Non-fiction book review - Why is Ramyeon Soup So Delicious?

 

Why is Ramyeon Soup So Delicious? by Lee Duckhwan and Seok Wonkyung

Like most people I took a chemistry class. But it never meant much to me. While I could understand in broad strokes that chemistry helps us understand the world, it didn't seem particularly applicable. Maybe I'd have felt differently if I'd had books like this one. Duckhwan and Wonkyung break down the science behind everyday things. We learn the chemistry of receptors and hormones, of how different chemicals interact with our bodies. The text is easily understood and can be read in big chunks or in small doses.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

Escape Room by Maren Stoffels - Four teens keeping secrets attempt to survive a killer escape room.

What did you recently finish reading?

Bittersweet in the Hollow by  Kate Pearsal- When a girl turns up dead in the forest, Linden gets caught up in finding out what happened to her and how her death connects to town legend, a years old missing persons case, and her own family's magical abilities. 

What do you think you'll read next?

Gaslit by Megan Davidhizar

Non-fiction book review - Science Comics

 

Computers: How Digital Hardware Works by Perry E. Metzger, Penelope Spector, and Jerel Dye

When it comes to understanding the science behind basically everything, it's hard to go wrong with the Science Comics series. While each volume takes a different approach information is always central. I'm especially fond of this one. For one thing, it doesn't try too hard to create a narrative. The science of computers is intimidating and trying to force it into a story would be too much. Instead we have a dynamic narrator who is simply focused on teaching us the science. Each concept is carefully relayed with plenty of real life examples to reinforce concepts. While the information remains dense it's more digestible in this format.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Knitted bag

 I've been trying to use up some of my yarn stash so I collected three balls of cotton yarn to make this knot bag. I used dice to determine a random stripe pattern. The overall effect is almost tropical. It reminds me a little of rainbow sherbet.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 1

 The last stand at the Christmas Market is the Manger Scene. It's my reminder to myself to keep my focus not on the material but the eternal at Christmas. 

 Christmas Blessings to you and yours and I'll see you next week.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 2

 For our last regular stall in the Christmas Market I made a bakery stand. Christmas Day is better with fresh baked breads, cakes, pies, and pastries. I also made a little Christmas pudding out of air-dry clay.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 3

 Today's addition to the Christmas Market is one of my personal favorites: the puppet show. I make no secret of my fondness for puppets and would probably hang out at this booth if it were in a real market. To go along with the booth I, of course, made a sock puppet. This one is a toad wearing a Christmas sweater.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 4

 For our special Sunday addition to the Christmas market this week we're adding storytime. One of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve when I was a kid was sitting down in my pjs and listening to my parents read Christmas stories. So I made this little booth and added a cardboard easy chair for the reader to sit in.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 5

 I don't know about where you live, but it's been pretty cold and snowy around here, so our Christmas Market needs a hot cocoa stand. You need a hot drink if you're going to walk around outdoors shopping. Rather than make something new to decorate this stand, I added the little marshmallow family I made for a previous countdown.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 6

 Today we're adding poinsettias to the Christmas Market. While that seems very specific to fill an entire stand, they have enough appeal that I feel like it works. To decorate this stand I made some simple flowers from red tissue paper that I inserted into holes in the cardboard. 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 7

 Just one week left until Christmas! This feels like a good time to add the gift wrapping station to the Christmas Market. And I found this little miniature tape dispenser that fits neatly inside the tube.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 8

 Today we're adding a butcher stand to the Christmas Market. While it's not something I've personally encountered, it feels like the sort of thing that you might see in a cozy marketplace. And as luck would have it, I recently got this little chicken (maybe a turkey?) in a fidget collection. It fits right in.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 9

 Today we're adding what one might argue is one of the more important stands at the Christmas Market: the toy shop. On the stand I've drawn some standards like dolls and blocks and boats. To go with it I made a peg doll. For my character I chose Aaron from The Little Drummer Boy, my favorite special from childhood.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 10

 Today we're adding another tasty stand to our Christmas Market: Christmas cookies. I've added some cinnamon and spice scent to this one. And aside from the stand, I also made decorated cookies this weekend. Last year I made Christmas chickens. This year I made rabbits. By adding coconut I feel like they sort of resemble angoras.

The one on the left is also sprinkled with cocoa powder, the one on the right with cinnamon sugar 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 11

 Since today is Sunday I've added a gold stand to the market. This one is for donations. And it didn't seem in the spirit of the thing to make something silly or throw-away to go along with it. Instead, I'm using this tube to collect some cash for donating to one of my favorite charities.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 12

Today in our Christmas Market we're adding a birdhouse stand. While perhaps a little narrow in it's focus, Christmas feels like a time of year when people are especially interested in feeding and watching birds. And a nice handmade birdhouse makes an excellent gift. To decorate our stand I found some little bird stickers that added some nice contrast.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 13

 Today's addition to our Christmas Market is an extra appealing one: the candy stand. When I'm wandering little shops I love to look at everything on offer at a candy shop, especially at Christmas time. To go with our stand I've repurposed a Oui yogurt jar as a candy jar. I think I'll be making some of these for stockings this year.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 14

 For the Christmas Market stand today I'm adding wreaths. I love fresh greenery in December. We don't usually put up wreaths and I haven't had a chance yet to go out and cut the swags for our front door, but I did make a little felt penguin carrying a wreath as a stand-in.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 15

Today's addition to the Christmas Market is a candle stand. Whether for gifts or seasonal decor, candles seem to be a common element in holiday shopping. To go along with the stand I found this cute cartoon picture of a candle that I colored and hung in my room. 

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 16

 When I was a kid a major part of the Christmas season was my church's Sunday School program where each class would sing a song or do a little skit or something. At the end of the program everyone got a candy cane and each kid was given a paper lunch sack with some fruit (usually an apple or two and an orange) and a handful of peanuts in the shell. I looked forward to that treat for weeks, so for me fruit is an important aspect of holiday celebration. With that in mind, today I'm adding a fruit stand to the Christmas Market. For an extra, I made some fruit themed bookmarks that I will probably put into books that I gift.