Book Review - Art of Elemental

About the Book

The Art of Elemental showcases the art and making of the next animated film from Pixar Animation Studios.

The Art of Elemental presents the story behind the newest film from Pixar Animation Studios. It highlights the stunning artwork from the film's creation—including character designs, storyboards, color scripts, and much more—and features exclusive interviews from the creative team along with behind-the-scenes details. The next in this fan-favorite, collectible series of Art of titles, this book is the perfect gift for aspiring artists, animators, aspiring film buffs, and fans alike.

EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES DETAILS: 

Fans will want to delve into and explore this new Pixar Animation film through production art, stories, and making-of details exclusive to this book.

PART OF THE FAN-FAVORITE SERIES: 

The collectible Art of series from Disney and Pixar are perfect for animation enthusiasts, filmmakers, students, and fans of Disney and Pixar alike. Add it to the shelf with other bestselling books like The Art of Turning Red, The Art of Encanto, and The Art of Strange World.


My Take on the Book
This is a beautiful book that really explores all aspects of the upcoming Disney Pixar movie Elemental. You do get the story behind the movie, but beyond that, you get drawn into the amazing artwork that surrounds the movie as well. I loved seeing the character designs and the amazing color throughout the book. The movie itself is strewn with so many colors that represent the elements. This book really is a collector's item, and it made me even more excited to see the movie itself. Whether you are an animation enthusiast, filmmaker, student, or just a fan of Disney and Pixar, this is a book you will want to have at home!

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Book Review - The Vegetarian Reset: 75 Low-Carb, Plant-Forward Recipes from Around the World

About the Book

The Vegetarian Reset celebrates a lifestyle where a foodie sensibility intersects with healthy eating. It solves the never-ending dilemma that all plant-based eaters face: Is life fun when you eat salad every day, or is it worth it to let your health take a backseat to enjoy a big bowl of rice or pasta without enough protein?

In her debut cookbook, Vasudha Viswanath takes readers on a little trip around the world, drawing inspiration from an array of traditional and global cuisines that are rich in whole foods like vegetables, legumes, and healthy fats. Seasonal vibrant recipes are moderately low-carb and put vegetables front and center, while also being gluten-free! Learn to bake healthy bread from scratch, make paella out of cauliflower rice, transform paneer into gnocchi, and sweeten brownies with dates! Whether you already follow a low-carb lifestyle or simply want to add more healthy dishes into your rotation, The Vegetarian Reset will delight and inspire vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike to eat well, fully nourish, and reset your body.

My Take on the Book
This was an amazing book! I just became a vegetarian about a year ago and I continue to look for great recipes that I can make that bring in variety and flavor and this book really did both. So often I have thought that I had to stick to certain foods and give up on other foods that I loved. This cookbook really allowed me to see that I could try a ton of great food and not give up on flavor or variety. The recipes were easy to follow, and had beautiful images which allowed me to get a sense of what it "should" look like, but also really helped me walk step-by-step into a whole world of food to try. The end result was delicious meals that were filling and scrumptious. If you love vegetarian meals, this is a cookbook you do not want to miss!

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Book Review - Hamilton and Me: An Actor’s Journal

About the Book
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is pleased to announce the publication of the U.S. edition of Hamilton and Me An Actor's Journal by Giles Terera. When Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical Hamilton opened in London's West End in December 2017, it was as huge a hit as it had been in its original production Off- and on Broadway. Lauded by critics and audiences alike, the show would go on to win a record-equalling seven Olivier Awards—including Best Actor in a Musical for Giles Terera, for his portrayal of Aaron Burr.

For Terera, though, his journey as Burr had begun more than a year earlier, with his first audition in New York, and continuing through extensive research and preparation, intense rehearsals, previews, and finally opening night itself. Throughout this time he kept a journal, recording his experiences of the production and his process of creating his award-winning performance. This book, Hamilton and Me, is that journal.


My Take on the Book
This was an amazing book that really brings you, not only inside a remarkable musical. but also inside the craft of being an actor. This book really gives you an unfiltered look behind the scenes to a musical that has completely captured the nation. You will really be amazed to see how much dedication, passion, and hours and hours of work go into the creation of the musical. On top of this, you can also see how hard the actors have to work to keep up the show every night. This was a great book that lets you learn so much!

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Book Review - Schnozzer & Tatertoes: Take a Hike!

About the Book

In Schnozzer & Tatertoes: Take a Hike two best friend dogs, Schnozzer (the smart one) and Tatertoes (the cheerful one), set off into the forest on a journey to visit Tatertoes’s mom. Along their adventure, they encounter bees, bears, quicksand, characters from fairy tales, something called “nose spiders,” and lots of yo-yo action.

