I spy Non-Fiction

While the news is filled with villains and villainy, we do see a few famous heroes now and again. But what about the everyday heroes? The people going out of their way bring a little love into someone else’s life? They deserve a time in the spotlight to inspire us all.

Life can be tough—but it helps to know other people have come through hard times with a smile on their face. In Make Your Own Sunshine, Janice Dean shares inspiring stories that will lift your spirit and touch your heart. Good people are all around us doing selfless deeds, from a firefighter who bravely battled for his colleague’s health after 9/11 to a good Samaritan who secretly pays for the coffees of everyone in line behind him.  You can’t help but smile reading about the teacher who cut her hair to make her student feel better.  And you may shed a tear when you hear the story of the dad who never missed writing a napkin note for his daughter, including stashing extra notes in case he lost his batter with cancer.  From a young man who makes bow ties for dogs waiting to be adopted to an Uber driver who brightened a new mom’s day by helping her buy baby clothes, the heroes in this story will warm your heart and stick in your mind.

Janice has made it her mission to uncover and document these good stories to inspire us and gives us a much-needed boost of optimism. All we have to do is open our minds and our hearts, to look for the light on a cloudy day. Because as she reminds us, if we don’t make our own sunshine—who will? 

Anna Sale wants you to have that conversation. You know the one. The one that you’ve been avoiding or putting off, maybe for years. The one that you’ve thought “they’ll never understand” or “do I really want to bring that up?” or “it’s not going to go well, so why even try?”

Sale is the founder and host of WNYC’s popular, award-winning podcast Death, Sex, & Money, or as the New York Times dubbed her, “a therapist at happy hour.” She and her guests have direct and thought-provoking conversations, discussing topics that most of us are too squeamish, polite, or nervous to bring up. But Sale argues that we all experience these hard things, and by not talking to one another, we cut ourselves off, leading us to feel isolated and disconnected from the people who can help us most.

In Let’s Talk About Hard Things, Sale uses the best of what she’s learned from her podcast to reveal that when we have the courage to talk about hard things, we learn about ourselves, others, and the world that we make together. Diving into five of the most fraught conversation topics—death, sex, money, family, and identity—she moves between memoir, fascinating snapshots of a variety of Americans opening up about their lives, and expert opinions to show why having tough conversations is important and how to do them in a thoughtful and generous way. She uncovers that listening may be the most important part of a tough conversation, that the end goal should be understanding without the pressure of reconciliation, and that there are some things that words can’t fix (and why that’s actually okay).

Touching, personal, and inspiring, Let’s Talk About Hard Things is a profound meditation on why communication can connect us instead of divide us and how we can all do it better.

I spy History – Biographies

I spy these books which is history and biographies combined. They go hand in hand.
I think these are important to know.

A vivid social history that brings to light the “girl stunt reporters” of the Gilded Age who went undercover to expose corruption and abuse in America, and redefined what it meant to be a woman and a journalist—pioneers whose influence continues to be felt today.

In the waning years of the nineteenth century, women journalists across the United States risked reputation and their own safety to expose the hazardous conditions under which many Americans lived and worked. In various disguises, they stole into sewing factories to report on child labor, fainted in the streets to test public hospital treatment, posed as lobbyists to reveal corrupt politicians. Inventive writers whose in-depth narratives made headlines for weeks at a stretch, these “girl stunt reporters” changed laws, helped launch a labor movement, championed women’s rights, and redefined journalism for the modern age.

The 1880s and 1890s witnessed a revolution in journalism as publisher titans like Hearst and Pulitzer used weapons of innovation and scandal to battle it out for market share. As they sought new ways to draw readers in, they found their answer in young women flooding into cities to seek their fortunes. When Nellie Bly went undercover into Blackwell’s Insane Asylum for Women and emerged with a scathing indictment of what she found there, the resulting sensation created opportunity for a whole new wave of writers. In a time of few jobs and few rights for women, here was a path to lives of excitement and meaning.

After only a decade of headlines and fame, though, these trailblazers faced a vicious public backlash. Accused of practicing “yellow journalism,” their popularity waned until “stunt reporter” became a badge of shame. But their influence on the field of journalism would arc across a century, from the Progressive Era “muckraking” of the 1900s to the personal “New Journalism” of the 1960s and ’70s, to the “immersion journalism” and “creative nonfiction” of today. Bold and unconventional, these writers changed how people would tell stories forever. 

