Drawing the Head for Artists by Oliver Sin

Drawing the Head for Artists by Oliver Sin ISBN-13: 9781631596926 Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Quarry Books Released: Aug. 6, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Written by celebrated portrait artist and veteran studio instructor Oliver Sin, this informative and beautifully illustrated volume leads readers step-by-step through his method, from establishing a point of view to applying the timeless principles for creating an accurate and expressive likeness.

Learn about necessary supplies and basic drawing techniques, including hatching, various stroke styles, and blending. Explore how the concepts of sight-sizing, value, negative space/shapes, and plane changes factor into a portrait’s underlying structure. Investigate how contrasting shapes, overlapping forms, and linear and atmospheric perspective are used to enhance depth. Examine how edges—contours as well as changes in value—are used to convey three-dimensional form.


My Review:
Drawing the Head for Artists teaches how to draw portraits using charcoal. The author talked about what tools to use and described some drawing techniques (both in general and for using charcoal). He then gave tips for drawing the head in proportion from the front, side, and three-quarters poses. He gave step-by-step directions for drawing the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth in each of these poses. Then he demonstrated the start-to-finish steps for doing a portrait. He also gave a step-by-step demonstration for hair and for facial hair.

He also talked about why you might use different lighting angles (three-quarters, rim, top, side, front, bottom), ways to make a portrait look less static, and how to convey the person's personality. He gave tips about drawing hats, scarves, collars, hands, children, the elderly, and the differences between men and women. He also talked about how do draw using toned papers and suggested some ways to create interesting background textures. This book is probably most useful to artists with some drawing experience, but I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to improve their charcoal portrait drawing.


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 Story of Painting by DK

The Story of Painting by DK ISBN-13: 9781465481788 Hardback: 360 pages Publisher: DK Publishing Released: Aug. 6, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A fascinating new history of art, this gloriously illustrated book reveals how materials, techniques, and ideas have evolved over the centuries, inspiring artists and giving them the means to create their most celebrated works.

Covering a comprehensive array of topics, from the first pigments and frescos to linear perspective in Renaissance paintings, the influence of photography, Impressionism, and the birth of modern art, The Story of Painting follows each step in the developments in painting over the last 25,000 years, from the first cave paintings to the abstract works of the last 150 years. Packed with lavish color reproductions of paintings and photographs of artists at work and the materials they used, it also focuses on key paintings from each period to analyze the techniques and secrets of the great masters in detail.


My Review:
The Story of Painting is an art history book that's full of colorful pictures of painting, tools, artists, and such. The book started with cave paintings, Greek pottery, Roman statues, and frescoes and progressed throughout history to the modern day. The book covered information like the development of new technologies and how they impacted art trends, the different styles of art and how they developed, the different types of tools, materials, and pigments used over time, details about important paintings, biographies of significant artists, and information about the different methods of painting (like oil, watercolor, pastels, etc.). I found this book a very informative and enjoyable read. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about art history (though probably not to someone who has already taken an actual art history course).


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 Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet by Joni Marie Newman

The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet, revised and updated by Joni Marie Newman ISBN-13: 9781592338849 Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Fair Winds Press Released: July 23, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet takes the popular veggie burger to the next level of flavor and fun with more than 100 daringly delicious, internationally inspired vegan burgers—burgers that stack up to any patty around (meat-full or meat-free) and will wow not only your vegetarian and vegan friends, but all the skeptics, too.

In this revised edition of the original, you'll find more than 30 new recipes featuring healthier options, fewer processed ingredients, and more whole-food, plant-strong ingredients like jackfruit and aquafaba (plus icons for no added oil/salt/sugar, and even more gluten-free recipes!). You'll also find budget-friendly tips and tricks, a "fast-food favorites” section that recreates iconic favorites from popular chains, updated techniques, and alternative cooking methods to include the slow cooker and air fryer. The recipes include such favorites as:

Denver Omelet Breakfast Burger
BLT with Avocado Burger
Pulled "Pork" Sliders
Inside-Out Sushi Burger
Super Quinoa Burger
Sesame Bean Banh Mi Burger
Mac and Cheese Burger
Split Pea with HAMburger
Summer Squash Burger
Korean BBQ Burger


My Review:
The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet is a vegan burger (plus sides and sauces) cookbook. The author frequently used soy (texturized vegetable protein, tofu, miso, tempeh, soy milk, soy flour, soy sauce, etc.) or vital wheat gluten. Of the 106 burgers and 7 loose "meat" sandwiches, only about 25% of the recipes didn't use soy or could be easily converted to a non-soy ingredient. I think that the gluten-free recipes were about the same. That's still around 30 types of burger or sandwich recipes, though. Since I don't eat soy and don't add gluten to foods that don't naturally have it, this did limit the number of recipes that I could potentially use.

The author did use store-bought vegan "dairy" in some of the recipes (especially the sauces). Most of the recipes used ingredients that can be found in my grocery store, and the author tended to use the same base ingredients again and again (in slightly different combinations and/or combined with different spices), so you won't generally need to buy an ingredient that is used in only one recipe. The recipes made between 4 and 10 burgers.

