THE VINTAGE FARMHOUSE GARDEN: Your Guide to Creating a Vintage-Inspired Outdoor Space, lovely AND practical!

THE VINTAGE FARMHOUSE GARDEN: Your Guide to Creating a Vintage-Inspired Outdoor Space
RHONDA KAISER
Cool Springs Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$30.00 all editions, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: The Vintage Farmhouse Gardenis the first garden design book to focus on the vintage-inspired farmhouse aesthetic and how to bring it to your outdoor space—no farm required. With the insight and inspiration found in The Vintage Farmhouse Garden, you’ll create a gorgeous, vintage-inspired outdoor space, overflowing with style and charm.

Garden and design influencer Rhonda Kaiser (@southernhomeandfarm) partners vintage-inspired design with the farmhouse aesthetic to make your outdoor space as beautiful and welcoming as possible. Whether it’s by creating a stunning tablescape, arranging a welcoming front porch, designing a peaceful outdoor garden oasis, or displaying a collection of seasonal plants and vintage accessories, Rhonda helps you bring all the classic comforts of a farm home into your garden, no matter where you live.

Inside, you’ll find inspiration on how to:

Turn your farmhouse garden vision into reality

Select and plant vibrant fruits, flowers, and shrubs for your farmhouse garden

Include vintage finds in your garden design

Shape a welcoming space, from your front porch to your back gate

Incorporate and decorate outbuildings like greenhouses and toolsheds to make them as beautiful as they are useful

Add pollinator-friendly plants to your garden

Celebrate the seasons by inviting and entertaining others in your space

Plus, favorite recipes using fresh flavors from the garden

Discover the joys of curating a collection of vintage accessories and showcasing it as part of a well-designed farmhouse garden, overflowing with a colorful collection of edible and ornamental plants. Welcome to The Vintage Farmhouse Garden.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: At last! I'm reviewing an aspirational book, like y'all love to ogle and drool over.

Well...yes, but in a curious way, no. This is not just a book of how to make a pretty garden in a certain old-fashioned model. It's a way to create a beautiful outdoor space to use and enjoy; it's also about getting that space to serve a very practical purpose, attracting pollinators and producing good things in the process.

There are many wonderful things about using plants to help increase the pollinators' food supply. You enjoy the flowers; they enjoy the buffet the flowers represent. A beautiful space to enjoy and live in that's also a haven for life, instead of a deadening array of hybridized-to-uselessness botanical tchotchkes, is a very good thing to create.

start with ideas

move to plans and procedures

The book is a beauty. It's got everything I'd say is important to have in this kind of book: aspiration, inspiration, and how to use your perspiration to make it come true. The price is, for this category of gift books, reasonable; tablet viewing worked very well. A tree book is always the most fun to have for us oldsters, but as a gift I don't know many who would kvetch at either form.

Wonderful self-gift, too!

TAYLOR SWIFT: Album by Album, a Swiftie's dream book

TAYLOR SWIFT: Album by Album
Kase Wickman & Joanna Weiss & Moira McAvoy
Motorbooks International (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$30.00 all editions, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Taylor Swift: Album by Album follows the megastar from her roots as a country artist to her transition into pop and finally into the cultural phenomenon touring today, covering both her music and her extraordinary life. If you’re a passionate Swiftie who wants to know EVERYTHING about your favorite icon—especially her music—this luxuriously illustrated deep dive should take center stage.

Featuring fresh insights from all eleven studio albums—from Taylor Swift to The Tortured Poets Department—Taylor Swift: Album by Album mines her life, lyrics, and music like nothing else before it. This book also features several chapters on all the Taylor’s Version albums released to date, with panel discussions from noted Swift scholars accompanied by vibrant photography that captures Swift in each and every era, from an aspiring country musician to the dominant global force she is today.

Swift’s artistry, awards, and accolades are hard to encompass, from the youngest artist with a No. 1 song on the Hot Country chart to the first recipient of Billboard’s Woman of the Decade award. Swifties will find that and more inside, including:

Fresh insight into her lyrics, life, and loves from her earliest days as a recording artist

Tons of sidebars that explore her influences, lyrical references, musical knowledge, and more

Details on album personnel, special guests, awards, and tours

A special section on the Taylor’s Version albums that explains how they came about and why they matter to Taylor and scores of Swifties everywhere

Taylor Swift: Album by Album is more than just pretty pictures; it’s a door into how and why this talented musician continues to inspire fans around the world. Young or old, OG or new Swiftie, this book has it all.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Honestly, I wonder why I'm bothering to help awareness of anything to do with Taylor Swift...her fandom knows about this book, and likely has bought a copy the second Quarto announced it.

I'm aware of two Swiftie wannabes here in my building full of old people. You know someone on the Swiftie spectrum, unless you only interact with religious groups that prohibit contact with popular culture. (In which case, how are you online? you naughty thing!)

