are packed with amino acids and/or vitamins that help manage the harmful effects stress has on the body.

The bulk of the book is the adaptogen A–Z directory so that you can figure out which products and powders will best work with the stresses of your life. Then there's a slew of delicious and nutritious recipes. These plants are not a quick fix for a stressful situation. Rather, they are a way to help the body better deal with the higher amounts of stress we seem to be seeing a lot of right now.


My Review:
Adaptogens is a short book about herbs, foods, and supplements that help your body deal with stress when taken over time. The author started by briefly describing what an adaptogen is, then there's a directory of adaptogen profiles. Each profile gave the common and scientific name, a brief history of its use, the health benefits, any safety concerns, and dosing information (though this was sometimes merely a recommendation to ask your doctor). There were about 40 full adaptogen profiles plus about 10 brief superfood/powder profiles. The author also included some recipes for drinks, soups, spreads, and more using combinations of these adaptogens. The book doesn't actually include a lot of information as one page of each profile or recipe is simply a full-color picture of the herb or recipe. But it might be good for a beginner who would be overwhelmed by more information. I'd recommend this book to those who don't know about adaptogens who are specifically interested in these herbs rather than medicinal herbs in general.


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 Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook by Lucy Vaserfirer

The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook by Lucy Vaserfirer ISBN-13: 9781592339488 Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: Harvard Common Press Released: August 4th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Making pasta by hand at home lets you create and enjoy dozens and dozens of different flavors of noodles. Cooking teacher and food blogger Lucy Vaserfirer explains the methods of master chefs in simple-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that let home cooks cook like the pros. Lucy shows you how easy it is to use a sheeter, extruder, and cavatelli maker of any type, manual or electric, to create tasty pastas that will please everyone from grown-up gourmands to picky kids who want pasta at nearly every meal.

Lucy shares in these pages terrific purees that you can make, using a blender or a mixing bowl, that you then can turn into all sorts of flavored pastas, from the familiar tomato or spinach pastas to noodles flavored with herbs like basil or chives, spices like pepper or saffron, and other flavors, such as beet, sweet potato, corn, and even, surprisingly enough, chocolate. She teaches you how to make every kind of pasta shape with your pasta machine, including ones you can't find in stores. She includes durum and semolina pastas, the most common kinds, as well as buckwheat and ancient-grain pastas. She even shows how to make Asian noodles, such as udon, soba, and ramen, with your pasta machine. There are recipes, too, for fillings for ravioli, tortellini, and other stuffed pastas, as well as a feast of sauces for finished pasta dishes.

Whether you are a first-time owner of a pasta maker or a seasoned pro looking for exciting new ideas, this book has more than 100 splendid recipes, plus loads of clever tips and tricks, that will make you love your pasta machine and use it often.


My Review:
The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook explained how to make a variety of pastas using three different types of pasta machines: a sheeter pasta machine, an extruder pasta machine, and a cavatelli pasta machine. The author talked about tools, equipment, and ingredients for making pasta. She included many recipes for different types of pasta dough (egg dough, chocolate dough, spinach dough, etc.), pasta fillings, sauces, and even completed dishes. This is a useful, informative book about using these pasta machines.


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.

Origami Fold-by-Fold by John Montroll

Origami Fold-by-Fold by John Montroll ISBN-13: 9780486842424 Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Dover Publications Released: July 15th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
This unique collection of 35 original origami models, presented in order of difficulty, is the invention of bestselling origami artist John Montroll. The projects start with simple one-star models (ladybug, angelfish, sailboat) and progress to very complex four-star models (grasshopper, wooly mammoth), with a crane, lion, peacock, and several geometric shapes in between. This comprehensive volume includes step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations to allow folders at all levels to gradually develop their skills.

Internationally renowned author John Montroll has significantly increased the origami repertoire with his original designs. Best known as the inspiration behind the single-square, no-cuts, no-glue approach, the American origami master presents meticulously developed folding sequences that allow folders to create better models with fewer steps.


My Review:
Origami Fold-by-Fold teaches you how to fold 35 original origami models. The author started by explaining the different symbols that show where to fold and which direction to go as well as how to do the most common folds. He started the projects with simple models and worked up to the most complex so that you can learn the skills you need as you go along. He had 10 simple projects, 10 intermediate projects, 8 complex projects, and 7 very complex projects. For each step, he had an illustration as well as the symbols, but minimal to no text.

