Thursday, December 04, 2014

::christmas:booklist::

It's the perfect time for the book list! Because who knows...you might find something worth reading or worth getting for someone as a gift this Christmas!
We all know how much extra time I am going to have...well, sorta...after the holiday season...I hope not...but...anyways! So I will be reviewing a lot more books for you all. Especially cookbooks. It's hard to find good cookbook reviews out there in the online world...so might as well start one for you guys, no? 
They are also coming out with a lot of "Books of the Year" lists on Amazon and Indigo...there are quite a few on there that appear intriguing to me...but this list is what my eyes and mind are coveting at the moment. ;) 

Let's start with the cookbooks! 


The Tucci Table: Cooking with Family & Friends by Stanley Tucci - $22.57 CAD
Gotta start off by saying that I think Stanley Tucci is a great actor - love a lot of the movies he is in...especially Hunger Games! I honestly can't wait until I go and see Mockingjay Part 1. :)
ANYWAYS! I saw him on Dr. Oz the other week and had no idea that he had his own cookbook! I have looked through it and it's chockfull of the most mouthwaterly delicious recipes. I can't even...

Featuring family-friendly recipes and stunning photography, an all-new cookbook from New York Times bestselling author, beloved actor, and respected foodie Stanley Tucci.

Stanley Tucci’s association with wonderful foods began for fans with the movie Big Night and resonated in his role as Julia Child’s husband in Julie & Julia. But well before these films, he was enjoying innovative homemade Italian meals throughout his childhood, when family and food were nearly inseparable and cooking was always a familial venture.

Now, in a completely new, family-focused cookbook, Tucci captivates food lovers’ imaginations with recipes from his traditional Italian roots as well as those of his British wife, Felicity Blunt, tied together with a modern American ribbon. The time-tested recipes include pasta alla bottarga, mushroom-stuffed trout, pork chops with onions and mustard sauce, barbeque chicken wings, and much, much more! Nothing will make you happier to spend time with family than the aroma of a hearty Italian dish sizzling on the stovetop.

Featuring 100 luscious new full-color photographs, The Tucci Table captures the true joys of family cooking. Buon apetito!


Make It Ahead by Ina Garten - $20.50
I have been watching Ina for a looong time on the Food Network. Her recipes are easy, simple yet rich and just overall gourmet. I wasn't at first too sure of her cookbook. But after looking through it anyone would be crazy to not have this as one of their staples in their cookbook collection. There are a TUN of recipes in there that I seriously need to try asap! 

For the first time, trusted and beloved cookbook author Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, answers the number one question she receives from cooks: Can I make it ahead?
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in front of the stove at your own party, scrambling to get everything to the table at just the right moment, Ina is here to let you in on her secrets! Thanks to twenty years of running a specialty food store and fifteen years writing cookbooks, she has learned exactly which dishes you can prep, assemble, or cook ahead of time. Whether you’re hosting a party or simply making dinner on a hectic weeknight, Ina gives you lots of amazing recipes that taste just as good—or even better!—when they’re made in advance.
   In Make It Ahead, each recipe includes clear instructions for what you can do ahead of time, and how far in advance, so you can cook with confidence and eliminate last-minute surprises. Make a pitcher of Summer Rosé Sangria filled with red berries, let it chill overnight for the flavors to develop, and you have a delicious drink to offer your friends the minute they arrive. Simmer a pot of Wild Mushroom & Farro Soup, enjoy a bowl for lunch, and freeze the rest for a chilly evening. You can prep the kale, Brussels sprouts, and lemon vinaigrette for Winter Slaw ahead of time and simply toss them together before serving. Assemble French Chicken Pot Pies filled with artichokes and fresh tarragon a day in advance and then pop them in the oven half an hour before dinner. And for dessert, everyone needs the recipe for Ina’s Decadent (gluten-free!) Chocolate Cake topped with Make-Ahead Whipped Cream. Ina also includes recipes for the biggest cooking day of the year—Thanksgiving! Her Ultimate Make-Ahead Roast Turkey and Gravy with Onions & Sage may just change your life.
   With beautiful photographs and hundreds of invaluable make-ahead tips, this is your new go-to guide for preparing meals that are stress-free yet filled with those fabulously satisfying flavors that you have come to expect from the Barefoot Contessa.