So,well, enjoy some Swiftieness on me:

If you're wondering what the fuss is about, this is not the book to pick up. This cultural phenomenon is not dissected but celebrated in these images and snippets of anecdotal, or analytical opinion, extant conversations.

If you're not a Swiftie I can't see this exciting you. If you love a Swiftie, be sure they don't already have one before purchasing. If they don't, odds are excellent they will love this demonstration of your awareness of their devotion.

The fashion *is* fun to gawk at....

WILLIE NELSON: All the Albums, astounding record of US pop culture, 1962 until today

WILLIE NELSON: All the Albums
GEOFFREY HIMES
Motorbooks International (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$40.00 all editions, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Willie Nelson: All the Albums is a sprawling career retrospective of an American treasure, viewed through his 100-plus solo and collaborative albums. Journey through Willie Nelson’s rebellious, prolific, and enduring career with this richly illustrated tour of the beloved singer-songwriter’s 100-plus albums.

Few musicians or celebrities are as widely adored as Willie Nelson. The legendary Texas singer-songwriter is still recording and performing music well into his nineties. In this photo-filled coffee-table gift book, noted country/roots/Americana music writer Geoffrey Himes traces Nelson’s entire career through the lens of his albums, examining:

Nelson’s influences and early career as a songwriter

The circumstances of each album’s writing and recording

Studio musicians and personnel

How each album fit into Nelson’s career arc and the evolution of his craft

In addition, Himes offers a sidebar for each album that includes:

An image of the album sleeve

Recording and release dates

Single releases

Chart positions for singles and albums

Along the way, read about Nelson’s film roles, notable collaborators, famous Fourth of July picnics, iconic Martin guitar “Trigger,” and involvement in causes like Farm Aid, biodiesel fuels, and marijuana legalization.

The text, together with more than 250 images of Nelson on- and offstage, make for a unique and visually entertaining celebration of an American treasure who has transcended America’s increasing polarization to become a national treasure.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Well, you know who 92-year-old Willie Nelson is, or you're not from the US. Everything in this book is meant to tie in to one of his astounding discography.

Think about this man's life a minute. Born in the worldwide Great Depression of 1929-1939, a midlist country studio musician until moving home to Texas and returning to mostly performing instead of mostly recording, falling into fame by being his loudmouth, abrasive-to-authority self in the next fifteen years...struck down by the IRS mid-fame, but even that turned into huge success. All during his carrer he's penned the hits time and time again.

on the road again

early days

himself today

All that life...all that living. And we have spent our lives during his. Sometimes knowing and hearing about him, other times not so much (unless you've lived in Austin any time after 1972). There are not that many people, let alone entertainers, who can say as much. Dick van Dyke springs to mind, one hundred this year. But...well...anyone else?

There are lots and lots of photos, facts, and details in this book. They're designed to delight the fan, not make converts. The music needs to do that lift. We can revel in them, should we be fans; or we can gift the book with so many of them to one who will. I doubt many of us have to hunt far to find a Willie Nelson fan.

It's prime time for gifting goodies...this one will be a hit, tree book or ebook.

THE PRESERVER'S GARDEN: How to Grow a Garden for Fermenting, Canning, Pickling, Dehydrating, Freeze Drying, and more

THE PRESERVER'S GARDEN: How to Grow a Garden for Fermenting, Canning, Pickling, Dehydrating, Freeze Drying, and more
STACI HILL & JEREMY HILL
Cool Springs Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$30.00 any edition, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: The Preserver’s Garden is an essential guide to planning and planting a garden specifically for the preservation and long-term storage of the harvest. Discover how to plan, plant, and grow a garden with food preservation and long-term storage in mind—plus, meet seven different preservation techniques.

Growing a garden with the intent to preserve the harvest and improve your self-sufficiency is an entirely different world than growing food for fresh consumption. When growing for preservation, your efforts need to be focused on the promotion of uniform ripening, high yields, and flavor that remains stable through the preservation process. Since the end goal is to have plenty of food to eat for months to come, how do you know how much to plant, which varieties are best, and which preservation method is ideal for each different vegetable and fruit? In The Preserver’s Garden, you’ll learn all that and so much more from a modern farming family with a pantry lined with jar after jar of preserved homegrown treasures, a fully stocked freezer, and endless bags of dehydrated and freeze-dried goodies!

In addition to taking a deep dive into seven different methods of food preservation—including freezing, drying/dehydration, pressure canning, water bath canning, salting, freeze drying, and fermenting—authors Staci and Jeremy Hill of @goosberrybridgefarm teach you how to:

Plan your garden around the veggies your family eats the most.

Figure out how much to grow to meet your preservation goals.

Decide which preservation methods are best for your harvest and your home.

Safely prepare your harvest for processing and preservation.

Achieve success in growing a lot of food organically, with less time and less work.

