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Desirable for Cavallari fans and those looking for healthy or gluten-free options. Purchase where there is interest.
PREMIUM
How To Build a Treehouse
This book is full of practical advice, such as notifying the neighbors before construction begins and the need to research local building codes. However, it is not for true beginners, as it requires a basic understanding of woodworking, tools, and construction terms. There’s also only one specific architectural plan. If readers want to make a different type of treehouse, they may need to consult a professional or another resource.
Whether readers are looking for the perfect dish to woo or a way to comfort through food, McAlpine provides the tools and recipes to say it with love from a kitchen.
PREMIUM
BAO
Armchair travelers and fans of the brand will enjoy this title cover to cover, and serious home chefs will delight in the multifaceted, complex yet rewarding recipes. Instructions are in metric measurements, which will detract for some readers but not devotees.
Flynn may be Canada’s best-kept secret, with her laidback attitude, entertaining chops, and deceptively simple dishes. She will be a popular fresh new voice for cookbook shelves.
Part memoir, part cookbook, this is a work that readers will devour cover to cover in between trying Boudy’s recipes in the kitchen. Boudy fans will come for the memoir and stay for the food, while other library patrons will come for the recipes and be delighted by Boudy’s journey.
Unique and practical, Adler’s title encourages home cooks to achieve what seems impossible: clean out the fridge, not into the garbage but into an appealing meal.
The technical aspects of kintsugi are best directed to artists interested in learning the Japanese techniques. For the layperson, there are other methods of repairing ceramics that mimic the look of kintsugi without the expense and difficulty.
A beneficial purchase, of particular use for self-published and small-press authors, with information that will be helpful for anyone seeking to boost the visibility of their work.
PREMIUM
Ikebana: The Zen Way of Flowers
This visually striking art book will appeal to all who appreciate the beauty of ikebana and might inspire readers to try their hand at creating their own hanaike using Ueno’s techniques.
The clear instructions, attractive photos, and graphics make this an essential starting place for sewing and a foundation to continue to build on.
This book is as much fun to read as it is instructive. Recommended for public libraries that serve beginner and experienced doodlers and illustrators, along with general readers interested in this adorable art form.
A very useful book for individuals looking to learn about calligraphy. Recommended for public libraries.
An essential book for public libraries. It will appeal to beginner watercolor artists and those wanting to try Win’s loose, go-with-the-flow style of watercolor painting.
PREMIUM
Yarn Spinning with a Modern Twist: How To Create Your Own Gorgeous Yarns Using a Drop Spindle
This book may be intimidating for readers who have no experience with or easy access to raw wool. It is geared much more to those who are already spinning wool and seeking more specialized advice.
This is a short, detailed, easy-to-read book filled with great photographs as examples. Perfect for readers looking to take their iPhone photography up a few notches.
This is a thorough entry into the world of paper crafting, with beautiful photos to accompany each project and enough pieces for readers of every skill level to enjoy.
This is a short but comprehensive and enjoyable companion piece for cross-stitch fans looking to add a little humor to their next project.
Strambio’s appreciation for the art of macramé and her encouragement for readers to give knotting a try and let mistakes be part of the unique quality of a hand-crafted piece make this book a celebration of creativity from start to finish.
As recycling and sustainability keep growing in importance, this is a creative way to avoid ditching clothing that readers aren’t ready to give up.
This well-structured primer will appeal to artists looking for a new medium, as well as beginning to intermediate–level pyrographers interested in adding new skills and techniques.
While the crocheted instructions are adequate, and there are useful sections on blocking and finishing, the book contains several technical errors and omissions with the embroidered topstitching instructions. Only recommended for libraries where there is demand for the author’s books.
PREMIUM
Satisfying Stitches: Learn Simple Embroidery Techniques and Embrace the Joys of Stitching by Hand
Highly recommended, especially for libraries looking to expand their beginner-embroidery offerings.
A truly fun reference book for readers to use to make gifts for Friends lovers in their life or themselves.
Although the designs are beautiful and the patterns well written, one drawback is that the book is written in UK crochet terms that may be confusing for those who are used to American crochet ones, but there is a conversion chart. On the plus side, the blanket border instructions are written without a stitch count to allow for differing tensions. An illustrated techniques section is also included.
Any age will be able to enjoy creating a variety of pieces to complete Maddie’s or another doll’s wardrobe.
