New year - new hobbies Felt Biscuits by Ouissi Gresty

It's a time of year when people vow to try taking up a new hobby - and apparently it's National Hobby Month - so here's the first of a small number of craft book reviews to perhaps get you started on something new -


Felt Biscuits by Ouissi Gresty


Knitted and felted food has so far been a passion that's by-passed me a little but looking through this book has really tempted me to have a go. From felt, thread and wadding Ouissi Gresty has created real, melt in mouth looking biscuits but ones you won't actually want to eat. Guilt-free biscuits! - what could be better.

The actual size of the book may be small - about 17cm square, 80 pages - but contains all the information you need. Equipment, techniques, detailed instructions and accompanying photographs of all the stages, cutting out, surface decoration, sewing together, stuffing - everything is covered. You'll discover how to make your very own felted biscuits - a range including bourbons, shortcake, custard creams - with a felted 'tin' and even the tray that goes inside the tin!

The special thing about the How2Crafts series, though, is that, having made your items, you can post them to the How2 website, share your thoughts on the making process and maybe be lucky enough to have photos of your work included in later editions of the books. I might even submit one myself!

Publisher - How2crafts
Genre - Adult's Non-Fiction - but easily within the ability of nimble-fingered teenagers and possibly younger children with some basic sewing experience

Felt Biscuits: A Full-colour, Step-by-step, Photographic Guide to Making Classic British Biscuits and a Biscuit Tin from Felt is available from Amazon or direct from the How2crafts website where an e-book version is also downloadable.

Fitness for Life Manual by Matt Roberts

A New Year a New Gym?
Review by TheMole

We have all heard the statistics about gym membership - how so many people have it bought as a present or buy it to lose those pounds after Christmas and it is hardly used. One of the principles of healthy exercise is to find something you enjoy and want to do, set yourself sensible achievable goals and go for it.

This book has proved very valuable to me as I embarked on a 'get fit' routine. It starts with introducing the setting of the goal you wish to achieve and then helps you explore ways to enjoy getting to fulfil that goal. It progresses through diet and then covers stretching before moving to exercise itself.

There is always a debate between resistance and aerobic (cardio) exercise as to which is better for the body and this book attempts to address that and has exercise routines based on both methods to suit the individual.

Many of the exercises are pictured in the home, albeit some with equipment specially purchased, but many needing no gym equipment. It covers all the common outdoor exercises such as walking, running and cycling - their benefits and programmes to get the best from your efforts. It covers more exotic fitness sports like skiing as well as things like swimming.

There are also case studies of people who have followed this advice and achieved their goals and these show that it can be achieved.

If you are thinking of going to a gym or just getting fit by your own exercise you will find this book beneficial in improving your efforts, avoiding injury and understanding why you are not progressing as you expected to.

There is a modern trend towards a 'green gym' that is to get outside and get fit and this book will help even if you only plan to start gardening more actively. It will help to prevent and alleviate the post-exercise pains and strains that affect everyone and put so many people off.

I recommend this everyone whose new year resolutions include 'getting fitter'!

Publisher - Dorling Kindersley
Genre - Adult's Non-Fiction

Buy Fitness for Life Manual from Amazon

The Bookette British Books Challenge

I saw this reading challenge over at The Bookette's blog and thinking to myself "Oh, that'll be easy" decided to sign up for it. Following a brief Twitter conversation, I thought I'd actually make it harder and try to read something from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So, the starter list is as follows

England - Sophie Kinsella - I have Remember Me and Twenties Girl both sitting on the TBR pile so will choose at least one of them
Malorie Blackman - Noughts and Crosses
Alan Garner - Weirdstone of Brisingamen - a 50th anniversary edition was brought out in 2010, but I still have a really old battered copy though not a first edition!

Scotland - Alexander McCall Smith - Friends, Lovers and chocolate
Christopher Brookmyre - A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil
Hazel Allan - bree McCready and the Flame of Irenus

Wales - Sing Sorrow Sorrow - a collection of horror stories from Seren Books
Belinda Bauer - Darkside

Northern Ireland - Seamus Heaney - Beowulf

That gives me 8 to be starting with, I'm also hoping in the course of the year to be able to track down the sequel to Gillian Phillip's Firebrand, Keren David's new book, Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery and some more Mabinogion Stories from Seren Press.
I need to find more suggestions for N Ireland and Wales, so if anyone has suggestions please leave a comment

Listing them here as I read and review:

Jan 17 - Sing Sorrow Sorrow
Jan 19 - Darkside by Belinda Bauer
Jan 21 - Bree McCready and the Flame of Irenus by Hazel Allen

Feb 11 - The Tygrine Cat by Inbali Iserles
Feb 14 - The Accidental Proposal by Matt Dunn
Fen 21 - Belle's Song by K M Grant

Mar 2  - Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith

The Mole's Reading Resolutions for 2011

I have not been reading enough lately and am missing it a lot! I have a stack to read and I resolve to read more in 2011.

