::hit:the:books::

I haven't posted a recipe in such a long time...I realized this as I was going through past posts and there is one, like...3 or 4 pages behind. So I have to start posting more recipes! 

And of course they are going to come out of my fabulous cookbooks that I have. :) 

There are more cookbooks out there that I want to get my greedy little hands on! 

Alas...I gotta watch the salt still...so there is one book I want to share with you guys that will be perfect for that. One that I can definitely try a bunch of recipes out of without having to worry about sodium and such. 

I will be posting a recipe, once I find one! I have a feeling it will be a Giada recipe. Oh, which reminds me, she is on the cover of the new Health magazine. I love her!! 

Anyways...enough rambling. 

I am going to share with you guys my book wish list. I always call it a wish list because there are a lot of books out there that I want to read - not just one or two. There are a lot of things on my wish lists...such as Gaspari protein powders, NYX glitter liners, more chandelier earrings...I could go on. But nothing beats books. They make me so happy, just like magazines. I simply and absolutely love to read. 

And I think everyone should read and by sharing books that I have read or want to get, then maybe someone will want to do the same and their passion for reading will begin or grow further. 

My Sister is the one that told me about this book. She was looking at it at the store when she called me and I was instantly intrigued when I checked it out on Amazon.
Another great thing about Amazon other then getting a great deal on books is that you can sometimes look through the books online - as if you were flipping through it at the store.
I know how to cook...but I could definitely use some more tips and learn the right way to cook certain things or execute recipes the proper way.
I can totally make a mean risotto but I can't fry an egg if my life depended on it.
I am not even joking.
There are two books by Mark Bittman that are called "How to Cook Everything" but this one "The Basics" is what intrigues me more. And it has over 1,000 photo's so you really can't go wrong.
I think this book dropped $5 since I last checked, so even better. :)

{"How to Cook Everything - The Basics" by Mark Bittman - $21.00 CA}

EyeWitness Travel guides are definitely the best. I have one for Poland and I am able to learn about the history, touristy areas, the best places to eat, the coolest places to see, all in one little book.
Therefore, of course I want to get a copy of the Italy version. This is where I was born! And I would love to learn more about the country. I am also currently learning Italian and just have an obsession with it...even adore fiction novels that take place in Italy more than anything.
You have to be a little careful when ordering these guys online. Since they update these quite often.
This is the most recent version of the travel guide.
The other versions have different covers...it is tricky to figure out which is the most recent version but I seemed to do just fine here. ;)
Oh, and every single page in this book is full colour with a tun of photo's.

{"Eyewitness Travel - Italy" by Dorling Kindersley - $20.69 CA} 

Ahh...good old Idiot's Guides...to be quite honest, I love these books. They have A LOT of information in there and just so much to learn from and it is written in such a simple format that anyone can grasp the information without problems.
I am looking into schools lately and am really interested in nutrition so a book like this would be essential to someone that is interested in a career in a field such as this one.
I am sure even people that aren't persuing a job such as the one that I would ultimately like to have would read a book like this to become healthier and even lose a few pounds in the process if need be.
So it definitely is packed chock-full with nutrition information and some recipes in there to boot.
The only downside is that I doubt there is a lot of full colour photo's in there or photo's at all but I am more interested in reading through the nutrition aspect of clean eating.

{"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Clean" by Diane A. Welland - $15.16 CA} 

If you guys actually reeeead my blogs {just kidding}, you'll know that I have had some problems with my blood pressure being a little high. As I have mentioned in my post; it is definitely not something to be taken lightly and even though I am not at a high risk I just can't lead the same sort of lifestyle as I did before. I'm no longer in my early 20's, I'll be 30 soon {omg, so gross}.
So I really need to start taking way better care of my body but where to start with regards to food I sometimes ask myself. So what better way then to get a cookbook that tells you what you should be eating that features a DASH plan {a specific diet plan for people to follow to lower their BP}, not only that, but this book has a tun of pictures and even a whole bunch of information regarding your blood pressure.
This book gets great reviews and the cover makes me hungry - even though I don't even eat beef.

{"Eat to Beat High Blood Pressure" by Robyn Webb - $15.68 CA}

Since reading Gail Simmon's book I have been trying to find a book similar to it. There is a book out there called Kitchen Confidential and I hear it's a little "brutal" to say the least. I just love how whimsical, girly and fun Gail's book is. And this was the closest thing I got to it while skimming through the Amazon site.
AND, it tells you just what the cover states - how chefs stay skinny!
*Cough*Giada*Cough*
But seriously, I read an itty bit of the beginning and am intrigued and would love to read the book and obviously learn how some of the greatest chefs stay slim and fit!
So it's pretty self explanatory here. :)
It is a tad pricey though.

{"Smart Chefs Stay Slim" by Allison Adato - $17.24 CA}

The last two books are fiction novels but some of my favourite authors. Stephen King and Dean Koontz {we can't forget Harlan Coben too but I haven't perused his books as of yet}. 

You can just check out what these two books are about on Amazon as it would take up quite a bit of space on here but let's just say they both sound creepy and am sure are well worth the guilty-pleasure read. :))

{"The Long Walk" by Stephen King - $8.99 CA}

{"Hideaway" by Dean Koontz - $13.36 CA}

I've realized that money doesn't grow on trees and that some of these books are a tad expensive. Maybe that is why a lot of people don't read. I don't know. But I do know that for myself, it is money well worth spent. Because sometimes I go back to some of these books and reread them again and again. I definitely go back to a lot of the cookbooks {obviously} and other books where I learn certain things and try to apply to my daily life. 
I read a great quote a little while ago...and it has stuck with me to this day.




"People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book."
~ Malcolm X from The Autobiography of Malcolm X

-S.*

{Source: Images from GoogleImages or Amazon CA}