Helpful Books

I know I might have made finding these good books look easy. It was not. Most books in libraries and bookstores on these specific subjects are worthless crap. I'll say that again: worthless crap. And I skimmed or actually (gulp) read (all that time, wasted!) thousands of books of said crap to find these. Explanation of my irritation at bottom of page. 1/14/23 I no longer allow comments on my page due to internet toxicity that has alas, infiltrated Neocities, which I suppose was only a matter of time. Please do give these resources a try in real life if you can. They are the best I found.

Exercise and Fitness

For helping to stay healthy. 1/24/23 Thank you to everyone who got vaccinated and made things safer for everyone. Of course keep your own health situation in mind as to if you prefer to work out in a gym or at home. 9/27/23 Talking to a doctor before starting any new exercise program's a good idea

11/22/23 Beginner's Guide to Pilates by Sian williams & Dominique Jansen. I'd say if you have some sort of physical limitation going on the best bet is to take a class in person or via Zoom on Pilates so a qualified teacher can help you figure out what exercises work best for you in your situation. If you are relatively mobile, however, and have a doctor's go-ahead, this book is the real deal and it can help you figure out how to do Pilates without gimmicks or wasted time or effort. With regards to Pilates in general, this is a good introductory book, and Pilates is a kind of exercise you can do at any age to help with mobility, health, and overall quality of life. Rumor has it that Madonna likes it and look at her, she's ripped.
9/27/23 The Ultimate Guide to Cheerleading by Leslie Wilson - great for everyone, interested in cheerleading or not. Actually contains a great guide to personal training at any fitness level. In fact is a great guide to physical conditioning and like ballet, has a bit of a reputation for being girly and frou-frou that it doesn't deserve. Like ballet, is also a good way to cross-train for any martial art or sport.
3/21/23 Yoga For Dummies by Georg Feuerstein et al - is it infected with the holier-than-thou-itis (and pushy dogma) that plagues lots of yoga books and classes? Oh yeah. Is it still extremely helpful and useful for just about anybody? Also yeah. This is another exercise book I can use, with fibromyalgia. What makes this one unique is that even if all you can do is breathe, or move even one limb, you'll still get some benefit from it. Odd that a For Dummies book beats the rest of the stuff on the market but sometimes they do that.
1/24/23 Deep End of the Pool Workouts by Melisenda Edwards - groundbreaking book for high-impact aerobic exercise without high impact on joints you can do until well into your 80s, even if you have mobility issues now. Ask your doctor first, since any workout that is outside the norm, and this sure counts, could have assorted effects. You may also wish to see if gyms with pools in your area offer such classes. This is not low-impact aerobics for the swimming pool. This is grueling.
You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren - no money? no problem, this book has you covered for workouts.
Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running by Dagny Scott Barrios - if you have a female body and wonder why running hurts and sucks, get this book so it does not hurt or suck. Running is such a crucial cornerstone of being an athlete or of just having a baseline of physical fitness that it is critical to learn how to do it right
Every Body Yoga by Jessamyn Stanley - for getting into yoga even if you, like me, absolutely loathe yoga with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. It really is pretty good for you. The author not only explains the how but also the why.
Convict Conditioning by "Coach" Paul Wade - This is indeed a workout book for people in prisons. It gets you strong, fast, sans gym.
Callanetics by Callan Pinckney - Devised by a woman who wrecked her back on a multi-country trip, the exercises are devised so you do one hour once a week. That's it. It can improve your posture and appearance, but more importantly it can help with improving your physical poise.
Ballerina Body by Misty Copeland - You think ballet is easy? Oh you sweet flower child. Read the book. If you like ballet too, learn some Ballet in classes and on Youtube in tandem with the book. Enjoy? Seriously though, this is possibly the most groundbreaking workout and exercise book that has come out in the past thirty years. I recommend it for every personal trainer, athlete, woman, man, nonbinary person, teen, heck I recommend it for everybody. It's rather unassuming but man it packs a punch. 4/26/22 Been using this for a few months. It's the only exercise manual I can use. I have fibromyalgia. If you have mobility issues you might want to take a glance at it.
Not technically a book but could be considered one: Liam Rosen Fitness - if you just want to get fit and healthy, this is the best place to start so you can understand what to do and what not to do

