St. Aubyn's take on "King Lear"

Edward St. Aubyn's "Dunbar" was a surprisingly riveting novel for me.  I honestly do not remember all the details of Shakespeare's "King Lear" from my high school curriculum, but I certainly thought "Dunbar" was a thoroughly enjoyable take on the old Shakespeare classic. 



Admittedly, the novel picked up a bit slowly for my taste.  Overall, though, underneath all of the family drama (on steroids) in "Dunbar", the hunger for power and the bittersweet power of forgiveness pulled me through each page.  I would recommend this for someone who appreciates Shakespeare's tragedies as well as someone not as familiar with Shakespeare.

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

Creative - belongs in its own genre

Emily Barton presents a very intriguing and highly original story line in "The Book of Esther."  I had trouble putting down the book, but I also had trouble deciphering in which genre this book belongs.  Barton interestingly toes the line between historical fiction (but not really), fantasy (but not wholly) - all on nearly Biblical scales.  

Overall, a worthwhile read from a very gifted storyteller.  I think fantasy-fiction oriented readers would enjoy this more than historical-fiction readers.  

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

Larry Shepard's Hemi guide

Yet another useful how-to from CarTech:  "New Hemi Engines 2003 to Present:  How to build Max Performance" as presented by Larry Shepard.



In about 140 pages, Shepard covers basically everything you need to know about enhancing Hemi engines, which he points out is still currently developing and changing fast.  Shepard provides detailed descriptions, instructions, specs, and tips on everything from cylinder blocks to computer electronics. 

The format of the book is very easy to follow, and it definitely feels like a how-to presented by a professional to the everyday man.  The pictures included on every page are great quality.  The only con I would like to point out is some of the illustrations do not feel very "polished" and if they were more professionally drawn, I think it would really enhance the quality of this how-to guide.  This is a secondary factor, however, so the illustrations don't take away from the overall book.

I received this book from CarTech for this honestly review.

An extensive palette index

Jim Krause starts off "Color Index XL" with a brief, informative introduction to color theory, which leads straight into almost 300 pages of palettes (4 palettes per page).  The way he sections the palettes (warmer, mixed, and cooler palettes) makes it easy to sift through the book.

I personally see a lot of potential in this book as a great starting point while brainstorming new projects, but I can also see how this book would be useful in just about any step of the artistic process.  

My only complaint about this handy palette guide is the four patterns Krause alternates between to lay out the colors for each palette.  It's pretty to look at, but after more than half an hour my eyes start to hurt.  I wish he stuck with one pattern per section of the book (warmer, mixed, cooler palettes), or maybe bigger shapes to lay out the patterns may have helped me here.

Overall, Jim Krause's "Color Index XL" is a very useful guide that I will surely be using regularly in my future projects. 

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

Russell's "Fliers" is a hit or miss

As advertised, Nathaniel Russell's "Fliers:  20 Small Posters with Big Thoughts" is a quirky, gift-worthy collection of thought-provoking posters.  Some are silly, some pose questions deeper than face value - and all of Russell's "fliers" require a sort of double take.  Perhaps this is a matter of personal taste, but I felt like some of Nathaniel Russell's humor was a bit lost on me.  Also, a few of the fliers felt like they were trying a little too hard to drive the point.



Even though this book did not really "click" with me, I did appreciate the set up of the collection.  Each flier is removable and can actually be used as a poster (heavyweight paper).  I also really appreciated the cover, which unfolds as a poster itself.

My overall impression was great quality posters, though some of the contents were hit or miss.

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

Learn to watercolor in 30 days

Jenna Rainey's "Everyday Watercolor:  Learn to Paint Watercolor in 30 Days" is a very well put together guide through the basics of watercolor.  I myself have dabbled a little with watercolor, but I find Rainey's guide useful since she goes through specific techniques with the brush.  After introducing all the basic techniques, she suggests projects to apply what you've learned for the first few weeks.  I appreciate the guided intro feel to this book.



If you are already an experienced watercolor artist, this book is probably not for you.  If you are a beginner or someone like me - dabbler, but not familiar with all the basic techniques, this is a perfect intro guide!  The daily exercises are actually manageable for one day - it's not a huge time commitment.  I look forward to completing all 30 days.  Check back for updates!