Ok that's a simple resolution but more specifically I will also join in the Anne McCaffrey Reading Challenge for 2011 reading at LEAST  Freedom's Ransom and Dragon Harper. I am new to McCaffrey so have chosen 2 I can easily put my hand on.





I shall read more non fiction. I have a few in my 'to be read' pile already and I keep wanting to pick them up....

I shall try to be more open minded about reading ebooks. We have a few and now the Derbyshire Library Service is offering them for download for free!

Let's see how that goes and hopefully I will meet all my resolutions.

Update:-  Dragon Harper by Anne and Todd McCaffrey After reading Dragon Harper I visited goodreads and was pleased to find that I am not alone in my opinion of the book.

Maryom's resolutions

My book resolutions for the year include -
- finishing the book that's been sitting on my bed side table for far too long - Absolute War, Soviet Russia in the Second World War by Chris Bellamy, one of Pan Military Classics series and nothing like as dry and dull as it might sound - it just got left while I read some review books and never got picked up again.
- reading some of the stash of books that we've acquired either through Freecycle/Freegle or through Bookcrossing - I feel more guilty about the Bookcrossing ones as, after all, the idea is to read them and pass them on again.
- British Books Challenge at The Bookette*
- foreign reading challenge*

*going to blog about these in detail later

New Year

New Year is the time for making plans and resolutions, the time when we all decide that this year we will do things differently - whether taking up a new hobby, getting fitter, living a healthier lifestyle or just trying to achieve a little more in our normal everyday life. So with this in mind we're planning on bringing you a series of posts to go with this theme of New Year, New You - a combination of book reviews and our reading plans and challenges for the year ahead.

Looking back over 2010... (TheMole's reflections)

I don't agree with looking back. Normally. People looking back miss what's in front of them. But sometimes it can be an education.  When we decided to do this I was sceptical but as I looked back at some of the titles I read during the year I thought that it could be fun.  My best book of 2010 was..... well I don't have ONE it would be unfair to say a children's book was better than a YA Fantasy or a Chic Lit compared to non-fiction. What I plan on doing is listing 10 books that have made an impression - a favourable impression - on me.

You have a tendency to favour the books you read last but hopefully that hasn't affected me in my choice.

So, in no particular order....

Shadow Bringer By David Calcutt.

I read other "thrillers" this year but this one REALLY had me believing the terror that our hero felt. I rarely find a book that I wouldn't advise as a bed time reader but this one, for it's target audience is definitely a no-no! Really good book.








When I was Joe/Almost True By Keren David

 Don't accuse me of cheating here.. I said 10 and I am including these as 1 as they join almost seamlessly. Read them in order and as 1. Brilliant story that touches many issues carefully and sensitively.


Firebrand By Gillian Philip

 This book is really something else when it comes to fantasy! We got chance to read and review it early and even got a quote on the cover of the first print run. It has gone to a second print run and now we are only on the back - but the story is still fantastic.











 
Mortlock by Jon Mayhew

Got chance to review  this book for Nayu's Reading Corner. It was much talked about at the time and I was not disappointed in the slightest when the chance came.













Bad Faith by Gillian Philip


I had already read - and thoroughly enjoyed - Crossing The Line so really looked forward to the chance to read this one. I was not disappointed. Very different to Firebrand or Crossing The Line, underlining Ms Philip's skill.













Wasted by Nicola Morgan

I have to admit that when Maryom explained a synopsis of the plot I was sceptical, but when I started reading I became totally absorbed in this brilliant story. I didn't toss a coin to decide whether to include it today!










A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis

Just when you think there are no new ideas about magical fantasies...  I found this story to be truly fun and different. Somehow it felt like 'technical' magic??? Please don't ask what that means but watch for the sequel.








Girl 16 Five Star Fiasco by Sue Limb

This story was another surprise. No magic, no fantasy, no world domination. Just the kind of things that modern teenagers may do - organising a dinner dance for charity. But there'll be tears before bedtime. Beautiful story that the modern teenager can identify with.










The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

I know I warned about the later books I have read being too fresh in my mind but I must include this one. It is a beautiful story and a roller coaster ride of emotions. Without giving anything away.. just read it. Please?













Lee on the Dark Side of the Moon by Keith Charters

And on a final note it would be morally wrong, at this happy time of year NOT to include the funniest book I have read in 2010. It will amuse both old and young alike and totally fails to address the important question:- If there is no noise in a vacuum then why does a vacuum cleaner make so much noise?

And on a totally final note.. I have read many crime thrillers this year and enjoyed them all - no exceptions - but not included them because I chose to limit myself to 10 books. To choose 1 of them I would probably have included them all so take a look through the reviews and consider every one of them my 11th.