This book functions as both an art book and a how-to for crafting, which makes it an excellent inclusion in public libraries.
PREMIUM
Japanese Motifs in Stumpwork & Goldwork: Embroidered designs inspired by Japanese family crests
Nicholas’s pieces are beautiful, but they’re best for embroiderers with experience in surface embroidery, stumpwork, and goldwork. For a thorough grounding in the basics of these techniques, beginners should start with the Royal School of Needlework’s guides.
An interesting study of art inspired by and integrating nature. Not an essential purchase for an art section but will likely be of interest to many artists and makers.
Overall, a fair introduction to colorwork for the experienced crocheter up for a challenge. Given the intended audience (UK and experienced crocheters), this book is best for larger libraries’ crochet collections.
There is plenty to like about this book. Its only drawback is that it is written exclusively for right-handers. Experienced left-handed crafters must do their own conversions, and left-handed beginners are advised to look elsewhere. An optional purchase for libraries with craft sections.
An information-packed delight. This is a book to give as a housewarming gift, treasure in one’s kitchen where it will quickly become flour and lox stained, and to make sure is in every library collection.
Committed environmentalists interested in upping their game and being better citizens of planet Earth will find this guide useful. Highly recommended for all libraries.
This book moves beyond the home to include everyday activities and lifestyle. It’s likely to be in high demand due to Kondo’s popularity.
The Flays have slayed it with a casual family cookbook that covers the basics for beginners, but it is full of surprises for veteran home chefs.
PREMIUM
Drawing for Illustration
A robust bibliography and index are included. The result is an appropriate update for art collections, particularly for universities and large public libraries with teens and adults interested in this craft.
Recommended for readers interested in homesteading, organic living, and sustainable and eco-friendly poultry farming.
Full of charming gouache illustrations and a wonderful friendly tone to the text. Public-library patrons will like this one.
PREMIUM
The Beginner’s Guide to Hand Building: Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter
Geared toward the absolute novice, this book will appeal to those interested in working with clay but are not looking for glazing or firing instructions.
A thorough guide to the art of sashiko that will inspire hand-embroidery enthusiasts, as well as hand- and machine-quilters looking for geometric designs.
An asset for all library collections that include art tutorials for beginners testing the waters of a new hobby.
A great introduction to amigurumi crochet and crafting three-dimensional creatures. Recommended for most public libraries.
A wonderfully written and beautifully produced book. In keeping with Ghetto Gastro’s multidisciplinary approach, this volume will offer readers an engaging excursion into food history and culture, with a myriad of appealing recipes. Best for those interested in culinary and cultural histories.
Highly recommended for parents and teachers who are looking for low-cost, easy, fun creative projects for preschoolers to preteens.
Casey’s thorough and well-designed guide provides an extensive overview of color theory and the ways color can be used in art. Although there’s some beginner-friendly content, it’s best suited to artists with some experience with oil paints.
For those interested in living off their land and starting a homesteading lifestyle, this book does a great job providing practical tips, recipes, and inspiration to get started on a sustainable path.
The patterns and instructions are lovely. The gimmicky, surface-level nods to Japanese culture are not.
Buy where there is reader demand for intermediate-level knitting projects, with the caveat that this is for experienced right-handed U.S. knitters; left-handed and non-U.S. knitters will need to know how to do their own conversions and where to look for stitch abbreviations.
This guide is for those who love to bullet journal or craft. It’s also recommended for those needing to pick up a new meditative hobby.
Fans of the elegance and distinctive design styles featured in Michael Henry Adams’s Style and Grace: African Americans at Home will likely love this book as well. This is also a great book for those interested in increasing their cultural awareness and learning more about United States history, racial inequality, and interior design.
Anyone well versed in British terms and ingredients and equipped with traybake tins will find this another appealing offering from Makan.
This beautiful book is chock-full of information about many uncommon plants and seems geared to the collector or at least the intermediate houseplant grower because of the rarity, strict growing conditions, or expense of many of her choices. Tovah Martin’s The Unexpected Houseplant is another solid choice for those who want to grow unusual houseplants; beginners could start with Barbara Pleasant’s The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual or Darryl Cheng’s The New Plant Parent.
This is a jam-packed volume filled with clear instructions and ample color photographs to help crafters master shibori tie-dyeing and incorporate it into their projects. Best suited for those who enjoy crafting, sewing, or designing clothes.