Make Your Own Rules Diet by Tara Stiles - $14.84
Tara Stiles is the go to girl for yoga in the celebrity world - I was surprised to see that she came out with a book herself and that she has a forward by Mark Hyman! This book is all about health and wellness and how to incorporate yoga, meditation and healthy eating into your everyday life. I think this book would be perfect for anyone that is trying to change their lifestyle around for the New Year {although why not try now?}. ;)

In Make Your Own Rules Diet, Tara Stiles introduces readers to easy and fun ways to bring yoga, meditation, and healthy food into their lives. As the designer and face of Reebok's first yoga lifestyle line, author of Yoga Cures and Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga, and the founder of Strala-the movement-based system that ignites freedom, known for its laid-back and unpretentious vibe-Tara has long been a proponent of creating a tension-free healthy life by tapping into the unique needs of her clients. In this new book, she teaches readers how to apply this inward-looking philosophy to themselves.  When people understand what they need for true well-being, they can make their own rules-rules that will help them become their best selves. In her rulebook, it's no pain, much gain. In fact, Tara stresses the importance of practicing with ease-leaving the discomfort and tension behind-because what you practice is what you manifest. Readers will not only learn to create their own rules but also to understand when something isn't working anymore, so they can update their rules as circumstances change. Her approach takes readers from the kitchen, to the mat, to the cushion, in an effort to help them get to know themselves. After leading them through some basic guidelines about how to write their rulebooks, Tara lays out tips, techniques, and practices, including: A step-by-step goal setting process so readers can figure out where they want to focus. Six yoga routines specifically designed to up energy levels, curb cravings, drop pounds, and enhance peace. Eight breathing and meditation practices to soothe the soul. 50 simple, delicious, plant-based recipes that can be made in minutes. A 7-day kick-start program and a 30-day transformation plan to launch readers on their healthy, happy, radiant path So join Tara today as she opens readers' eyes to a new way of living well that anyone can do-no matter where they are now. 


Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver - $15.74
Many people of recommended this book and it comes well-reviewed. 
I think this is something I need in my life right now. 

A collection of spiritual lessons, anecdotes, and thoughts on the Divine’s intervention in our lives, this brilliantly written and wonderfully entertaining book teaches us how to live purposefully and in line with the Force of Love.

“What if the Divine is constantly igniting roadside flares to get our attention? What if there actually is a Supreme Organizing Principle with an unbridled sense of humor? And what if we each have this ardent inner suitor who’s writing us love letters every day that often go unopened?”

Whether we know it or not, we all experience the touch of the Divine in our lives every single day. After twenty-five years spent consulting and advising tens of thousands of people from all over the world, Tosha Silver realized that almost all of us have similar concerns: “How do I stop worrying? How can I feel safe? Why do I feel so alone?” And often, “Who am I really?” For the passionately spiritual and the bemusedly skeptical alike, she created Outrageous Openness. This delightful book, filled with wisdom and fresh perspectives, helps create a relaxed, trusting openness in the reader to discover answers to life’s big questions as they spontaneously arise.

At its heart, Outrageous Openness opens the door to a profound truth: By allowing the Divine to lead the way, we can finally put down the heavy load of hopes, fears, and opinions about how things should be. We learn how to be guided to take the right actions at the right time, and to enjoy the spectacular show that is our life.


Mind Over Medicine by Lissa Rankin - $15.64
Since I am studying to become a holistic nutritionist this is a book that interests me...and just by reading the front cover...I totally agree...mind over medicine...food is thy medicine...you can heal yourself without having to go to the doctors and spending all this money on script's and supplements. 
Another book that comes highly reviewed, is on the New York Times Bestseller list and has a foreward by the amazing Kris Carr! 

We've been led to believe that when we get sick, it's our genetics. Or it's just bad luck-and doctors alone hold the keys to optimal health. For years, Lissa Rankin, M.D., believed the same. But when her own health started to suffer, and she turned to Western medical treatments, she found that they not only failed to help; they made her worse. So she decided to take matters into her own hands.     

Through her research, Dr. Rankin discovered that the health care she had been taught to practice was missing something crucial: a recognition of the body's innate ability to self-repair and an appreciation for how we can control these self-healing mechanisms with the power of the mind. In an attempt to better understand this phenomenon, she explored peer-reviewed medical literature and found evidence that the medical establishment had been proving that the body can heal itself for over 50 years.    

  Using extraordinary cases of spontaneous healing, Dr. Rankin shows how thoughts, feelings, and beliefs can alter the body's physiology. She lays out the scientific data proving that loneliness, pessimism, depression, fear, and anxiety damage the body, while intimate relationships, gratitude, meditation, sex, and authentic self-expression flip on the body's self-healing processes.    