Off-grid Living Part One

2/21/23 Creating Small Habitats For Wildlife In Your Garden by Josie Briggs - This one's unique in that it recognizes most city dwellers have neither huge budgets nor a lot of space in which to do stuff. It contains help for that situation as well as situations where you have even a little more space to work with. Plus a nifty how-to for starting trees from seeds. Every page is worth the read, and it's packed with helpful, affordable suggestions. I highly recommend it.
1/24/23 Edible Spots and Pots by Stacey Hirvela - after about ten years of reading really unrealistic books about growing in containers, this one showed up. Finally. We have a winner, folks.
How To Create an Eco Garden by John Walker - pretty much that. Demystifies the whole process of gardening and helps you get up and running as quickly as possible. I disagree with a couple things said though, firstly that I think raised beds are easier and better long term than kill mulch/lasagna gardening, and secondly that you really don't want to use a push mower. Those things are a fucking nightmare. I recommend using this one in tandem with Mini Farming (see below)
9/8/22 just added The Home-Scale Forest Garden by Dani Baker - a permaculture book without the fluff or usual "I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread, now spend $20,000 on a quarter acre of plantings!" thing. Definitely worth the read. Has a lot of very good gardening techniques that work well for any kind of gardening, not just permaculture. Also has a lot of stuff I've never heard of before. It also gives what seems to be the fastest way to bioremediate a patch of land, however big, indeed anywhere from a 25'x25' plot to a couple acres, with minimum effort and resources and maximum resultant biodiversity and carbon capture. Meaning that if you are a city planner or wish to make any kind of patch of land more sustainable, it would be a good idea to read this. ~~There are no online start-to-finish guides for making a Miyawaki forest beyond "use a bunch of seed bombs and hope for the best." This is the best we've got right now and it really is good.~~
10/1/22 have now found an online guide to making something similar to a Miyawaki Forest. Sylva by John Evelyn, volumes 1 and 2. It's on Project Gutenberg. It's old school so requires deciphering ye olde English but requires way less money than the other stuff. And is doable. Also contains a great guide for starting trees from seed.
1/23/23 Herbs by Lesley Bremness contains a guide for planting several dozen kinds of trees. From seed.
Trowel & Error by Sharon Lovejoy - because it is nearly impossible to garden well. This is for good organic gardening. Irony alert: gardening organically seems like a royal PITA. Guess what though, gardening nonorganically is just as much of a PITA and also fucks up your dirt, and all your shit dies anyway either way, hahaha. Unless you're really lucky or really good or both in which case like 20% of your shit does not die, welcome to gardening.
Attracting Birds to Your Backyard by Sally Roth - not just for birds. In fact, this book makes it plain that by attracting birds, you're attracting a whole lot of other stuff, like butterflies, and helping yourself also through stuff like berries and increased biodiversity. It's worth a good thorough look.
Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible by Edward C. Smith - if you only get one, get this one, because patios and balconies are easier to find than land
The Complete Gardener by Monty Don - contains in the first ten or so pages more than I learned in 15 years of trial and error. It's really worth the read.
The Herb Garden Month-By-Month by Barbara Segall - what you need to do and when to do it. Like Herbs by Lesley Bremness, pretty much, but focused on the gardening aspects more than the usage aspects of the herbs. It's good.
The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch - good to read through to pick up tips and tricks, and good to have on hand if you're really serious about this. Gardening is hard; this makes it far less difficult.
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery - the old, the classic, the behemoth. Racist and possibly outdated.
Deep Rooted Wisdom by Augustus Jenkins Farmer - Learn how to garden with a ton of very helpful tricks and tips.
The Heirloom Life Gardener by Jere & Emily Gettle - Learn how to save seeds and grow the most usual veggies.
The Cottage Garden Month-By-Month by Jackie Bennett - Cottage gardening focuses on perennial shrubs and herbs, saving you time and effort. Cottage gardening is the old school version of permaculture, without the million dollar budget, years of education to determine what seed from Japan to plant with what tree from Heirloom $$$'s, and insufferable attitude. Generally speaking books for cottage gardening are very helpful for figuring out how to plant a garden that essentially grows itself after a few years of input
Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre by Brett Markham - This and the Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible can feed you a substantial amount of stuff using nothing more than a backyard space and a patio.
The Mini-Farming Guide to Fermenting by Brett Markham - exactly that, and unfortunately is an expensive hobby at the outset
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith - Get more vegetables by knowing what you're doing.
The Foxfire series by Eliot Wigginton - Details the way things were done in years gone by in Appalachia. Incredible resource for people who live off-the-grid and have no idea what they're doing, but layer it with internet research because the way things were "always done" isn't usually the best.
Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties by Carol Deppe - simple, and helpful for improving seed stock year after year
Rainwater Harvesting 1, 2, and 3 by Brad Lancaster - good for helping to replenish wells and design rain gardens, also to provide an introduction to the massive topic of rainwater diversion
Mushroom Farming by Tradd Cotter - for doing just that
Ball Book of Canning and Preserving - yea boiii home-canned goods. Follow the directions carefully or you could die
Small-Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon - for growing your own wheat or other grains. Much harder than growing potatoes, and with a far lower yield, but undeniably rewarding
Gardener-to-Gardener Seed Starting Primer and Almanac (Rodale) - good timing for planting and doing garden chores; also includes directions for different garden zones
1/23/23 Plantiful by Kristin Green - included for its simple and easy seed saving advice, as well as the laissez-faire attitude. Tired of buying seeds, and buying seeds, and buying seeds, every single year? This can help a lot.
The Indestructible Houseplant by Tovah Martin - Black thumb goodbye.
The Forgotten Arts series by Richard M. Bacon - Another book very helpful for homesteading.
A Handbook of Scotland's Trees by Fy Martinoga - If you have a woodlot or forested area, read this to understand more about what you've got.
The Fruit Gardener's Bible by Lewis Hill and Leonard Perry - Has some good tips for getting started growing fruits and nuts, but if you actually listen to the guidance about all that mulch you'll have slugs, slugs for days. Here's a good tip for fruit trees: they love manure.
Gardener to Gardener Almanac & Pest Control Primer by Rodale Organic Gardening - More tips and tricks to add to a gardener's arsenal. Good stuff.
Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, The Xerces Society Guide - A good introduction to what to plant and do to attract beneficial bugs, on a large scale for farms and on a small scale for gardens
365 Days of Gardening by Christine Allinson - Yeah, it's got some good ideas in there. It's also got some really weird mental images conjured up of the author shooting wild animals with a shotgun to prevent them from poaching her stuff, and of her cold-bloodedly squishing things like potato bugs between her fingers. Disturbing, but useful enough to still be recommended.
The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Nikki Jabbour - not recommended so much for its content as opposed to the layout of this person's garden and the hardware used for making these raised beds, polytunnels, and so on. Convenient.