The authors make sewing both inspirational and inviting for beginning sewists, in a book that reflects the modern ethos of environmental sustainability and the ethos of thrift from earlier eras. An optional purchase for libraries with a strong crafts section.
Purchase only where other titles by Chanin have been popular. For patrons who want to sew their own Chanin originals, purchase the author’s 2008 Alabama Stitch Book instead.
A beautifully illustrated and detailed look at the history of chair design in America. Owing to the unique topic, it will best serve academics, students, and aficionados of style and design.
Call it rereading by eating: this book will please Studio Ghibli buffs. It might not circulate from the stacks, but put it alongside the films or on a page-to-screen display, and fans will delight in finding it.
A well-written book that will continue to expand embroidery collections and encourage creativity along the way.
These short, casual interviews about serendipitous food discoveries mix fact and lore to provide an entertaining collection that food connoisseurs will enjoy. With no sources included beyond the experts being interviewed, this reads more like an oral history, lovingly preserved in book form.
A must-have for any library’s crochet collection. Those experienced with crochet techniques and those new to the craft will likely find much to love. Appealing and artful photographs of the designs will have crafters itching to pick up their hooks.
Crocheters of all levels will likely find this to be a useful reference guide. Recommended for most public libraries.
Beginners can use this book to learn and practice new stitches, while advanced stitchers may find inspiration for their own pattern designs. Recommended for most public libraries.
Ghayour delivers the flavor she is known for, in a simple weeknight-friendly package that will please fans and families.
Green-Hite’s book is full of simple yet extraordinary patterns that would be a fun addition to any library collection.
McClain’s title is an easily digestible, interior design book that would be an asset to any library shelf.
The very niche nature of the work narrows the checkouts it may receive, but purchase where coffee-table decor books are popular.
PREMIUM
Extraordinary Interiors
A delightful peek at the extraordinary interiors of the extraordinarily wealthy.
With a solid variety of nostalgic Mexican staples, Pons offers an accessible introduction to traditional Mexican dishes that are sure to please. Most of the recipes are less than a page in length with easy-to-follow instructions and generally easy-to-find ingredients. A great choice for cookbook collections.
All libraries should have a range of Iberian cookbooks on the shelf, and Warren’s will be useful for multiple reasons, be it planning a fiesta or themed party featuring food from this part of Spain, or learning more about the region’s foodways.
The subject matter may be interesting to those looking to experiment with a new medium or discover a new way to view the world around them.
Winter ensures shadow weave will keep evolving utilizing the powerful combination of text and subtext, of external and internal layering, that is integral to weaving.
The short chapters, full-color photographs, and bulleted lists make this a valuable resource for new and veteran dog owners.
PREMIUM
Japanese Interiors
Readers who enjoyed the works of Marie Kondo or jumped on Netflix’s Home Edit craze will be enticed, but this book may be too niche for some public library collections.
PREMIUM
House Beautiful: Live Colorfully
An oversized book featuring expansive photography, this may find more of an audience with collectors than with libraries.
This is an excellent book for newer knitters, but it’s also for those who are more familiar with designing and modifying existing patterns who would like to add a versatile stitch dictionary to their collection.
While these projects are unique to each location, thus making duplication of ideas not realistic for readers, it does provide good insight into creating within a natural environment and ideas for the advanced home landscaper.
This book is well worth the investment and can lead to hours of enjoyable creativity, group art events, and beautiful collages.
While not for absolute beginners, most gardeners, whether or not they are no-dig adherents, will glean useful information from this guide. Buy where vegetable gardening books are in demand.
This collection of fun and flavorful recipes will be a hit with patrons. Established fans of Mayes will clamor for the new recipes, while those just discovering her cooking will appreciate her modern yet practical twists on classics.
This beautifully illustrated guide serves as a thorough introduction to ikebana. Crafters who enjoy working with natural materials will likely be inspired by Zaima’s artistry.
PREMIUM
Close Knit: 15 Patterns and 45 Techniques from Beginner to Advanced from Europe’s Coolest Knitter
Recommended for larger collections as an alternative to traditional knitting books.
Don’t expect the intricacy and history of Elsebeth Lavold, but it will be the rare sweater lover who doesn’t find something on these pages that they’ll yearn to make.
A great guide to cartooning that would be an excellent addition to a collection and also useful for creative library programs.
A great botanical reference that’s also entertaining enough for general audiences to dip into or read cover to cover. Appropriate for academic and large public libraries.
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