A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

What We See In The Stars Kelsey Oseid Ten Speed Press      This book had so much more information than I was expecting. I thought it would be more of a children's picture book for some reason, and while the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, this book would please any adult who wants to learn about astronomy. I took an astronomy class at college last semester, but we didn't study the constellations very much, and I loved how this book went through the myths surrounding each of the best-known ones. My favorite section was the one on the planets, though- I especially loved how it mentioned the naming themes for their moons and geographical features. (for instance, Uranus's 27 moons are all named after characters from Shakespeare! How did I not know that?)      Of course, there are signs of the current times, with the obligatory jab at the "anti-intellectual" medieval Europeans (when will people discover you can praise one culture's accomplish...

Queso! Lisa Fain Ten Speed Press A fun, full-color look at everyone's favorite cheese dip, with history, tips, facts, and 50 recipes from beloved food blogger Lisa Fain, "the Homesick Texan."  Queso (aka chile con queso) is a spicy, cheesy, comforting cult favorite that has long been a delicious addition to any party, barbecue, or family gathering. This appealing and accessible book features a mix of down-home standards and contemporary updates, from historical, regional, and Mexican quesos to vegan and dessert quesos, including Chile Verde Con Queso, Squash Blossom Queso Fundido, Fajita Queso, Cactus and Corn Queso Poblano, Frito Salad with Queso Dressing, Pulled Pork Queso Blanco, and Sausage Queso Biscuits. Whether you're relaxing with friends, having a few people over to watch the football game, or entertaining a hungry crowd, queso is the perfect party food for good times.       Who doesn't like cheese? I'm certainly a fan, and queso, wi...

Ice Cream and Friends Editors at Food52 Ten Speed Press      Seriously, who doesn't like ice cream? It's one of my favorites, and since my family owns an ice cream maker, I've been interested in trying out more recipes.       Ice Cream and Friends is, visually, a beautiful book, and there are several recipes that look delicious. There are also some that look weird (will I ever hazard spending money on the ingredients for Burnt Toast Ice Cream? I don't know) and some that just aren't to my taste (fruit is not my thing). The only recipe I've tried so far has been the honeyed walnut ice cream: it was okay, although the cream-to-milk ratio was a little different than I prefer, and gave the finished product more of a whipped cream taste than a true ice cream one. In addition, while I'm sure I'll be trying more recipes from this book, there aren't too many that really made me go, "wow, I HAVE to try this!" My flavor preferences tend...

The Snow Queen Written by Hans Christian Andersen,  Illustrated by Snna Annukka Ten Speed Press      Here's a confession: I've never like the original story of The Snow Queen . I grew up on Andersen's fairy tales and I always favored The Princess and the Pea , The Wild Swans , and even, occasionally, The Little Mermaid . The Snow Queen never captured my attention, and I always found it slightly bizarre. (Probably not helped by the fact that my childhood edition had rather ugly illustrations). But in recent years, though I still wouldn't name it as a favorite, I've come to appreciate many of its themes and imagery.      However, for this edition, the illustrations and binding itself is what I'm truly reviewing. I'm always on the lookout for expanding my hardcover book collection, and this copy, with its clothbound cover, caught my attention, The size of it is a little awkward for a hardcover, and I have mixed feelings on the illustrat...

The Elements of Pizza Ken Forkish Ten Speed Press      I really, really like pizza.      I mean, I think most people do, but I just felt the need to admit that I, too, am not immune to the charms of this dish. It's the one thing I just can't seem to get enough of, and I can keep up with my three teenage brothers on the amount of it I can eat. And since my family actually does make homemade pizza on a pretty regular basis, I thought that this would be a good book to give us some more knowledge and tricks in the making of this blessed gift from Italy.      There's a lot of background information packed into this book, and I think it might be for a person who's slightly more serious about pizza-making (I did skip some of it), although I did find some of the historical information interesting. A lot of the recipes look really good, and I liked how many different styles of pizzas are included (I also like the simple sauce recipes, ...

