Review: Easy Meal Prep: Save Time and Eat Healthy with over 75 Recipes

Title: Easy Meal Prep: Save Time and Eat Healthy with over 75 Recipes
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Erin Romeo
Illustrator: N/A
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Rock Point
Genre: Cookbook
Age: All
Started Reading: December 13, 2024
Finished Reading: December 15, 2024
NetGalley?: Yes 

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Conquer your healthy eating plan while saving time and money!

In Easy Meal Prep, nutrition coach and meal prep expert Erin Romeo, the Food Prep Princess (@foodprepprincess on Instagram), guides you through the essentials of meal prep, a key component to any diet—whether you’re high-protein, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, low-carb, or just trying to eat healthy. This highly accessible guide includes:

• How to prep a week’s worth of meals in a few hours
• Over 75 healthy and delicious recipes
• How to meal-prep in 5 easy steps
• 5 meal-prep plans to get you started
• Tips and tricks for food planning

So, skip the takeout and never be at a loss for a healthy meal again with this essential guide to easy meal prep.

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars (It was ok)

I will start off by saying that this book is not what I expected it to be. If you are looking for a book that is mostly recipes, with some diet plans, and a small intro to the method of meal prep, this book is for you. I, being a busy mom of 2, was looking for a more in depth book on meal prepping and easy to make meals without lists of 'approved foods' and diet plans. While the book does claim to reduce your prepping/cooking/cleaning time down to just 2 hours or so per week, it also means that the majority of your meals are eaten as reheated leftovers. While I appreciated the inclusion of a gluten free option, as someone who lives with Celiac Disease, it seemed much more geared to those who were eating that way by choice, rather than necessity. I did not try the recipes, or get much past the merely 4-5 pages of instructions in the introduction, as I personally found my current collection of family favourite recipes were sufficient for my needs. I read this digital book through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A healthy eating/diet book with a good selection of recipes if that’s what you’re looking for.

  

Review: Single Player

 Title: Single Player
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Tara Tai
Illustrator: N/A
Publish Date: January 7, 2025
Publisher: Alcove Press
Genre: Romance, LGBTQIAP+
Age: 18+
Started Reading: December 12, 2025
Finished Reading: December 27, 2025
NetGalley?: Y 

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Two video game creators go head-to-head in this delightful, queer enemies-to-lovers workplace romance debut.

Cat Li cares about two things: video games and swoony romances. The former means there hasn't been much of the latter in her (real) life, but when she lands her dream job writing the love storylines for Compass Hollow—the next big thing in games—she knows it’s all been worth it. Then she meets her boss: the infamous Andi Zhang, who’s not only an arrogant hater of happily-ever-afters determined to keep Cat from doing her job but also impossibly, annoyingly hot.

As Compass Hollow’s narrative director, Andi couldn’t care less about love—in-game or out. After getting doxxed by internet trolls three years ago, Andi’s been trying to prove to the gaming world that they’re a serious gamedev. Their plan includes writing the best game possible, with zero lovey-dovey stuff. That is, until the man funding the game’s development insists Andi add romance in order to make the story “more appealing to female gamers.”

Forced to give Cat a chance, Andi begrudgingly realizes there’s more to Cat than romantic idealism and, okay, a cute smile. But admitting that would mean giving up the single-player life that has kept their heart safe for years. And when Cat uncovers a behind-the-scenes plan to destroy Andi’s career, the two will have to put their differences aside and find a way to work together before it’s game over.

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

To start off I will say, I quite enjoyed this book. Overall it was a cute romance, and that was what I was looking for. That being said, there were some issues I had. First, the main relationship is between a Manager and their Intern Employee, while there are many other reasons the characters think of for why they can't get together, this power dynamic is hardly a throw away thought once or twice. This dynamic broke up the Try Guys, I was expecting it to be a bigger hurdle to get over. Second, apparently the universe's only goal was to get these two together because the amount of 'coincidental meetings' that happened required a bit of suspension of disbelief. I listened to the audio book for this and Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job of switching her voice between POV chapters. The writing was well done, the geeky references were fun, and the periodic 4th wall breaking wasn't too off putting. The intimate scene was enjoyable and just the right length and descriptiveness. All told this was a nice romance with a fun geeky twist. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A cute romance with a geeky twist.

 

Review: Ping's Perfect Pot

Title: Ping's Perfect Pot
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Helen H. Wu
Illustrator: Zihua Yang
Publish Date: January 7, 2025
Publisher: Beaming Books
Genre: Children's Fiction
Age: 3-7
Started Reading: December 16, 2024
Finished Reading: December 16, 2024
NetGalley?: Yes 

Book Summary from Goodreads:

 KNEAD, MUSH, MASH. Ping molds a pot for Lunar New Year.

