–50 Knitted Wraps and Shawls by Marisa Nöldeke
Is it possible to have too many wraps and shawls? No. No, it isn’t.
–The Blue Zones Kitchen by Dan Buettner
What a relief to read a cookbook that isn’t all photos of the author looking glamorous in an expensive kitchen.
–The Crafty Gardener by Becca Anderson
A weird hodgepodge of gardening information, personal reflections and pretty photographs. The ebook formatting was bad so it might be less weird in paper form.
–The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Audiobook)
Finally got to this one a mere 17 years after everybody else. It was very good.
–Effin Birds by Aaron Reynolds
Pairing Audubon illustrations with curse words is genius and I’ll never forgive myself for not thinking of it first.
–Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo (Audiobook)
All I really remember about it is that the author is very successful at everything she tries.
–Hello Color: 25 Bright Ideas for DIY Decor by Rachel Mae Smith
Not my taste, let’s leave it at that.
–How to Be Fine: What We Learned from Living by the Rules of 50 Self-Help Books by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer
Disappointingly low on details about the self-help books they studied or, contrary to what the title suggests, what they learned from those books.
–How to Eat by Mark Bittman and David L Katz (Audiobook)
The answer: a plant-based diet. Which we’re already doing. So that’s good.
–Longbourn by Jo Baker (Audiobook)
A really interesting concept: Pride and Prejudice from the viewpoint of the Bennet household’s servants. A smidge too long, in my opinion, but I liked it. Emma Fielding was a great narrator.
–Making Space, Clutter Free by Tracy McCubbin
Why did I read this? I don’t know. It’s fine as far as de-cluttering books go, but I like having lots of resources to draw upon (i.e. clutter).
–Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection by the editors of Martha Stewart Living
God, I love cookies so much.
–The New Family Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen
Always good recipes, even if the ATK people do tend to get a bit fussy.
–Open Kitchen by Susan Spungen
Seemed fine, just not the kinds of things I cook.
–The Self-Care Solution by Jennifer Ashton MD
Boy, do I have a lot I could say about this one. Every month for one year, this doctor (as she reminds the reader nine million times) who appears regularly on Good Morning America (another nine million times) challenges herself to a healthy habit even though she does not need to because she is incredibly fit, thin, strong, healthy, disciplined, rich, gorgeous and perfect in every way. Absolutely nauseating and her single-minded obsession with body weight and having a flat belly is disturbing.
–That’s Not English: Britishisms, Americanisms and What Our English Says About Us by Erin Moore
An American ex-pat living in London points out small cultural and language differences. It was fine.
–Upcycling Celebrations by Danny Seo
Take random pieces of garbage and hot glue gun them together to make garbage decorations that 100% look like glued-together garbage.
–Weather by Jenny Offill (Audiobook)
Short, linked vignettes in lieu of a plot. I liked it.
–Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby (Audiobook)
I enjoy everything Samantha Irby writes and this did not disappoint. Most enjoyable read of the month, by far.