The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts Maja Safstrom Ten Speed Press      I love the cover of this hardcover book! It's quirky and fun, and looks very good on my bookshelf. The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts is a small book of black-and-white drawings of various animals with facts scattered about them. Some animals have more facts that others, but they're all very interesting. (although I could have done without the animal excrement-related ones. Eww.) Some of the drawings were cute, although I think the best ones were used on the cover; some of the drawings were a little underwhelming. Still, it's an enjoyable book and I was following my mother around the house telling her random animal facts as I was reading it.      My favorite fact is probably that a group of owls is called a parliament. I received this book for free from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for my honest review.

The Flower Workshop Ariella Chezar Ten Speed Press      In which Hayden gets a book mainly because she likes looking at pictures of pretty flowers. It's true: I love flowers. Not to the extent of my botanist-in-training sister-- or, at least, I don't care so much for gardening --but I love flowers and hope that one day I can fill my future home with them. And The Flower Workshop is full of ideas on how to do that.      Filled with bright colors and eye catching arrangements, it took me a while to actually read the text because I kept focusing on the pictures! Author Ariella Chezar shares a host of great tips, and I love how she references Dutch floral paintings, of which I happen to be very fond. In fact, most of the arrangements in here are worthy of a still life painting. And as someone who doesn't have a lot of experience in this area, it was good for a beginner.      But mostly, I admit I just like looking at the pictures ...

The Bee-Friendly Garden Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn Ten Speed Press      I've always been interested in bees, at least ever since I saw a particular Magic School Bus episode on the television as a kid. There's just something attractive to me about beekeeping and all of the things you can make out of beeswax and honey. I also love gardens, especially flower ones (although I don't have much of a green thumb) so when I saw this book I thought it might be a handy thing to have around when I'm actually able to plant a garden.      One thing I wasn't expecting was just how much information on bees there was going to be; there was definitely a lot about flowers, but the focus was certainly on the bees. Though I had hoped there would be more on gardening in regards to beekeeping and honey production/taste, overall I thought that this book had a lot of good information. I liked that it not only showed what plants bees are drawn to, but also what plant...

A Jewish Baker's Pastry Secrets George Greenstein with Elaine Greenstein, Julia Greenstein, and Isaac Bleicher 10 Speed Press Ah, pastry. Just the word makes me grin. I can never pass up a good pastry (especially if generous amounts of icing are involved) so I was quick to swoop up this book. A Jewish Baker's Pastry Secrets  is chock full of classic recipes, both familiar and delightfully ethnic (many familiar to my own heritage). I'm especially keen on trying the babka recipes (that chocolate one sounds delicious) and I have a feeling this cookbook is going to get very used around the holiday seasons. My only disappointment is the complete lack of pictures. I'm no stranger to photo-less cookbooks, as the family cookbook supply has a many of them. But photos are one modern cookbook staple that I'm fond of and find to be hugely helpful. however, aside from that, I think I'm really going to enjoy using this cookbook. Rating: 8 I received this b...

Lighten up, Ya'll Virginia Willis Ten Speed Press I love food, to the point that I have a bit of a reputation about it. However, while I do like my sweets, carbs, and dairy, I don't think of myself as a really "unhealthy" person, simply because I'm not the hugest fan of fast food or overly processed stuff. But when it comes to homemade dishes....pile on the cheese. or butter. and steak. Steak is good. So when I saw this book- which boasted "healthy" southern recipes, I knew it couldn't hurt to try it. I'd never heard of this chef before, but I enjoyed her writing. I haven't read through the whole book but I read the introduction and several of the recipes. Some of the recipes in this book immediately caught my eye- mostly the sweets, such as "Old-fashioned Buttermilk Pie" and "Claire's Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies." Some I skipped over (I mean, what's the point of pepper poppers without the chees...