Gardening for Pleasure

Old-Time Gardens by Alice Morse Earle - I believe this is on Project Gutenberg
Of Gardens by Francis Bacon - this one is definitely on Project Gutenberg. It's nice.
Anything written by Adelma Grenier Simmons - one of the best researchers of herbs, their cultivation, and their uses in the 20th century. I don't know where she got her information but it is a fascinating and impressive haul well backed up by personal experience on her part.
Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy - not just for kids, in fact it's a great help for any gardener who wants to improve their understanding of how it all works and the enjoyment of it all
The Pleasure of Herbs by Phyllis Shaudys - just some information about the gentler side of herb usage, not a medical or folkloric book but just all around pleasant and helpful for figuring out how to grow and use herbs throughout the year. Sometimes I like reading cookbooks and herb books just for the sake of wallowing in wholesomeness and this certainly fits the bill.
The Beginner's Guide to Starting A Garden by Sally Roth - Some helpful tips for gardening in bizarre places, such as near a mailbox, at corners of the yard, and so on. Where this one helps the most is with its labor-saving tips.
The Successful Herb Gardener by Sally Roth - extremely helpful and practical, contains herb lore I didn't know as well, which after 15 years of scouring mostly copypasted information in book after book was really nice to see
Bulbs Four Seasons of Beautiful Blooms by Lewis & Nancy Hill - in temperate climates bulbs are some of the easiest things to plant and maintain, but have some of the most beautiful blooms, and this shows you how to have 'em year round. Even in pots on a balcony. Great for beginners.
Right Rose, Right Place by Peter Schneider - For people who really like roses
The Encyclopedia of Roses by Judith McKeon, because if you are growing roses you are gonna need all the help you can get no matter how much the authors of these books sugarcoat that hard fact
A Year of Roses by Stephen Scanniello - if you keep killing roses this will put a stop to that, also has helpful tips for gardening year round.
The Complete Garden Flower Book by Murdoch Books - not necessarily the most "useful" per se, but certainly inspirational and very pretty pictures throughout
Vintage Roses by Jane Eastoe - a simple quick guide to getting started growing and appreciating vintage roses. If you're too intimidated to even begin, this is a pretty decent place to start, but do have a good chat with a local expert at a reliable nursery before you plant roses to prevent disappointment. They're climate reliant.
Landscape With Roses by Jeff Cox - Unlike most rose growing books, which kind of focus on showpiece roses in specially prepared garden beds, this explains how to use them in far more versatile ways. Worth it.
1/23/23 The Unexpected Houseplant by Tovah Martin - if you REALLY like indoor gardening

