This cookbook begins with a section about how food can heal the body, and what causes migraines. It explains how a ketogenic diet might help migraines by cutting out carbs. Other therapies and medications are also mentioned to possibly be used alongside the ketogenic diet as a way to treat and prevent migraines. The reader is encouraged to keep a migraine diary and keep a record of their migraines as a way to determine the type, length, and stressors that impact their migraines.

The second section gives general instructions about what ingredients to buy for the most common recipes, what foods to avoid, and what vitamins to take. Gentle exercise and meditation are also recommended as a way to reduce the stress and emotional upset which can lead to migraines.

There is a weekly meal plan and a shopping list for 4 weeks, as well as a weekly page to keep a migraine diary. There is room for adjustment as the reader begins to find relief from their migraines and/or finds recipes they really enjoy. Each recipes has a Ketogenic ratio so that you can easily track the calories to protein ratio, and keep a healthy balance.

The recipes are divided by Breakfast, Salads and Soups, Snacks and Sides, Stews and Chilis, Meatless Mains, Seafood Mains, Meaty Mains, and Desserts. I really appreciate that the ingredients are common things that can be found at any local grocery store. The recipes are fresh twists on classics like burgers and tacos.

The book also includes "Tips for Dining Out" and how to navigate restaurant menus and make good choices. I wish that there were more photographs in this cookbook, but the photos that they have are really colorful and make my mouth water! Each dish looks so delicious!

The Stuffed Zuchinni recipe, in particular, and the Crab Cakes look amazing! There is also a recipe for Turkey Thyme Burgers that looks wonderful.

I can't wait to try some of these recipes! I don't get migraines very often, (usually two each month) but I would love to never have them at all.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Tell is at boarding school being bullied, when a mysterious entity comes and makes the bully disappear. Tell is sent home, where he finds a letter from his father saying ‘If you’re reading this, I am dead.’
He is unsure if his father is truly dead, or if this is one of his father’s elaborate pranks. He runs away from men who want to put him in an orphanage, and meets a strange scholar in the wheat fields.

I couldn’t finish this book. I got 50 pages in, and gave up. There are not a ton of errors in grammar, but enough that it got on my nerves. There are misplaced pronouns that make the writing confusing.

There are a lot of misplaced modifiers, but I think that might have been done on purpose for some sort of artistic effect. Another error that I think might have been an artsy attempt: the use of nouns as adjectives. I give that one a pass if it’s cleverly done, but this was just confusing.

How does a plant die because it has “miser spirits”? I think this was meant to be “miserable spirits”. So you can add typos to the list of things wrong with this book.

There is no excuse for writing “moot” when the sentence should obviously say “mute”. Add spelling errors to the list.

I had to read the following sentence four times before giving up in disgust. “The boy nodded his head and the doctor then his.“
That is the most convoluted and ridiculous way to say they both nodded. The adverb is miles away from where it belongs and both the verb and object are missing from the second half of that sentence.
I mean, you could get away with taking out the object at the end, because the pronoun will handle that job, but not without a verb!

Sometimes I think the author must have sat down with a thesaurus and picked the biggest word. Never mind if it’s clear writing or if it makes any sense!

The plot is imaginative, but I didn’t care about the one main character. The supporting characters don’t have any depth in the beginning, and even the main character is only mildly interesting. Maybe they get more development later.

The style is whimsical and the plot is chaotic, which is another reason why it didn’t grab my attention. I like structure, and this plot reminded me of some “Alice in Wonderland” wildness. However, I know many people enjoy that kind of style.
If you don’t care about grammar, you might enjoy this book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

This compilation of the Mrs. Frollein webcomic is divided into sections by the seasons for Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Each section features some comic strips that are specific to the season, and some that are just general humor. I especially liked the Christmas ones!

The humor is sweet and silly, but there were only two jokes that really made laugh. A lot of the jokes are about couples living together, so I can't relate. But there were several comics about reading, watching Harry Potter movies, or being cold, and those were all funny and relatable for me.

