Knitting Block By Block by Nicki Epstein

I was really excited to receive the latest book from #BloggingForBooks-Knitting Block By Block. I'm a big fan of knitting and this book is LOADED with design ideas!

 The best part about this book is you don't have to be a fancy advanced knitter to do these projects; if you know how to knit and purl, you can make any of the designs in this book. The amount of projects you can make with these squares is endless. You could sew them together in a blanket, a scarf, a pillow, a handbag....I'm currently making a diamond weave in navy blue with a 3-D twining rose and I still haven't decided if it will be a bag or a pillow. Your creativity will go wild with these patterns! Play around with the colors, the textures, the size...anything you want. There are print patterns, panda patterns, skull patterns-mix and match for a one of a kind creation.

 This book comes with a 5-Star recommendation from me. This would be an awesome present for any knitter you know (hint,hint!). With Christmas coming up and a long winter ahead, this would be the perfect gift.

 Here is my project. This is about 3 days work at an hour a day:

Knockout Knits by Laura Nelkin

The latest book I received from #Bloggingforbooks is Knockout Knits by Laura Nelkin.

Knockout Knits features scarves and accessories in fun new patterns, including a new style that incorporates beads into your knitting.
 The designs features in this book are probably best suited for intermediate to accomplished knitters. Beginners can try their skills on the write cuffs and work their way up to lacy shawls and beaded tams as they get more comfortable with the advanced skill levels. New skills are described in detail among the pages, with graphics to help you along.
 I've been a knitter for 10 years now and I like learning new advanced skills. I can't wait to start the beaded tam, and I'll post pics as soon as I start!
 Note: Circular needlles and cable needles are good supplies to have if you plan to complete some of these patterns :-)

Time for some fun....

The latest book I received from Bloggingforbooks.org  is Draw-a-saurus by James Silvani and a personal favorite.
 Draw-a-saurus is a fun novelty book for leisurely doodlers and sketchers. It's written in a friendly style that makes it accessible from ages 8 and up, but if you're an adult, don't be afraid to check out the book, too! No one is too old to enjoy the occasional dinosaur drawing!
 The book offers step by step pictorials to start the outline of your dinosaur (with many varieties to choose from) and shows you how to fill in the details. Real fun for all ages.
 Here is my first attempt and you can see the stages advance from the basic stick figure dino to a more detailed one....

Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope

I got this book in a box with a bunch of others at an auction this summer for a dollar. I'm not big on politcal tomes, but here it goes....

This book features Obama's views on a variety of political issues. It's a rather long book, probably most suitable for the political wonk. There's nothing really new here if you're already familiar with the Democrat's stance on most issues. Each chapter is written with Obama's style, conversational and to the point.

Skim it and you really won't miss anything, but you'll still get the gist of this novel.

The Tiki Barber Biography

   My next book to review came from a free box (Sorry, Tiki ) after what looks like some water damage. It's not the type of biography I'd typically read since I have no interest in football. But...I've heard of Tiki, so I rescued it from the free box and added it to my summer reading pile.
  Tiki's early life is upset when his dad walks out on the family, but with a strong-willed mother the family thrives. Tiki and his twin brother Ronde excel at school and then on the football field. The detailed chapters about Tiki's football games drowsed me, but for a fan of the game they'd probably be eye-openers. I dig the familial backgrounds of all biographers, so the only chapter that really held me was the first chapter and the pictures.
 There are no real juicy stories here, just a typical biography with a positive message.
 Off to my recycling pile it goes! (sorry again, Tiki!)

Bend Your Brain Review

This book is fun with a capital F. Loaded with a variety of puzzlers of varying levels, there is something here for everyone: Rebus, Chain Game, Dominant Eye Tests.dot-to-dots....every page is a new activity.
  Anyone 13 and older would enjoy these puzzles. They're a pleasant change from crossword puzzles and search-a-words that you normally find in the puzzle book section. Seek this book out! As a puzzle connoisseur, I give it my 5 star recommendation.
#BloggingForBooks

Sample puzzle pages:

Long Lost by Harlan Coben

  The last novel I read was Long Lost. I got this book a few years ago at a church garage sale for 25 cents, and it's been waiting in my to-do pile since then. So here it goes...
 Long Lost starts with Myron Bolitar getting a mysterious phone call from a long lost ex-lover, Terese. She asks him to come to Paris and at first he thinks it's crazy, but after he finds out his current girlfriend is taking off to her parents house down south and he gets into a rumble with her son's basketball coach, he decides to go for it and meet Terese in France. He's got  nothing left to lose in the states.
 He arrives in Paris, and as soon as he leaves the plane he senses trouble. He's detained by the French police  for questioning, but he's at a loss as to what they're talking about. His ex-lover's husband was murdered?? She had a husband?! He had no idea. The story unfolds from there as the two lovers reunite. Toss in a mysterious blond girl and umbilical cord blood for plot twists and you have a one-of-a-kind plot.
 The characters are intriguing without being boring. I liked Myron's friend who reminded me of Better Call Saul from Breaking Bad.  I thought my eyelids would go south when I read the name "Mohammad Matar", It didn't- the story kept it's pace and there was never a dull moment.