When Ping and Grandpa bring a tangerine tree home for Lunar New Year, Ping decides to make the perfect pot to go with it. But making a pot is hard. With Grandpa's encouragement, she tries again and again to get it just right. The first is too clumsy, the second crumbles, and the third is too flimsy. What if she can't make the perfect pot? Will it ruin the new year?

For anyone feeling discouraged over learning something new, Ping's Perfect Pot reminds them not to give up when something isn't immediately easy. Perfection takes practice, patience, and, in the end, the love and effort you put into it. Backmatter provides more context and the deeper meaning of Lunar New Year traditions and symbols found within the story, as well as around the world.

Munchie and My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars (We really liked it)

This book is great for showing practice makes perfect, but also that there is greatness in imperfection. The traditions and meanings behind Ping's attempts to make the perfect pot were told in a way that was understandable to my daughter (5). We are not from the culture this book shows, but my sister-in-law is and my daughter very much enjoys learning about how her Aunt grew up and what holidays she celebrates. The information section at the back of the book explaining Lunar New Year and the traditions around it was a fantastic inclusion to teach those who don't know and to introduce them to children. The drawings of the people were a bit flat and seemed a tad copy/paste, but that was just something I noticed, it didn't bother my daughter at all. I read this digital book through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A lovely book for teaching practice, traditions, and cultural differences, an excellent learning tool with a sweet story to back it up.

 

Review: Friday Night Cocktails

 

Title: Friday Night Cocktails: 52 Drinks to Welcome Your Weekend
Series: Stand Alone
Author: AJ Dean
Illustrator: N/A
Publish Date: Nov 7, 2023
Publisher: The Collective Book Studio
Genre: Cookbook
Age: 19+
Started Reading: December 2, 2024
Finished Reading: December 12, 2024
NetGalley?: Yes

  

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Friday Night Cocktails invites readers to welcome their weekend with open arms... and a Negroni Sbagliato.

"With its elegant photographs and gleaming, gilt-letter packaging, Friday Night Cocktails is a crowd-pleasing guide for those who raise their glasses to the weekend." – Foreword Reviews

Friday Night Cocktails is for anyone interested in a well-made, non-fussy, homemade mixed drink. The 52 cocktails (plus numerous variations) are made with common ingredients that readers can easily keep on-hand. Including old stand-bys (e.g., Gin & Tonic) as well as new takes on the standards (e.g., Blood Orange Margarita), the book’s message is “Try something new, but be mindful of the tried-and-true.”

With 50+ stunning images, Friday Night Cocktails closes the door on the week and welcomes the weekend. And what better way to do that than with a chilled cocktail? 

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars (We really enjoyed it)

This book is exactly what it says. Drink recipes for the whole year, split into seasons. The variety is wonderful, and the fact that every drink has a variation gives a 2 for 1 feel. The preface gives a nice history of the cocktail, as well as an equipment list and explanation. A number of specialty ingredients have recipes or tips found within the book.

The photography is lovely, and all of the drinks pictured look amazing.

My husband and I tried the Hot Toddy, Espresso Martini, Cranberry Mule (virgin and full blast), Hot Buttered Rum, Irish Coffee, Lemon Drop, Gin and Tonic (a classic), and Mojito. (Not all in one night, it was December, there were holiday parties). We found the recipes easy to follow and all turned out nicely.

The downside is that the ingredients list is extensive. To make all of the drinks in the book does require some investment. There are a number of fancier drinks that use very specific liqueurs or flavoured bitters that may be difficult to find. Some are given substitutes, but some are not.

Definitely a book to check out if you'd like to up your cocktail game, or just learn how to make some of the classics.

I read this book as a free digital offering through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A fantastic set of recipes that may require some initial investment to your bar.

 

Review: Just One More Story

Title: Just One More Story
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Perry Emerson
Illustrator: Sean Julian
Publish Date: January 7, 2025
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Genre: Children's Fiction
Age: 3-7
Started Reading: January 2, 2025
Finished Reading: January 2, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Pip and Bun are two very different bunnies. Pip LOVES reading. Bun does not. Then one day, Bun opens a book filled with action and adventure. Could it be the perfect way for Bun to learn to enjoy reading?

Munchie and My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars (Really good!)

Quite an adorable story about two sibling bunnies and how they work together to find a way to tell stories that interests both of them. Muncie (5) absolutely loved the illustrations. She thought the different stories talked about were funny (A penguin on a motorcycle... WHAT?!) When the bunnies started misbehaving and fighting she stopped the book to talk about how they were not nice, and was very happy to see that they made up and went back to playing. On my part I very much enjoyed reading this book. There were a bunch of parts I could make interactive, and playing with the bunnies' voices was fun. Seeing my daughter recognize and discuss the not so great moments was good too, and the showing how both came to a point of reconciliation on their own was a very good example. I like how it showed a believable sibling relationship with ups and downs, and allowed for conversation about it. We read this digital picture book through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: This was a very cute book with a realistic view on sibling relationships, and showed how one can encourage the other to read.

