non fiction

Cookbook Review: The 21-Day Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Plan

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21-Day Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Plan by Andy DeSantis RD MPH
21-Day Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Plan: Recipes, Meal Plans, and Exercises for a Healthier You
by Andy DeSantis RD MPH, Michelle Anderson

4 out of 5 stars

The book begins with an introduction section with general advice and information on fasting, its health benefits, and how to plan fasting for your body type and nutrition needs. There are some physical exercises you can do to lose weight with illustrations that show how to do the exercise.

This book provides meal plans for 21 days, and 75 recipes to help readers lose weight and easily cook delicious meals. There is a list of pantry essentials to help you put together your grocery shopping list. One chapter has tips for creating a long-term routine, what to do about snacks, how to establish dietary patterns so that your body knows when to be hungry. Continue reading →

Cookbook Review: Healthy Vegan, Happy Body

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Healthy Vegan, Happy Body by Tess Challis
Healthy Vegan, Happy Body: The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook for a Well-Nourished Life
by Tess Challis

4 out of 5 stars


This book begins with advice on being vegan and the benefits for your health.
There are some good instructions about including vitamins and supplements in your vegetable diet, as well as answering questions about getting enough protein.

There is a chapter with advice on how to prep, items to stock in your pantry, and equipment that is needed in the kitchen. The recipes are divided by Smoothies, Juices, and Shakes; Breakfast, Snacks and Sides, Salads, Soups and Stews, Handhelds, Noodles and Rice, Special Occasion Showstoppers, Desserts, and Staples. Continue reading →

Non-Fiction Review: Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing

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Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing by Amber Robinson
Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing: 120 Remedies to Restore Mind, Body, and Spirit
by Amber Robinson

5 out of 5 stars


This book begins with information about aromatherapy and common essential oils and how to use them safely. The remedies and recipes are divided into sections for Emotional Healing, Physical Healing, and Beauty and Wellness.

I like how it goes in-depth about how essential oils work and how they can promote healing in various areas if used properly. There is also a lot of good advice about how to choose a reliable brand of essential oils, and what different terminology means, and how to properly dilute the oils to be safe for use. There are lists of common essential oils, carrier oils, and hydrosols, and suggested substitutions and uses for each one. There is a wealth of information about each essential oil, including their healing properties, and precautions for safe use. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners

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A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners by Lee Papa
A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners: Daily Mantras, Meditations, and Prompts
by Lee Papa (Goodreads Author)

2 out of 5 stars


This book includes inspirational quotes from famous people like Nikola Tesla and Eleanor Roosevelt. I really loved these interesting quotes from a wide variety of people!

Most of the meditation prompts and guidance in this book are innocent reminders to release stress, focus on what is important, believe in yourself, and allow yourself to relax. But sometimes there will be a weird one that made me wonder about the underlying philosophy that is being taught in this book. It is very focused on self, and talks about an “Eternal Consciousness”. There is an entire chapter about interpreting your dreams that sounded completely idiotic to me.

There is a lot of talk about “creating your own reality” and other strange ideas. (Reality is reality. You can change your perception of it or how you think about it, but what is real is real. You don’t create it. It just is.) While reading, I would just try to enjoy the normal meditations and mindfulness prompts, and skip over the weird ones.
Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Family Cookbook Recipe Journal

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Family Cookbook Recipe Journal by Rockridge Press
Family Cookbook Recipe Journal: A Blank Recipe Book for Family Favorites
by Rockridge Press

5 out of 5 stars

This blank recipe journal is perfect for writing in all your favorite family recipes! It’s divided into color-coded sections that you can label any way you want. You could organize the sections by which family member submits the recipe, or by the type of recipe, or by the time it takes to cook.

Each section has a title page where you can write in the title you have chosen for that group of recipes, and a contents page where you write in the page numbers for each individual recipe in that section. The contents page makes it easy to find any recipe you need!

Each page has a colorful design with a place for the title of the recipe, a list of ingredients, prep time, cook time, how many servings it makes, and plenty of room for instructions and notes.

I just love the colors and the designs throughout this book. There are simple illustrations of cooking utensils, pots and pans, salt and pepper shakers, oven mitts, tea pots, and all sorts of cute things. There is also a measurement conversion chart at the back of the book for easy use!

The construction of the book is quite sturdy as well, to withstand a few generations of cooks spilling things in the kitchen. The pages are a little thicker than normal, and the cover is thick for a paperback too.

I can’t wait to start writing in some favorite recipes!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Non Fiction Review: Weight Training for Women

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Weight Training for Women by Brittany Noelle
Weight Training for Women: Exercises and Workout Programs for Building Strength with Free Weights
by Brittany Noelle

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives excellent advice for beginners about how to plan a weight training program for yourself. It talks about the benefits of weight training, how to stay safe and avoid injuries, how to set fitness goals for yourself, and the importance of warm-up and cool-down exercises. There is some advice about nutrition, how to incorporate cardio into your fitness plan, and how to track your progress.
There is an entire chapter just about the equipment and proper gym etiquette. You can also set up a gym at home with the guidelines in this book.
Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: The Hand Lettering Workbook

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The Hand Lettering Workbook by Amanda Kammarada
The Hand Lettering Workbook: Step-by-Step Instructions, Practice Pages, and DIY Projects
by Amanda Kammarada

5 out of 5 stars

This book is perfect for lettering beginners who want to be more creative and artistic! The instructions are clear and everything is demonstrated step by step. I really love that all the different elements of handwriting are analysed and explained in detail. They explain each component like down-strokes and up-strokes, letter height, the weight of pressure on the pen, and those little brackets that stick out from the ends of the letters (which are called “serifs”). There is also an extensive list of materials that are good to use, like types of pens and markers, paper thickness, and watercolors.

I love that there are so many practice pages in this book! They really break down each lettering style into simple components and then give you a chance to practice each pen stroke separately before putting it all together. The book teaches both blocked and calligraphy styles, and then you can get creative with making the style into your own unique handwriting. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Literally

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Literally by Patrick Skipworth
Literally: Amazing Words and Where They Come From
by Patrick Skipworth

3 out of 5 stars

I love etymology and history and how words develop through time! This is such a great look at how certain English words have been borrowed from other languages.

However, I was disappointed that there are only 12 words showcased in this book. And even those are only described very briefly in one paragraph for each word. Each entry informs the reader about the pronunciation, origin, English meaning, and original meaning, and then has a small paragraph with the story of how the word came to be included in English and how its meaning changed. It’s good, but left me wanting more. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Every Second

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Every Second by Bruno Gibert
Every Second
by Bruno Gibert

4 out of 5 stars

This book features things that happen each second around the world. 4 babies are born and 2 people die every second. 40 pairs of jeans and 48 smartphones are bought every second. 100 lightning bolts strike the earth every second! From natural phenomenon to text messages, this book gives some surprising numbers about how often things happen every second.

I liked how this book was organized! All the facts are really interesting, and they are illustrated with crisp art work. I also appreciated that the sources for all these numbers are listed in the back of the book, so you can determine for yourself how reliable the source might be. Continue reading →