There were 9 breakfast burgers, 12 beefy-tasting burgers (which usually used TVP), 10 bean-based burgers, 9 tofu-based burgers, 12 grain-based burgers, 12 veggie-based burgers, 16 gluten-based burgers (which used vital wheat gluten), 13 gluten-free burgers, 13 fast food mimic burgers, 7 loose "meat" sandwiches, 24 toppings, dips, and sauces, 8 buns and breads, and 17 fries, rings, and other sides.


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.

Coding for Kids: Scratch by Matthew Highland

Coding for Kids: Scratch by Matthew Highland ISBN-13: 9781641522458 Paperback: 172 pages Publisher: Rockridge Press Released: July 2, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
From sprites and code blocks to scripts and scorekeeping, Coding for Kids: Scratch helps you discover everything you need to know to create 10 amazing games that you and your friends can play. Watch your confidence grow with step-by-step instructions and clear directions that keep things simple—even as the games you’re making get more challenging. Game on!

Coding for Kids: Scratch includes: Coding for kids—Learn Scratch terms and concepts, then use them to build games you can start playing immediately.Create 10 games—Cake Clicker, Dino Hunt, Crystal Keeper, and more—code, play, and share 10 cool games.Master Scratch—Simple directions, full-color screenshots, and projects that get more difficult make mastering Scratch a breeze.


My Review:
Coding for Kids: Scratch teaches readers how to use the drag-n-drop coding language called Scratch. You sign up (for free) to use the Scratch website and need to use one of the following web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Kids 6 years old and older can use the language, but the author suggested that kids 6-8 years old may need an adult's help while they learn (and I'd agree). I'd suggest the adult work through the book first rather than learn it at the same time as the child, but either would work. Basically, you sit at your computer and follow his instructions to learn how to use the Scratch coding interface, then you put together his codes for the 10 games to learn how to make functioning games. In the game coding section, he simply showed the finished code and explained why the different pieces were needed. You must look for the code blocks and put it together.

Overall, it's an informative book written at a level that kids can understand. You can put together the suggested, basic games pretty quickly. But there were a few times in the instructions about using the Scratch coding interface where he'd say to do something and just assume you'd see how to do it. For example, I initially thought you were supposed to type "timer" into a slot when you were supposed to drag-n-drop that piece from the code selection area. Or he didn't say exactly where to find the code, so I had to scroll through the options to find it. It wasn't until coding the actual games that I got frustrated, though. I followed his code exactly, but the code for the first game sometimes worked perfectly and other times wouldn't completely reset. I figured out what piece of code was missing to make it always work, but I was disappointed that the very first game code that he gave us wasn't complete. Overall, though, this is a great way to teach your kids the basics of coding games.


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 Real World of Victorian Steampunk by Simon Webb

The Real World of Victorian Steampunk by Simon Webb ISBN-13: 9781526732859 Paperback: 168 pages Publisher: Pen and Sword History Released: Sept. 19, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In the last few decades, steampunk has blossomed from being a rather obscure and little-known subgenre of science fiction into a striking and distinctive style of fashion, art, design and even music. In this book Simon Webb explores and examines the real inventions which underpin the fantasy.

The Real World of Victorian Steampunk shows the Victorian era to have been a surprising place; one of steam-powered aeroplanes, fax machines linking Moscow and St Petersburg, steam cars travelling at over 100 mph, electric taxis and wireless telephones. It is, in short, the nineteenth century as you have never before seen it; a steampunk extravaganza of anachronistic technology and unfamiliar gadgets. Imagine Europe spanned by a mechanical internet; a telecommunication system of clattering semaphore towers capable of transmitting information across the continent in a matter of minutes. Consider too, the fact that a steam plane the size of a modern airliner took off in England in 1894.

Drawing entirely on contemporary sources, we see how little-known developments in technology have been used as the basis for so many steampunk narratives. From seminal novels such as The Difference Engine, through to the steampunk fantasy of Terry Pratchett's later works, this book shows that steampunk is at least as much solid fact as it is whimsical fiction.


My Review:
The Real World of Victorian Steampunk is a book about how the fiction genre of Victorian Steampunk is inspired by attempted inventions or real technology created during the reign of Victoria. The author started by explaining what steampunk is, and he frequently referred to various novels that were inspired by the real technology that he's describing. I think this book was aimed more at fans of this genre than history buffs as I've read most of this material in more detail in books by other authors. This was more of an overview of the many ideas that were coming out at the time with some general descriptions of how they worked and why they didn't endure.

He talked about various steam-powered vehicles (cars, buses, lorries, dirigibles, a motorcycle, and a plane) and described why petrol vehicles "won" when electric and steam-powered vehicles were much more desirable (quieter, more reliable, etc.). He described several stretches of pneumatic railway that were actually built and why the technology was abandoned. He talked about wind-powered cars, the mechanical telegraph network, mechanical computers and calculators, wireless sunlight phones, telegraph fax machines, recording voice on metal wire or disks, their understanding of how televisions could be made, home stereo music over the telephone line, attempts to make mechanical men or animals, and solar-powered generators.


