Ronald Lankford's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: An American Hero"

I'm sure that I am not the only one who holds Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer dearly in childhood Christmas memories.  I was so pleasantly surprised by Lankford's work in illustrating Rudolph as "An American Hero."  His writing paired with relevant pictures made for an enticing and enjoyable read.  I especially appreciate that this book was not only a fun read, but it was more importantly very well researched.  This is everything that you never knew about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and everything that you did not think to even ask.  It's a perfect for a good read or gift around Christmas and year-round!

I received this book from the LibraryThing for an honest review.

"Photographs from the Edge" by Art Wolfe

These images of the world from the Art Wolfe's lenses refreshed my own perspective of the world.  I always knew that true beauties existed in our world - both in nature and in humanity; however, the works by this master photographer added a deeper appreciation for the wonders of the world for me.  I found myself turning the pages of this book with chills running down my arms.  It is no wonder that Wolfe is acclaimed as one of the greatest modern nature photographers!

The most unique feature of this book was the insight that Wolfe shared about the behind-the-scenes details that factored into each photograph.  It is quite unusual for an artist to share their creative choices behind their works - camera settings, equipment, etc.  So, I really appreciated that Wolfe detailed his mastermind behind each masterpiece.  

Art Wolfe definitely inspired me not only as an amateur photographer, but most importantly as a human being.  It is fascinating to me how the works in his book are each individually great pieces of art as well as extremely humbling.  Please note that this book is definitely worth getting in hardcopy form!  

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this honest review.

"The Curated Closet" by Anuschka Rees

Before I started reading this book, I was expecting a sort of "how-to" guide on organizing and cleaning out my closet.  So, if that is what you are looking for, then this book is not it, but it is surprisingly even better than what I expected.  Rees walks the reader through discovering a sense of personal style and applying that sense to your current closet and future clothes that you shop for.  

This book was a game changer for me!  I am the kind of person who runs out of closet space and still has trouble finding something to wear.  If this sounds like a struggle that you experience, I'm sure that you are just as frustrated as me, especially since I only buy clothes that I thought were "cute" (although a sale never hurts).  

With Rees' life-changing philosophy of the "Curated Closet," I now have new tools to find my own expression to clothes and stay true to myself in how I dress and keep clothes.  The graceful beauty of simplicity and "less is more" is evident in each step of Rees' process - that is, the simplicity of the "Curated Closet" philosophy.  No matter what your personal style - from minimalist to crazy prints and patterns - and no matter where you are on your journey to your dream closet, this book will surely give you the tools to fine-tune your wardrobe to your personality.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

"The After Party" by Jana Prikryl

Prikryl's collection of poems has a lot of potential.  There were certain phrases that, in their perfection, I could only stop and ponder the lines before moving on.  I wish that the entirety of the individual poems and in turn the collection of poems could continue with this genius.  I look forward to a day in the future when I can pick up another one of Prikryl's books and be astounded by her growth.  

However, when I first approached this work, I was slightly confused.  Although there were those moments when I was refreshed by her wording - her phrases - but there were other times when her poems were completely beyond my reach.  I hope this was not a flaw on my part.  Perhaps the abrupt transitions factored into the quick mental shift that was needed to follow the progression of poems.  Overall, I enjoyed individual pieces from this collection but was left with the want for something more.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this honest review.