I think people who are in a steady romantic relationship would enjoy this humor more, because it would apply to their real lives and encourage them to laugh at themselves and how crazy relationships can be.

There were at least five comics about women shaving or not shaving their legs. I don't know why that is so funny, but it's a big comedy topic, I guess.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

This book begins with basic tools and equipment that are needed for cake decorating, separated by must-have equipment and nice-to-have tools. There are also instructions on using food coloring, sprinkles, fruit, candy, and other decorative items on cakes.

There is an entire section just on baking and prepping the cake, with some basic cake recipes for common cake flavors. Then there are a few recipes for buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, and whipped cream frosting. The instructions on how to frost a cake are clear with photos showing each step, and tips on getting the frosting to spread evenly and smoothly.

Instructions for various types of cake decorations include fruit toppings, heart sprinkles, ombre frosted cake. The next chapter has lessons on piping frosting using pastry bags with various techniques and different designs. The tips explain how to fill the pastry bag with frosting and how to hold the tip of the pastry bag, then proceeding to detailed instructions on piping flowers, stars, ruffles, and leaves, as well as writing letters and cursive words onto a cake.
There are examples of wreath cakes with lovely rosettes, and a cake shaped like a llama with llama fur piped on in frosting.

There is an entire chapter dedicated to decorating with fondant, including how to make your own marshmallow fondant from scratch, and tips on how to correct common mistakes when working with fondant. There are examples of fondant cakes decorated with cut-out hexagons and flowers.

Another chapter is all about chocolate ganache, and how to keep that perfect ganache glaze on your cakes with a decorative drip down the sides.

The photos are just gorgeous and make me so hungry! I really appreciated the clear instructions, and photos that show each step along the way. There are so many detailed tips and lessons about what to do if something goes wrong, how to cover up mistakes, or how to do better the next time.

This is the perfect book for beginners, or anyone who wants to up their game with cake decorating!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book has worlds of information about every conceivable situation that might come up while breastfeeding a baby. Whether to use formula, how to encourage baby to latch on, bonding with baby right after birth, breast milk storage guidelines, how to use a breast pump, even what to do if baby is in NICU. There are charts for tracking feeding times, tracking baby's weight, instructions on burping baby, changing diapers, and how to know if something is wrong with baby's digestion.

One of the things I really loved about this book are the inspirational quotes reassuring a new mom that she is doing great, she has the right to choose whatever she wants to do for herself and her child, and that each baby will be different. There is no guilt and no shame in doing what is best for your own well-being and for the health of your child!

There are also mental health check-ins for the mother in case she is experiencing post-partum depression or mood swings. There are charts for making sure that the mother is getting good nutrition while breastfeeding, and lessons on what you can and cannot have in the way of alcohol or medications.

The troubleshooting section addressed common questions and concerns that may come up while breastfeeding, from needing a lactation consultant to sleep deprivation and nipple pain.
It answers what to do if you have a cold, what to do if baby won't latch on, what to do for back pain, when to introduce solid foods to baby, and whether or not it's okay to give baby a pacifier.

There are also some diagrams and helpful illustrations that can help you determine if baby has thrush, or an improper latch, or is tongue-tied. From birth to weaning, this book has all the answers!

Disclaimer: I have never had a child. I have never breastfed. I have no plans to have a child anytime soon. I read this book because my sister-in-law is breastfeeding my sweet little baby niece, and I wanted to be able to share this book with her.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Illustrated with cute little drawings of coffee beans, honey, spice leaves, and cozy coffee cups, this book has recipes for 50 different types of coffee and espresso.

It begins with an explanation of types of roast, and types of filters and grinders and brewing machines, with advice on choosing your tools and equipment. There are chapters for basic coffee recipes like cafe au lait, and more complex drinks like espressos and lattes, even including cold coffee drinks, frappes, and milkshakes. (There is also a chapter for alcoholic coffee drinks that I am choosing to ignore.)

With delicious ingredients like caramel, honey, lavender, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and of course steamed milk, these recipes will delight any coffee drinker!

This book goes way beyond your regular cream and sugar, and introduces a beautiful new world of making your own coffee at home. There is even a recipe for making your own pumpkin spice latte with real pumpkin puree!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Hilda and her mother move to Trolberg, away from their beloved mountains, and Hilda is having trouble adjusting to city life. Lost in the maze of streets, she befriends a raven with amnesia, and the two encounter strange creatures and navigate the dark corners of the city, on their way to the Bird Parade.

I loved this 3rd volume! It's so imaginative and colorful. Hilda is adorable and plucky and deliciously weird. Every twist of the plot kept me guessing and wondering, and I loved to see the development in Hilda's character along with her mother.

Ben has no memory of when a "meteor" fell near his Grampa's home while Ben was visiting there. There are government agents snooping around the crash site, and Ben's Grampa is trying to keep Ben's name out of it by hiding him away with his mother in the city. An alien named Mesmo is on the run from dangerous government agents, and tries to protect the innocent human witnesses from the "meteor" crash site. A mysterious shape-shifter tracks down Ben as a witness to the crash, and Ben and his mother are both in terrible danger.

I enjoyed the writing style in this book. It's concise and clear, with a lot of emotional scenes between characters. The writer shows us the inner feelings of each character, and there is some powerful dialogue. The characters are deep and complex with authentic relationships.

However, the plot moves slowly in the beginning, and it took awhile to really get some action moving. Once things started really happening, I was delighted with the mystery, the alien skills, and the dangerous adventures.

One thing I did NOT like, because it is my personal pet peeve... There are multiple POVs that flip-flop between the characters. This really annoyed me. I would have liked the story much better if it had only been told from Ben's perspective.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I think that middle grade and teen readers would love the action and mystery!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book has advice and tips for coping from baby's birth right up to celebrating their first birthday. It includes things like dealing with inlaws and grandparents, sharing on social media, getting enough sleep, breastfeeding, teething, postpartum depression, getting support from friends and family, sleep and nap routines, keeping up with the photo book or memory journal, starting baby on solid foods, working out after birth, baby's motor skills, weaning, nutrition for mom and child, and of course, how to throw the perfect first birthday party!

Full of colorful drawings and soft illustrations, this book give wonderful advice to new mothers, mostly just reassuring them that they are doing a great job, yes that is normal, and they have the right to choose whatever is best for their child.

The sections are divided by the child's age in three month intervals, showing how much the baby will grow and change in that important first year.

I especially liked the chapters encouraging the mother to take time for herself, eat well, exercise, get some sleep, and take time to hang with her friends, take time to do her hobbies, and make time for important relationships in her life. This is a great book for a new mom!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book gives short 3-page biographies of famous women who changed American history. The bios range from Pocahontas all the way to modern-day women. Along with each biography there is a timeline at the bottom of each page showing major events of their era in history. There are also beautiful illustrations depicting each woman doing something that made her famous,whether it's writing, nursing, giving speeches, flying a plane, dancing, traveling, reporting, painting, or protesting.

I really loved the timeline at the bottom of the pages. It adds something special to be able to see what was going on in history at that time. There is also a separate text box along with each bio, showcasing one of their major accomplishments.

The biographies give a synopsis of the woman's childhood, the obstacles in her way, her rise to fame, and her major contributions to American history, along with a short statement about her death. It's a well-rounded and well-organized outline of the lives of these important ladies.

However, there were four biographies that I was not happy to see in this book. No doubt, these women were influential, but I think it was a bad influence that damaged the American nation. These women are praised as having fought for "equal rights" for various groups, but they trampled on the rights of others and ultimately harmed the people they were trying to help.

Maybe I'll just tear out those pages, and enjoy the rest of the book.

I really loved reading the biographies of Helen Keller, Sacagawea, Abigail Adams, Harriet Tubman, Clara Barton, Nellie Bly, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Frances Willard.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.