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

Dr. Beddingfield's "Med School Uncensored"

As a former pre-med student, I appreciated many points to this book.  There are far more books out there about how to get into med school versus books about what happens during and after med school (which is really the most important part!).  And, there are a lot of common knowledge bits of medical school and beyond that are not quite common knowledge when starting out.  Here, Dr. Beddingfield outlines the key points of making it through medical school (from board exams to relationship advice) and beyond medical school.  He even gives a rough outline of beyond residency; I was surprised he even included a section on malpractice suits during practice.  

The only thing that I wish Dr. Beddingfield had included was a section on non-traditional medical school students.  There are plenty of people who apply to med school after a traditional 4-year track, but what about those who do career changes, or even have gap years and need to manage their married/parenting lives during the medical school years and beyond?

Overall, though, this is a great overview of life as a medical school student and as a doctor afterwards.  If you are looking for advice on how to get into med school, this book is not for you.  And this book is also not the end-all-be-all for advice throughout the med school years.  It's a great read in your downtime as a rough overview of what to generally expect in the years ahead.  

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

Whittling for beginners

Melanie Abrantes brings an accessible approach to whittling in her "Carve:  A Simple Guide to Whittling."  I appreciated how Abrantes offered step-by-step guides to a wide variety of projects that can be used in the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom.  There's even a section on whittling projects that can be finished during a camping trip.  I also appreciated the details and suggestions on the types of wood that Abrantes offered for each project. 

The texture of the cover is appropriate - feels almost like the cover was whittled itself :)

The only problem I had with this book was the templates at the end of the book.  Many of them spanned across two pages, making it difficult to copy the templates to whittle. 

Overall, great intro to whittling, but definitely just a start. 

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

Quirky, artsy, and a little nerdy

I had so much fun with Matt Sewell's "A Charm of Goldfinches and Other Wild Gatherings."  As a bit of a grammar-nazi and a nature lover, I enjoyed learning new words/collective nouns for animals.  The book itself is very well presented with cute, well-drawn illustrations.  I also appreciated the cover of the book:  it's hard-cover and accurately represents the contents of the book.  It would be appropriate as a gift, and a versatile gift at that - for the art lover, the language lover, or anyone who enjoys a fun, quirky read!

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

"The Mountain Between Us" (Charles Martin)

The original reason why I was so intrigued by this book was the fact that it is a movie tie-in.  Normally, I see a movie come out that was based on the book, and very rarely, there's a book that comes out based on a movie.  However, how strange it is that a book and movie come out at the same time!

But once I started reading, it was more than the first intrigue that drove me to keep flipping the pages.  Could not put it down!  A doctor and photojournalist, victims of a plane crash in the middle the harsh High Uintas Wilderness, rely on each other for survival, and a love story with a lurking tinge of nostalgia results.

I can't wait to see it in theaters now - it stars Idris Elba and Kate Winslet (my two favorite actors)!

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

Customizable Planner

I get extremely picky when it comes to buying a new planner; it's always my first battle during a new year.  I realize that my personal taste may be totally different than others, and I have rarely found another person who is as particular down to the tiny details.  So, it means a lot to me saying that I was overall satisfied with Meera Patel's "Start Where You are - Week-at-a-Glance Diary."

The first thing I noticed (and I know this sounds weird) was the "hand feel" of this planner.  It's almost like a rubberized surface for the front/back covers, but extremely smooth rubber (not sticky rubber).  The cover itself is beautiful (a little on the girly side for me, but regardless, still beautiful).  The BIGGEST con for me was that the planner does not open flat.  If it were a book, I would not bring this up, but as something that I am planning on writing in a lot, it is annoying to have to keep the thing open constantly.

For people who do not use a planner every single day/month, this is VERY useful!  Have you ever bought a yearly planner and only ended up using a few months and wasting the rest of the space?  Patel's planner allows you to utilize as much space as possible depending on your needs.

Other cons:  8 wasted pages on "contacts" (which are much less relevant these days), paperback and not something more durable, monthly quotes are a little on the cliche side, the cursive font doesn't stand out.

