My friend Amazon and I have been getting awfully cozy lately. I visited her last week, she dropped a box off a few days later, and now I find myself perusing the pages of her package.
Fall is one of the best seasons for book releases and my three newest buys are competing for my attention as I flip between each of them, inspired to make a whole lots of goodness.
When it comes to home entertaining I like to craft almost as much as I like to cook. For me, a party isn't complete without some sort of homemade embellishments. Martha's newest book is Handmade Holiday Crafts, and for people like me it's a treasure trove of ideas.
The book covers most major holidays, and upon my initial flip through, each project seems simple to make and uses materials that you likely have on hand, or that you can purchase easily from a variety of sources. I'm anxiously looking forward to another book she plans to release this fall. Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations will be released at the end of October and it's going straight to the top of my Christmas list. Selling for a whopping $75, I'm sure this will be an exquisite collection of ideas and recipes.
Miette is a popular vintage-inspired pastry shop in San Francisco, and while I've never been there, it's now on my must visit list. This beautiful book is stunning to flip through, with it's luminous photography and scalloped pages.
The recipes are all must-make foods and the author includes excellent advice on how to frost your cakes and cupcakes perfectly. I can't decide if I should make the Tom Boy Cake, Peanut Butter Cookies or Gingerbread Cake first!
I've been looking forward to the Design Sponge at Home book for a while. I've been a long time reader of the blog, popular for it's home decor/design ideas, recipes and entertaining tips, and I was certain the book would not disappoint. It didn't.
While I'm not a design aficionado, I do like to look at pretty spaces and I love DIY projects, which the book is packed with.
Have you found any good books lately? I'm in need of some fictional reads or memoir-style reads, so if you have any suggestions please feel free to pass them along.
The Martha book would be pure torture to me. I'd love to flip through it but I'm not nearly crafty enough to pull off her stuff. I've always wanted to attempt recreating some of her drilled pumpkins though!
Posted by: Rachel @ Baked by Rachel | 09/28/2011 at 10:16 AM
wow thats really helpful, and i love the fact that we can do a lot of things in our food to enjoy making it.
Posted by: casinò online | 09/28/2011 at 05:15 PM
If you haven't already read it, I just finished Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard and loved it. Hard to beat a memoir and cookbook in one!
Posted by: Jennifer | 09/29/2011 at 06:50 PM
Hi Jan!
What do you dip the timbits in? It says candy melts - what is that?
Thanks!!
Posted by: Stacey | 09/30/2011 at 10:03 AM
What fun you are going to have going through all of these and gettings lovely creative ideas. I think I'd purchase the Miette book if only for the scalloped pages:)
Posted by: Paula | 09/30/2011 at 07:36 PM
Candy melts are round coloured chocolate discs. You melt them and dip things in them. Word of caution: you can buy them at the bulk barn but dont; they dont melt well at all. I buy the Wilton brand at either Michaels or Goldas Kitchen (401 Winston Churchill).
Posted by: Jan Scott | 09/30/2011 at 10:10 PM
The Glass Castle and Half-Broke Horses, both by Jeanette Wells and both memoirs. I found both books riveting.
I just finished reading The Memory Keepers Daughter - I liked it but it was sad. I am currently reading Water for Elephants and it even though I am only on page 35 I am hooked.
Thanks for sharing your new books.
Posted by: The Orchard | 10/02/2011 at 09:34 PM
Oops - should say "are both memoirs" not "and".
Cheers!
Posted by: The Orchard | 10/02/2011 at 09:35 PM