Booklist Reviews
Stewart has long been known for having a honed system for anything home-related. Here she offers guidance for a variety of household tasks. The broad categories covered include organization, cleaning, sewing and crafting, gardening, entertaining, and cooking, with tips and instructions for tasks big and small. Some, like the page on how to fix screens, provide step-by-step how-to directions with a list of necessary supplies, while others, like that on how to fix drafts, offer brief tips for a variety of areas in the house. Stewart is known for her recipes, but the cooking covered here takes the form of "Martha Musts" and such techniques as how to best use particular kitchen tools, how to master cooking methods (e.g., braising), and how to perfectly frost a cake. The making section consists mostly of tutorials that mirror what one might see in Stewart's website, TV appearances, and magazine. This wide-ranging guide is designed as a household reference that sums up the breadth of Stewart's expertise. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.
BookPage Reviews
Lifestyles: January 2019
Finnish sisters Saara and Laura Huhta share the wealth of their successful indie clothing pattern brand, Named, in Breaking the Pattern: A Modern Way to Sew. The nifty thing about their designs is the focus on extreme adaptability: They are "designed to offer as many options for personal customization as possible," the sisters write. They have included patterns for 10 different garments—from bags and blouses to classy cocktail dresses and jumpsuits—and claim that "it's possible to sew at least 50 different variations of the projects," should you wish to experiment. These garments are built on Scandinavian design—clean lines, minimalist elegance—and they range from drapey styles to more tailored looks. In the back of the book, you'll find six full-size pattern sheets, which are arranged from easiest to most challenging.
A new friend recently gave me a small pilea plant from one of the "babies" her plant produced. This has quickly become my most beloved houseplant—one with a story behind it. That's the kind of joy that Caro Langton and Rose Ray, the authors of Root, Nurture, Grow: The Essential Guide to Propagating and Sharing Houseplants, want more people to experience. If you've got a good knife and scissors, some old containers, potting mix and a few other simple items, you can turn one houseplant into as many as you like. Langton and Ray (find them on Instagram at @studio.roco) cover different types of cuttings for a number of common plants, and they also discuss division, grafting and other in-depth aspects of propagation. Even if you stick to plunking stems into jars of water and watching roots form, you'll enjoy having this pretty guide at your side.
Readers of Martha Stewart Living will recognize the concept of The Martha Manual: How to Do (Almost) Everything: quick, no-nonsense instructions for home-related tasks. Here, Martha Stewart's how-tos are organized by themes like "Organize," "Clean," "Craft" and "Create." But I find this guide fascinating to flip through at random to learn things like how to sew an apron, how to hang a tire swing, how to play lawn games, how to fix and maintain showerheads and how to build a fire. On the whole, the slant of this content may seem a bit gendered, but it's safe to say all humans could amp up their home skills with the help of this book. Light illustrations, bullet points and brisk copy—dip in, dip out, done—are the name of the game here.
This article was originally published in the January 2019 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Copyright 2019 BookPage Reviews.Library Journal Reviews
The latest from lifestyle expert, entrepreneur, and TV host Stewart is the first in a series covering the expanse of her cooking, entertaining, and homekeeping experience. From organizing a bathroom to hanging picture frames, each "how-to" in this heavily illustrated guide is addressed in one to two pages, providing just enough practical and attainable information for readers to get started or to become inspired to learn more. The work is divided into several categories: organize, fix and maintain, refresh and embellish, clean, launder, craft and create, garden and grow, host and entertain, enjoy, cook, celebrate, and care for pets. Throughout are helpful features such as a guide to removing various types of stains and an extended DIY to growing houseplants. The kitchen section is a standout, with extensive compare-and-contrast tips for sautéing, frying, broiling, roasting, poaching, and steaming.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Lifestyle maven Stewart (