Considering all of my personal (extremely) nit-picky tastes with planners, I am still overall happy with this product!  It really is a very innovative usage of space for a week-at-a-glance, given how customizable it is.

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

Colored pencil revolution

I have often ambled through galleries where a certain painting catches my eye - it looks exactly like real life, and it takes me a minute to realize that the painting is not in fact a photograph.  I always wondered how the artist could accomplish such a feat, replicating the depth of life.

Here's how!  Alyona Nickelsen walks the reader through the process of imitating real-life portraits in bite-size steps.  I did not feel overwhelmed at the material covered in "Colored Pencil Painting Portraits," which was surprising, given just how in-depth and insightful Nickelsen's details were.

The star of this book was the last few pages:  Nickelsen outlines, in detail, the pros and cons of various solvents that work well with colored pencils.  I definitely will refer to these few pages in my future endeavors with colored pencils.

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

Art, guided by Al Gury

Al Gury's "Foundations of Drawing" is a guide in many ways - an impressively seamless weaving of art history, tools, techniques, and styles.  I have almost always read books about one of those topics, individually.  To my surprise, Gury gracefully ties in a general history of art as well as informative tips for the amateur (like myself) seeking insights on the actual practice of art.  Each component that makes up the "Foundations of Drawing" complements each other.  My understanding of the techniques and science behind the making of art deepened and was deepened by the outline of art history provided by Gury.

As a general and expansive guide through art (such a large, vague topic!), this is definitely a solid investment.

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

A good everyday read

James Kakalios presents "The Physics of Everyday Things" while walking the reader through a normal day and explaining the wonders of science behind each "everyday thing."  This is a very approachable book, and you do not have to be a science expert to understand Kakalios' explanations!
As a science nerd myself, I will note that this book is more for the everyday common knowledge - if you're already familiar with how household appliances or electronics work, you may find yourself flipping through many of the chapters.

That being said, "The Physics of Everyday Things" was a very enjoyable read while simultaneously providing insights to the objects that we use every day yet do not think about.  Reading this book made me appreciate the countless scientists who shaped and made possible our lives as we know it.  (And that Bill Gates quote kept running through my head as read Kakalios' book:  "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job.  Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.")

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

Min Kym's Amazing Grace in "Gone"

I found so many personal parallels with Min Kym's tale that were simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.  As a violinist, I have experienced the immense and irreplaceable pleasure of feeling like my violin is an extension of my arm.  To be able to "bond" with a rare, legendary Stradivarius is something that I cannot even imagine - something that is close to finding the one true love.

This was the special bond that Min Kym, a world-class violinist, shared with her rare 1696 Stradivarius violin that was suddenly taken from under her.  One day, while Kym was on tour, her Stradivarius violin was stolen in a London cafe, and thus her life as musician was unraveled.  As she recovers from the sudden loss of her violin, she starts to rediscover her life on-stage as well as off-stage.

Min Kym's tumultuous life journey is beautifully intertwined with the rediscovery of her musical and non-musical voice.  This is definitely worth the read and any reader will surely find (more) appreciation for the magical bond between artist and instrument.

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

"32 Yolks" fed my curiosity and foodie dreams

As a podcast fanatic, I found this ebook to be a perfect addition to my daily commute!  Eric Ripert balances and intertwines a beautiful and relatable narrative with beautiful food.  Ripert's pure and obvious passion for food is elegantly conveyed as he describes his heartbreaks and triumphs from childhood to his current success.

Even though I have seen plenty of cooking shows, I never knew how much grit it takes to "make it" in the food world as a renowned chef.  For Eric Ripert, fine cooking was an escape from the pains of growing up in a broken home that became his life's passion and calling.  Ripert describes how he takes his love for cooking to fulfill his dreams and ending up as the chef of a Michelin star restaurant in New York.  It was eye opening to hear about Ripert working his way up in the kitchen under the direction of legendary chefs like Joel Robuchon and Dominique Bouchet.  The late nights, early mornings, and the constant demand for perfection point to Ripert's dedication and true love for his work, which is his life.  His story actually motivated me in my daily grinds.

Above all, the savory details of specific dishes and the process of making them had my mouth watering and also inspired me to expand my palate so that I can taste such wondrous-sounding dishes myself!

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