Every Little Thing

Okay, I am hooked on these adult coloring books. I really loved the cover, and the pages are crisp and of great quality. The pictures are definitely less detailed than the other books I've used and there is a lot of repetition. Not my favorite but any means but would make a solid, quality gift for someone you know who likes these.

 Thanks as always to Blogging For Books for giving me this book for my honest review!

The Homemade Kitchen

I was actually SUPER EXCITED for this book to come out! I am a huge fan of Alana Chernila, and I've used her first cookbook, "The Homemade Pantry" quite a bit. I also really love her blog, Eating From The Ground Up! Needless to say, I love it! It starts with some basics in the "Be A Beginner" section like making jam and things like that. As always there are beautiful pictures!!! I especially am obsessed with the plum tart on the cover...how could you NOT want to eat that up!? As always she writes about cooking for the JOY of it...feeding loved ones and relaxing in the kitchen. Another hit! Thanks to Blogging for Books for hooking me up with this book FOR FREE for my honest opinion. :)

The Time Chamber

I know 'adult coloring books' are all the rage right now but after getting this book from Blogging For Books, I TOTALLY GET IT. This isn't just a coloring book, but a story with pages you can color. At first I thought it might be more geared towards kids but when I breezed through the pages it's definitely more for adults with the small spaces to color. I'm sure a little one could color as well I just think there would be a lot in and out of the lines. It's an absolutely beautiful book and thank you so much to Blogging For Books for letting me try it for free for my honest review. :)

Food52 Vegan

First of all, what a gorgeous book this is! Hardcover with a pretty binding, and gorgeous pictures to boot. This book is awesome (not only because yay, veggies) but because it is focused on veggies and whole foods and not on making things taste like meat. I can't wait to try the smoky tempeh and lentil sloppy joes. YUM! This book had me at the get-go since all the recipes have a picture (I'm a sucker for pictures!). I would highly recommend this cookbook for vegans, vegetarians, and veggie lovers alike. Thanks again to Blogging For Books for sending me this book for my honest review.

Food52 : Baking

First of all, thanks to Blogging For Books for sending me this great book for free to review! I am a big fan of easy peasy throw together not fussy desserts, which is what this book is full of! There are a few recipes that call for ingredients which are easy to find but not something I keep around (like ground flax seed). It's a solid nice hardcover, and includes pictures for every recipe. I tried the cream cheese cookies which had only a few ingredients and were really tasty! I'm not sure this is EXACTLY what I was hoping for, since some recipes do seem a bit long winded for a weeknight dessert. 

What to Eat When You're Pregnant

I really enjoyed this book, but I am very much a nutrition nerd. I think it's really informative (and the recipes I've tried are really great) and for me personally, being informed makes me feel less nervous. The author breaks down what (and how much) vitamins are key during pregnancy and even the best times to eat them for optimium health for your little growing guy or gal. I really enjoyed it, and thought it was a super interesting read with some great recipes. I recieved this book for free from Blogging For Books for my honest review.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Seriously, I've been seeing this book everywhere! Everyone is talking about it, so I'm glad I got to check it out (for free!) thanks to Blogging For Books. Being pretty much a minimalist as it is, I tended to agree with lots of Ms. Kondo's ideas about keeping only the things that really make you happy. I'm especially picky with clothes, so I actually didn't lose much when I pulled my whole wardrobe out onto the floor. The only gripe I have is that she kinda personifies a lot of inanimate objects. I get the idea behind it, letting it be free to go somewhere else it just is a bit odd to me. Maybe cultural differences? Either way I think this book is great for the pack rats among us to use if they really want to revamp their lifestyle. Ms. Kondo guides you each step of the way, and even in what order to go through all your stuff (start with clothes, etc). A great book worth the hype!

