Cookbook review of Char-Broil Grilling for the Family: 300 Delicious Recipes to Satisfy Every Member of the Family by Editors of Creative Homeowner

Title: Char-Broil Grilling for the Family: 300 Delicious Recipes to Satisfy Every Member of the Family 

Author: Editors of Creative Homeowner

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Cookbook

Reviewed by Laurie

Rating: 4

Let's Get Everybody Together for a Family Grilling Fiesta!

The best part of grilling is the shared experience of cooking and eating great food. Welcome to the definitive cookbook and how-to guide for memorable outdoor family meals, packed with recipes from America's favorite grill brand. Inside you'll find 300 mouth-watering ideas for delicious appetizers, main courses, salads, vegetables, and even desserts, all with easy step-by-step instructions and color photos. We've made sure to include plenty of suggestions on ways to include everyone in the family--from the youngest to oldest--when making a grilled feast.

- 300 flavorful new recipes for epic family cookouts.
- Backyard cooking tips for perfect hamburgers, drumsticks, kebabs, steaks, chops, ribs, fajitas, wings, sliders, skewers and more.
- 47 ways to use The Big Easy(R) for delicious fried turkey, rotisserie chicken, BBQ pork, roast beef and grilled vegetables.
- Tips on getting the kids involved with simple child-friendly tasks that they can do to help.

It’s that time of the year where we get our grills out and start cooking and you know you need a cookbook to help you with that right? LOL.

Char-Broil Grilling for the Family feathers over 300 recipes that will help you be the master griller with recipes for drinks, breakfast foods, meats, seafood, vegetables, salads, desserts and of course, great marinades, sauces, and rubs that will help you this summer and beyond.

The starting of the book gives you inside on different types of gills, woods to use, tools, and much more to help you make the most of your grilling. What I really liked best was the heating and temperature setting for different methods of grilling.

I would have given this book a 5 rating, but the images seem very generic for the time they spent on the recipes, but it could be because I have an ARC copy.

Historical romance review of Captain Easterday's Bargain by Kathleen Buckley

Title: Captain Easterday's Bargain 

Author: Kathleen Buckley 

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Historical romance

Reviewed by: Laurie

Rating: 3 

Sexual rating: Clean romance  

London's cutthroat shipping trade is no place for a lady, although Olivia Cantarell has secretly acted as her father's assistant for years. Now she has inherited his company, she has no mind to give up control over it—and herself—by marrying, however flattering it is to be sought after for the first time in her life. In spite of threats and intimidation, she will fight to keep her business. 

Careful, responsible, and twice jilted, Captain Marcus Easterday has no heart to attempt marriage a third time. But he cannot stand by and see a woman cheated of her livelihood by Ambrose Hawkins, rumored to be a former pirate, a man whose name is known and feared in ports from the West Indies to China. 

Courted by the ruthless Hawkins while relying on the scrupulous Easterday's help, Olivia must conceal the identity of one of her clerks and protect her company and employees. Who can she trust?

The first several chapters in this book had me totally confused, but I pressed on and by the end when I finally caught up to the story I started enjoying it. 

My biggest enjoyment in the story was Olivia, I loved her courage and how she stood up to the men, which is unheard of in this time and kept her father’s business running with Captian Easterday help.

Now, let’s get back to my confusion. The first few chapters are of Marcus Easterday and his betrothal  Mariah, which I assume it was to help get a backdrop but it ended up being too confusing and I almost quit, but I am glad I didn’t.

If you can press on several chapters until you really get into Olivia’s story and finally the romantic connection between her and Easterday, you just might enjoy this story. 

Field Guide to Urban Gardening: How to Grow Plants, No Matter Where You Live: Raised Beds - Vertical Gardening - Indoor Edibles - Balconies and Rooftops - Hydroponics by Kevin Espiritu

Title: Field Guide to Urban Gardening: How to Grow Plants, No Matter Where You Live: Raised Beds - Vertical Gardening - Indoor Edibles - Balconies and Rooftops - Hydroponics 
Author:  Kevin Espiritu
Genre: Gardening 
Source: Netgalley
Reviewed by Laurie
Rating: 5

In Field Guide to Urban Gardening, author Kevin Espiritu of Epic Gardening shares the basics of growing plants, offers tips on how to choose the right urban gardening method, and troubleshoots the most common problems you’ll encounter.

If you think it’s impossible to grow your own food because you don’t have a large yard or you live in the city…think again. There is a plethora of urban gardening options to create beautiful, productive edible gardens no matter where you live. The key to succeeding as an urban gardener is to choose the method(s) that make sense for your unique living situation and then give your plants what they need to thrive. Kevin helps you do just that.

But he doesn’t stop there. He also provides in-depth garden plans, from upcycled DIY projects and intensive hydroponic systems to beautiful and functional raised beds. Urban gardening is a real, growing, and important movement in today’s world. This fact-packed book is your roadmap to get growing today.

Urban gardening techniques featured include:
Container Gardening
Raised Beds
Indoor Edibles
Balconies and Rooftops
Hydroponics

No matter how small your space is you can always find ways to have an urban garden. I have resided beds and containers so I had to see if this book could help me advance more into smaller spaces since my husband always complains about mowing around my gardens. LOL

This book is very detailed and will help you get into the new age of urban gardening, it’s so much better to know where your food is coming from and gardening in any form can help relieve stress. You get great images along with detailed information that will walk you through step by step and if you look up the author he also has a website with tons of information that will help you.

I highly recommend this to anyone that is new or advance gardening.

Book review: Looking at Jewelry: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques by Susanne Geansicke, Yvonne J Markowitz

Title: Looking at Jewelry: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques 

Authors: Susanne Geansicke,  Yvonne J Markowitz 

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Art reference

Reviewed by: Laurie 

Rating: 5
Release date June 25th 2018

What is a cabochon? What are the various types of gilding? What is vermeil? This accessible book—the first of its kind—offers concise explanations of key jewelry terms. The fascination with personal adornment is universal. It is a preoccupation that is primal, instinctive, and uniquely human. Jewelry encompasses a seemingly endless number of ornaments produced across time and in all cultures. The range of materials and techniques used in its construction is extraordinary, even revolutionary, with new substances and methods of fabrication added with every generation. In any given society, master artisans have devoted their time, energy, and talent to the fine art of jewelry making, creating some of the most spectacular objects known to humankind.

This volume, geared toward jewelry makers, scholars, scientists, students, and fashionistas alike, begins with a lively introduction that offers a cultural history of jewelry and its production. The main text provides information on the most common, iconic, and culturally significant forms of jewelry and also covers materials, techniques, and manufacturing processes. Containing more than eighty color illustrations, this guide will be invaluable to all those wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the art of jewelry.

I recently started making handmade jewelry and have been looking for a book to help take me deeper into the art of jewelry. This book did that and so much more. 

This book gives you history, detail of material that is used in making jewelry, different techniques, and anything that has to do with any type of jewelry past or present you’ll find in this book. You also get nice images of works of jewelry makers past and present.

Once you start reading you’ll notice right of the bat that there was a lot of research that went into this book, that will help newbie – advance jewelry makers which are looking into knowing more about the craft.