Category Archives: Non-Fiction

Review: Ann Walmsley – The Prison Book Club

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The Prison Book Club
Ann Walmsley

This non-fiction grabber reads like a fictional book. Who could imagine going into a prison in order to read literature with inmates convicted of murder, drug dealing and robbery. That’s what Ann did, somehow getting over her fear of tattooed men who might want to hurt her.

24876660I’ve never really thought about prison settings, not since my review of Peacock Blue, and of course that isn’t a Western prison. This prison is harsh, and grimy, and that’s what makes the transformation of the men within the book club surrounds more profound. They have high, intelligent thinking, despite what they might have done on the outside.

I wished I knew more, or perhaps less, about the affluent book club that Ann is part of in the outside world. I couldn’t imagine the fancy cheeses or anything else being attractive to me. Ann’s standing in the world wasn’t clear to me at all – did she have a day job? Does that actually matter?

I’ve sort of wanted to join a book club, but I think in general I read the wrong genres of novels. I’m not really a high literature or even mostly adult fiction reader. This didn’t go to prove me wrong, but maybe since I am reading more adult fantasy at the moment (Brandon Sanderson, drool), I could get into that. But then again, I have so many other good novels to read…

More could have been made of the benefits of the book club. There were some places for statistics that wouldn’t have gone astray for me. I did like how Ann followed the men outside prison after their release, and how it made her feel more comfortable in her own skin. Insights into her own life were welcome too.

I requested this novel. I was looking for something a bit more ‘meaty’ to read, and this was it. Non-fiction is not usually my thing, but this novel was really great. I’d put it on a book club reading list any day!

Review: Mimi Sinclair – Ginger Bread Wonderland

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Ginger Bread Wonderland
Mimi Sinclair

I’m not sure what I expected from this non-fiction recipe book! Mm, but the cover makes me drool. I’m a fan of both sweet gingerbread (think the gingerbread men you can buy from bakeries) and spicy gingerbread (more like a biscuit).

gingerbread-wonderland

What I liked most about this was that it was easy to make the base recipes, but you could fancy it up if you liked – there a templates for producing all kinds of cool houses. Sinclair explains why the timing in the oven is important and other such baking tips – which are so important for a beginning baker feeling like they can succeed.

Despite making a couple of really simple gingerbread men, I don’t really have time to do all of the recipes – and I think you’d be best saving your favourite ones, because I’m not sure how long you’d want to keep this book. The varieties are good, but it’s not an exhaustive source of cookies.

I’ll be giving this as a Christmas gift to a close family member. They love baking, and have young kids that will really benefit from the cute gingerbread houses.

 

Review: Angelia Kinston – 1+2= What School Never Taught Me ABOUT MONEY

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1+2= What School Never Taught Me ABOUT MONEY
Angelia Kinston

I really enjoyed the tone of this book. It took me very little time to read this non-fiction, and I think other people would find it just as accessible. It’s certainly not appropriate for well-established adults, but is going to be of great benefit to teenagers and college students.

27302447I’m not quite sure what I expected out of this book. I guess I was hoping for some general money rules that could apply globally. There are some here, but don’t be mistaken – this is a very American based set of suggestions.

The question here shoudl be – did I learn anything from this book? Nope, not really. Do I think other people could benefit? For sure. Not everyone has had parents like mine that drilled into me about responsible money handling, and so other people can get a lot more out of this.

And remember – don’t try keep up with the Jones! Tread your own path.

 

Review: Snowflake Seashell Star (colouring book)

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Snowflake Seashell Star
Colouring Adventures in Numberland
Alex Bellos with Edmund Harriss

You’d think it might get a bit samey with so many adult colouring books out there (I’ve reviewed some here, here and here), but this one offers something different again for me.

27075080You get some freedom here, and I think this book is designed for bright colours. Not all of the images are right there for you to colour – you might need to draw lines, or decide on a numbered colour scheme. Others are the traditional different coloured animals fitted into each other which you shade from one side to the other.

If I was to take a guess, if you have a somewhat arty mathematician in your family, this could be a good gift. I’m thinking scientific people of any kind here (just to generalise this 😉 ). Or keep it for yourself. It’s so pretty!

Review: Attitude is Everything (colouring book)

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Attitude is Everything
Samantha Snyder

This is another adult colouring book, and personally I think it would be well suited for teenagers. It’s filled with encouraging sayings and lovely doodling artwork.

25860542The pages are nice and thick, so you might be able to get away with texta on it. Personally I’m a pencil person, so I didn’t test this. I wasn’t going to waste a page with a medium I don’t like!

For someone who is drawing-challenged like me, this has enough detail that I can feel like I can really make something pretty, without trying too hard! The majority of backgrounds to the words are really detailed and can be lovely – pick bright colours or muted for making different effects.

Again, no star ratings from me. If you need to get a teenager a present and have no idea what to get them, this is going to be a good choice.

