Pop Manga Coloring Book

This is a review of Pop Manga Coloring Book by Camilla d'Errico.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Camilla d'Errico is a widely acclaimed illustrator who has worked with Dark Horse, Sanrio, Disney, Hasbro & Neil Gaiman.  She has been nominated for several awards.  Her most well known works are her "Rainbow Children" oil paintings with huge eyes and melting rainbows. 

Pop Manga Coloring Book is an adult coloring book unlike any other I have seen.  It is full of gorgeous art that blends cute, creepy, surreal and beautiful all together.  Some pages you have adorable children with creepy monsters, others you have cuddly animals with sad, unsmiling kids.  Each page in this book is amazing.  There are so many little details in each illustration that you could sit and look at each one for ages before remembering that you are trying to color the page.  Many of the pages are done in a sketchy, pencil feeling style.  I love it!  It adds to the surreal feeling of the art and reminds me that this is an unfinished project waiting for me to add the final touches.  The pencil sketch feel adds a soft, home made quality that other coloring books lack, it doesn't feel mechanical or mass produced at all.

Camilla d'Errico has cute little mascots that accompany her work.  The mascot for this book is Ayako.  Ayako pops up periodically to tell you about a piece of art or to remind you that you can color outside the lines.  Pull of the slip cover and look both the cover of the book and the underside of the slip cover.

I love this coloring book.  It has an amazing blend of feelings in it.  It isn't just candy sweet art or super creepy.  It blends them together in a a unique way that comes out gorgeous.  I honestly can't wait to drag out my colored pencils and start coloring!  The only downside I see is choosing which page to color first!

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

I Draw on Cats

This is a review of I Draw on Cats by A. R. Coffelt
I gave this book ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ 2 stars, I disliked it.

I Draw on Cats is a collection of connect the dots puzzles laid over top of silly cat photos.  It is designed to demystify cats and show us what they are really thinking and doing.  The cat photos are pretty cute and the connect the dots add a layer of humor to the photos.  We have silly cats from "The Karate Cat" to "Vampire Cat" hanging out in a tree to "Captain Cat" the super hero.

This book is a bit of a mixed bag.  There are cute photos.  There are humorous connect the dots.  I feel like it is going to appeal to small children the most.  The draw back with that is the weird accordion style pages.  The book doesn't have traditional pages, it has one giant double sided, accordion folded page.  The pages fold ok one direction but it gets complicated the other way.  Each fold is perforated so you could tear them apart but then you have a bunch of loose pages floating around or disappearing under the couch.

To sum up, it is a cute book with cute pictures but it is difficult to use and may prove frustrating.  My son lost interest in it pretty quickly when faced with the frustrating layout of the pages.

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

Long May She Wave

This is a review of Long May She Wave by Kit Hinrichs.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 3 stars, I liked it.

Kit Hinrichs is considered one of the world's most influential graphic designers and is partner in the global design firm Pentagram. His personal collection of Stars and Stripes artifacts has been exhibited at the American Institute of Graphic Arts in New York and the San Jose Museum of Art.

Long May She Wave is a curated collection of postcards featuring Stars and Stripes artifacts and art from American history.  The cards include photos of antique quilts, WWI soldiers, carvings in whale teeth, patriotic playing cards from WWII and other wonderful historic items.  Some of the cards feature newer art and artifacts as well such as, a hand stitched flag made out of dollar bills in 1997, a flag made of 2500 colored pencils, and a collage of paper flags, fans and ribbons.

These cards are a brief glimpse into history.  It is interesting to see the various ways that the American flag has been used throughout history.  From car dealerships in the Navajo nation, to cigarette wrappers in prisons, to honoring the Allies at the end of WWII and protesting the Vietnam War.

This collection could have been better.  There is very little information about each card.  Some have a single line "Wood and Paper 'Red Star Line' promotional fan circa 1900" to tell you about the card.  When I saw that the author is "considered one of the world's most influential graphic designers" I really expected some gorgeous cards.  I have to admit to being disappointed, many of the cards feature a single item on a plain white background.

With slightly more thought put into the cards by the graphic designer and a bit more information about each card this could have been a truly stunning collection of postcards.  As it is right now it is still a pretty good collection of cards. 

I received this book from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Merman in my Tub vol 2

This is a review for Merman in my Tub volume 2 by Itokichi.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

This is the second volume in a series.  You can find my review of the first volume right here.  Given the nature of this series there is little in the way of spoilers though you may find some if you choose to read this review before the first volume.

Tatsumi is a serious, studious boy who lives alone in his grandfather's old house.  One day while walking along the river he finds a man in distress and rushes in to save him, he takes the man home to help him and soon discovers that he didn't save a man at all but a merman!  Soon Tatsumi has a permanent house guest and a steady stream of strange sea creatures passing through his bath tub.

The antics continue in the second volume.  Wakasa's friends continue reappearing and a new one joins the cast in this volume.  Each of them have their own personality that is partly defined by the type of sea creature they are.  Each new character adds a fun new element to the series.  It is interesting to see how they interact and how their fishy nature shows itself.

With Wakasa around the simple things that happen throughout the year are all new and exciting.  He loves Valentines Day, White day has to be extravagant and over the top.  Watching the Olympics isn't enough, he has to try all of the sports even the ones that seem impossible for a merman! 

I still highly recommend this series.  It is a wonderful, light, fun read.  It will have you laughing with every new chapter.  Go check it out if you are in need of a silly series to lift your spirits or if you want something fun to make you laugh!

Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic

This is a review of Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller.
I gave this book ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Charlie Laird has a dream life.

1) He has a weirdo stepmom who runs an herbarium.
2) He lives in a purple mansion with a portal to the Netherworld.
3) Since they escaped from the Netherworld, he and his best friends have been sleeping like babies.

**SPOILER ALERT**
This is the second book in a series.  As such this review may contain spoilers for the first book.  If you want to read my review of the first book you can find it here.

 Charlie Laird is a fairly average not quite teenage boy.  He has an annoying little brother, an average dad and an absolutely weird stepmom.  He lives in a giant purple mansion with a tower.  The tower houses a portal to the Netherworld, the world of nightmares.  Most people only visit the Netherworld in their sleep during a nightmare, Charlie has been there in person while he was awake.  He and his little brother are the guardians of the portal.  They make sure it is closed and keep the nightmares locked away in the Netherworld where they belong.

Charlie and his friends start to notice that the people from the next town over are acting a little strange.  They shuffle, drool, groan and they are very clumsy.  One of them crashes into a streetlamp and knocks himself out right in front of Charlie!  The soccer team loses 37 to 0 because their entire team are acting like zombies.

Charlie and his friends have to investigate.  Everything they discover adds to the weirdness.  No one is sleeping in Orville Falls and there is a strange new shop in town.  When the new shop puts a branch in Charlie's town they realize they have to kick their investigation up a notch and get to the bottom of the mystery before their town becomes the next victim of this weirdness.

As with the previous book this one is delightful.  Many new lessons for Charlie to learn.  Jealousy, fear, hope and despair are all themes in this book.  The last one taught kids that you have to face your fear to overcome it.  This one teaches kids that being fearless isn't the same as being brave.  Doing something because it is necessary despite being scared to death is bravery and it is very different than being fearless.

I highly recommend this book.  If you have a kid struggling with being brave, this book may be helpful.  It has great lessons to teach both young and old, plus it is just a fun read.  I found myself laughing out loud many times while reading.