2021 Back-to-School GREAT Reads from Ulysses Press, Rocky Nook, and Wiley

Disclaimer: Beautiful Touches received books from Pacific Court to facilitate this publication, which is part of our Gift Ideas and Buying Guides series of posts. All info comes from Pacific Court.

Welcome to the 2021 Back-to-School GREAT Reads from Ulysses Press, Rocky Nook, and Wiley

Below you’ll find a selection of books for adults, young adults, and kids!

Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life

by Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin and Dr. Richard Orbé-Austin (Ulysses Press, $15.95)

Stop letting impostor syndrome hold you back! This guided workbook of interactive exercises and research-backed activities will help you conquer self-doubt, realize your true worth, and enjoy your success.

How many times have you thought that everyone is crushing it except you? How often have you looked at one of your accomplishments and attributed it to luck or the help of others? It can be difficult to acknowledge our own successes and skills, and overcome the feeling of being an impostor. But moving past that feeling is crucial to continuing down the path to even greater success and happiness.

Own Your Greatness will give you all the tools you need to recognize and overcome the impostor syndrome that is holding you back. Packed full of research- and therapy-backed exercises, prompts, and activities, this interactive workbook will help you:

• Identify the root causes of your impostor syndrome
• Recognize your natural skills and strengths
• Gain the confidence to lead
• Speak up for yourself
• Feel comfortable receiving and giving praise

With this book, you’ll acknowledge the skills you bring to the table, understand that you truly deserve your success, and take steps to a successful, happy, and fulfilled life.

Watercolor Snacks: Inspiring Lessons for Sketching and Painting Your Favorite Foods

by Volta Voloshin-Smith

 

Relax and take a bite out of this tasty guide to creating watercolor paintings of your favorite treats!
Watercolor Snacks is for food lovers, beginning artists, and anyone who wants to explore the world of watercolors through easy and accessible prompts and exercises. This colorful guide walks you through basic watercolor techniques and how to apply them to create beautiful, delicious-looking paintings.

Noted artist and instructor Volta Voloshin-Smith details everything needed to create mouthwatering images for every meal of the day, from a syrup-drenched stack of golden waffles and steaming cup of coffee at breakfast to a brightly colored sprinkled donut and a rainbow of popsicles for dessert. This first-ever watercolor food guide also includes:

• Easy watercolor tips, tricks, and techniques

• Recommended supplies (the “ingredients”)

• Color theory basics

• Maximizing mindful benefits of watercolor

• How-to lessons for 30 foods from breakfast to dessert

And much, much more! Whether you’re a beginner interested in learning a fun new skill, or an experienced painter ready to explore a fun new subject, this book will give you everything you need to create adorable paintings.

The Self-Love Workbook: A Life-Changing Guide to Boost Self-Esteem, Recognize Your Worth and Find Genuine Happiness

by Dr. Shainna Ali (Ulysses Press, $15.95)

Experience the life-changing magic of self-love!

It’s easy to look in the mirror and say you love yourself, but infinitely harder to truly believe it deep in your soul. Luckily, this helpful, step-by-step workbook guides you along a path to that place of true acceptance and self-love. And when you reach it, the contentment, happiness and outward joy will transform who you are, your relationships and the way you see the world.

Accepting yourself as you are is at the core of true and lasting happiness, and with the exercises and practice in this book, you will learn how that is possible. This interactive workbook, written by an expert counselor, makes it easy for you to see your daily progress as you find freedom and peace by learning to love yourself.

Named one of 2021 Best Books for Self Confidence by Choosing Therapy.

COOKBOOKS:

The I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook: 10th Anniversary Edition: 150 Delicious Recipes Using Favorite Ingredients from the Greatest Grocery Store in the World (Unofficial Trader Joe’s Cookbooks)

by Cherie Mercer Twohy (Ulysses Press, $19.95)

The Unofficial ALDI Cookbook: Delicious Recipes Made with Fan Favorites from the Award-Winning Grocery Store

by Jeanette Hurt (Ulysses Press, $19.95)

Discover the countless budget-friendly and delicious meals you can make with your favorite ALDI® products!