William Still: The Underground Railroad and the Angel at Philadelphia is the first major biography of the free black abolitionist William Still, who coordinated the Eastern Line of the Underground Railroad and was a pillar of the Railroad as a whole. Based in Philadelphia, Still built a reputation as a courageous leader, writer, philanthropist, and guide for fugitive slaves. This monumental work details Still’s life story beginning with his parents’ escape from bondage in the early nineteenth century and continuing through his youth and adulthood as one of the nation’s most important Underground Railroad agents and, later, as an early civil rights pioneer. Still worked personally with Harriet Tubman, assisted the family of John Brown, helped Brown’s associates escape from Harper’s Ferry after their famous raid, and was a rival to Frederick Douglass among nationally prominent African American abolitionists. Still’s life story is told in the broader context of the anti-slavery movement, Philadelphia Quaker and free black history, and the generational conflict that occurred between Still and a younger group of free black activists led by Octavius Catto.

Unique to this book is an accessible and detailed database of the 995 fugitives Still helped escape from the South to the North and Canada between 1853 and 1861. The database contains twenty different fields―including name, age, gender, skin color, date of escape, place of origin, mode of transportation, and literacy―and serves as a valuable aid for scholars by offering the opportunity to find new information, and therefore a new perspective, on runaway slaves who escaped on the Eastern Line of the Underground Railroad. Based on Still’s own writings and a multivariate statistical analysis of the database of the runaways he assisted on their escape to freedom, the book challenges previously accepted interpretations of the Underground Railroad. The audience for William Still is a diverse one, including scholars and general readers interested in the history of the anti-slavery movement and the operation of the Underground Railroad, as well as genealogists tracing African American ancestors.

Elizabeth Blackwell believed from an early age that she was destined for a mission beyond the scope of “ordinary” womanhood. Though the world at first recoiled at the notion of a woman studying medicine, her intelligence and intensity ultimately won her the acceptance of the male medical establishment. In 1849, she became the first woman in America to receive an M.D. She was soon joined in her iconic achievement by her younger sister, Emily, who was actually the more brilliant physician.

Exploring the sisters’ allies, enemies, and enduring partnership, Janice P. Nimura presents a story of trial and triumph. Together, the Blackwells founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, the first hospital staffed entirely by women. Both sisters were tenacious and visionary, but their convictions did not always align with the emergence of women’s rights―or with each other. From Bristol, Paris, and Edinburgh to the rising cities of antebellum America, this richly researched new biography celebrates two complicated pioneers who exploded the limits of possibility for women in medicine. As Elizabeth herself predicted, “a hundred years hence, women will not be what they are now.”

I spy Non-Fiction Books today

We’re all familiar with the works of Claude Monet, thanks in no small part to the ubiquitous reproductions of his water lilies on umbrellas, handbags, scarves, and dorm-room posters. But did you also know that Monet and his cohort were trailblazing rebels whose works were originally deemed unbelievably ugly and vulgar? And while you probably know the tale of Vincent van Gogh’s suicide, you may not be aware that there’s pretty compelling evidence that the artist didn’t die by his own hand but was accidentally killed–or even murdered. Or how about the fact that one of Andy Warhol’s most enduring legacies involves Caroline Kennedy’s moldy birthday cake and a collection of toenail clippings?

ArtCurious is a colorful look at the world of art history, revealing some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world’s great artists and masterpieces. Through these and other incredible, weird, and wonderful tales, ArtCurious presents an engaging look at why art history is, and continues to be, a riveting and relevant world to explore.

With stunning images of natural hair and gorgeous, inventive visual storytelling, GLORY puts Black beauty front and center with more than 100 breathtaking photographs and a collection of powerful essays about the children. At its heart, it is a recognition and celebration of the versatility and innate beauty of black hair, and black beauty. The glorious coffee-table book pays homage to the story of our royal past, celebrates the glory of the here and now, and even dares to forecast the future.

It brings to life past, present, and future visions of black culture and showcases the power and beauty of recognizing and celebrating oneself. Beauty as an expression of who you are is power. When we define our own standards of beauty, we take back that power. GLORY encourages children around the world to feel that power and harness it.

Children and families are plugged into electronics and often disconnected from direct experiences in nature. This beautifully photographed, highly visual resource offers tangible approaches to nature-based learning and play for children. Parents and teachers discover the benefits of outdoor learning and simple ways to facilitate unplugged nature connection in every season.