DIY and More Off-Grid Stuff

3/23/23 Make It Last by Mary Flanagan - excellent guide for helping you keep appliances and home running smoothly, and fixing stuff yourself instead of paying an arm and a leg thanks to Murphy's Law kicking in. Doesn't cover everything, but covers a lot of stuff and is worth it.
3/30/23 Don't Throw It Out by Lori Baird and the Editors of Yankee Magazine - Lots of helpful information here. Has information for how to reduce money loss by maintaining appliances and home stuff and how to upcycle many things. but listen up: I read textbooks for fun and this was a drudge for me to read. It is really badly written. So gird thyself
Brick Projects for the Landscape by Alan and Gill Bridgewater - if you are a DIYer, this is likely worth your time and effort. Properly done, brickwork lasts and lasts.
Step-By-Step Outdoor Stonework by Mike Lawrence - Not recommended for most of its projects due to some preparatory steps not taken and thus these projects could potentially be hazardous later on. However, the stone masonry section is awesome.
Building with Masonry by Dick Kreh (Brick, Block and Concrete) - want some seriously difficult work that will pay off later? Get this book.
Sunset Decorative Concrete - has methods for making a wide variety of things from concrete. Says nothing about the potential toxicity of any mix however, so read the MSDS (materials safety data sheet) for each and every component of each mix
Insulate & Weatherize by Bruce Harley, from Taunton's Build Like A Pro series - if you have ever asked yourself "how the fuck do i insulate my house properly"? This. This is how. You can't even find this information anywhere online afaik. Worth buying.
DIY Solar Projects, Updated Edition by Eric Smith and Philip Schmidt with Troy Wanek - it is not for say, industry professionals who want to grid-tie their homes right off the bat. However, it does have a good array of DIY solar projects including both passive and active solar, including a window slow water distiller, solar heaters that can go right into a window on the ground floor, and the basics of DC solar projects such as lighting. Read it, use it after double-checking with local building authorities that your plans are fine and meet code and don't upset any HOAs, have fun.
Cut Your Energy Bills Now by Bruce Harley - real fixes for real home problems, and not just energy wastage but also things like air quality, humidity issues, efficiency issues and potential dangers. Worth buying. Also can't find this kind of information online.
Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates by Robert Kourik - helpful. Apparently the author wrote a bunch of other stuff, as listed on Robert Kourik dot com, his website, so I'll be looking into that.
Basically anything in the Fine Homebuilding series published by Taunton Press, mainly to get better acquainted with how homes are built and sometimes remodeled. Note that reading these it becomes apparent most of the authors in each entry are not civil engineers, so if you actually try anything from these, please get an engineer to look over the designs and blueprints, construction plan, and construction work to ensure that the physics works out. Just because it's up to code doesn't mean that the laws of physics will play friendly with your building, especially over time as materials degrade.
Housebuilding by R.J. Cristoforo, not because I recommend ever building like that book recommends (shudder) but to help yourself get acquainted with the lingo and techniques of how homes are built, which is helpful to know before you go knocking around with a hammer trying to repair things
Easy Fixes for Everyday Things by Reader's Digest - exactly that, and definitely worth having around for the nifty quick fixes.
The Complete Guide to Home Inspection by Roger Robinson and Michael Litchfield - because home inspection is underrated. Definitely wish I'd read this before getting a house. Apparently they also made House Check: Finding and Fixing Common House Problems, which I really hope to get my hands on.
Making Stuff and Doing Things by Kyle Bravo - definitely worth the high price for the book. I waited like three years to read this. Wish I hadn't.
Woodland Craft Handbook by Ben Law - working with green wood, coppices, and twigs to make an assortment of really cool things. Yay!
Nature Smart by Gwen Diehn, Terry Krautwurst, Alan Anderson, Joe Rhatigan & Heather Smith - not your average kid's craft book, contains a large assortment of ideas for natural crafts that go above and beyond. Many require adaptation to actually be eco friendly, though.
AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home - helpful for home safety for all ages and definitely worth the read, and adopting its ideas no matter how old you are
The New York Times Home Repair Almanac, by Edward R. Lipinski - has simple step-by-step directions for seasonal home maintenance. It's helpful.
My House is Killing Me! by Jeffrey C. May and Connie L. May - the best guide to getting rid of home health threats such as poor air quality, mold etc. that I've found so far. It is so informative that I recommend it for everyone who lives indoors.
Clean & Green by Annie Berthold-Bond - aside from some seriously questionable recipes for mold removal that will definitely not work, and some recipes that effectively make expensive water by combining vinegar and baking soda, it's got some great stuff in there
The Foxfire series edited by Eliot Wigginton, with the caveat that some of its directions are historically accurate but dangerous
Lost Crafts by Una McGovern, same caveat
Stanley Easy Home _ Repairs - this is a series of books for basic home repairs. Recommended for learning how to do minor home repairs; these are clearly illustrated and clearly explained. Generally a good idea to use this series before running into major problems with a house, to get some practice in.
Ultimate Guide: Home Repair and Improvement by Creative Homeowner - A good thing to have on hand.
Singer Simple Sewing - for learning the basics of machine sewing and learning them right
Back to Basics by Abigail Gehring, with the caveat that some of its directions may be dangerous
The Organic Artist: Make Your Own Paint, Paper, Pigments and Prints from Nature by Nick Neddo - super fun stuff especially if you've got kids
Celebrating Birch: The Lore, Art and Craft of an Ancient Tree by North House Folk School - all about birch and its crafts
The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket - covers sewing, embroidery, knitting, baking, and the reasons why you'd bother
Knit, Hook, and Spin by Laurie Carlson - helps with understanding the basics
Kids Learn to Crochet by Lucinda Guy & Francois Hall - frustrating, because crochet is frustrating, but helpful
Crocheting by Blakley Kinsler - Another good guide, with some more techniques and sample projects
You Can Weave! by Kathleen Monaghan and Hermon Joyner - great. Contains lots of techniques for weaving simply but well and on a budget too
Fun With Chinese Knotting by Lydia Chen - if you're interested in Chinese-style lucky knots and ornamentation, this is good to have around. Beware though. It's really difficult.
Everything written by Anne L. Watson, especially Smart Soapmaking, but she also wrote some books about lotionmaking. These recipes work.
Heirloom Wood by Max Bainbridge - basic whittling and carving
Make Your Place by Raleigh Briggs - these directions are not good, complete, or sustainable long term unless you have a lot of time and patience to learn how to do them right (and from other books) but they are an excellent introduction to various topics
Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond - like Make Your Place in that these recipes are hippie-ish and not always in a good way. For instance, the moisturizer recipes don't use preservatives that actually prevent bacterial growth, and there are several questionable recipes for grout. Look up everything in it that seems a little iffy before you use it; let the buyer beware. With those caveats, it's got great recipes for DIYing a lot of varied stuff... just be careful and ready to alter the recipes to ensure better safety and function.
The Complete Practical Book of Country Crafts by Jack Hill - the real deal if you're trying to DIY things like baskets, besoms, thatching, ropemaking, pottery, spinning, weaving, thatching, walling, carpentry, coopering, and even blacksmithing. It is not a comprehensive course in each of these things but actually has enough to get you started in any of these. The main focus is on using natural resources in a given foresty area in an old-fashioned (and that's pretty sustainable) way. It's great.
Country Crafts Today by J.E. Manners - the old fashioned way is often "the hard way." But it's certainly good to know, and who knows, maybe you'll find a hobby or even a side hustle from this. Unlike a lot of craft books on the market these days this contains complete directions.
The Complete Book of Nature Crafts by Eric Carlson, Dawn Cusick, and Carol Taylor - is a good introduction. Contains complete directions.
Stencilling for the First Time by Rebecca Carter
The Illustrated Guide to Crafting With Tin, Wire & Foil by Simona Hill
Newly Revised Recipes for Art and Craft Materials by Helen Roney Sattler - contains a large assortment of really cool recipes for DIYing things like fixative, paint, colored fire, crayons and more
1/27/23 The Hero's Closet by Gillian Conahan - contains very useful information for not just making cosplay outfits and costumes but sewing and altering clothes. Especially helpful for learning some tips and tricks to working with tricky fabric like chiffon and velvet.

Even More Crafts (new section made 3/30/23)

The Complete Book of Basketry Techniques by Sue Gabriel & Sally Goymer - not for beginners and barely comprehensible to the layman. But pretty good for more advanced stuff I'd imagine. I gave it a good try to read, being a layman, and determined it's almost impossible as a first step, so beginners beware.