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.

Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 3: Endocrinology by Jill Stansbury

Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 3: Endocrinology by Jill Stansbury ISBN-13: 9781603588553 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company Released: April 23, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals is a five-volume set that serves as a comprehensive, practical reference manual for herbalists, physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals.

Dr. Jill Stansbury draws on her decades of clinical experience and her extensive research to provide an unparalleled range of herbal formulas. Organized by body system, each volume includes hundreds of formulas to treat common health conditions, as well as formulas that address specific energetic or symptomatic presentations. For each formula, Dr. Stansbury briefly explains how the selected herbs address the specific condition. Sidebars and user-friendly lists help readers quickly choose which herbs are best for specific presentations and detail traditional uses of both Western and traditional Asian formulas and herbs that are readily available in the United States.

Volume 3 focuses on endocrine systems, offering formulas and supporting information for treating thyroid disease, adrenal disorders, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. This volume also covers the female and male reproductive systems including conditions related to menstruation and PMS, fertility and pregnancy, and the prostate. Reproductive endocrinology is one of Dr. Stansbury’s specialties, and she provides herbal formulas and therapies for pelvic inflammatory disease, genital herpes, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, PCOS, uterine fibroids, low libido, erectile dysfunction, and more. She also discusses the role of herbal medicine in prevention and treatment of reproductive cancers.


My Review:
Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 3: Endocrinology is a reference manual for herbalists and health professionals. This volume focused on endocrine systems. The author started the book by describing how to create your own formulas, but she provided suggested formulas in the book to give you an idea of what might work well if you're not yet comfortable creating your own. The first section talked about the causes of thyroid disease and suggested specific formulas for various thyroid and adrenal disorders. The second section looked at diabetes and metabolic conditions with specific formulas for various diabetes-related problems. The last section covered reproductive endocrinology and provided formulas for things like genital herpes, HPV, premenstrual syndrome, irregular periods, pregnancy-related issues, and more.

In each section, she included several sidebars about specific herbs--their uses and the findings of various scientific studies. At the end of each section, she listed the herbs used in that section along with the common name and what it's good for (in relation to that topic). Even in the formulas, she'd usually say she was using this herb for this purpose and that herb for that purpose. The formulas were usually mixing a tincture by combining individual herbal tinctures (this many drops of this herb). She also suggested tea mixes and sometimes even food recipes (especially in the diabetes section). Overall, I found this book informative and useful, though the text was in rather a small font and (personally) I would have found it easier if she had used common names along with the scientific names in the formulas.


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.

Breathwork by Valerie Moselle

Breathwork by Valerie Moselle ISBN-13: 9781641524483 Paperback: 216 pages Publisher: Althea Press Released: June 25, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Every breath you take has the power to heal—but learning how takes practice. In Breathwork, established yoga and breathwork teacher Valerie Moselle leads you through a practical program to create a personal routine of restorative breathing techniques.

Begin each day with breathing exercises to boost energy and physical health. End each day meditating on clarity and calm. With effective practices that address everything from allergies to anxiety and more, this breathing plan is your guide to discovering the rejuvenating and varied benefits of breathwork.

Breathwork: A 3-Week Breathing Program begins by teaching the timeless fundamental practices of breathwork. Then invite intentional breathing into your life with simple, step-by-step exercises every morning and evening. Feel the positive impact of targeted breathing to treat anxiety, asthma, insomnia and more.


My Review:
Breathwork helps you to explore how you breathe and contains a 21 day program that teaches different breathing techniques. The author mostly based her selection of techniques on those used in yoga and martial arts traditions. She only included those that are safe and do-able for any age or physical ability. She started by explaining the benefits of conscious breathing. She explained the main categories of breathing techniques (like using using only the belly or rib cage, different timing for different parts of the breath, or holding one's breath) and what each type of technique will help achieve. This was very helpful for me as I was confused by all the different options that people mention.

She then got into the specifics of her program. She described several stretches that you will do for the first 5 minutes of the 10 minute morning session. She described how to do the body scan and tension meditation that you will do for the first 5 minutes of the 10-20 minute evening session. For each day, she described the breathing exercise for the morning and the evening, and they generally built on what was learned in the previous sessions. The first week focused on the physical aspects of breathwork--learning belly breathing, rib cage breathing, resistance breathing, and wave breathing. The second week focused on using breath to enhance awareness of our physical self, emotions, and thoughts. The third week focused on overall well-being and how breathwork can enhance our sense of purpose.

I have to admit I got bored with the stretching and the body scan parts of the exercises. I understand their purpose, but it adds time to what is already pushing my current "be still" tolerance levels. I also could already do everything in week 1, so that felt very basic. So it's a good book for a complete beginner because it is basic and explains things. But I suspect you're most likely to complete the 3 weeks of exercises if you're already used to spending 20-30 minutes a day stretching or meditating.


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.