Inspired by nature preschools, forest kindergartens, and forest school models the world over, this guide also includes “Voices from the Field” with advice from experienced nature-based educators. This insightful reference balances nature play experiences with hands-on projects using natural materials and is an ideal jumping off point for immersive nature play.

Examples of nature-based child experiences outlined in the book include:

• Wildlife observation and tracking
• Nature sounds, songs, and poetry
• Gardening and cooking with wild edibles
• Printmaking, charcoal drawing, dyeing, and shadow play
• Journaling inspired by nature

With Nature Play Workshop for Families, any child, anywhere, can spark a nature connection.

“When I say that I was a feminist in kindergarten, I am not exaggerating,” begins Isabel Allende. As a child, she watched her mother, abandoned by her husband, provide for her three small children without “resources or voice.” Isabel became a fierce and defiant little girl, determined to fight for the life her mother couldn’t have.

As a young woman coming of age in the late 1960s, she rode the second wave of feminism. Among a tribe of like-minded female journalists, Allende for the first time felt comfortable in her own skin, as they wrote “with a knife between our teeth” about women’s issues. She has seen what the movement has accomplished in the course of her lifetime. And over the course of three passionate marriages, she has learned how to grow as a woman while having a partner, when to step away, and the rewards of embracing one’s sexuality.

So what feeds the soul of feminists—and all women—today? To be safe, to be valued, to live in peace, to have their own resources, to be connected, to have control over our bodies and lives, and above all, to be loved. On all these fronts, there is much work yet to be done, and this book, Allende hopes, will “light the torches of our daughters and granddaughters with mine. They will have to live for us, as we lived for our mothers, and carry on with the work still left to be finished.”

America the Beautiful showcases the stunning spaces closest to our nation’s heart–from the woods in the Great Appalachian Valley that Davy Crockett once called home to the breathtaking sweep of California’s Big Sur coast to the wilds of Alaska. It also celebrates the people who have made this country what it is, featuring a wide range of images including the Arikara Nation in the early 1900s and scientists preparing for travel to Mars on a Hawaiian island. Culled from National Geographic’s vaunted photo archives, spanning a period of more than 130 years, this provocative collection depicts the splendor of this great nation as only National Geographic can, with a dramatic combination of modern and historical imagery–from the creation of architectural icons like the Golden Gate Bridge and Lady Liberty to the last of the country’s wild places preserved in our national parks.
With a structure inspired by the original song “America the Beautiful,” this book recognizes what makes our nation great, region by region. And all 50 states and six territories of the U.S. are honored with 50 words from celebrities, historians, activists, conservationists, and politicians who call America home. Profound and inspiring, this is a book for everyone who has ever marveled at the beauty of the United States.

I spy Non-Fiction Books

I spy non-fiction books…check them out. I did briefly glance at them and they all look interesting!

Amy Chan hit rock bottom when she discovered that her boyfriend cheated on her. Although she was angry and broken-hearted, Chan soon came to realize that the breakup was the shakeup she needed to redirect her life. Instead of descending into darkness, she used the pain of the breakup as a bridge to self-actualization. She devoted herself to learning various healing modalities from the ancient to the scientific, and dived into the psychology of love. It worked. Fast forward years later, Amy completely transformed her life, her relationships and founded a breakup bootcamp helping countless women heal their hearts.

In Breakup Bootcamp, Amy Chan directs her experience as a relationship columnist and as the creator of Renew Breakup Bootcamp into a practical, thoughtful guide to turning broken hearts into an opportunity to break out of complacency and destructive habits. Dubbed “the Chief Heart Hacker,” Amy Chan grounds her practical advice and tried and tested methods rooted in cutting-edge psychology and research, helping first her bootcamp attendees and now her readers most effectively heal and reclaim their self-love.

Breakup Bootcamp comes at the perfect time, when many are feeling the intensity of being in or out of a relationship, lonely or suffocated, and flirting with old toxic relationships they’ve outgrown. Relatable, life-changing, and backed by sound scientific research, Breakup Bootcamp can help anyone turn their greatest heartbreak into a powerful tool for growth.

Tell a stranger that you talk to yourself, and you’re likely to get written off as eccentric. But the truth is that we all have a voice in our head. When we talk to ourselves, we often hope to tap into our inner coach but find our inner critic instead. When we’re facing a tough task, our inner coach can buoy us up: Focus—you can do this. But, just as often, our inner critic sinks us entirely: I’m going to fail. They’ll all laugh at me. What’s the use?

