God Bless America: A Patriotic Coloring Book Review

I have learned a lot about adult coloring since my first coloring book review.  For instance, I now know that you take the pages out of the book before you color them!  The Professional Adult Colorist uses a guillotine to do this. I also know of several different techniques to shade and produce other types of effects. Cool!

I was sent a copy of God Bless America: A Patriotic Coloring Book by Blogging for Books in order to review. First of all, this is a nice, substantial book. The cover is beautiful and the pages are thick. The thick pages provide a soft surface that is great for pencils and will help keep some markers from bleeding through (I would use cardboard or some other protection underneath though). The designs are not as "busy" or complex as in some adult coloring books. I really like these simpler designs by Multnomah - I think the really tiny areas are a little frustrating. Each page has part of a patriotic quote or line from a song which are uplifting. An unexpected bonus is the inclusion of a little history about the quote used on the back of each page. That is a lovely touch. The only negative thing I can see is that the animals on some of the pages are really cartoonish...that really isn't negative!

This is a really great coloring book that I think older adults will especially love (due to the less complicated designs).  I would definitely seek out more by this author.


Click here to purchase at Amazon.com

I Quit Sugar - Uniquely Unexpected

Ever since my daughter a vegan way of life, I've been struggling with trying to eat healthier. As much as I love animals, I can't be as dedicated as she is. No way (although I completely respect her and others who are). Sugar is an ingredient I seem to be especially addicted to. When I ordered I Quit Sugar, Sarah Wilson's new cookbook, I expected mostly desserts with non-sugar sweeteners. Silly of me, perhaps, but that's what I thought.  What arrived was a really good-sized book filled with unique recipes for meals and snacks throughout the day.

While a part of me is disappointed this is not contain solely desserts, there are so many really fantastic sounding dishes that this book is still exciting for me (and, yes, plenty of desserts, too). Just some of the 306 recipes included are savory yogurts (yep - savory!), Slice 'n' Bake Miso Butter Biscuits, and Sweet Potato Nachos.  Wilson includes lots of beautiful photos ( a definite must for cookbooks in my opinion) and the recipes look easy enough even for beginners like me.

While there are many recipes that I won't be interested in, there are at least an equal number that look fantastic and I'm eager to try. Don't be confused by my introduction - this is definitely not suitable for vegan lifestyles - plenty of meat and dairy are included in these dishes. But I Quit Sugar is definitely a great addition to the cookbook collection of people who are looking for healthier diets.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

Review: Five Days at Memorial

I knew Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink would be a difficult one to get through. This is a thoroughly researched, excellently written account of what happened at Memorial Medical Center during and directly after Hurricane Katrina.

From the introduction on, each page brought new horrors that evoked such strong emotions - anger, frustration, disbelief - that it was impossible to read for long periods of time. Simply put, the rescue of those survivors in the city of New Orleans was a major clusterf**k. One can only hope that lessons were learned from this horrific tragedy for future disasters.

As I began to read, I found it easy to pass judgement on the participants and decision makers at Memorial. But at some point I started to think about what I would have done in a similar situation. Would I have acted as heroically as the nurses (they were heroes in the midst of the most abominable conditions)? If I were a doctor experiencing days without sleep, no power or water, in unbearable heat - what decisions would I have made? Would I have even stayed to help the patients (many did not)?  Five Days of Memorial brings these ethical issues to the forefront. It's a brutal look.

The second part of the book describes the investigation and legal proceedings against involved doctors, hospital staff, and hospital corporation.  As I was thinking about this book (I'm telling you, this one is going to stay with you), I checked out some Wikipedia info. There was a link to a very interesting website full of rebuttals to the book and raises questions about Ms. Fink's research methods. One page of the site contains testimonials to one of the doctor's dedication to her patients. This wasn't in question; euthanizing people without patient/family permission was.

I've rethought my rating system, saving five stars for those books I think should be read by everyone. Five Days at Memorial is a five star read.  Thank you to Blogging for Books for my review copy.

Click here to purchase on Amazon

Review: Trim Healthy Mama Coobook

I love cookbooks. I love the way they look, I love the way they feel. I even love shelf reading the 641 section at the library. OK, that last part may not be entirely true, but I always leave with cookbooks in arm when they are my shelf reading territory.  I am always excited to augment my collection, and Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook is an exceptional addition.

My first impression of Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook: This is a big, beautiful book stuffed with fantastic looking recipes and an abundance of color photos.  I love that the authors, Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison, say in the introduction that their serving sizes are suggestions only - they don't judge! I also love that they indicate the recipes that use "ordinary" ingredients with 'NSI' at the bottom of the page (just a quick glance is needed).  That's not to say these are "few ingredient" recipes: the results of your hard work will be robustly flavored meals.