Their adventures are told as a series of vignettes propelled by easygoing but giggle-inducing humor. That, plus Rick Stromoski’s lush, illustrative style and charming character designs, make for page-turning, chuckle-filled reading.


My Take on the Book
This was a funny book that brought together two great friends that are very silly, as you go on a fun adventure with them. The book is short, but a ton of fun! Your kids will love this one!

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Book Review - Pigeon Private Detectives: The Case of the Missing Tarts

About the Book

In Pigeon Private Detectives The Case of the Missing Tarts , the Pigeon Detectives are looking forward to devouring a delectable platter of jam tarts—until the tasty treats are stolen from right under their beaks! With tummies grumbling, the PPD are on the hunt for clues, but can the detectives recover the tarts in time before they are all eaten—or worse—stale? As the list of suspects grows longer, our heroes wonder if they’ll ever catch the thief jam-handed.

Pigeon Private Detectives: The Case of the Missing Tarts, Christee Curran-Bauer’s author-illustrator debut, pokes fun at detective procedurals with kid-friendly humor!


My Take on the Book
This was a great story with a ton of humor and filled with writing that will completely enamor the lover of puns. The book is written in the style of a cartoon with some old style detective style noir thrown into the mix. Get ready for a fun mystery!

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Book Review - Why Motivating People Doesn't Work...and What Does

About the Book
"Leaders who want to amp up employee morale should take a look.”—Publishers Weekly

In What if the answer to motivating people is to stop trying to motivate them?

The second edition of Why Motivating People Doesn't Work... and What Does reveals how motivation science is essential for solving the most vexing leadership issues—from hybrid work and retention to employee engagement.

Leaders face a motivation dilemma. Traditional command-and-control management styles and carrot-and-stick motivation techniques have been proven ineffective.

Motivation researcher and leadership consultant Susan Fowler expands on her groundbreaking Spectrum of Motivation model in this updated post-pandemic edition. New chapters tackle motivation science’s role in managing remote and hybrid work; expose overused tactics, such as gamification and tokens; and tell the fascinating backstory behind the great resignation and quiet quitting.

Fowler’s approach to leadership is fresh, pragmatic, and inspiring. But it’s also empirically sound. Her framework builds on Self-Determination Theory, equipping leaders with skills to encourage choice, deepen connection, and build competence. Leaders who mastered this method have experienced breakthroughs with higher retention, lower turnover, greater acceptance of DEIJ initiatives, and a more vital, creative, and resilient workforce.

Through her experiences working with organizations and leaders around the world, Fowler reminds us that motivation is at the heart of everything people do and everything they don’t do but wish they did. When managers integrate motivation science into their everyday leadership practice, an evolutionary truth emerges: people can be highly productive and flourish simultaneously.

My Take on the Book
This is a book that really explores what we can do to better motivate our members without actually motivating them. The book was practical and easy to understand and really gets you in the right frame of mind to really learn about things that you can put in place right away. For me, I am always struggling to find the right way to support my employees and I found this book to be very eye opening to the things that I can do to make a HUGE difference right away! Highly recommend!

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Book Review - Leading With Questions

About the Book

In Leading With Questions you get a unique and powerful strategy for leading others

In this newly revised third edition of Leading with Questions, renowned global leadership consultants Michael Marquardt and Bob Tiede describe how to ask powerful questions that generate short-term and long-term results and success. They show you how effective leaders use questions to encourage participation and teamwork, foster creative thinking, empower others, create relationships with customers, and solve problems.

The authors offer step-by-step guidance on the process of learning the art of questioning and techniques―like active listening and follow-ups – you can use in myriad situations with individuals, teams, and entire organizations. You’ll also find:

• The most recent research on how questions change people and companies for the better
• Interviews with over 40 world-leading executives and managers from a wide variety of industries and regions
• Concrete, hands-on strategies for generating short-term results and long-term change with questions

Perfect for managers, executives, and other business leaders, Leading with Questions will earn a place on the bookshelves of anyone interested in better engaging with and leading others.

My Take on the Book

This book offers amazing examples of how you can use questions to be the best leader you can be. What I loved was that the book is filled with tons of examples from many leaders that will help you think about and work on how to better solve problems, be more creative, create stronger teams, and draw your team closer together. The authors spell out the overall benefits that using questions can offer you as a leader. Even if you have never done this before the authors really do spell out a plan for how you can start right away. The authors also bring forth some of the most powerful questions that you can ask. I know that for me, this book really made me think deeper about the questions that I do, or do not ask. For me, this was a great book that will definitely help you to become a stronger leader that will help lead your team in a much better way!

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