In Chatter, acclaimed psychologist Ethan Kross explores the silent conversations we have with ourselves. Interweaving groundbreaking behavioral and brain research from his own lab with real-world case studies—from a pitcher who forgets how to pitch, to a Harvard undergrad negotiating her double life as a spy—Kross explains how these conversations shape our lives, work, and relationships. He warns that giving in to negative and disorienting self-talk—what he calls “chatter”—can tank our health, sink our moods, strain our social connections, and cause us to fold under pressure.

But the good news is that we’re already equipped with the tools we need to make our inner voice work in our favor. These tools are often hidden in plain sight—in the words we use to think about ourselves, the technologies we embrace, the diaries we keep in our drawers, the conversations we have with our loved ones, and the cultures we create in our schools and workplaces.

Brilliantly argued, expertly researched, and filled with compelling stories, Chatter gives us the power to change the most important conversation we have each day: the one we have with ourselves.

Life is stressful. But it doesn’t have to be.

It’s no wonder you can’t calm down: your to-do list is as long as your arm, your bank balance keeps dropping, you feel guilty for not calling your parents more often and there always seems to be a big deadline to meet at work. You need a serious breather—but you can barely find time to shower, let alone to exercise or meditate.

In Let That Sh*t Go, Kate Petriw and Nina Purewal share the wisdom they’ve gained though decades of practising and teaching others to find peace of mind no matter how busy they are. Learn to put your life in perspective, take each day one step at a time and steal moments of calm amid the chaos. And remember: it’s not worth holding onto that sh*t.

When her first collection of quotes, I Really Needed This Today, was published in 2019, Hoda never imagined how deeply her favorite words, stories, and memories would resonate with readers. People across the country were connected not only by the book’s positive message, but through their generosity in sharing it with friends and family who needed a daily burst of inspiration. Hoda was truly touched by fans who shared “their quote” with her, the one that most moved them or someone they love.

Now, to follow that remarkable experience, Hoda is back, with 365 new quotes and stories to share with her beloved readers. In This Just Speaks to Me, she writes about the people and moments that have enriched her life, discussing everything from motherhood and friendship to love and loss. The book also celebrates the countless acts of kindness that unfolded during these uniquely challenging times. Told with the same warmth, humor, and generosity that infused I Really Needed This Today, This Just Speaks to Me promises to be the next great companion book, each day elevated by Hoda’s sparkle at a time when we may need it the most.

Cook Books!

Check these cookbooks out!
Every time I see cookbooks, they make me hungry!
Anyone else have this problem?

With Taste of Home Kitchen Hacks you’ll learn how to chop six hardboiled eggs at once, cool pans of cookies quicker than ever before, hull strawberries without sticky fingers and slice a dozen cherry tomatoes instantly. Take advantage of these timesaving hacks, then cook up the recipes that go with them. That’s right! You’ll find 100 recipes that take advantage of the mind-blowing tricks, tips and hacks in his unique kitchen helper. Step-by-step photos, new uses for old kitchen gadgets, simple ingredient substitutions and even kitchen-cleaning secrets make Taste of Home Kitchen Hacks one sensational guide you can’t do without.   

The past few years have seen an explosion of interest in cooking over fire, with cooks all over the world seeking to get elemental in their cooking. But fire and smoke doesn’t always have to be about hunks of meat. Chargrilling and barbecue are a fantastic way of getting the maximum flavor out of versatile vegetables.

If you’re bored of beefburgers, or if you’re vegetarian and want more than scorched corn and chewy halloumi, then Charred offers up over 70 original, exciting recipes to cater for all your veggie BBQ needs. With sections on Stuffed and wrapped vegetables, Burgers and fritters, Kebabs, Low, slow and smoked, and Sharing Platters, the vegetarian dishes will be the highlight of every meal, with the likes of whole roast cauliflower drenched in spiced garlic butter, griddled radicchio with burrata and figs, or corn on the cob with Cambodian coconut, lime and chilli.

Live-fire and BBQ expert Genevieve Taylor has developed these inventive, sensational dishes so that they can just as easily be cooked in a grill pan or conventional oven, year-round. Celebrate the magic that happens when glorious vegetables meet flame!

Relish every bite of summer with this cookbook that celebrates the flavors of the summer season through over 275 summer classics. Liven up everything from weeknight dinners and backyard bbqs to family reunions and church picnics with these fresh, finger licking classics.

