Books Monthly New Nonfiction Book Reviews

Now you can organize your precious recipe collection and locate what you are looking for in a flash. "The Recipe Organizer" will assist you with filing and storing your precious collected recipes plus allow you to keep all of your food-related notes and contacts in one safe and convenient place. As well as providing ample space for writing, it also includes six handy pockets for storing tearsheets plus features an elastic pen holder. This is the perfect gift for enthusiastic amateur chefs or busy family cooks at a great price.

BOOKS MONTHLY SAYS: With so many great cook books reviewed this month, it's easy to forget that we often find recipes in newspapers and magazines, or jot them down from the many TV programmes, and then forget what we've done with them! Ryland Peters and Small have come up with the perfect, most beautiful and stylish answer, a recipe organiser that will look great in your kitchen, on the shelf where you keep your cookery books, or even tucked away in a cupboard - my preference would be for the former, and it will have pride of place, because quite often the recipes that are handed down through the generations, the ones written on a sheet of foolscap paper or the back of an envelope, or a postcard, are the ones you refer to most, the ones you need to be able to find at any time. This is the perfect book for just that - a real winner from RPS.

MICHELLE McKEE ORSINI: HANDMADE BIRDHOUSES AND FEEDERS [Published by Cico Books]

This wonderful collection of handmade birdhouses and feeders will add decoration to any outdoor space, as well as attract garden birds. Watching birds in the garden is a real treat and providing food, water and safe places to nest will ensure that you have birds visiting your garden all year round. With 35 beautiful projects, this book shows you how to create stylish homes for all sorts of birds, as well as attractive feeders. Many of the birdhouses in the book follow a basic shape, each one decorated and finished in a different way. There are also projects for wall-mounted and multi-storey birdhouses. Most importantly, these birdhouses are designed to suit the needs of nesting birds, with ventilation, drainage, clean-out doors and dimensions that are suitable for their future occupants. Using just basic woodworking skills, each project has clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations and beautiful photography that will guide even the novice woodworker.

Tim Taylor: The Time Team Dig Book [Channel 4 Books HB]

Time Team is Channel 4's perennially popular archaeology show - and the experts are ready to share their archaeological know-how with us. So many of us watch the show and wish that we, too, could get out there, get digging and uncover an artefact such as a piece of pottery, glass, brooch or pipe stem. Now we can! The Time Team Dig Book explains all the key skills the budding archaeologist needs to know. From gaining permission for your dig and surveying the landscape, to locating and excavating your first trench; from identifying pottery, to your final report and the legacy of your dig. Taking us on a tour of some of their latest key excavation sites, Tony, Mick, Phil and the gang share with us their wealth of expertise and tell us all we need to know in order to join in.

BOOKS MONTHLY says: Such a shame that Channel 4 decided to pull the plug on this fabulous programme, probably the best thing on Channel 4 and a rich source of vital and fascinating historical information. The book concentrates on the last series of programmes, filmed during 2012 and broadcast this year, and is a wonderful keepsake - not only that, it shows how the programmes were made, how the experts decided where to put the trenches, how important it is to think about becoming an archaeologist in the first place. A wonderful book, beautifully printed and written - let's hope Tim Taylor can persuade one of the networks to take on his vision for a new and improved Time Team programme in the very near future - it's sorely missed, already.

Michael Okuda: Star Trek - On Board the USS Enterprise [Carlton Books HB]

Famed for its original storylines, endearing and complex characters as well as the sheer enjoyment of watching, "Star Trek" is a serious hobby for some, a part-time job for others, and a rich source of fun for all. "On Board The U.S.S. Enterprise" is the golden ticket for a once-in-a-lifetime, access-all-areas personal tour of the fabled corridors of the U.S.S. Enterprise, deconstructed with all the seriousness and depth of an equivalent guide to the Titanic. Captain Picard's Starship Enterprise has become the enduring image of "Star Trek: TNG", and this is the legend at the centre of this title.

BOOKS MONTHLY says: With the new Star Trek movie just a few weeks away, interest in ST will be at fever pitch, and Carlton have taken this opportunity to rekindle interest in TNG, with a superb book about the ship, life on board, and the main characters. Superbly illustrated and includes a brilliant DVD. A must-read for all fans of Star Trek.

RHS Garden Projects [Dorling Kindersley HB]

Get outside and get inspired in the garden! Bursting with garden projects to make, cook and create, RHS Garden Projects is full of different projects for children to get excited about. From making their own garden buddy to baking a blueberry cheesecake; from lemonade lollies to Wild-West cacti, RHS Garden Projects is chock full of inspiring ideas. Each project and recipe is easy to make and has clear steps to follow. Beautiful photographs inspire children to make their own projects whilst bringing the garden to life - further proof that there's so much fun to be had in their own back yard. Also, there's a funky quiz section at the end of the book so kids can test their knowledge of plants and garden bugs. For those with green fingers and an active imagination, look no further than RHS Garden Projects.

BOOKS MONTHLY says: Primarily aimes at children but appropriate also for adults, this charming book is full of information and ideas on how to get started in growing. Absolutely superb - should be part of the national curriculum and every school should have one! A brilliant, wonderfully designed and illustrated book. Full marks to DK!