Parenting

P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever by Raj Haldar
Single Dad Laughing: The Complete First Year by Dan Pearce
Dr. Spock’s Child Care series
365 Days of Creative Play by Sheila Ellison & Judith Gray
The Mudpies Book of Boredom Busters by Nancy Blakey
FamilyFun Boredom Busters by Deanna Cook
The Book of Gardening for Kids by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher
Let's Play Traditional Games of Childhood by Dusan Petricic and Camilla Gryski
The Ultimate Disney Party Book by Jessica Ward, because it has a Captain Hook party in it, and that is awesome
Baby Center An online resource for parenting babies and toddlers
Bill Nye the Science Guy TV show - great for kids
Beakman's World TV show - great for kids
The Magic School Bus TV show - great for kids
Eyewitness British TV show - great for kids
Flight of Dragons movie
The Knights of Boo'Gar by Art Roche - surprisingly good bedtime story
Bowwow Powwow by Brenda J. Child, Jonathan Thunder and Gordon Jourdain - super wholesome story about powwows with companion retelling in Ojibwe, added to list 5/16/23
All the Miyazaki films except for Grave of the Fireflies
AirBnb simple tips for childproofing Airbnb
r/parenting
Instructables collection Contains lots of DIY fun activities for keeping kids busy and out of trouble
Fun On The Run by Joanna Cole - helps kids stay entertained on car trips, with clean humor that grown-ups are likely to laugh at also. It's a hidden gem and I recommend it!

Small Home Business

Gift Basket series by Shirley George Frazier
Growing Lavender For Profit by Aaron Martinez - not just for growing lavender, read this to also learn the basics of how to start and run a small home business
The Flower Farmer's Year by Georgie Newbery

Lifehacks

Prepper's Survival Hacks by Jim Cobb - General "make the most of what you've got" type manual for making nifty doodads.
The Everygirl's Guide to Life by Maria Menounos - I wish this was taught in schools. It has lifehacks that are that useful. Especially helpful for dealing with bureaucracy and big stuff such as careers and networking.
Adulting by Kelly Williams Brown - Ditto.

Camping, backpacking and wilderness survival

The Campout Cookbook by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson - for car camping, backyard camping, and for romantic getaways if you really want to spoil your #1. It has recipes as well as camping tips to make it more comfortable, and in the wilderness comfy means the difference between safety and danger, so you really want comfy.
Snow Sense by Jill Fredston et al - For not getting killed by an avalanche
Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills by The Mountaineers - For safe, sane wilderness recreation
Scouting Guide to Wilderness First Aid by the Boy Scouts of America - Does not replace actual CPR and Red Cross First Aid certification, nor does it replace real schooling or courses on wilderness medicine. Best used as a supplement to these things, or at least carted around in your backpack just in case cause it is better than nothing.
Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Living by John and Geri McPherson - For learning various tips on survival

Cleaning and organization

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis, LPC - is it really all that and a bag of chips? Pretty close. It's got some truly excellent advice, particularly for not being unnecessarily hard on yourself, and especially for people who might struggle with household tasks due to mental overload or a lot of IRL stress (external and/or mental). It doesn't have many tips for keeping house with physical disability so keep that in mind if that's what you're needing.
12/30/22 500 Ideas For Small Spaces by Kimberley Seldon - Contains some legitimately helpful tips and ideas that would really have helped if I'd found 'em like ten years ago prior to living in a variety of really small pigeonholes :)
The Folding Lady by Sophie Liard - Not just about folding but about the attitude and overall approach to housekeeping and helping to define your "why." Of course, the organizational and folding tips are all great too. Special and worth reading cover to cover. New Age Positive Thinking nonsense does work its annoying way into here which is a minor drawback but is mercifully limited.
The I Hate To Housekeep Book by Peg Bracken - helps people who are trying to hold a household together and just flying by the seat of their pants. Last I checked that was everyone.
Clean Like A Man by Tom McNulty - Also helpful for people who are barely making it through the day but would appreciate not living in filth. What's really nice about this one is that it doesn't place pressure on you to clear time from your schedule that you don't have in order to clean with energy you also do not have. It's efficient, it gets to the point, everyone should read this one at least once. Then try things from it.
Organizing from the Inside Out for Teens - Not just for teens. Read through it once, apply its knowledge, and you'll have much less stress about cleaning for the rest of your life.
Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson - contains not just the "how" of lots of Home Ec but also the "why." If you put its principles into practice you will live like a king.
Laundry Love by Patric Richardson and Karin B. Miller - explains how to not only properly, efficiently launder clothes in a nontoxic way, but how to avoid dry cleaning your stuff by cleaning it all yourself, and that includes pillows, business suits, shower curtains, and stuffed animals. Also contains directions for stain removal even of difficult stains, laundry room setup, basic ironing, basic folding, and a bonus mini chapter of Southern recipes. Worth the read, possibly worth owning.
The Zen of Organizing by Regina Leeds - more of a "why" book than a "how to" book, can get you fired up to clean
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo - if you already are into cleaning and organization, this is like the next step up
Clean Your Space by Melissa Maker - a basic beginner's manual of getting and keeping your place clean with minimal effort
My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag by Jolie Kerr - specific information for cleaning problems
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home by Thelma Meyer - if you need a whole bunch of yearly, monthly, and weekly cleaning checklists this one is for you
2/7/23 Easy Home Organizer by Vicki Payne - gets right to the point for each room and basic idea. Really good for if you want the maximum amount of impact for the minimum amount of effort and time, which is important because often homes get disorganized not because of laziness but just plain old lack of time. Incidentally it seems Vicki Payne started an entire lifestyle company with a bunch of how-to videos but when I looked it up I couldn't find the company. I did however find the PBS show she co-hosts with her daughter, For Your Home. I also found some fascinating stained glass books.