Relish every bite of summer with this incredible cookbook that celebrates the flavors of the season. Whip up a quick weeknight meal without heating up the kitchen, toss together the freshest salads and take advantage of the goodness that today’s farmers markets have to offer.

You’ll also find scene-stealing dishes for backyard barbecues and family reunions, simply impressive contributions to church picnics, the ultimate bring-a-dish items for wedding and baby showers, and recipes that’ll have the gang cheering at tailgates, pool parties and other sunny celebrations. Taste of Home American Summer Cookbook offers all the dishes people crave when the mercury rises. From delicious grilled greats and new takes on corn on the cob to berry desserts and frosty treats, this iconic cookbook adds a hearty slice of Americana to your table everyday!

I spy nonfiction books

I spy nonfiction book.
I think these books are uplifting from reading the jackets to see what they are all about.
Check them out to see if they are for you.

Jill Sherer Murray lived in a dead-end relationship into her forties before she finally let it go. She was like millions of women who struggle with whether to stay in a loveless marriage, a bad relationship, or give up on dating altogether, believing love isn’t in the cards. You may be struggling with a similar decision yourself. Perhaps you’re terrified of being single, and yet you don’t truly feel you’re living the life you want.

With warmth and honesty, Murray shows you how letting go―of feeling stuck, afraid, and alone, and of believing what you’ve got is all you deserve―can free you from a life that isn’t serving you. She knows this is true, because she did it herself―and ultimately attracted the love and life she wanted. Through her story, other women’s stories, surprising facts and statistics, and helpful exercises, Big Wild Love will show you the way back to the self you’ve lost. It will put you on the path to change and teach you that, wherever you are, it’s never too late to start anew and find the Big Wild Love you deserve.

Toxic thought patterns zap your energy, kill your motivation, and upset your calm. The good news is that you can change not just the way you think, but the way your brain is wired. In Detox Your Thoughts, clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior uses techniques from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness to teach you to understand your thoughts—and your body—in a completely different way. For each of the 10 mental traps, Bonior uses the latest research in psychology and neuroscience to help you disempower and conquer self-sabotaging thoughts and offers a new habit to practice with specific and actionable steps. Negative thoughts will never go away completely, but with this book, you will learn how to eclipse them, improve your mental and emotional health, and change your life.

Throughout his illustrious career, J. Douglas Holladay has taught generations of executives as well as students in his popular MBA course at Georgetown how to use a holistic approach to defining and reaching success in life and business.

Success does not come with an instruction manual. Too often “successful” people end up feeling empty, isolated, and depressed because they have lost focus on what is most important in their lives. Rethinking Success can help anyone, no matter their field, maintain the practices and values that keep them in tune with their most cherished beliefs throughout their careers. Drawn from the insights of his network of famous friends as well as his experiences as an investment banker, White House advisor, diplomat, longtime business professor, and non-profit consultant, the advice in Rethinking Success is centered around eight essential questions we must ask ourselves regularly to stay focused, connected, and joyful throughout our working lives.

Filled with essential wisdom, Rethinking Success is a powerful guide that allows us to do well while staying in tune with the values and beliefs that are most important to us.

In Why Bother? personal-growth expert Jennifer Louden challenges you to open your mind, your heart, and your life by following where the question leads. Through reflection and stories from others, Louden demonstrates how to bother when it feels impossible or like too much work, whether after professional defeats, heartbreak, illness, or life-changing loss. She shows why you must prioritize what’s calling you at any time of your life, especially when you’ve sidelined your dreams to raise kids, pay the rent, or take care of aging parents. And crucially, she shows you how tapping into your deepest desires can give you the energy to move forward—even when the world seems in such dire straits. It’s time to reclaim the dignity and beauty of your desires. It’s time to get your bother on.

Nonfiction Book

 Last post for tonight….
This book was magical to see. I love, love the color and the front and back of it. The cover itself took me back to the time when I was a little girl and found a fairytale book that had gold lettering with a red background.   I cannot remember if it was Snow White and Red Rose or Beauty and the Beast….but boy I was fascinated by that type of back then.  To rekindle that again, love it!

Inside had projects and information which pretty fascinating.

