Non-fiction book reviews part 18 - Two misses and a hit

Welcome to part 18 in a series of non-fiction book reviews, originally based on the idea that the books I request tell you everything you need to know about me. I have, after so many chapters of this series, realised that all these posts say about me is that have eclectic taste and endless curiosity. This time I am exploring whiskey cocktails, gnome poems and a book about counting sheep designed to help children sleep. All books in this post are kindly provided in e-arc form from the publishers through NetGalley.

The 20 Little Poems for 20 Little Gnomes by Raven Howell (already released) 

I've recently become a little obsessed with gnomes, so when I saw this book I had to request it. It's a beautifully illustrated book of lovely, positive little poems. I thought it was utterly charming, and ended up reading half the poems out loud to my husband. I would buy this book as a gift for a friend with a new baby, or for an early (1s, 2nd or 3rd) birthday present. Utterly charming.

Super Fluffy Sheep Counting to Sleep: Learning to count with bedtime sheep by Mara Mae (releasing 13 September 2024)

As everyone who reads my blog knows, I'm a knitter and I love sheep. I was very drawn to the cover of this books, particularly those psycho looking sheep! 

And the story was super-cute, but the illustrations are clearly produced by AI, which is not mentioned anywhere. It is written by "Mara Mae" who might be a real person, but has a very light internet presence. Anyway, AI gives me the creeps because it can only take from existing ideas, so it's not giving anything. You might have thought that it's the theft inherent in  AI, or the environmental costs that might be my biggest concern, but it's that it can only recycle never create. And I just wanted to read a cute cute children's book, and now I have to consider the end of independent thought and art, and also the destruction of the environment. I regret  requesting this book, because once I worked out what was going on I had to one star it, and also write this ranty review.

The Home Bartender: Whiskey: 100+ Essential Cocktails for the Whiskey Lover by Editors of Cider Mill Press (Releasing 12 November 2024)

This book is odd. The majority of the cocktails use 'rye whiskey' or 'bourbon'. Some use 'Scotch' some Irish whiskey (or is it whisky?). There is no discussion about the difference, although at one point there is an assumption the whisky is smoky, which much of it is not. There is a very short blurb at the beginning of each cocktail, which says helpful things like 'who doesn't like a mint Julep?'. Speaking of mint juleps, there are three identical recipes, made with different priced bourbons. Which brings me to the biggest flaw of this book. Sometimes it calls for the generic category of a drink, but often it calls for a specific brand. There is no list at the beginning, and I counted 23 different brands and models of whiskey mentioned, so in order to make these I would have to buy dozens of bottles of alcohol. With no information about what type of whiskey is best for what, this is not a great resource for making cocktails at home. In fact there is little information beyond the recipes themselves and the pictures are uninspired and uninspiring, as are many of the cocktails (JD and coke anyone?) this is not a great resource.