Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey

Everyday Watercolor by Jenna Rainey makes this popular but difficult to truly master art accessible to everyone.

The author walks you through basic principles, using small paintings, designed to be done in a short time each day over the course of 30 days. She gradually introduces new methods until by the end the reader is prepared to tackle complicated scenes involved multi-layered methods.  Most of the scenes are from nature and even include some abstract designs that will keep painters experimenting for hours.

The style, nature-oriented theme, and even the drawing methods are delightfully reminiscent of John Muir Laws' books; fans of his who admired the work but struggled with the watercolors will find this a great companion book.

The cover and inside design are on heavy duty glossy paper which feels able to withstand accidents in the watercolor workplace.

Carve by Melanie Abrantes

Carve by Melanie Abrantes

     I enjoy examining wood carvings, but never seriously considered doing it myself. That someone can turn a block of wood into a polished, rounded spoon just seemed mysterious and esoteric.

     I have started whittling on my own now, thanks to Carve, by Melanie Abrantes, who shows that using a few basic principles and simple tools you can create impressive (and useful) things out of wood. There are over dozen projects divided into three categories ranging from a decorative bird (simple) to spoons, spatulas (hard), soap dishes, and much more. Unlike many books which seem to simply show off the author's skills, these projects are attainable and the instructions walk the reader through them. Accompanying photographs shows the step by step process for each item.

  

    The cover, layout, and design quality all call out for the reader to read and use the book.

If you like woodworking, you will find it an enjoyable guide; if you've never considered it, you will.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

Understanding Color In Photography

For photographers, Understanding Color in Photography is like hearing your favorite song for the first time again.

 I'm a photographer and can say photography books are fairly predictable; explain the principles of aperture and rules of 3. Throw in some portraits, still life, stunning vistas, maybe some artsy street scenes with lots of concrete and you have just about any instructional book.

But in Understanding Color In Photography, Brian Peterson does more than just explain color. It puts a refreshing new spin on photography as a whole by showing you how to see differently. He describes the properties of each color, what colors go well together, what they evoke, and samples of images with descriptions of how he got them. Photography is not simply about framing the image; using color you can compose images that evoke emotions and even sensations. Peterson's photography- his mind-bending use of colors, reflections, and natural elements- is enticing and leaves the reader begging for more.

Some knowledge of the basics is kind of required to get the most out of it, although a complete newbie can appreciate its message too.

I thought my photography was original but Understanding Color In PHotography shows there is always something new to learn.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

A Charm of Goldfinches- A Book That Will Charm Everyone.

A Charm of Goldfinches by Matt Sewell

A Charm of Goldfinches by Matt Sewell explores through art and humor the origin of peculiar names for groups of animals. We all know of nouns like "herd" and "flock" but these are just the tip of the iceberg. There's charms, scurries (squirrels), plagues (rats), unkindnesses (ravens), memories (elephants), and many more.






Each page gives the noun, describes the animal, and gives the source of the noun where possible with a description of the animal's habits that makes each one seem perfect. It is a great conversation piece to leave out on your coffee table or to use to astonish your friends.





The cover art sold me before I even read the description. Sewell's illustrations are original and artistic and capture the animals perfectly. As a fellow birdwatcher artist I found myself trying to paint my own versions of them (not possible....). The book itself is a durable hardback with glossy paper that invites reading.






A Charm of Goldfinches is a great book for animal lovers but will appeal to everyone who can appreciate perfectly woven humor, art, and facts.








I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Rogue Heroes

     Ben MacIntyre has a talent for taking well-worn stories and injecting new life into them; he did this previously with Operation Mincemeat, Double Cross, and A Spy Among Friends. His latest book, Rogue Heroes, tackles the story of the SAS during World War Two, retold often but never with such verve or insight.

     Rogue Heroes brings fresh perspective from unpublished material and the authors own insight into human nature than enables him to build character portraits, deconstruct the wooden legends and replace it with an equally legendary but flesh-and-blood version. This separates Rogue Heroes from many contemporary histories of the war as the story is ultimately carried along by the vivid characterizations with which the SAS players, great and small, are brought to life. yet everything was documented-  (In one endearing scene, David Stirling and Paddy Mayne clash and reunite by revealing how they really wanted to be an artist and a writer, respectively). The action is described with thrilling, Alister McClean-style derring-do, although it is equally unflinching in describing the reality of war.

    Rogue Heroes has important lessons for Special Warfare today, in looking at its origins. 

I received a free copy of this from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

"Red Teaming" by Bryce Hoffman- Not Just for Business

 

 Don't ignore this book just because it has a business-y sounding title and description.

In a nutshell, "Red Teaming" is a strategic art of forming a team to think like your opponents, and preparing yourself for how to act accordingly in the real world. It involves research, role-play, and strategy- entertaining in practice and productive in terms of business. Red Teams must be free of bias, hierarchy (which stifles creativity), and constantly question what they know and how they know it so as to create a truly complete picture of the enemy free of human error.

But the book is about much more than that as the author delves into competitive strategy and critical thinking skills. He shows how the lessons apply to any field of competition, whether military, corporate, sport, or personal life and uses abundant real-world examples, along with detailed breakdown of logic to prove his points. And although the focus is on "teams" the methods are just as applicable for individuals. (I felt I learned more useful information regarding winning arguements from this than. The recently-rereleased "Thank You For Arguing").

  I do not have a highly competitive job and am already familiar with all the "know your enemy..." Maxims, but still feel better prepared for having read this book.


I received a free copy of this book from "Blogging for Books" in exchange for my honest review.

Thank You for Arguing- An Arguably Good Book

Thank you for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs aims to dissect the way in which people argue from classical to modern times.
      Like a field guide, it identifies hundreds of methods that are used every day in all circumstances. The drawback is that, except for a chapter on Cicero, it doesn't show how to assemble them. What works well together, what doesn't, what are real-life examples of it working (not just being used)? The book's information would be more potent if assembled a la The One Minute Manager, or Leadership Secrets of Attilla the hun, which present a concept, reinforce it with examples, and them summarize it,
     Thank You For Arguing provides great identification that encourages further reading but falls short on showing the reader how to use the knowledge it gives.