In this exquisite anthology, Editor in Chief Carolyn Turgeon and the editors of Faerie Magazine welcome you into an enchanted realm rich with myth, mystery, romance, and abundant natural beauty. Organized into four sections—Flora and Fauna, Fashion and Beauty,  Arts and Culture, and Home, Food, and Entertaining—this gorgeous volume offers an array of exquisite vintage and contemporary fine art and photography, literature, essays, do-it-yourself projects, and recipes that provide hours of reading, viewing, and dreaming pleasure, along with a multitude of ideas for modern-day living and entertaining with a distinctive fairy touch.

Inspiration

Check these inspiration books to achieve goals or dreams that you want.  I have tons of goals and dreams which I’m currently working on.  It is not easy to juggle it all!

 

A tough-loving guide to figuring out your next steps and believing in yourself enough to take them

If there’s one phrase women’s leadership expert Maxie McCoy hears over and over again in talking to young women, it’s “I’m so lost.” Not only do they doubt the direction their lives are going—they don’t even know where to start making changes. This book provides a straight shot of encouragement to change that.
    
You’re Not Lost is the manifesto for a generation of women who don’t have the self-confidence to trust their instincts and go for it. This compelling guide gets to the root of the problem, showing you how to drop the panic-inducing, big-picture obsession over “Where am I going with my life?” and instead shines a spotlight on the small yet impactful decisions that will take you from lost to found.

With step-by-step advice, thought-provoking exercises, and real-life stories from Maxie and other inspirational women who have been there and succeeded, this book is an energizing action plan for getting to the amazing career and life you deserve.

 

 

If you’ve ever scrolled through your Instagram feed and thought, I wear clothes, eat avocado toast and like sunsets, why can’t someone pay me to live my best life? this book is for you . . .

Every one of your favorite influencers started with zero followers and had to make a lot of mistakes to get where they are today—earning more money each year than their parents made in the last decade. But to become a top creator, you need to understand the strategies behind the Insta-ready lifestyle . . .

As nightlife blogger, then social media strategist, and now Senior Director of Influencer Strategy and Talent Partnerships at Hearst Magazines Digital Media, Brittany Hennessy has seen the role of influencers evolve and expand into something that few could have imagined when social media first emerged. She has unrivaled insight into where the branded content industry was, where it is, and where it’s going. In this book she’ll reveal how to:

*Build an audience and keep them engaged
*Package your brand and pitch your favorite companies
*Monetize your influence and figure out how much to charge

Plus tips on:

*Landing an agent
*Getting on the radar of your favorite sites
*Praising a brand without alienating their competitors

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re ready for bigger campaigns, Hennessy guides you through core influencer principles. From creating content worth double tapping and using hashtags to get discovered, to understanding FTC rules and delivering metrics, she’ll show you how to elevate your profile, embrace your edge, and make money—all while doing what you love.

Creative Books

Creativity is awesome!  Always take the time to create something.  I think it helps people. For me it’s relaxing, fun and makes me concentrate on what I am doing.  Sometimes art goes my way and sometimes it does not.   So today these books that I mention below has to do with being creative.  Take a peek and see if they interest you!

 

Concrete creations : 45 easy-to-make gifts & accessories
Marion Dawidowskii, Ingrid Moras, and others.

Over 45 elegant concrete designs for your beautiful, modern home with just a bag of ready-mixed concrete, water, and a few items you can find around the house.

Concrete is in.

And no wonder: it’s inexpensive, durable, and makes unique, stunning pieces with which to decorate your home. With just a bag of ready-mixed concrete, water, and a few utensils and molds you can find around the house, you can create beautiful, minimalist items in no time at all; from clocks, vases, lampshades and bowls through to jewelry, wine coolers, and desk organisers.

Each project is equipped with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and tips, and all can be made with very little know-how– making it a perfect craft for beginner concrete artisans, as well as the more experienced mason.

A perfect mix of power, presence and practicality, bring concrete into your home today and discover a new-found love for this often overlooked but remarkable building material.

 

Tomoko Fuse’s Origami Boxes
Tomoko Fuse

With this origami-how-to book, learn how to fold unique gift boxes that are as unique as the treasures they hold!

Considered the most famous living origami master, Tomoko Fuse is known for her expertise in box-folding and other origami paper craft styles. The simple flat box, ortato, is an excellent introduction to the art of beginner origami and allows readers to “start small,” then build to more intricate pieces.

Handmade paper boxes are an expression of origami crafts at their very best. Experiment with different thicknesses, textures, and origami paper designs of paper for a true one-of-a-kind presentation.