  In the final section of the book, you'll be introduced to a radical new wellness model based on Dr. Rankin's scientific findings. Her unique six-step program will help you uncover where things might be out of whack in your life-spiritually, creatively, environmentally, nutritionally, and in your professional and personal relationships-so that you can create a customized treatment plan aimed at bolstering these health-promoting pieces of yourlife. You'll learn how to listen to your body's "whispers" before they turn to life-threatening "screams" that can be prevented with proper self-care, and you'll learn how to trust your inner guidance when making decisions about your health and your life.      By the time you finish Mind Over Medicine, you'll have made your own Diagnosis, written your own Prescription, and created a clear action plan designed to help you make your body ripe for miracles.  


Rewire: Change Your Brain to Break Bad Habits, Overcome Addictions and Conquer Self-Destructive Behavior by Richard O'Connor - $17.19
Definitely a book that anyone involved in the medical field should have apparently...so why not give it a shot? :) 

We humans tend to get in our own way time and time again—whether it comes to not speaking up for ourselves, going back to bad romantic partners, dieting for the umpteenth try, or acting on any of a range of bad habits we just can’t seem to shake. In Rewire, renowned psychotherapist Richard O’Connor, PhD, reveals exactly why our bad habits die so hard. We have two brains—one a thoughtful, conscious, deliberative self, and the other an automatic self that makes most of our decisions without our attention. Using new research and knowledge about how the brain works, the book clears a path to lasting, effective change for behaviors that include:
  • Procrastination
  • Overeating
  • Chronic disorganization
  • Staying in bad situations
  • Excessive worrying
  • Risk taking
  • Passive aggression
  • Self-medication
Bringing together many different fields in psychology and brain science, Dr. O’Connor gives you a road map to overcoming whatever self-destructive habits are plaguing you, with exercises throughout the book. We can rewire our brains to develop healthier circuitry, training the automatic self to make wiser decisions without having to think about it; ignore distractions; withstand temptations; see ourselves and the world more clearly; and interrupt our reflexive responses before they get us in trouble. Meanwhile, our conscious minds will be freed to view ourselves with compassion at the same time as we practice self-discipline. By learning valuable skills and habits—including mindfulness, self-control, confronting fear, and freeing yourself from mindless guilt—we can open ourselves to vastly more successful, productive, and happy lives. The book even demystifies how to overcome what Dr. O’Connor calls the “undertow” (the mysterious force that sabotages our best efforts when we’re just on the edge of victory) for long-lasting change. Offering a valuable science-based new paradigm for rewiring our brains, Rewire is a refreshing guide to becoming a healthier, happier self.


Lux Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout - $11.23
I am not going to post the description of this book here...because I don't want to ruin it for myself! This is book 5 in a series that I have been reading...I am just finishing book 3 {my total gym read} and will probably devour book 4 this weekend...so need to know what happens. It's a guilty pleasure of mine...these YA novels. :) 


Loving Yourself to Great Health: Thoughts & Food - The Ultimate Diet by Louise Hay, Ahlea Khadro and Heather Dane - $16.26
Louise Hay has some great books...so when I heard she was coming out with one regarding food....I was all over it. This is definitely another book that I need right now to get back my motivation...eat clean and charge towards my goals. 

For decades, best-selling author Louise Hay has transformed people's lives by teaching them to let go of limiting beliefs. Now in this tour de force, Louise teams up with her go-to natural health and nutrition experts, Ahlea Khadro and Heather Dane , to reveal the other side of her secret to health, happiness, and longevity: living a nutrient-rich life.
     Unlike any health book you've ever read, this work transcends fads, trends, and dogma to bring you a simple yet profound system to heal your body, mind, and spirit that is as gentle as changing the way you think. Louise, Ahlea, and Heather show you how to take your health, your moods, and your energy to the next level.
     In Loving Yourself to Great Health, you will:
- Tap into the secrets Louise has used for decades to supercharge the effectiveness of affirmations and bring your body back into alignment with your mind;
- Discover what nutrition really means and how to cut through the confusion about which diets really work;
- Learn to hear the stories your body is eager to reveal; and
- Uncover techniques for longevity, vitality, good moods, deep intuition, and for meeting your body's unique healing needs at all stages of life.
     At 88 years of age, Louise has much wisdom to share about what it takes to live a long, happy, healthy life. We invite you to join us on an amazing journey that will turn your life into your greatest love story.



When I eventually pick these books up I will make sure 100% to review them. 
Make sure to stay tuned as I want to review YumUniverse this weekend! :) 
What books are on your wishlist this Christmas?? 


-S.*


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