Wonderland

This is a review for Wonderland- A Coloring Book Inspired by Alice's Adventures by Amily Shen.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

About the Author: Amily Shen is a renowned Taiwanese artist. She has worked as shoe designer and is now a full-time illustrator and art instructor. She has published three bestselling drawing books.

Wonderland is a whimsical adult coloring book inspired by Alice in Wonderland.  The coloring pages are beautiful.  A lot of attention to detail was put into this book.  The pages are a lovely mix of whimsy and symmetry. 

This book is inspired by Alice in Wonderland so a lot of the pages and pictures will feel familiar.  The framework of the book shows injects some of the artist's personality into it.  The first page is a coffee shop and out the window of the coffee shop you see a familiar rabbit slipping through the trees to lead you into Wonderland. 

The story running throughout the pages feels a little childish at times.  There are little activities that you would normally see in a kids book; things like addressing an invitation to a friend, decorating some blank butterflies and searching for hidden items. 

The illustrations in here will not immediately bring to mind either the original illustrations from the Lewis Carroll novel or the Disney adaptations but they are unmistakably from Wonderland.  I quite enjoyed looking through this book and I am definitely going to enjoy coloring each page.  I suggest picking this up if you are looking for a coloring book that feels familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time.  If you do pick it up be sure to check under the removable cover for a surprise!

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Franklin Barbecue- A Meat-Smoking Manifesto

This is a review of Frankling Barbecue- A Meat Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Frankling & Jordan Mackay.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

Aaron Franklin and his wife Stacy started out in the barbecue business in a small trailer on the side of the highway in Austin Texas in 2009.  Franklin Barbecue took off from there.  Today Franklin Barbecue is one of the most popular bbq places in the country and Aaron Franklin has won every bbq award that exists.

Jordan Mackay is the wine and spirits editor of 7×7 magazine and the author of Passion for Pinot. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times and has written for Food & Wine, Gourmet, Decanter, and Wine and Spirits.

Franklin Barbecue is not a recipe book.  If you want recipes this book is not really going to do much for you.  If you are looking for information on how to properly smoke your own meat and make it mouth-wateringly delicious, this book will help you. 

This book will give you an in depth and detailed look into bbq.  Franklin Barbecue covers every aspect of making your own amazing bbq; from building or modifying a smoker, to choosing the best wood and meats and seasoning them correctly.

I started off reading this book with mild curiosity but by the end I wanted to run out and build my own smoker.  I love good smoky bbq.  It is the one thing I miss from my days living in the south and it is the one thing that is hard to find in Colorado.  This book makes me want to try my hand at making my own southern style bbq.

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.