Step by step instructions and diagrams guide you from start to finish as you create:

• Flat boxes in several different shapes
• Boxes with multifaceted tops
• Box tops with spiraled flourishes
• And so much more

Origami box folding is a relaxing and satisfying craft for all levels of expertise and—with a little practice and this easy origami book—gift-giving will never be the same.

 

1000 Tangles, Patterns Doodled Designs  
Walter Foster Creative Team

Hundreds of designs, patterns, borders, doodles, and tangles to guide and inspire.

1,000 Tangles, Patterns & Doodled Designs combines hundreds of tangling, illustration, and doodling patterns and designs into one all-encompassing guidebook. Filled with inspirational designs, patterns, borders, flourishes, doodles, tangles, and more, this creative resource explores hundreds of ideas for tangling and doodling enthusiasts to learn and model. From basic tangles to stylized letters and numbers, the variety of patterns and designs seems virtually endless. Throughout the book, practical tips and step-by-step lessons help artists perfect their skills, while blank templates can be copied or scanned to use over and over again. A nonstop compendium of doodling tips and tangling techniques, 1,000 Tangles, Patterns & Doodled Designs is a complete resource for doodling enthusiasts and a tangler’s dream come true.

Hand lettering step by step : techniques and projects to express yourself creatively
Kathy Glynn.

A successful calligrapher and artist teaches you the skills of lettering beautifully—and gives projects to show them off!

In today’s digital age, people crave something personal and handmade—so hand lettering and calligraphy are becoming more popular than ever. If you’re eager to get in on the trend, artist Kathy Glynn will help you master the three main techniques—hand lettering, brush lettering, and pointed pen calligraphy—and create work that’s expressive, exquisite, and romantic. After explaining the basics, Kathy explains how to combine styles, add embellishments, and even digitize lettering. More than 20 projects include wedding invitations, temporary tattoos, address stamps, glass etching, and a custom family tree.

Their own stories to tell

Check out these books and their stories that they tell…

 

Yes we (Still) Can
By Dan Pfeiffer

n November 9th, 2016, Dan Pfeiffer woke up like most of the world wondering WTF just happened. How had Donald Trump won the White House? How was it that a decent and thoughtful president had been succeeded by a buffoonish reality star, and what do we do now?

Instead of throwing away his phone and moving to another country (which were his first and second thoughts), Pfeiffer decided to tell this surreal story, recounting how Barack Obama navigated the insane political forces that created Trump, explaining why everyone got 2016 wrong, and offering a path for where Democrats go from here.

Pfeiffer was one of Obama’s first hires when he decided to run for president, and was at his side through two presidential campaigns and six years in the White House. Using never-before-heard stories and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, YES WE (STILL) CAN examines how Obama succeeded despite Twitter trolls, Fox News (and their fake news), and a Republican Party that lost its collective mind.

An irreverent, no-BS take on the crazy politics of our time, YES WE (STILL) CAN is a must-read for everyone who is disturbed by Trump, misses Obama, and is marching, calling, and hoping for a better future for the country.

 

Famous Father Girl
By Jamie Bernstein

The oldest daughter of revered composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein offers a rare look at her father on the centennial of his birth in a deeply intimate and broadly evocative memoir

The composer of On the Town and West Side Story, chief conductor of the New York Philharmonic, television star, humanitarian, friend of the powerful and influential, and the life of every party, Leonard Bernstein was an enormous celebrity during one of the headiest periods of American cultural life, as well as the most protean musician in twentieth century America.

But to his eldest daughter, Jamie, he was above all the man in the scratchy brown bathrobe who smelled of cigarettes; the jokester and compulsive teacher who enthused about Beethoven and the Beatles; the insomniac whose 4 a.m. composing breaks involved spooning baby food out of the jar. He taught his daughter to love the world in all its beauty and complexity. In public and private, Lenny was larger than life.

In Famous Father Girl, Bernstein mines the emotional depths of her childhood and invites us into her family’s private world. A fantastic set of characters populates the Bernsteins’ lives, including: the Kennedys, Mike Nichols, John Lennon, Richard Avedon, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins, and Betty (Lauren) Bacall.

An intoxicating tale, Famous Father Girl is an intimate meditation on a complex and sometimes troubled man, the family he raised, and the music he composed that became the soundtrack to their entwined lives. Deeply moving and often hilarious, Bernstein’s beautifully written memoir is a great American story about one of the greatest Americans of the modern age.