Herbal medicine, medicine, and health

Superman's Not Coming by Erin Brockovich - because the tap water in the US is as a matter of fact even worse than you'd think
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, latest edition - Specific solutions for every typical health problem, in doctor speak. This is what doctors use to look things up instead of Google.
Harrison's Guide to Internal Medicine, latest edition, parts I and II - I absolutely stan this book. You'll need to understand anatomy, basic biology, physiology and a whole lot of doctor stuff before you can understand it, but once you get the idea, this is a book to read, re-read, and treasure. My favorite medical textbook of all time.
Herbs by Lesley Bremness (note: I highly highly recommend looking up each herb with its latin name in Pubmed Central before you use it) - The original work that got me into herbal medicine and probably saved my life. It has gardening info, recipes, aromatherapy directions, herbal remedies, profiles of each herb in great detail, and a whole lot more. It's awesome.
Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar - A basic primer into herbal medicine. Definitely not the safest approach around so please research the herbs on Pubmed Central before you decide to use anything.
What To Expect when You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff - the whole series. Like health class but without useless filler and with parenting tips. It's fantastic.
Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd - explains how to reduce the likelihood your home will make you sick. Good way to ensure you aren't having a shitload of chemicals that belong in a toxicology textbook in harmful amounts in your house. Remember folks, there's no OSHA for homeowners.
Everyday Ayurveda by Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya - a good introductory text to Ayurveda, the Indian method of natural and herbal medicine
The China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert - helpful for beginners. Also, really fun to read.
Anything and everything by Adelma Grenier Simmons - mostly for the gardener but these books tend to also contain recipes, tips, info and tricks you can't find anywhere else. A lot of fun to read too.

Cookbooks

Bress 'n' Nyam by Matthew Raiford with Amy Paige Condon - just reading this now. I'm calling it: I think this might just be the most groundbreaking cookbook I've read in 18 years.
Mason Jar Salads by Julia Mirabella - An excellent way to get started. Meal prep these twice a week, and workdays might just get easier. It's not necessary to actually use mason jars, these can be packed in any containers. Which is good cause glass can break in transit.
Mason Jar Lunches by Jessica Harlan - More excellent ideas for this stuff. Misleading title, these can be eaten any time of the day and there are breakfasty things in this too.
Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin - trust me, it's worth it. Even for just the helpful ideas for chicken salad if nothing else and there is a lot else.
The Best Homemade Kids' Lunches On The Planet by Laura Fuentes - Not just for kids. Great for pretty much anyone. Recommended.
Lunchbox by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson - for packing lunches for kids. Looks overwhelming but isn't. Read through it, get to know it. Has a chip on the shoulder attitude, though, which is... unsettling.
Clueless In The Kitchen by Evelyn Raab - ostensibly for teenagers, but if you want to get food on the table fast, this will help you not go hungry
The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker, whatever edition suits your fancy - the recipes are reliable and it just works
The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley - what this country's been missing. If you live in North America and have a lot of money, this cookbook is for you. Unfortunately its ingredients are bloody expensive or difficult to find. I suspect if you live on a Native American reservation or out in the wild somewhere you might have more luck finding the ingredients. Red Lake Nation, Tanka Bar, Sunbutter, and Bob's Red Mill can help with mail ordering some of these ingredients online. For the rest I suggest you learn to forage, hunt, garden, and fish. You can grow some of the Native American crops in your garden by going to Native Seeds. They're awesome and I stan their products.
The Farmette Cookbook by Imen McDonnell - good Irish-American cooking from an Irish dairy farm. If you have access to high quality dairy and/or live on a farm this is the one to get.
This Ain't No Picnic: Your Vegan Punk Rock Cookbook by Joshua Ploeg - Simple, cheap, filling.
Jewish Cooking Boot Camp - Is not actually kosher. Doesn't seem to be an intentional error but is a pretty serious one. However, if you know how to make things kosher, then you can easily swap out ingredients in order to make these recipes kosher. And then you can have rugelach, and who doesn't want rugelach?
From Crook to Cook by Snoop Dogg - Simple, good.
Cooking With Coolio by Coolio - I really like this one. It's simple, great for beginners, but gives great results.
Anything at all by Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman - Another excellent source for recipes for beginners. I spent a year once surviving on these recipes and restaurant food with very limited mobility. The recipes don't fail. I really mean anything and everything that she wrote. And to be frank I'm tired of seeing her and her cooking show get all the flak. I could rattle off a list of TV personality chefs and cookbook authors that I have a personal vendetta against because of the wasted time and ingredients and the recipes that look great but don't work (*coughonethatwenttojailcough*) but I think you get the point. She. Is. Good. At. This. Buy her books.
The I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken - Contains several helpful tips.
The I Hate To Cook Almanac by Peg Bracken - in which you can fill up on a dime with however limited energy you've got, pretty much any month of the year. It is good.
1/14/23 Will It Waffle by Daniel Shumski - get your caloric needs for the day, every day, from a waffle iron? Well, maybe not quite, but close. Incidentally you can use a George Foreman Grill for the same exact stuff, especially if you have a horizontal model, or prop up aforementioned grill with several bricks. No, it is not safe that way. Yes, it is a fire hazard. Proceed at your own risk. However you can certainly use Will It Waffle to waffle-ize a surprisingly huge variety of stuff. Highly recommended, especially for making leftovers a lot more interesting.
1/14/23 My Drunk Kitchen by Hannah Hart, and My Drunk Kitchen Holidays by Hannah Hart - if your experience in the kitchen is not fun it will make it at least a little more fun. And there's a recipe for a super gay coming-out cake.
The Boba Cookbook by Helen Leung - Good recipes for bubble tea. Surprisingly includes directions for making tapioca pearls from scratch
Fun with Food by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Gia Russo - A seasonal guide for doable recipes. Mostly for beginners, and can easily be adapted for different ingredients, adaptations, and themes.
Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner - Vegan cheese recipes.
The Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak - Cheaper, and probably better, vegan cheese recipes. A lot more awesome than it seems, try it.
How It All Vegan, How It All Vegan Again, and The Garden of Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard - you could say this is the equivalent of The Joy of Cooking in the vegan world. The recipes are not perfect and often require adjustments and little scribbles in the margins to get perfect but they're groundbreaking and well worth trying out.
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero - try the lemon poppyseed ones
Alice's Tea Cup by Lauren and Haley Fox - Tea party type stuff
Good Eats 1 and 2 by Alton Brown - Helpful introduction to cooking, and the recipes work.
50 Recipes For Kids To Cook - if you have a kid that's really into Iron Chef or something similar, and loves to cook, this will definitely help. They can alter the recipes as much or as little as they like. This book is a celebration of creativity. However, if you are looking for mostly premade, fast and easy type of recipes, this is not it.
The How-To Cookbook for Teens by Julee Morrison - helpful for beginners. Heavy on animal products; you can swap vegan replacements for most of those.
Not helpful: Williams-Sonoma anything. Just order a pizza, the ingredients are too expensive. I like to imagine that they're all subtitled "You can't afford this, ha ha ha!"