I feel there are recipes included to satisfy any taste. My daughter has chosen to follow a vegan lifestyle so I was excited to see things we could make for her, too, such as Asian Sesame Tofu Toss. YAY!! Something besides a boring salad or sweet potato to serve her.  I'm also looking forward to the Green Fries made of green beans. I also appreciate that the authors include directions for different cooking methods in some recipes: for example, directions for cooking spaghetti squash in a pressure cooker, a crockpot, and an oven are given.

This is really a great book that delivers healthy options for all tastes.

Click here to purchase on Amazon.com


* Thanks to Blogging for Books for my free review copy of this book.

Review: Every Little Thing by Payton Cosell Turner

Adult coloring books are all the rage right now. I work in a public library and the adult coloring programs are some of the best attended. How exciting - no more princesses to color (although...I love coloring those big, beautiful princess dresses). While I gave some for Christmas gifts this past holiday, I've never gotten one for myself so I was thrilled to get Every Little Thing by Payton Cosell Turner from Blogging for Books to review. 

At first look, this is a good looking book. The book jacket is beautifully embossed and attractive. But I think that's when my love affair with Every Little Thing ends. 

Inside, the designs feel a bit haphazard. The creatures look a little bizarre. It may be that my mind prefers geometric patterns to Turner's designs, so definitely take a look for yourself.  Another thing I don't like about this book is that the designs span both pages as the book is open, but the binding does not allow the book to be laid flat. This makes coloring the left side of the page a bit awkward.  Even if you removed the pages you would have different designs on the laid out single page, so this doesn't really work either. A spiral binding or perforated pages you could easily tear out would work better in my opinion. While I appreciate the work that went into creating the coloring pages (how I wish I could draw!), I only found them to be mildly interesting. Even though I wasn’t crazy about Every Little Thing, I would certainly take a look at other Turner books.

Click to purchase on Amazon.com

I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books for review.

Review: The Heart-Led Leader by Tommy Spaulding

I have read leadership books that have educated me, that have energized me. I have never read a leadership book that has made me cry. Until today. The Heart-Led Leader by Tommy Spaulding is the culprit.  Reading about high powered, successful leaders, such as Grove Norwood, who make a difference in the lives of their employees and those around them is such an inspiration. 

I am currently in a work situation where the leaders of the organization are doing good things for the people they serve, but they do it for the wrong reasons – to put their names in journals, to pad their resumes, etc.  This ultimately is a disservice to the community. A lot of money is being spent to make changes the leaders want, not what will be the best for that community. They aren’t invested in the community since they don’t plan to stay. This makes me sad. What I take from Spaulding’s book is that not only is it okay to treat your staff compassionately, it’s desirable. It doesn’t make you a soft leader – it makes your staff want to work that much harder for you. I totally get that. As he says, “Success is about building hearts, not resumes.”

I highly recommend this book to all leaders: heads of organizations, scout leaders, students.  Everyone can benefit from The Heart-Led Leader.  I’ll be passing this book along to my supervisor, who is the leader I want to be most like. 

I received a copy from Blogging for Books in order to review.

Click to purchase on Amazon.com

Michael Symon's 5 in 5 For Every Season is a Winner Year Round

"If spring and summer had a love child, it would be this salad." Introduction for the recipe Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Red Onion & Feta (pg 102).

I received a copy of Michael Symon's 5 in 5 For Every Season from Blogging for Books for review purposes. The author, Michael Symon, is a co-host for The Chew, a program I admit I've never heard of but now I feel I need to become a regular viewer. If the recipes in Michael Symon's 5 in 5 For Every Season are representative of those on the program, it's a winner.

There are lots of things to love about this cookbook. The photos are plentiful and beautiful (is there anything more boring than a cookbook without photos?). The recipes are simple with a handful of ingredients each. I love that they are organized by season with an index for each.  I found the list for a well-stocked pantry included at the beginning of the book very handy.  Since my daughter has decided to live a vegan lifestyle, I also appreciate the variety of recipes included. There are plenty that are vegetarian-friendly (Tempura Green Beans)  and quite a few that will appeal to vegans (Tofu Stir Fry) as well. Rest assured, carnivores will be happy with recipes such as Grilled Skirt Steak with Mushroom Gravy.

We just had our first freeze last night, so I'm excited to try the Hot Wintry Drinks. I have a co-worker who believes a Hot Toddy will cure anything from a cold to a bad day, so I'll be using this recipe soon!

To purchase from Amazon.com: