Inside Kimmy's Mind

I bought an Owlcrate for the month of March-the theme was Writer’s Block. Here are a few thoughts about it.

Contents:

• Out of Print -Banned Books socks
• Kikkerland-Quill Pen
• Bookworm Boutique– Bookish pins
• Chronicle Books-642 Tiny things to write about
• The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

My initial thought is, it’s an adorable subscription box. But I don’t think I would be subbing for the April Box. Once you subscribe, you do not have to renew it for the following month, so if you don’t want it, then make sure to cancel your subscription before the first of the new month. The contents of the March box fit well with the theme, but I’m not sure if it was worth the price. The total was 36.98,  it ships from Canada so shipping was 6.99. I love the idea of it, but I’m pretty picky when it comes to the books I read, so maybe a blind box isn’t the best idea for me.

The book chosen for this month’s box was The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. And even though I wouldn’t have chosen this book myself, I do enjoy a coming of age story. I do plan on giving it a try before nixing it off my bookshelf. The other items were cute, I just think I had higher expectations due to past boxes and was slightly disappointed. But only slightly. I know it must be difficult figuring out each theme and choosing items to go with it. I also think I had this feeling because I saw spoilers on instagram. I mean, I shouldn’t have been looking for spoilers, the whole point of a sub box is to be surprised and introduced to new novels. I might sub again if the theme is interesting, I’m happy I tried it out. I may try out a different sub box, but for now I enjoy picking out my own books. I’m currently waiting on an order from bookoutlet and from society6, ordered a bookish themed tote bag and I’m super excited to get it. I’m jut very impatient.

Have you tried a sub box? If so which ones, are you usually happy with its contents or have you been disappointed?

Thanks for stopping by and reading

Normally, cookbooks are not on my list of books to browse through when I go into a bookstore…unless I’m just looking at pictures. I struggle with following recipes because I am a very impatient person and tend to get a head of myself. But my sister, Kat, is a chef and she is fascinated with Korean cuisine. I figured I would get a cookbook for her and because this one seemed interesting, plus, I LOVE food!

Koreatown by chef Deuki Hong and writer Matt Rodbard

I may not be a chef but this book is beautifully made, and it offers the reader a look into Korean culture when it comes to the food. The cover jumped out at me, it’s texture is smooth with the title embossed. I love when books have an added texture to it.  I’m not quite sure what type of paper was used, but it’s smooth and soft without having a gloss to it even though it looks glossy. It’s wonderful.

The book is separated into different sections and offers the reader interviews and tips when it comes to recreating different Korean dishes. It’s filled with gorgeous photography that captured moments of food bliss and if they don’t make your mouth water, I don’t know what will My favorite thing about cook books, when I look at one, is how the pictures look. I like to know how the dish I’m preparing is supposed to look. Especially, if it’s from a specific type of cuisine.

The layout of the recipes are displayed with your ingredients on either the left or right side of the page in a column. It shows you exactly what you will be needing and the amount of each ingredient. Each recipe gives advice on the ingredients you will be using, such as what to keep in mind when choosing the type of vegetable..ect. Very helpful, for people like me, who know nothing about produce…or anything involving food. Aside from eating it.

I’ve already flagged all of the recipes I want to try first, so here’s hoping the roomie will assist in the actually making of the dish. But for those of you who lack having access to an actual chef worry not, the book lays out the instructions in an easy to follow manner. I believe even I could follow it.

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

I want to start off this review by saying, This book is absolutely gorgeous! Camilla d’errico is an unbelievable artist.

Her twist on surrealism is just breathtaking. I love how she adds animals, food or even the look of elements to her paintings. The color of the cover just pops at you, which would make this book the perfect companion for any coffee table. The girls in in her paintings each have her signature pouty lips and textured hair. And she explains her techniques in such a way, you may not able to fully mimic but you may even discover your own technique in the process.

“You are born an original, so don’t die a copy.”- Camilla d’errico

 She offers the reader tips and answers questions you may have concerning tools and materials. Helpful for anyone aspiring to paint or anyone interested in the topic of painting. The book is broken into two parts and then into different chapters that concentrate on certain areas such as, sketching, blending, composition…ect. In my opinion this would better assist someone who has some beginners knowledge in drawing or painting. But don’t let that deter you from testing out her advice even with no arty knowledge.

Thanks for reading*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

  For my second book, I chose Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel. This was something that caught my attention right away, the title had this positive message without the cover giving away too much of what was in store once cracking the spine. I’m a huge fan of positive books with doodles in them, however, I’m not sure this particular book is for me. I personally, would probably prefer if this book was only self-help rather than a hands-on type of self-help. I know it acts as a reminder of the fact that you cannot just take another person’s experience and call it your own or have it work the same way for you. Life doesn’t work like that.This guide does it’s best to create a way to brainstorm, a way to relearn certain things like not feeling guilty for rambling or doodling on the corner of each page.There are prompts throughout the book that sort of make it feel like school.

They give you a “time limit” but I feel like it’s the book giving the reader permission to allow time for things in general and not just for this tiny prompt. The purpose of this book is to give you an insight and perhaps look at things differently. An outside of the box/comfort zone insight.

Now don’t get me wrong, this book has a lovely idea behind it and I plan on giving it more time before I write it off as “not for me”. But at the moment I’m still on the fence about it. Not due to lack of interesting topics, because the interactive part is fun, but perhaps my mood is just not in the right place for this particular book even though I’m in the need of some positive energy and this book has plenty of that. I just need to make the time for it and to remember just to play sometimes.

Thanks for reading and commenting

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

The Time Garden by Daria Song

I’m excited to share a review with you today.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the recent trend that are…”adult” coloring books. I’m not a fan of this term, being creative should be acceptable for all ages. Not all of us can express ourselves creatively, and these coloring books can give you a project without needing a time frame or an end product. You’re free to color and take your time, like you did when you were younger.

The Time Garden is a beautiful coloring book, on my version there is a beautifully drawn tree which is featured more throughout the book. The dust jacket has gold foiling on the title and so do some of the leaves that sprinkle the front of the book. Moving on to the inside, the actual cover has a field of stars surrounding a little girl,her face hidden. This page is also featured later on in the book, so you can have the thrill of coloring this page.

One thing I feel that sets this book apart from a few of the other coloring books out in the market is that there is a story that is connected to it.  A story that makes me think- Nutcracker meets Alice in Wonderland yet at the same time maintaining it’s own story. 

The pages are a nice weight, I’m using a mixture of color pencil and my Staedtler Triplus fine-liner to color in the pages. If you press too hard or go over an already colored section too many times with the fine-liner there may be bleeding on the other side. But you shouldn’t run into that problem, too often. The only reason I ran into it was because I didn’t like my color choice and went over it with another color. I have yet to try using watercolor, but since the paper isn’t  a certain type of texture, I wouldn’t recommend using that medium.  But ultimately it’s up to you. I don’t want to ruin the book by showing you each page, so at the bottom is a teaser flip through of it’s pages.

I also wanted to share what’s written on the back of the book, if this plus the gorgeous illustrations doesn’t make you fall in love with this book then I don’t know what will.

The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock-inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by Korean artist Daria Song. Journey through the doors of the clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls-all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up. 

Cuckoo…cuckoo…cuckoo…

When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?

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

I’ve enjoyed coloring in this book, and it’s been a nice way to clear my head and just spend a little time daydreaming. I think we often forget to take some time for ourselves. I chose this book for my first review because I wanted something crafty and fun. Keep your eyes open for the next one, let me know in the comments if you enjoy this or other coloring books. But it’s quite alright if you don’t.

Thanks for reading and commenting