Cookbooks for People Who Really Like to Cook

10/8/23 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer - lots of nonvegan curries but plenty upon plenty of vegan ones. Although I haven't cooked out of this yet I am looking forward to it.
My Shanghai by Betty Liu - 9/4/23 Don't know what it is with cookbooks made with kindness and the best intentions these days, but this is definitely one of them and I hope this trend continues. Explains Shanghai cooking in an easy-to-understand way, with stories and helpful tips.
Caribbean Food Made Easy by Levi Roots - 5/30/23 Easily the most frustrating reading experience I've had in the past few months because I am not currently able to get in the kitchen. If you love to cook, please try this.
The Woks of Life Family Cookbook is finally available for pre-order, to be sent out on November 1, 2022. You're going to want this one.
Anything by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson - kind of expensive recipes but with adaptation can be used and loved on any budget
The Nom Wah Cookbook by Wilson Tang with Joshua David Stein - my actual reaction: "chicken powder? what the heck is chicken powder? whoa!!!" Turns out it is kind of like bouillon. And is put in some of these recipes. Savory flavor is the hardest kind to really master in cooking, plus if you've ever had legit Chinese dim sum you wind up craving it no matter where you travel or stay. Give this one a try.
Endangered Recipes: Too Good To Be Forgotten by Lari Robling - these are special.
Skinny Italian by Teresa Giudice - ah, this cookbook, he's been living on top of my refrigerator for years. And we are not getting rid of him.
The Joy of Cooking, any edition - you can see this book's DNA in pretty much everything you find on www.thepioneerwoman.com. And well, that lady can cook. It's such an underrated cookbook! It excels at American cuisine, but not so much that from other countries. So it's not perfect. So what.
Herbs by Lesley Bremness - less for the actual recipes and more for the suggestions for using herbs in cooking from the common to the obscure
Zero-Proof Cocktails by Liz Scott - exactly what it sounds like. And these are great recipes. Incidentally, if you are looking for great nonalcoholic drinks in general, take a look at cookbooks intended for entertaining and their punches, because festive punches can usually be made without the booze and pretty easily. A fancy wassail or a Halloween party swamp punch are two good examples. And from experience: at bars, you can usually order a Shirley Temple, Rob Roy, Virgin Mary, or a juice mixed with club soda and garnished with some fruit or other. Ask the bartender to load it up with suitable garnishes so you don't feel like you're missing out. No problem.
A Gay Guy's Guide to Life Love Food by Khanh Ong - I can frankly recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in making wildly delicious food. This is also the real deal for Vietnamese food so if you live out in the middle of nowhere and can't get a pho fix, you need this book! Plus the offhand remarks keep things fresh and interesting. Enjoyable to read and to cook with.
Appetites by Anthony Bourdain - another of the cookbooks that exists to create unreal, delicious flavor in your everyday meals. Interesting to read too.
A Feast of Serendib by Mary Anne Mohanraj - a little something for everybody. Sri Lankan stuff that's both accessible and fun.

Fermentation and Homebrew

1/31/23 Make Mead Like A Viking by Jereme Zimmerman - can get you hooked on fermentation. A bit like standing on the prow of a ship with a full-bellied sail. It's that interesting.
1/31/23 In Praise of Apples: A Harvest of History, Horticulture, & Recipes by Mark Rosenstein - included for... uh, reasons

