BOOK REVIEWS ~ BLESS THIS FOOD: ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY GRACES FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AND OUTSIDE THE LINES: AN ARTISTS' COLORING BOOK FOR GIANT IMAGINATIONS

Bless this Food:

Ancient & Contemporary Graces from Around the World

By Adrian Butash
New World Library, $14.95

Reviewed by Teresa Hatfield

Author, Splendid Sass

Offering a blessing before a meal is one of the most practiced form of prayer. Including the family and friends in prayer before a meal provides closeness for a group.

There are so many barriers that separate families, and prayer is one way of bringing everyone closer. Many children enjoy saying a blessing for those present at the meal. During the holidays, my family enjoys a prayer led by the host of our dinner, but we say a daily pray thanking God for blessing us in so many ways, especially food.

In BLESS THIS FOOD: Ancient & Contemporary Graces from Around the World.

there are 161 blessings for all religions. I hope that you will enjoy the book as much as I have. I believe that there is something here for everyone.

Adrian Butash is the author of Bless this Food: Ancient & Contemporary Graces from

Around the World. He studied history and culture of the world at Fordham University and resides in Santa Barbara, CA.

AND...

OUTSIDE THE LINES:

An Artists' Coloring Book For Giant Imaginations

By Souris Hong-Porretta

Perigee Books,

Reviewed by Teresa Hatfield

Author, Splendid Sass

This creative coloring book kept me busy for some time! At first I was questioning why I was doing this, but before long I was having a blast and actually shocked myself. It is fun to see that our juvenile training guides us in our grownup artwork. Proof positive that you don’t have to be a child to love coloring and drawing!

The author’s daughter inspired this coloring book. Read her words on her inspiration for this work. “My daughter, Lulu, directly inspired Outside the Lines. The kid has dozens of coloring books from all over the world, yet she kept going back to her Moebius and Andy Warhol books. Lulu seemed to love to color art by established artists. Watching her, I wondered, ‘Wouldn't it be cool for Lulu to color her dad and our friends' artwork?' At that moment, I conceptualized a coloring book filled with art by our creative cabal. Thus began Outside the Lines.”

The book is a creative coloring book featuring original and recognizable line drawings, most of which were commissioned especially for this book. If you are up for a little fun and surprise add this book to your list. It will be on the market September 3, 2013.