Handmade Home

by Amanda Blake Soule

This is a lovely, cozy book full of projects you can make. The directions are clear and simple. Most of them are sewing projects that use old things to make nice, useful new things.

Visit the author's blog at SouleMama.

Trapped

A Cape Breton fisherman's abduction to Nigeria 


by Leif Morrison

Leif, a Cape Breton fisherman, was offered a job helping transport a large boat to Nigeria. Accepting the job was his biggest mistake ever; shortly after leaving Sydney, he realized that the captain was crazy. When they finally reached Nigeria after a harrowing voyage, he found himself a virtual prisoner with no way of contacting his family or getting home. He finally succeeded in contacting the Canadian embassy and, with their help, managed to escape the country after several frightening mishaps.

This is an intriguing story and I enjoyed reading it, but whoever proofread/edited it was not qualified for the job. I found many grammatical errors throughout the book--as many as four on one page.

The backyard homestead guide to raising farm animals

by Gail Damerow

This book contains detailed information on raising many different kinds of farm animals from fowl and bees to pigs and cattle. Very thorough.

Live more, want less

52 ways to find order in your life 


by Mary Carlomagno 

Each chapter describes a real-life problem the author, a professional organizer, encountered and her solution followed by practical actions for the readers to apply to their own lives.

Author's website: order.

Martha Stewart's new pies and tarts

150 recipes for old-fashioned and modern favorites 

This beautiful book has a full-page photo for every recipe. The chapters are: classic, free-form, sleek, dreamy, rustic, layered, dainty, artful, holiday and savory. They all look so good! When I finished the book, I had five sticky notes marking recipes I wanted to try. Recommended for all who love baking.

Home Dairy

All you need to know to make cheese, yogurt, butter and more


with Ashley English

History, methods and recipes for making all kinds of dairy products including cheese, kefir, buttermilk and ice cream as well as a few recipes that incorporate the finished products. This book seems very thorough and I noted several recipes that I want to try.

Visit the author's blog at Small Measure.
Also read my reviews of Ashley's books, Keeping Chickens and Canning & Preserving.

The pioneer woman

Black heels to tractor wheels: A love story

by Ree Drummond

Ree was a city girl who moved back to her small-town home temporarily where she unexpectedly met and fell deeply in love with a cowboy whom she calls Marlboro Man. She recounts their romance, explains her feelings about her parents' crumbling marriage, describes her wedding to Marlboro Man, their honeymoon and first year of marriage. There are a few recipes at the end of the book for foods mentioned in the story.

Interesting and funny.

Visit the Pioneer Woman's blog at thepioneerwoman.com.