KJK Reads

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Cookbook  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is such a fun cocktail book with each cocktail having a twist on the name as a reminder as to why you may have left the ex or a reminder as to why you wouldn’t want to go back there. The budget, classic and perfect options for each spirit at the beginning is great as often drinks books either advise the expensive only or just say the spirit and expect you to already know which is best in each price range. There were some really specific titles such as the terrible texter, it didn’t mean anything and dead weight as well as some more I’d imagined such as love bomb and gold digger. The pictures alongside each recipe make each one look really appealing and also gives us decoration suggestions. 

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Colouring Book Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a lovely little colouring book as a way to learn about the Tarot deck while colouring. I like that there is the deck the card is in above the card and a small description below each as it allowed me to learn a little as I am still a novice to this world. I like that the pages are single sided as it means there’s no worries about colours bleeding onto the next picture although I’d still pop a piece of card behind when colouring incase my pens are prone to bleeding and ruin the next pic. Each card is not overly complex but are still beautiful in their details which is great as sometimes I like to use thicker markers not gel pens which I can’t do in overly detailed books. 

Rating: 2 Stars Themes:  Romance, Short Stories, Dual POV Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had high hopes for this book as I myself spent summers near the beach (although definitely nothing like in this book) so I was hoping for a sunny, nostalgic romance but this book unfortunately fell short of this. Firstly, I understand what the author was trying to do with the disability representation, it felt a little more like inspiration porn than genuine representation which, as a disabled individual myself, left me feeling kinda icky. Also there was very little actual romance in the book aside from hints in each POV that they liked each other so the ending felt rushed and maybe a little forced as they seemed to need more time for an actual romance. However, I did enjoy the actual setting of Sandstone Cottage and with the security team I think there’s definitely an opportunity for another series if it’s done longer so we can...

Rating:  5 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Disability, Self-Help Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is another amazing and helpful book from Stacey. I loved the colour sheets in each chapter and appreciated that the activities have “low”, “medium” and “better” battery options as it means regardless of the amount of spoons I have I can still work on a chapter if I’m mentally up to it. The book itself is split up into easily digestible chunks and the text at the beginning of each chapter isn’t too long or dense so it doesn’t drain my battery before I’m able to get to the activities. There are a lot of important exercises and messages, especially around self-image and support systems as that is something I myself had to go to therapy for in my illness journey. I loved the useful resources at the end for those who need it and was pleased to see the #NEISVoid in there as I know how useful they can be since they actually helped...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Christmas, Cookbook  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book is absolutely stunning with some beautiful detailing and the colours compliment each other so well it adds to the decadent feel of the Gilded Age theme. The foreword and intro provide enough detail without being too long and the little Gilded Age facts scattered throughout add to it in a cool and not too text dense way. I like that New Years Eve and Hanukkah were thought of too with them both being important holidays in the ‘Christmas’ season too. The recipes are easy to follow and the photos are really appealing and make me think of trying a few recipes I wouldn’t have without the images of them. The recipe index is also really helpful making it easier to find a recipe I’m looking for without having to flip back through hunting for one.

Rating: 4 Stars  Themes: Non-Fiction, Political Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. There are so many different things flowing around my brain after reading this book but it’s so hard to put them into words that sound coherent. This is just such an important and poignant book with a great collection of different people’s essays, especially the first essay detailing the importance of those who aren’t targeted still speaking up. Overall, this is another great collection from Lori and I’m sure she’ll have more to come in the future.  Favourite Quote: “Putting this book together made me really understand that there is no one way to resist. We all resist every day in every way.”