Review: Kawaii Cafe Ramen

Title: Kawaii Cafe Ramen: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Illustrator: Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Rock Point
Genre: Cookbook
Age: All
Started Reading: January 2, 2025
Finished Reading: January 6, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Satisfy your ramen cravings at home (and affordably)!  Kawaii Café  Ramen includes over 60 easy-to-follow recipes, beautifully illustrated in a fun anime style.

Kawaii Café Ramen covers everything you need to know, including how to put together a bowl of piping hot ramen in a myriad of ways with a choice of four soup bases, ramen noodles (homemade or store-bought), and traditional and non-traditional ingredients. Enjoy bowls of pork, chicken, and beef ramen, or branch out with seafood, vegetarian, and spicy soups—and even cold ramen and a breakfast version topped with bacon and a poached egg. Make your soup base in advance and you have a quick, easy, and special midweek family meal.

Each accompanied by exciting anime-style illustrations, the recipes

Indonesian Pork Ramen with Coconut Curry SoupChicken Meatball RamenTeriyaki Beef–Wrapped Asparagus RamenCalifornia Ramen with Crabmeat, Avocado, and CucumberSpicy Tofu RamenCrispy Greens Ramen with Swiss Chard, Kale, and Brussels Sprouts
With yummy recipes, down-to-earth writing, and a delightful design, Kawaii Café Ramen is the ultimate guide to this global phenomenon.

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars (I really liked it)

I'm going to start this off by saying, I love ramen! I've been a huge fan of it since the early 2000's when I'd first moved out and had a little restaurant that made 'real' ramen just down the street. Then I got Celiac Disease and sadly went about with whatever I could make at home by myself with various rice noodles, but it was never the same. This book has upped my game! While I'm still stuck with the rice noodles, now I can bring the good soup bases and toppings home and have something much closer to the real deal! The recipes are clear and the language used around everything is optimistic and very encouraging. The shining star of this book, I think, is the section on side dishes. This is what elevates this book from being a one trick pony to a fantastic resource. The illustrations are very cute, but I would have liked to see a couple of pictures to show what to expect of the actual finished product. I will be using this book a lot in the future. I read this digital advanced copy through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: Lots of really great, easy to follow recipes, could use a real photo or two for the finished products.

Starting 2025 With a Clean Slate

 

I opened my Goodreads in December, looked at my TBR, took a deep breath.... and removed everything.

The last time I updated that list was in 2016, and to say I'm a different person now would be an understatement. While there were a number of books there that I do still want to read, many were on there for specific challenges from groups that are currently not active. 

So I decided to start 2025 with a clean slate.

Just looking at the list was making me feel overwhelmed. I'm going to use it as a place to keep the books I'll be soon reading, rather than a list of hopefuls, sometime in the future.

My plan for this year are to review all the books I read (excepting the many repeats of kid's books... one review per book is my limit). I'm pretty sure most of the grown up books I read will be through NetGalley as that is just the easiest way to access books for me right now. I'm finding I'm having difficulty with getting the books I want to read in the time I want to read them through the library. Many books I search either aren't in the catalogue or have months long waiting lists. That's not very conducive to buddy or challenge reads.

My goals this year are:

1. Read 12 grown up books this year. I think planning on 1 per month is reasonable, and I may even get more!

2. Read 1 new book to the kids each week. Considering their books take less than 10 minutes to go through normally, this is totally achievable. I'm mainly doing this so we don't get stuck in a rut of re-reading the same 5 favourite books over and over.

3. As stated above, review all books that I read, and as a subsection to that, start cross posting to social media. Any NetGalley books will obviously be reviewed there, however I want to get my reviews on here, as well as Goodreads. I have Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky, and it would be nice to get them going with reviews. I'm not looking to become a Bookfluencer or anything, just to honestly review stuff for the authors and people looking. Especially the kids books because there isn't as much out there as for those written for adults.

4. Be more active on my Goodreads groups. I'm part of Challenge Corner, NetGalley Readers, and NetGalley Buddy Reads and I just want to be more active and part of the community.

5. Continue to be active on Librivox. I host the podcast, proof listen, and book coordinate over there and I want to continue what I've started. The only issue with being a proof listener rather than listening to the finished story is that I quite often listen out of order, so I'm not sure I can count those books. I may include a Librivox post each month just to keep track of my activity and give it a little promo.

6. Play around with the NetGalley Reading Journal. I don't expect this to be something I actively update throughout the year, at least not on a book by book basis. I'd like to at least do the Month Summary pages though.

I think these are all reasonable goals for the year. The biggest challenge will be time, but I'm planning on taking that time after the kids are in bed now, even if it means hopping out to a coffee shop to get it done.

What goals or plans are you looking at for the year?