Beauty

Curly Like Me by Teri LaFlesh - 3/18/24 This should be in every wannabe hairdresser's list of must-read books, and on the curriculum at every beauty school. Why? Because you can't find this information anywhere else. Supposedly hair "must" be pin straight, just like your lawful alignment, your sexual preferences, and your cookie cutter approach to life, so you can be just like everyone else in that stack of beautiful dominoes. Yeah believers in that can keep that. This book's better.
Style 101 by InStyle - has a lot of great tips
Instyle Ultimate Beauty Secrets - saaaame. 5/11/23 In fact I'd even say this one is better than the rest on this list; if you only get one get this one
Allure Confessions of a Beauty Editor by Linda Wells - 5/11/23 If you can get past the (in my opinion) over-frosted rather unnatural-looking photographs, the beauty tips and tricks are the real deal and will up your beauty game permanently
Feed Your Face by Jessica Wu, M.D. - explains how to create beautiful skin from a dermatologist's point of view
The Beauty of Color by Iman Bowie - explains how to DIY the perfect makeup shades for you and some other cool makeup tips and tricks. One of the most glamorous and uplifting beauty reads of all time.
Crafty Girl: Beauty by Jennifer Traig - creative DIY preparations for beauty. A good reference, not exhaustive or overly difficult.
Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty by Bobbi Brown - rather blunt advice. Extremely informative, though, the kind of stuff you can't pick up unless you have years of experience, which she does. Recommended, and not just for teens, but for everyone. However, oh no, racist stereotypes. Those are really fucking off-putting.
Japanese Beauty Secrets by Hisako Grace Maeda - the title says it all, and you can pick up some helpful hints
How To Walk In High Heels and A Year In High Heels by Camilla Morton - add glamor to your life if you want some. Many handy tips.
Make It Up by Marie Rayma - literally how to create your own makeup and skincare products from scratch
Beeswax Alchemy by Petra Ahnert - if you have a beehive and need to use the wax, wa la
Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin - explains some of the "how" of putting on makeup with several example looks
Makeup is Not (just) Magic by Ikumi Rotta - absolutely the best manual for people who don't know where to start with beauty and makeup
Your Beauty Mark by Dita von Teese - warning: this is not an easy lighthearted read; you have to really think about each sentence to get much out of it. It's best combined with a thing called an Illustrated Discovery Journal, created by Sarah Ban Breathnach in Simple Abundance.
The Compassionate Chick's Guide to Vegan Beauty by Sunny Subramanian and Chrystle Fiedler - Simple skincare preparations. Definitely a good place to start if you're just starting out with beauty DIYs, if you're vegan or not.
Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond - as mentioned, the preservatives used in some of these recipes don't actually prevent bacterial growth. Therefore, if you make this stuff, make it in small batches and use it within half a week.
Country Ways and Wisdom by Rosamund Richardson - some useful tips and tricks. Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal almost copypasted a lot of these beauty treatments.
Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar - see above. Questionable safety of the herbal remedies.

Stress Relief and Mental Health

4/27/23 Buy Yourself The F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster
4/5/23 The Intrusive Thoughts Toolkit by Jon Hershfield, MFT et al - say it with me, thoughts are not things.
3/27/23 Sweet Potato Queens series - I can't believe it, but they help?!
3/25/23 Life's Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. - not all of it is applicable anymore, nor does all of it make perfect sense, but it sure makes a difference in quality of life
3/25/23 The classics, classic literature, and whatever you can find at your library, including banned books - why? Because these do have "how to human" in there. And some of them can change your life. Also, banned books these days aren't books that are actually bad or harmful, or ones that teach you to make weapons of mass destruction or how to be a psychopath or something. They're just politically unpopular.
1/24/23 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Penguin version, is worth it. I skip the introductory and outro waffle and just read the Meditations, fyi
1/18/23 Ye Gods, Dan Pearce has finally put some of his blog posts back online on Kindle Unlimited. If you have it, they're $0, and if you don't, they're like $5 a pop. This man is not a psychologist but boy does reading this stuff ever help.
My Drunk Kitchen by Hannah Hart, also My Drunk Kitchen Holidays by Hannah Hart
Hardcore Zen by Brad Lancaster - Worth the read. Possibly the re-read. Possibly worth owning. Zen Buddhism without pretension or bullshit.
Ballerina Body by Misty Copeland
How To Be You by Jeffrey Marsh - Another book I wish was part of the school curriculum. Helps you to accept yourself as you are.
When Panic Attacks by David Burns, M.D. - Ditto school curriculum. Teaches the skills of dialectical behavioral therapy so you can apply them yourself and overcome all kinds of unhelpful thinking.
The World According to Mr. Rogers - Just a good way of getting your mind right. Mr. Rogers was, and still is, legendary for being a kind and wise person.
Massage by Clare Maxwell-Hudson - Basic massage people can do to help their families and children relax. This is what my parents used to help me get through growing pains.
Unf#ck Your Brain by Faith G. Harper - Helpful for dealing with past traumas, but don't use the book by itself, double it up with other help.
Simple Abundance: 365 Days to a Balanced and Joyful Life by Sarah Ban Breathnach - A whole year of helpful tips and tricks to improved mental health, provided you actually attempt the recommendations.
Romancing the Ordinary by Sarah Ban Breathnach - Recommended despite reservations because it has references to my religion (Goddess religion) and we don't recruit. Good for helping you appreciate what you've got. Especially helpful for when you are feeling down in the dumps. For those of you who are uncomfortable with Goddess religion (and that's okay!) just go with Simple Abundance.
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday - Fantastic resource to get your head screwed on straight. One of my favorite books of all time, helps you keep everything in perspective.

My Irritation

Let me explain why so many of these (not the ones listed on this page, other ones of the same overall topic) are a ripoff. Lots of DIY stuff on the shelf starts with the unwritten step, "First, spend a lot of money :) " which makes no sense on two levels. 1. If you're poor, and that's why you're trying to DIY something in the first place, you can't use it. 2. If you're rich enough to afford it, you don't have the time to DIY unless you are also either a. idle rich, or b. retired, in which case you're probably not that able-bodied. So essentially to use a lot of these "helpful" DIY books you have to be rich, have tons of free time, and be able-bodied. You might as well just stick to your day job!

2/9/23 It didn't occur to me to mention the process. I really do read or thoroughly skim anywhere from about 30 to 1000 books before one makes the cut for this list.

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