Saturday, September 30, 2017

Carve a Simple Guide to Whittling by Melanie Abrantes



http://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9780451498960?width=125&alt=no_cover_b4b.gifWhile I have done many things around woodworking, carving or whittle has always interested me but I have never found a book that explains it to the point where I felt comfortable trying it until now.  The author takes you through all the preliminary steps you need to prepare for your first project plus gives you alternatives you can use based on how comfortable you are working with certain knifes and tools.  The author also provides well documented projects easy enough for the begin but has enough options where you can easily grow into more difficult projects.  The pictures of the project in various stages and the finished results help to guide you through each project.  What I found very useful that other books neglect to include is a source page on where to get certain wood and tools.  She included in the source page several options depending on what your budget is for each project.  Very helpful resource for the beginner.  For the beginner that wants to start out on project that are manageable I would highly recommend this guide.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  

Friday, September 22, 2017

David Bowie A Life by Dylan Jones

Product Details


When I picked up the book to read about David Bowie I immediately noticed two things.  One, the book is aligned in a chronological order but does not tell a story like most biography’s do.  The book is make up of strung together quotes from 182 people the author interviewed.  This contains some interesting information but reading it is like reading a series of somewhat related short stories.  The entire book is written in this manner.  The second thing that I found different is David Bowie had an extremely colorful and vibrant life style, so why are there no pictures capture to show the different stages in his life?  The only pictures that are included is the black and white photo on the dust cover and on the author’s notes on the back dust cover is a picture of Bowie and the author.  While the contents of the book are very interesting and informative I found myself reading segments at a time then putting it down rather than what I normally do which is read it from cover to cover in a single sitting.  Jumping from quote to quote throughout the entire book was a style that tells the story of his life but in a very disjointed manner.  A good book regarding the life of David Bowie but don’t expect a typical story from birth to death.


I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.      

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre



http://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9781101904183?width=125&alt=no_cover_b4b.gif
Rogue Heroes is a book about the Britain’s Special Air Forces also known as SAS.  This new and unique group was designed and developed by what some called a young inexperienced aristocrat called David Stirling.  Yes, he was young and did come from a wealthy family but he had an uncanny ability when it came to military strategy.  While his seniors viewed the war as fighting as they always had by attacking face to face Stirling had a different idea that was not viewed as the right way based on traditional war strategies.  Stirling’s saw a map that uncovered an obvious solution that would turn the war in their favor.  Sterling brought several unconventional men together that would be the first SAS.  These men would drive, parachute, boat, swim, and walk to their destination behind enemy lines and begin to sabotage planes, fuel tanks, ammo dumps, ship, and whatever else they could get their hands on to drive the enemy back.  This new method of sabotage would change the nature of combat and how we would fight war in the future.  A brilliant and fascinating book that demonstrates what the human mind can do without fancy technology or high-priced equipment.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.