Also included are 22 in-depth produce profiles—from tomatoes and squash to onions and berries—where you’ll learn specifics about everything from growing requirements and harvesting tips to the best preservation methods and plant care techniques to increase the harvest. It’s time to plan for your family’s future with help from The Preserver’s Garden.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I long for a garden when I read books like this...they're much more aspirational than flower gardens, herbaceous borders, topiary and fountains...fine if you're a king or queen but I'm just your basic queer.

contents page explaining the way we're going

This clear, concise...no wasted words...handsomely designed book is packed with basic concepts, ideas for fillips, and overall inspiration for you to think realistically about your garden plans. It can't be a bad thing to devote some space to planting and nurturing tings that can nourish you in their turn.

Samples of the look follow:

There are chapters on key concepts:

...and key crops everyone always wants to grow:

everyone loves home-grown tomatoes

...and ways to use them:

It was not a bad experience reading the book on a tablet, but what a beautiful thing to see glossy and present on a page!

No matter the format you choose, this is a useful way to spend gifting money on your gardening buddy, on your first-time homebuyer, or yourself.

DESERT DREAMS: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella

DESERT DREAMS: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella
KATIE BAIN
Epic Ink (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$24.99 all editions, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: A celebration of one of the most successful music festivals in the world, Desert Dreams captures the groundbreaking performances, viral fashion moments, and impact of the Coachella phenomenon on music and culture. Immerse yourself in the music, the fashion, and the hype of one of the biggest music festivals in the world.

Coachella is considered one of the most profitable and widely attended music festivals, with an annual attendance of 250,000 people. Not only is it located in the middle of the desert, but to be there is to witness some of the best performances artists will ever put on. For them, playing at Coachella is a huge checkmark on the bucket list of their career. No matter how small their name appears on the billboards listing the year's lineups, the festival is known to be the starting point of artists on the way to superstardom. Chances are, if you saw them at Coachella, you'll be seeing them rise for the rest of the year and be able to say you knew them before they were big.

Discover the magic of one of the biggest festivals in the world, from the windy roads and mountain views on the way there, the hotspots on the polo field, and the art installations that create an epic landscape and dozens of photo ops that you see online. Desert Dreams will walk you through the biggest names that have performed on the mainstage, including those that started in a smaller tent. At Coachella, anything can and will happen. Relive the headlines that nobody could stop talking about for weeks after, such as who was there—from celebrities to special guest appearances onstage—what they were wearing—both the performers and audience members—and what to expect if you’re planning to experience it all yourself in an upcoming year. With 150+ iconic photographs and insights from music industry veterans, Coachella expert, Katie Bain brings you a comprehensive guide to this groundbreaking festival phenomenon.

This visually stunning book makes you feel as if you never missed a year in the desert, covering:

The origins of the festival from the Los Angeles music scene in the ’60s through the ’90s

The talent and most talked about performances including Guns N’ Roses, Beychella, and No Doubt

The epic fashion trends and viral looks that span from DIY to designer

The scintillating media stories such as the hard launch of Kristin Stewart and Robert Pattinson and when Shania Twain dazzled with Harry Styles

What happened when a Tupac Shakur hologram entered center stage

All the reunions, legacy acts, and makings of history each year

The cultural and musical impact of Coachella on US festivals and the American Music History

And so much more!

Learn about the extravagance (and not-so-extravagant moments) alongside a real account of what it takes to arrive on the site, all the key locations, and the most hyped about parties. By page one, you’ll feel like you’re on your way to the biggest event of your life—and for some, you’ll get the chance to relive it. A must-have volume for music lovers, pop culture enthusiasts, and fashionistas, Desert Dreams is the ultimate celebration of the iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Make sure you have your water ready because we’re taking you to the desert.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Privileged people being absurdly extravagant in luxurious ways is really nothing new is it? Marie Antoinette had her fantasy modest village where she pretended to be a milkmaid. Rich celebs spend outrageous money to DIY (I'll bet not) costumes, art installations, musical performances (those're real, kinda hafta be, but talk about publicity!) in the Cali desert.

Well, chacun à son goût. I myownself would spend that mountain of spondulix on books for kids, queer teens, and food pantries, but I'm notoriously no damn fun. Still, I'll bet you have at least one pop-culture vulture who would know every one of these pretty people, and find their doin's throughout the years right interesting.

It's a dream book for many. I'm fascinated by the astonishing excess.

All that...stuff...is single use. I don't know what other use it could be put to. Irrelevant...it's mostly too costly to ever reassemble the stuff even if there was a place to put it permanently; where ya gonna wear this...rig...after the show?

So maybe don't give it to me...but there are squads of fans of the music acts who'd enjoy this look at a venue they'll never see:

As a design-heavy book, though a very, very reasonably priced one, the first question I ask is, can I get the experience on my tablet? In this case, I'm not really sure...I wasn't troubled by seeming glitches when viewing it on my Galaxy S11 but well...I wouldn't be.

Up to you, but I'd give the tree book to my pop-culture obsessed nibling or the fashion lover or the fan of The Weeknd or...well, anyone not me.

Ye gawds.