On the digital version, each step's illustration was rather small and it was sometimes difficult to see the difference between the symbol for folding forward and folding back. I had trouble following the directions even on the first project. I had to carefully study the picture (rather than the symbols) to catch on to what I was supposed to do since the symbols were not clear in one spot. He then had you go back and repeat several steps (starting with the wrong step) but doing it on the other side. If you have trouble flipping/reversing instructions, this could be challenging. If you are familiar with the folding symbols, I think this would be much simpler to follow. However, this may not actually be the best book for a complete beginner (like me) to start with.


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.

Creative Woodburning by Bee Locke

Creative Woodburning by Bee Locke ISBN-13: 9781465492685 Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Alpha Books Released: August 11th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
If you're a crafter or an artist looking for something new and different, try pyrography. With this type of art, you use a heated instrument to burn images and words into wood. By using techniques from drawing, such as shading and stippling, you can also add depth and embellishments to your creations.

It's easy to get started with pyrography--and Creative Woodburning can help you jump into this hot new craft. This book features an introduction to pyrography and the tools you need to get started; expert advice on how to choose the right materials and how to create a safe working environment; 20 projects, including a jewelry box, a cutting board, a wooden egg, a clock, and a gourd birdhouse; more than 180 patterns--from animal and nature designs to borders and geometric and decorative shapes; and techniques for shading, adding color, and sealing your projects.


My Review:
Creative Woodburning is a guide on how to do wood-burning projects to make works of art. The author started by describing the different equipment you'll need for safe use during the wood burning and provided tips on the easiest-to-work-with wood. She described various techniques for wood burning, like shading, blackening, and stippling, in enough detail that I felt confident that I could do it. The author used templates to create her designs, and she provided the templates for the projects in the back of the book. She also described how to get the template onto the wood. She also talked about things like staining the wood or the different ways you can color the wood-burned art. She then provided a variety of projects, from decorating a jewelry box to a wooden egg or a clock face. While she described how you would do the project, it's not the usual step-by-step description with matching illustrations, but I felt the earlier techniques sections provided all that was needed to complete the projects. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning how to do wood-burning art.


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.

This Is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo

This Is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo ISBN-13: 9780316536820 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Spark Released: August 4th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
How to eat for mental health, from a go-to expert on the impact of food on the brain. Did you know that blueberries can help you cope with the aftereffects of trauma? That salami can cause depression, or that boosting Vitamin D intake can help treat anxiety? When it comes to diet, most people's concerns involve weight loss, fitness, cardiac health, and longevity. But what we eat affects more than our bodies; it also affects our brains. And recent studies have shown that diet can have a profound impact on mental health conditions ranging from ADHD to depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, OCD, dementia and beyond.

Dr. Uma Naidoo is a board-certified psychiatrist, nutrition specialist, and professionally trained chef. In This Is Your Brain on Food, she draws on cutting-edge research to explain the many ways in which food contributes to our mental health, and shows how a sound diet can help treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues. Packed with fascinating science, actionable nutritional recommendations, and delicious, brain-healthy recipes, This Is Your Brain on Food is the go-to guide to optimizing your mental health with food.


My Review:
This Is Your Brain on Food explains what foods can positively or negatively affect your brain health. The author covered depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, dementia, brain fog, insomnia, fatigue, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD, and libido. For each problem, she talked about scientific studies using nutrition to treat the issue, cases that she's treated successfully, and advice about what foods should be avoided and what foods help heal the problem. About a fifth of the book was some recipes along with cooking advice for people that are beginners at cooking. Since I'm interested in food as medicine, I've heard some of this advice before. She generally recommended whole food over refined foods and getting your nutrition from food rather than supplements. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those who want to try changing their diet to heal. However, she doesn't mention avoiding GMO's even though she does recommend canola oil and soy foods. I strongly suggest anyone eating those foods buy organic or become informed about genetically modified foods.


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 Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs by Kristine Brown

The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs by Kristine Brown ISBN-13: 978-1647393724 Paperback: 167 pages Publisher: Rockridge Press Released: July 7, 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Amazon:
Growing herbs means growing your own food, medicine, home remedies, beauty products, and more. The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs is packed with expert information on planting, caring for, and using herbs to nourish and nurture yourself, your family, your pets, and even your livestock.