Fans of ALDI®, it’s time to celebrate your love of the best-ever grocery store with a cookbook dedicated entirely to your favorite products. You’ll find creative and mouth watering ideas that take simple, budget-friendly ALDI-brand ingredients and turn them into fantastic dishes. From healthy appetizers to restaurant-worthy comfort food classics and everything in between, you’ll be surprised at the amazing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners you can make after a shopping trip to your local ALDI®, including:

• Baked French Toast with Berries
• Breaded Chicken Parmigiana
• Shrimp Scampi
• Everything Bagel Dip
• Easy-Peasy Frozen Yogurt
• And much more!

With 75 recipes and full-color photographs, you’ll be cooking like a pro with your favorite grocery store staples.

ALDI® is a registered trademark of ALDI® Company and is used here for informational purposes only. This book is independently authored and published and is not affiliated or associated with ALDI® Company in any way. ALDI® Company does not authorize, sponsor, or endorse this book or any of the information contained herein.

XOXO, A Cocktail Book: An Unofficial Gossip Girl Fan Book 

by Bridget Thoreson (Ulysses Press, $19.95)

Shake up a classy cocktail and have a party worthy of the New York City elite with over 100 tempting recipes and enticing photos—a perfect gift for Gossip Girl fans and TV lovers.

Spotted: cocktails fit for Manhattan’s elite.

Whether you’re an Upper East Sider, a prep school heiress, a Brooklyn wannabe, or the ultimate fan of an anonymous gossip blogger, we know what you want—a luxe cocktail and some good drama to enjoy it with.

As Forbes magazine proclaims:

“You can now pour up a cocktail inspired by your favorite GG episode, scene or character. . .” XOXO, A Cocktail Book is your one and only source for the most lavish libations, including:

– Kiss on the Lips (aka French Kiss)
– The Powerful Woman (aka Rosemary Gin Fizz)
– Lonely Boy Beergarita (aka Beergarita)
– New York Spectator (aka Old-Fashioned)
– Summer in the Hamptons Sangria (aka Traditional White Sangria)

With 100 deliciously tempting cocktails and exquisite photos, XOXO, A Cocktail Book has the perfect beverage for any event, from exclusive sleepover soirees to decadent masquerade parties at the Empire Hotel.

You know you love me.

XOXO

The Hard Seltzer Cocktail Book: 55 Unofficial Recipes for White Claw® Slushies, Truly® Mixers, and More Spiked-Seltzer Drinks 

by Casie Vogel (Ulysses Press, $19.95)

Live your best hard seltzer life with the original cocktail book designed to make your favorite bubbly boozy beverage all that much boozier, from sparkling cosmos and daiquiris to a twist on the ever-popular Aperol spritz.

Make every season hard seltzer season! The wildly popular sparkling beverage is a tasty, low-cal treat on its own…but sometimes you have to take it up a notch (or several).

The Hard Seltzer Cocktail Book offers everything you need to add a little snap, sparkle, and pop to your favorite cocktails. Whether you’re team White Claw, a Truly follower, or a Bud Light Seltzer fan, there’s something for everyone with these easy-to-make recipes, including:

• Sparkling Frose
• Poppin’ Lemon Drops
• Watermelon Sugar Slushies
• One-Minute Margs
• Summer in Moscow Mules
• Fizzy Fuzzy Navels

These 55 recipes are designed to get the party started, whether it’s a Friday night pregame or it’s just been a tough day (girl, you do you). Instead of that next round of always-regrettable tequila shots, pick up this book and let’s get bubbly.

GOING TO COLLEGE:

Goodnight Dorm Room: All the Advice I Wish I Got Before Going to College

by Keith Riegert and Sam Kaplan (Ulysses Press; $14.95)

The College Bucket List: 101 Fun, Unforgettable and Maybe Even Life-Changing Things to Do Before Graduation Day

by Kourtney Jason & Darcy Pedersen (Ulysses Press; $14.95)

The I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook: 10th Anniversary Edition: 180 Quick and Easy Recipes for Busy (And Broke) College Students

by Andrea Lynn (Ulysses Press; $19.95)

