101 Super Cute Cat Things to Draw

Draw, doodle, and color a plethora of purrfectly pawsome felines and quirky cat mash-ups

by Lulu Mayo

Pub Date 14 Jun 2022 by Walter Foster Pub.

A ton of super, super cute cartoony cats for anyone wanting to draw a bunch of really creative kitties incorporated into all sorts of shapes and frames. I can't wait to try some of them. There are some waving and horoscopes ones that I won't be tackling but there are tons of others like cat dragons, cats with clothes and accessories, sushi cats (and other foods), cat crockery, cactus cats, stationery cats, holiday cats and artist cats.

The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and there are some frames for you to fill in. Really a jump start for you to use your creativity to draw any type of cat.

5 stars for me!

 

The Urban Sketching Handbook Spotlight on Nature

Tips and Techniques for Drawing and Painting Nature on Location

by Virginia Hein; Gail L. Wong

Pub Date 14 Jun 2022 by Quarry Books

Nature gets the spotlight this time in this new instalment of the excellent Urban Sketching Handbook series. And it is another worthwhile title!

Because this is drawing and painting nature in an urban sketching context, the main focus is on incorporating nature in a scene, and not so much nature in close up  that you might see in nature journaling (though there are a few of that.) Major chapters include finding the character of a place and also finding nature in a city. Tips and techniques abound and are great information for beginners and good refreshers for the more experienced urban sketcher (typical of this fantastic series.)

I enjoyed looking at all the sketches in the book (just as I did for all the previous titles in the series.) Loved looking up the instagram accounts of some of the artists featured (something I loved to do from the previous titles too.)

I wonder what the publishers will come up next for this wonderful series. Can't wait! I’m fast running out of superlatives as this series gets bigger and bigger!

 

The Final Hunt

by Audrey J .Cole

Narrated by Stacey Glemboski

Pub Date 07 Jun 2022 by OrangeSky Audio

I've found a new favorite suspense/mystery author in Audrey J. Cole! I absolutely could not tear myself away from this audiobook and listened to it in about 3 sittings. Great storyline, great writing and you couldn't help but root for the female main character. It was refreshing to have a strong and decisive heroine who is also a pilot, no less!

It's also so wonderful to have a secular book with no profanity and explicit scenes, though there was some expected blood and gore.

The narrator is top notch with the right tones and inflections for different characters. One of my pet peeves for narrators is females who lower their pitch too much for male characters but Stacey Glemboski made it just right. Excellent job!

 

All Aboard the London Bus

by Patricia Toht

Pub Date 07 Jun 2022 by Quarto Publishing Group –  Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Lots of boxes are ticked for this delightful children’s book about the attractions of London. Rhymes (even one haiku), colorful  illustrations with lots of details to look at, accurate depictions of the landmarks, and some creative placement of the texts.

I would give this to a child just about to visit this most wonderful city to ramp up the excitement and anticipation.

5 stars. Lovely book!

 

Little Prayers for Ordinary Days

by Tish Harrison Warren; Flo Paris Oakes; Katy Hutson

Pub Date 31 May 2022 by InterVarsity Press

What a wonderful little prayer book. The prayers with God are literally conversations. Not always asking for things, though there are some of those. Sometimes just talking with God about the present day and thanking Him for blessings, big and small.

The illustrations are top-notch too. Just love them! I might have preferred them in color instead of monochromatic, but who's to say you or your child can't use some color pencils and make the book more personalized. 

For sure, a nice little present for any young child or for parents/grandparents to snuggle and read together with their tiny loved one. A superlative way to instill a love of praying and to teach them that every day or every hour can be the right time to talk to God.

5 stars from me!

The Wild Year

a story of homelessness, perseverance and hope

by Jen Benson

Pub Date 07 Jun 2022 by White Lion, Quarry Publishing group

 The first question I had when I first came across this book was : how on earth does one camp in winter? I have lived in the UK for a few years and I vividly remember how cold it could get even in spring! My curiosity as to how this family with a baby and toddler to boot survived and even thrived!

I must say I found the story quite engrossing  but I sure am glad they are doing better now and no longer have to live in tents!

4 stars.

 

Drawing and Painting Beautiful Flowers

Discover Techniques for Creating Realistic Florals and Plants in Pencil and Watercolor

by Kyehyun Park

Pub Date 14 Jun 2022 by Quarry Books

Gorgeously painted watercolor flowers make my heart very very glad. So it was a joy for me to leaf through this book and see all the beautifully rendered flowers. Can't wait to pick up my brushes to try out a few of the projects. What I liked most of all is that step by step instructions with pictorials are given for each type of flower in different positions so they aren't all facing you directly. Maybe what is missing is something similar for all the leaves as well, though there are a couple of those.

I've always thought that some things are better taught by video as it can hard to visualize the steps. Though the instructions are very well written, I was glad to find that at least some of the painting processes can be found in the author's Instagram account. I think that is something that should be done for all painting books. So, a big kudos for Ms Park and I hope all painting authors will emulate her.

5 stars!

 

Endangered Animals

by Tom Jackson

Pub Date 14 Jun 2022  by Amber Books

This is a book full of nothing but stunning photos and brief informative captions about creatures that may one day disappear from the face of the earth if we are not careful.

Worthwhile for a space on your coffee table, and any public library. May it spark a passion for preserving the lives that God created for our beautiful world. It can also be used as a starting point to search for more knowledge about these endangered animals.

4 and a half stars from me.

 

The "I Love My Air Fryer" Three-Step Recipe Book

From Cinnamon Cereal French Toast Sticks to Southern Fried Chicken Legs, 175 Easy Recipes Made in Three Quick Steps

by Michelle Fagone

Pub date 28 Jun 2022 by Adams Media

Cookbooks with everyday recipes are so useful as quick references in the kitchen as we cook our daily meals. It’s even better if it requires only a few steps and ingredients you likely already have sitting in your pantry. This one really fits the bill and is for those of us who have air fryers in our house.

I’m not sure about the 3-step thing though. It seems to me that many of the recipes involve more than 3 steps. But the processes required look simple enough i.e. nothing fussy.

You won’t find a photo for each recipe but those that are there are beautiful!

Overall, a nice book and would make a great gift together with an air fryer for a wedding perhaps. Though I am on a therapeutic low carb diet,  I did spot many I can tweak to make it low carb,

4 stars.

 

Rizzoli & Isles: Listen to Me

A Novel

by Tess Gerritsen

Pub Date 05 Jul 2022 by Ballantine Books

A true gauge of how hard it is to put down a book is whether my kindle leaves the bedroom with me as I usually just read before bedtime. If I am engrossed, I would read anywhere in the house.

":Listen to me" was a kindle everywhere-in-the-house book for me. It was not as dark as the previous title in the series and even had a bit of humour which I appreciated. 

I liked that Rizolli's mother had a big part in this story. First rate writing as always from an author I've enjoyed for many decades. Can't wait to see what Tess Gerritsen will come up with next.

5 stars from me.