I spent most of Monday working on an embroidery project and finished some much needed housework Tuesday after work. I had hoped to get more stitching done yesterday but ended up just wasting time on the couch because I was feeling a bit under the weather. Hopefully today goes better and I get some things done after work. Now on to the books...
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the very first of a new steampunk series by Jim Butcher. As the first of a series there's a lot of introduction to how the world works. My husband and I both really liked this book and intro style stories are his favorite. We both liked the fact that new information about the world is explained by characters as part of the story instead of just laid out solely for the reader. I also like the fact that it seems to be a futuristic steampunk world instead historical. There's a bit of magic thrown in to balance the new technologies.
The airship battles seem to be very well written. It was easy for me to visualize what was happening and how the airships were moving. Another thing that made the fights more interesting was the fact that the good and bad guys seemed to be fairly evenly matched. In fact overall the good guys lose in the book, which I think will make for a better story moving forward with the series. I also appreciate the fact that some things about the world are left a mystery to be discovered in future books.
My favorite thing was the cats. I like that the cats can talk but also that people have to learn to speak cat not the other ways around. I feel like the organization of cat society reflects how cats would actually set things up.
The Sketchnote Handbook: The Illustrated Guide to Visual Note Taking by Mike RohdeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think the idea behind Sketchnotes is great. Basically doodling while you take notes helps to activate the visual areas of your brain so that you can better remember things. It also encourages more active listening because you have to focus on big ideas in order to have time to translate them into drawings. Right now I don't really have a lot of use for note taking. I do sometimes take notes on things I read but it's not the same as notes at a lecture. It makes me wish that I had heard of this back when I was still in school I think that it could have been really helpful for me. The book uses sketchnote style to explain how to make sketchnotes as well as showing examples of notes by a variety of artists. It also stresses that even if you aren't artistic you can still make sketchnotes using simple shapes to create basic objects.
Aftermath by Chuck WendigMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Aftermath is part of the Journey to the Force Awakens book series so it details events after the Return of the Jedi. The main plot of the book involves a secret meeting of several remnants of the Empire in effort to determine what their next move should be. There are a variety of subplots that eventually all become tangled together. One involves a bounty hunter after Imperial marks, another a rebel who just happens to return home to visit her son at the same time the Imperials arrive. The story was a bit slow moving for me, it takes a long time for all the story elements to come together and until then it makes reading a bit choppy.
There are also a series of interludes that further break up the story. While the interludes are mostly unconnected they serve to highlight some of the problems facing the New Republic during this time. They are also trying to map out how to move forward to create a stable government without repeating the mistakes of the Empire. For instance how to keep the planets of the Republic safe without maintaining a heavy military presence.
The best part of this book for me was a droid. One of the characters has an old battle droid that he programed to be a bodyguard. His name is Mr. Bones and some of the interactions with him are awesome and hilarious. Overall I didn't enjoy this book as much as other Journey to the Force Awakens books that I've read, for me Mr. Bones was what made this book worthwhile.
The Narnia Cookbook: Foods from C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia by Douglas GreshamMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Narnia Cookbook is a collection of recipes for dishes served in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. There are two parts to this book, the first is the recipes themselves, second the descriptions of each written by Douglas Gresham.
As far as the recipes go I didn't find anything really exciting. For the most part they are fairly traditional fare that I already know how to make such as scrambled eggs or roasted potatoes. A few others, such as Eel Stew, I just have no interest is making. That being said, from a kid's perspective, even if the dishes themselves are familiar learning how to make them could be a new and interesting adventure. In addition to that the recipes are specifically designed to be cooked as they would have been cooked in Narnia so they use very few processed ingredients or appliances such as mixers or food processors. It would be a great way for kids to more about where their food comes from as well as basic cooking techniques.
The commentary that accompanies each recipe was my favorite part of the book. Gresham, Lewis' stepson, discusses a variety of topics including: which recipes were favorites of Lewis, origins of words and dishes, difference in ingredients in our world vs Narnia, and what type of Narnian creatures prefer each dish.
There is also a small section at the back that lists typical menus for various Narnian meals such as tea with Tumnus or a State Banquet at Cair Paravel.
The Curious Nature Guide: Explore the Natural Wonders All Around You by Clare Walker LeslieMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Curious Nature Guide is a great book for anyone wanting to reconnect with nature. It is filled with beautiful nature photos and sketches. It is organized into sections titled Begin, Discover, and Connect and each offers ideas on how to explore the natural world around us. The Begin section offers the most basic suggestions like simply taking a few minutes to list everything you can see and hear around you. My favorite idea in the whole book is from this section, making color schemes for each month or season based on what you see out your window. (I have a lifelong obsession with paint swatches and for some reason this sounds SUPER fun.)
Discover involves more involved observations such as naming plants near you, looking for animal tracks, and tracking the weather. If you've been reading my blog for a while it'll be no surprise that my favorite part of this section involves cloud watching.
Finally the Connect section offers suggestions on how to track your observations in a nature journal as well as share them with others. This section also includes suggestions to appreciate nature though nature inspired music and art.
The entire book is peppered with nature facts and quotations and lovely inspiring artwork that makes me wish I could keep that kind of beautiful nature journal. I really enjoyed the entire thing.
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