Learn about cultivating herbs on your homestead and get a step-by-step guide to creating your own herbal preparations—from teas and infusions to tinctures, syrups, and salves. Explore an informational index of common household herbs, including the parts used, plant properties, safety considerations, preservation methods, and much more. Try dozens of recipes for everything from homemade marshmallows and basil-infused cooking oil to sunburn soother spray, furniture polish, and natural deodorant.


My Review:
The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs is a book about growing and using common herbs. The author started by briefly talking about why you would want to grow herbs and how you can use them. She then talked about good locations for an herb garden (space needed, soil type, etc.) and how to prepare herbal medicine (teas, syrups, tinctures, poultices, salves, infused oil). She provided profiles for 20 common herbs: basil, black walnut, chamomile, comfrey, echinacea, elderberry, fennel, garlic, lavender, marshmallow, mullein, onion, peach, peppermint, raspberry, rose, sage, stinging nettle, thyme, and willow. She included a picture the plant (though not always suited for identification purposes) and information about the parts of the plant that you use, growing tips, how to preserve it for future use, medicinal uses, preparation tips, dosing, and safety considerations.

She also included recipes using the profile herbs along with other herbs. She included 20 recipes for eating (herbed butter, green man pesto, etc.), 25 recipes for healing and wellness (fire cider, flu fighter tea, tummy tamer tea, etc.), 8 recipes for housekeeping (surface cleaner, furniture polish, etc.), 7 recipes for beauty (tooth powder, mouthwash, etc.), and 15 recipes for pets and livestock (wound powder, flea powder. etc.). I had expected this to be a gardening book, so I'm disappointed that the focus seemed to be more about uses for herbs. Overall, though, the information is good though mostly an overview of a variety of topics.


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.

Holistic Health Handbook by Kim Lam

Holistic Health Handbook by Kim Lam ISBN-13: 978-1647396084 Paperback: 236 pages Publisher: Rockridge Press Released: June 16, 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Amazon:
Treating your body as a whole—not just your symptoms—is a powerful health strategy. Experience the benefits of holistic care with The Holistic Health Handbook, a collection of alternative practices chosen to address common ailments of the body and mind. Its wide variety of holistic health treatments includes mind-body interventions, bodywork therapies, energy healing, and more to help restore balance in your body—and provide the relief you need.

Get introduced to specific effective healing tools like aromatherapy, herbal medicine, breath work, acupressure, and meditation. An overview of each common holistic health practice teaches you the basics, helping you choose what to integrate into your personal treatment plan.

The Holistic Health Handbook includes: Flip directly to A-Z entries for specific ailments like allergies, back pain, cold and flu, depression, migraines, insomnia, and stress. Each entry contains three holistic health remedies, most of which you can do at home using whole foods, herbs, exercises, massage, and other accessible resources. Learn how to help prevent future issues by improving your environment, digestion, sleep, nutrition, and more.


My Review:
Holistic Health Handbook provides an overview of holistic practices to treat common ailments. The author started by talking about the difference between holistic and conventional medicine, by giving a brief history of holistic medicine, and describing Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. She then gave an overview of different types of therapies and talked briefly about acupressure, acupuncture, healing touch, massage, meditation, visualization, guided imagery, self hypnosis, essential oils, aromatherapy, flower essences, herbal remedies, nutrition therapy, chiropractic manipulation, tai chi and qigong, yoga, reflexology, exercise, Reiki, crystals, and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

She then had entries for specific conditions with suggestions on how to treat it with herbs, essential oils, foods, and practices like meditation, massage, and guided imagery. She included recipes for things like face masks and smoothies, step-by-step instructions for practices like a guided visualization, yoga move, or self massage, and tips on types of exercises that would best help condition. The conditions she covered were: acne/skin, addiction, allergies, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, back pain, cold and flu, constipation, Crohn's disease, depression, grief, headaches and migraines, high blood sugar, infertility, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, memory loss, muscle spasms, nausea, nerve pain, osteoporosis, psoriasis, stress, thyroid imbalance, and urinary tract infections. Overall, if you are new to holistic practices, the overview of possibilities provided by this book may be helpful.


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.