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188 reviews
Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas
4.0
I was interested in reading this after watching the series that Netflix put out (also titled Mind Hunter). The book was more in depth which I was expecting and was much more focused on the cases including specifics, reports, and pictures. "Whoever Fights Monsters" by Robert Ressler is next on my list on this topic!
You by Caroline Kepnes
4.0
If you're looking for a book to remind you to lock your doors and check your privacy on social media, this is the one. I tend to stay away from many fictional crime books but this one was worth the read. Caroline Kepnes was able to bring a creep of a character to life and make it seem like it could happen to anyone who ventures into a book store. Excited to read the 2nd book "Hidden Bodies" which is already sitting on my book shelf.
The Vegan Slow Cooker, Revised and Expanded: Simply Set It and Go with 160 Recipes for Intensely Flavorful, Fuss-Free Fare Fresh from the Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester
4.0
I received an digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
Let me start out by mentioning that I love hearty, vegan food but can't stand waiting. My patience does not fit in well with cooking and prepping. Because of this, my crock-pot is my best friend. I was extremely excited to receive a copy of this cookbook and couldn't help but run out and buy ingredients to get cooking the same day.
I read through the book and all of a sudden had almost half the pages bookmarked as TBC (to be cooked). I started off by trying the recipe for the Hard Cider and Cabbage Stew (p. 72) and let's just say I was hooked. Since then, I've ventured onto the Soy Curls and Dumplings (p. 87) and couldn't pass up a new recipe for creamy mac and cheese (p. 105). These 3 sealed the deal on this cookbook for me.
Pros: AMAZING prep instructions. Although crock-pots function on "dump meals", I was pleasantly surprised with the in depth instructions on prepping, all the way down to the time. These suggestions made the entire cooking process a breeze. I also appreciated how the book was not only sectioned into types of meals, but also by time processes - "No Time To Prep Recipes" should be a chapter in every good cookbook! Finally, I love a cookbook that teaches you something. The first bit of the book dives into the basics of crockpot cooking (and more importantly the vegan side of it). It makes dump meals seem a little more exciting and a little less daunting. Within this section, there's also a quick little guide to vegan substitutes that could be extremely helpful for anyone just picking up a meat-free lifestyle.
Cons: Honestly, the only con I could even think of - I'm a very visual person and my tastebuds and cravings would agree! I know there's a tough mix when creating a cookbook of too many pictures and too little. BUT I feel as if in a vegan cookbook, it's essential to hook the reader who might see vegan meals as rabbit food. The pictures in the book were stunning and I did tend to lean towards the recipes that I could visually see. But if this is the only con I could notice, I'd say we could easily let it slide.
Looking forward to not only cooking more of these recipes, but also diving into all the leftovers I now have stocked up in my freezer and fridge. Thanks for the awesome content!
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
Let me start out by mentioning that I love hearty, vegan food but can't stand waiting. My patience does not fit in well with cooking and prepping. Because of this, my crock-pot is my best friend. I was extremely excited to receive a copy of this cookbook and couldn't help but run out and buy ingredients to get cooking the same day.
I read through the book and all of a sudden had almost half the pages bookmarked as TBC (to be cooked). I started off by trying the recipe for the Hard Cider and Cabbage Stew (p. 72) and let's just say I was hooked. Since then, I've ventured onto the Soy Curls and Dumplings (p. 87) and couldn't pass up a new recipe for creamy mac and cheese (p. 105). These 3 sealed the deal on this cookbook for me.
Pros: AMAZING prep instructions. Although crock-pots function on "dump meals", I was pleasantly surprised with the in depth instructions on prepping, all the way down to the time. These suggestions made the entire cooking process a breeze. I also appreciated how the book was not only sectioned into types of meals, but also by time processes - "No Time To Prep Recipes" should be a chapter in every good cookbook! Finally, I love a cookbook that teaches you something. The first bit of the book dives into the basics of crockpot cooking (and more importantly the vegan side of it). It makes dump meals seem a little more exciting and a little less daunting. Within this section, there's also a quick little guide to vegan substitutes that could be extremely helpful for anyone just picking up a meat-free lifestyle.
Cons: Honestly, the only con I could even think of - I'm a very visual person and my tastebuds and cravings would agree! I know there's a tough mix when creating a cookbook of too many pictures and too little. BUT I feel as if in a vegan cookbook, it's essential to hook the reader who might see vegan meals as rabbit food. The pictures in the book were stunning and I did tend to lean towards the recipes that I could visually see. But if this is the only con I could notice, I'd say we could easily let it slide.
Looking forward to not only cooking more of these recipes, but also diving into all the leftovers I now have stocked up in my freezer and fridge. Thanks for the awesome content!
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5/ish
*yes, spoilers ahead*
This one was easily worth the long wait at the library. I’ll start by saying, I wanted to make sure I read it before the Netflix rendition came out. And it did not disappoint.
The premise and idea behind the book is unique and has a cool dystopian/sci-if/horror feel to it all, simply because we never find out what the “creatures” actually are. I was a little discouraged by the ending because of the loose ends it seemed to have/more so no REAL ending. But I also can enjoy that fact that you, as the reader, are just figuring things out at the same time as the characters as you go along. This is especially true at the end, where you’re left wondering what WAS out there. There’s something gnarly about feeling like you’re without one of your senses. Any book that uses this to their advantage (and does it well) is automatically a great thriller read.
Pros: awesome story idea, quick and captivating read, very dystopian-type characters (boy/girl/etc), terrifyingly accurate descriptions. Honestly might keep me up at night wondering why Olympia thought the creature was so freaking beautiful.
Cons: the ending was a pretty standard dystopian future ending (long journey, finds other survivors, joins new self-sustaining community - etc). I think I’m still just bitter that I’ll never know what creature was actually out there. I’m all honesty, not sure how else they would have wrapped up this story though.
Will be excited to see this transformed into a Netflix rendition! I’m excited to pass this one on to the remaining 21 people who have this on hold at our local library.
*yes, spoilers ahead*
This one was easily worth the long wait at the library. I’ll start by saying, I wanted to make sure I read it before the Netflix rendition came out. And it did not disappoint.
The premise and idea behind the book is unique and has a cool dystopian/sci-if/horror feel to it all, simply because we never find out what the “creatures” actually are. I was a little discouraged by the ending because of the loose ends it seemed to have/more so no REAL ending. But I also can enjoy that fact that you, as the reader, are just figuring things out at the same time as the characters as you go along. This is especially true at the end, where you’re left wondering what WAS out there. There’s something gnarly about feeling like you’re without one of your senses. Any book that uses this to their advantage (and does it well) is automatically a great thriller read.
Pros: awesome story idea, quick and captivating read, very dystopian-type characters (boy/girl/etc), terrifyingly accurate descriptions. Honestly might keep me up at night wondering why Olympia thought the creature was so freaking beautiful.
Cons: the ending was a pretty standard dystopian future ending (long journey, finds other survivors, joins new self-sustaining community - etc). I think I’m still just bitter that I’ll never know what creature was actually out there. I’m all honesty, not sure how else they would have wrapped up this story though.
Will be excited to see this transformed into a Netflix rendition! I’m excited to pass this one on to the remaining 21 people who have this on hold at our local library.