I'm Happy For You (Sort of...Not Really) by Kay WIlls Wyma

I literally just finished this book and I couldn't wait to review it! I'm someone who on a DAILY BASIS struggles with contentment and it's like this book was written for someone just like me. I really love the author's voice, I find her cute and witty, and really likable. I think the best lesson this book taught me though, is that when you're comparing (why can't I have their success, money, marriage, luck...etc) you're making it ALL ABOUT YOU. If you take a second and "re boot" and say, "I'm Happy For You", you acknowledge their success without making it about yourself. Yes, it may be easier said than done but with so much of everyone in your face at every second from social media it's definitely a necessity to find a way to slay the comparison dragon. Five stars, LOVED IT! And thank you to blogging for books for sending me the book free for my honest review.

Everyday Detox

Everyday Detox was penned by Megan Gimore, author of the popular blog, "The Detoxinista". I was impressed by the food photography before I even looked over the recipes. My husband and I tried the chocolate chia shake which really did taste like a chocolate milkshake! I've also got the cauliflower flatbread pizza on my meal plan. The beginning of the book describes what items to keep in your pantry, food combining, and has a sample meal plan to follow. I really did like many of the recipes but the problem I found is that many rely on pricier ingredients (like lots of nuts, or almond meal). As someone with a minuscule food budget I don't think I'll find myself reaching for this cookbook very often, although many of the recipes look very delicious!

I received this book free from Blogging For Books for my honest review.

A Bone to Pick

First of all, I'm already a huge fan of Mark Bittman. This book is a collection of many of his NY times articles in one place. He has a way of explaining all the things wrong with the global food system, while still injecting a feeling of hope in the situation. He gets you all fired up thinking, "I can change things!". I really love that about his writing "voice." It's a great book and a must if you are a fan, or interested in global food/agricultural issues. Thanks to Blogging For Books for giving me this book FREE for my opinions about it!

Bread and Butter

"Bread and Butter', written by Babycakes founder Erin Mckenna, is filled with vegan AND gluten free baking recipes. The pictures are awesome, and let's just say VEGAN BUTTER...how cool is that? Although I am not personally against gluten, the recipes look super deeeeelish. It seriously covers EVERYTHING from sweets (like sticky pecan rolls or pain au chocolat) to savories (like breadsticks or bagels). My personal fave was the vegetable home fry biscuits...mmm. There are also plenty of recipes for items to go with your baked goods, like the previously mentioned homemade vegan butter, artichoke dip, and hummus. I really liked the idea of most of the recipes, but they seemed a little complicated for the novice. I also prefer to cook without oil (or minimal oils) and many of the recipes rely on those for flavor. But, if you are looking for some scrumptious vegan and gluten free treats, this is the cookbook for you!
I was given this book for FREE from blogging for books for my honest review of the title.

My New Roots

First of all the pictures in this book were absolutely beautiful! I had never heard of Sarah Britton's blog by the same name until I received this book. The recipes were really awesome, mostly vegan (but with some dairy added to certain recipes, but many can be veganized). I also dug the basic "how-to" section in the beginning of the book which showed you how to cook beans from scratch, how to make your own nut milks, etc. Some recipes were a little more complicated than something I would really make, and used some harder to find (for me in Maine anyway) ingredients but for special occasions the recipes would work for me. I'm looking forward to making the thumbprint cookies with chia jam though. Worth checking out. :)

Like always, thanks to Blogging for Books for supplying me with this book for FREE for my honest opinion. 

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden: Grow Tons of Organic Vegetables in Tiny Spaces and Containers

I was totally blown away by the amount of info in this book! Even if you have a big garden there are lots of tips for intensive gardening methods (more veggies, yay!). This year I look forward to doing some tomatoes in pots with hints from this book. I can't wait to lend it to my father, the gardening guru. I received this book for FREE from Blogging For Books for my honest review. :) 

The Future of God by Deepak Chopra

While not being my "usual" cup of tea for books, I thought as a pretty skeptical person this would be an interesting read. I liked the way Deepak married the scientific evidence with religion. A lot of people think the two can't exist together, but that isn't true. Reading this book definitely opened my mind to the idea of religion.

I received this book free from Blogging For Books for my honest opinion.