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briarwren's review
slow-paced
2.5
I wanted to love this cookbook. The cover was lovely and I couldn't wait to settle down with it and a mug of tea on a lazy afternoon. However, while there was slight organization (i.e categories for Breakfast, Soup, etc.) the book itself isn't intuitive. There is no Index, no lists of the witchy lore and what pages they were found on and the nature of this Kindle book doesn't allow for searches as it typically does.
At the very least I would have expected a list of the Directions, Properties and Associations found either with the Contents or the Index. It doesn't need to be exhaustive but if I'm wanting something for Abundance for instance having a list of page numbers to refer to would have been helpful.
The illustrations are so pretty but at times it did feel crowded and it is annoying when a page of lore came between an ingredient page and its associated recipe. I was surprised the Contents didn't have the same look as the rest of the book and appeared to be an afterthought. There were also several pages that weren't cropped properly and detracted from the whole.
For a book being billed to busy kitchen witches this book is practically useless since as already mentioned there is no functioning search for this book even for the Contents. I don't always have the wherewithal to sit and page through the entire book every time I wish to use it. Not to mention there aren't actually any page numbers!
Nor was I pleased to note that when cans, bags, pouches or boxes of an ingredient were called for there weren't associated sizes included such as 8.5 oz for the Jiffy cornbread mix. Products such as these can be regional or even discontinued and people need to know the sizes so they can choose a reasonable substitute. Products can also change sizes over time which is why it can be so difficult using vintage cookbooks. The knowledge is common and authors assume it will always be known which simply isn't the case. This was such a disappointment.
At the very least I would have expected a list of the Directions, Properties and Associations found either with the Contents or the Index. It doesn't need to be exhaustive but if I'm wanting something for Abundance for instance having a list of page numbers to refer to would have been helpful.
The illustrations are so pretty but at times it did feel crowded and it is annoying when a page of lore came between an ingredient page and its associated recipe. I was surprised the Contents didn't have the same look as the rest of the book and appeared to be an afterthought. There were also several pages that weren't cropped properly and detracted from the whole.
For a book being billed to busy kitchen witches this book is practically useless since as already mentioned there is no functioning search for this book even for the Contents. I don't always have the wherewithal to sit and page through the entire book every time I wish to use it. Not to mention there aren't actually any page numbers!
Nor was I pleased to note that when cans, bags, pouches or boxes of an ingredient were called for there weren't associated sizes included such as 8.5 oz for the Jiffy cornbread mix. Products such as these can be regional or even discontinued and people need to know the sizes so they can choose a reasonable substitute. Products can also change sizes over time which is why it can be so difficult using vintage cookbooks. The knowledge is common and authors assume it will always be known which simply isn't the case. This was such a disappointment.
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