Review: Emily Wallis – Anti-Stress Dot-to-Dot

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Anti-Stress Dot-to-Dot
Emily Wallis

Relax, this isn’t a novel. Instead it’s a collection of fabulous dot-to-dots for adults. It has super detailed dots that make wonderful pictures for everyone to enjoy.

antistress-dottodot-978075226586501I’m not sure I’d be putting the pictures I made out of this on the wall (they don’t remove from the binding very well), but they are very beautiful. And time consuming. Just make sure that you’re in a solid place for doing the connecting, I tried in a car and it didn’t work out so well.

I’m not sure on its claimed ‘anti-stress’ properties, because I’m a bit of a perfectionist by trade, but it was pretty sweet to do. You can do free-hand or ruler (I tried a combination of both), and it looks nice.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone with an artistic fancier in their family or friends. It says ‘I know you are arty’ but doesn’t exactly buy into the ‘Adult Colouring Books’ faze of the moment. And if your friend/family member is hopeless at colouring? Well, they can at least join dots and enjoy it.

Review: Ilka Heinemann – 101 Things to do instead of playing on your phone

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101 Things to do instead of playing on your phone
Ilka Heinemann

This nifty little book is a perfect Christmas present for someone who you don’t know what to get! It’s more useful than a set of candles or soaps, and perfect for guys. It makes an excellent Kris Kringle gift.

9781780722467Some of these activities are sequential, but you can just flip through the book at random until you find one you like. I’d suggest using a ball-point pen though, because other inks can leak through the pages and wreak the other works you might be planning to create/fill-in/draw/answer.

This book is a combination of ideas, thoughts, drawings and funny things that you never would have imagined doing. It aims to at least wake your mind up from slumber – although it doesn’t give any claims about how it is good for mindfulness or anything else, it could certainly fit in with that sort of thing.

I’m not sure I can give stars to a non-fiction book like this. But it’s good, and I’d definitely pick up a copy for someone else, and wouldn’t be upset by having it offered to me as a gift.

Review: Josef – Fifty Shades of Truth

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Fifty Shades of Truth
Josef

Josef is drawn to the more unusual sides of sex work. He likes to be dominated and dominating, he experiments with all things. This novel is 18+. Continue reading →

Review: Kate Swann and Kristina Mamrot – Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?

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Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?
Kate Swann and Kristina Mamrot

This book is a new guide to losing weight – mainly without massive immediate diet changes and unrealistic goals. Instead, it looks at the psychological side of losing weight. I’d actually highly recommend it as a good book of its type, and in combination with another healthy eating guide, I think it could be a step in the right direction for people with weight-loss problems.

22696682You might be thinking to yourself ‘Why is Rose reviewing diet books?”. Well, I don’t need to lose weight. But I do enjoy the stories of other people being successful in their weight loss goals, and when I was approached to read this novel, it’s the only reason I agreed.

I really liked this book. It has some sound practical advice, and some powerful messages that readers may or may not be able to apply by themselves. There is certainly a link between psychology and weight gain/loss. Go out there, buy it, and share it with a friend. Take notes on the things that resonate with you, and pass on the ones that don’t.

This is a short review – mainly because I want you to go read it for yourself. It’s well written, I enjoyed the stories and I could tell that there were real people behind those anonymous fronts. What more can I say?

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Review: Li Cunxin – Mao’s Last Dancer

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Mao’s Last Dancer
Li Cunxin

A poor Chinese boy, one of seven brothers, is the favourite of his mother and family. With little food and littler hope for the future, Li is determined to make something different of his life. This chance comes for him when he is selected to become a ballet dancer for Madam Mao. Li’s determination to make his family proud means that he rises through the ranks, and eventually sees outside of China.

298137It’s interesting to see within the head of someone raised during the time of Communist Mao. Such brainwashing seems absurd now, but it happened not that long ago. Goes to show that corrupt politics can have a huge impact with brainwashing, and the people within it don’t even question it. Perhaps that explains some of the religious stuff that people can get away with now…

There’s not actually very much I can tell you about how this novel was written. As a non-native English speaker, Li does an excellent job of communicating. His written English (with considerable editing support I admit), flows more naturally than his spoken word. The ‘episodes’ or ‘chapters’ of Li’s life fitted in well, and I didn’t feel like I had missed out on anything important in his life.

I listened to this novel as a talking book. The reader of Mao’s Last Dancer was amazing. His voice was just how I wanted it to be told, soft in the places it needed to be, and louder when it was more important. I felt like I was really experiencing the things that happened. I’ve never tried searching for audiobooks using the reader’s name, not the author’s, but this reader makes me want to do it.

I had the privilege of speaking to Li in person, and hear him give an interview about leadership. Some of the little things he told us about in the interview were covered again in the novel, and it made a huge impact on what came out as the most important point of the narrative. The thing I took out of it was the savour the process, not just the endpoint, and that just because things have always been that way, doesn’t mean they will be that way forever.

Would I have been so interested in the story if I hadn’t met Li? Possibly, but perhaps it never would have gotten off my never-ending reading stack. I’ll give this one 4.5 stars, because it is a brilliant and well-told story, but I wouldn’t re-read it. I really want to watch the movie and see if it is as wonderful as the novel. Inspiring, and you should go read it, but it might not be for everyone.

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