Cook It Step By Step - Learn to cook 100 Easy Recipes [Dorling Kindersley PB]

Master the cookery basics...then move on to the fun stuff. "Cook It" is the ultimate introduction to cookery for kids. It does what every cookbook should do - take the simple stuff, learn it, then move on to conquer the kitchen. Basic techniques are covered first and step-by-step guidelines and colour photographs keep everything clear and simple. When your child feels ready they can move on to dishes which put their new knowledge to the test. They can master how to cook an egg, then use it in pancakes and omelettes; learn how to make dough then open their own mini bakery full of homemade breads and pizzas. There are 100 easy and delicious dishes to make, bake and create in here, so they'll never run out of inspiration. Split into five sections - breakfast, light bites, main meals, sweets and preparing for events. With a meal and party planner included children can share their new skills with family and friends, get ready to be impressed.

BOOKS MONTHLY SAYS: Another superb idea from DK, this time it's teaching the little people to cook, and again, this should be part of the national curriculum. Children love getting messy, especially with food, and if they can see something half edible at the end of it, all the better! One hundred easy recipes to engage children - parents will also love working their way through some of the fantastic recipes. A brilliant book.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Using Your Computer - For Seniors [Dorling Kindersley PB]

The easiest way to get what you want from your computer. With The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Using Your Computer - For Seniors, getting started with your computer couldn't be easier. This guide is focused on all the activities you want to learn how to do including how to set up and use your computer and email, browse and search online and protect your computer against viruses and spam. Also learn how to work with photos, shop online, use social networks, and play games, music and films so you can get the most out of your computer. You'll also find out how to seek help and troubleshoot common problems. With lots of helpful visuals, oversized type and absolutely everything you need to know to use a computer with ease, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Using Your Computer - For Seniors is the perfect companion to have on hand.

BOOKS MONTHLY SAYS: This is essential reading for older people - I was lucky enough to be in at the birth of the personal computer, and have no difficulty working out what to do if things go wrong - but for many old 'uns, this can be a daunting task. I know it's a book series, but I don't think it's right to describe this as an Idiot's Guide and then say it's "for seniors". Maybe calling it "A Simple Guide" or "Simplified Guides" or something like that would be less offensive. And I know it wasn't DK's idea to call it that - this is an American book originally. It is comprehensive, clearly written with excellent illustrations, so it's just what you need. The only thing wrong with it is the title!

Hans Seidler: Hitler's Boy Soldiers - The Hitlerjugend Story

[Pen and Sword Books Images of War Series PB]

Founded in 1922 the Hitler Youth movement was the second oldest Nazi group. Comprising male youths aged 14 - 18, by December 1936 membership stood at over 5 million. During the Second World War the role of Hitlerjugend evolved from assisting with the postal, train and fire services into full war fighting. Recruits went into units such as the elite 12th SS Panzer-Division 'Hitlerjugend' and we see graphic images of this Waffen-SS force in action both on the Eastern and Western fronts. Even as the Nazi cause faced inevitable defeat these units fought with fanatical and disturbing bravery and after defeat in May 1945 elements carried out guerrilla actions in the Bavarian and Austrian mountains. The reader will find much original material on this legendary but distasteful Nazi organisation.

Anthony Grey: The Hostage Handbook [Tagman Press PB]

The Hostage Handbook presents the highly charged verbatim transcription of the text of the author's secret shorthand diaries which he wrote and kept hidden during his period of two years and two months solitary confinement as a hostage in China. The reader receives a powerful sense of feeling what it was like, moment by moment, to be held hostage in isolation in a hostile land. He says he now sees the two harrowing years held in a slogan daubed house in the heart of Beijing as ' a huge delayed action privilege' and realises, more than three decades later, how the insights provided by that experience - and the very act of keeping those secret diaries themselves - helped shape his life positively after his release. He has been an avid journal keeper ever since and in an accompanying commentary he extols the virtues of that reflective discipline.

Jason Loborik, Annabel Gibson & Moray Laing: Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia [Dorling Kindersley HB]

Celebrate the Doctor's 50th anniversary with over 200 characters - past and present. Step into the TARDIS, watching out for the odd Dalek, and allow yourself to be swept away into the weird and wonderful world of Doctor Who. Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia covers every single Doctor and each of his resourceful companions from the last 50 years, as well as unforgettable foes from the Daleks, to Cybermen and the fearsome Master. Each Doctor's regeneration is featured in Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia, where more than 200 characters have full profiles, including the very strangest of aliens from the classic series. Data files provide fascinating stats on every character included in the book, from the faithful K-9 to brand new companion Clara Oswald. If you're a Time Lord in the making, Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia is a must-have. Perfect for Doctor Who fans of all ages, for researching your scariest enemies and saving the planet one adventure at a time. Geronimo!

BOOKS MONTHLY SAYS: Surely the most comprehensive guide to the hundreds of fantastic characters that have appeared in Doctor Who since the series began back in 1963. I can't say definitively that there are no characters missing - all of the ones I remember are there, a page for each companion, each doctor, each species - it's fascinating, factual (or rather, fictual) and brilliantly designed. I chose to read it through, but you could equally use it as a reference guide, or an encyclopedia, looking up your favourite character in the index. Either way, it's a fitting celebration of an SF programme that pre-dates even Star Trek and is still going strong. Brillliant!