Buddha U: 108 Mindfulness Lessons for Surviving Test Stress, Freshman 15, Friend Drama, Insane Roommates, Awkward Dates, Late Nights, Morning Lectures…and Other College Challenges 

by Victor M. Parachin (Ulysses Press, $14.95)

A go-to guide for conquering the obstacles of modern college life using timeless Buddhist principles

What’s the secret to surviving college? Staying calm and focused―what a Buddhist would call mindfulness. Whether you feel lost, overwhelmed or depressed, Buddha U teaches the healthy perspective that will keep you on the path to a great college experience.
Divided into 108 straightforward lessons that approach life day by day, Buddhist principle by principle, this book will transform your college life into a well-managed, stress-free experience. As you put them into practice, you will find yourself ending one academic year with immense satisfaction and anticipating the new one with great enthusiasm.

OFF TO PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN:

And Off You Go to Change the World: A Preschool Graduation/First Day of Kindergarten Gift Book 

by Ashten Evans (Ulysses Press; $12.95)

Give preschool and kindergarten grads the gift of inspiration with this perfect graduation day gift: a book full of positive messages paired with adorable, colorful illustrations that promises to uplift and encourage children on their big day.

The perfect gift for the littlest graduates of preschool or kindergarten as they accomplish their first experiences with school and pave the way to a lifetime of learning, this book is a great way to celebrate the special child in your life. With charming illustrations and text to uplift and motivate, And Off You Go to Change the World is a wonderful read for parents and children alike. Congrats, grads!

Lego with Dad: Creatively Awesome Brick Projects for Parents and Kids to Build Together 

by Warren Nash (Rocky Nook, $24.95)

Break out the bricks, it’s time for awesome family fun! LEGO® bricks can be an endless source of imagination and joy for kids of all ages, and now dads can join in and help build amazing new creations. LEGO® With Dad is the ultimate guide to utilizing your bricks to make creative new projects. No expensive new sets required! With detailed instructions on the basic building techniques as well as more advanced and complex builds, this book is perfect for parents and kids all skill levels.

Featuring step-by-step lessons for fun projects including:

• Working train and car
• Customized rocketship
• Menagerie of colorful animals
• Helicopter with rotating blades

And much, much more! Whether you and your kids are LEGO® novices or aspiring Master Builders, this book will show you how to explore the world of bricks together to create amazing projects and lifelong memories.

FOR PARENTS:

A Parent’s Guide to Virtual Learning: How to Help Your Child Thrive in an Online Environment 

by Dr. Felicia Durden Ed.D. (Ulysses Press, $16.95)

Make kids’ virtual school experience fun and effective with this all-in-one primer designed to help busy parents make the most out of digital platforms, understand teaching strategies, and fully support your child’s education.

Every parent wants to help their child succeed, but it can be difficult when online platforms and teaching methods seem to be constantly changing. Now, A Parent’s Guide to Virtual Learning takes the mystery out of digital education and gives you the tools that you can immediately implement at home, no matter your district, school, or distance learning model.

Written by a fellow parent and experienced educator, Dr. Felicia Durden breaks down how virtual learning works and simple strategies for reinforcing classroom instruction, all with the busy parent in mind. In this book, parents will learn how to:

• Create an inspiring at-home workspace
• Make the most out of virtual platforms
• Understand core topics like math and reading
• Set up remote learning pods with other kids
• Support various online, hybrid, and distance learning models
• Avoid burnout (for students and parents!)

Adapting to a virtual environment will be challenging and the role that parents play is crucial in student success. This book will be a tool that you will go to again and again to stay prepared and energized each day to help your child reach their learning goals.

Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning into a Career You’ll Love

by Kimberly B. Cummings (Wiley, $19.95)

An expert guide for professionals seeking to understand how to navigate the world of work.

Kimberly B. Cummings, author of Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning into a Career You’ll Love, leaves no stone unturned with this thorough, expert guide for professionals seeking to understand how to navigate the world of work, from beginning to end, starting with uncovering personal and professional values in an effort to align their expertise and skills to roles and companies that will finally change the trajectory of their career and set them up to be leaders in the workforce. As a former career development adviser in some of the nation’s top universities and a diversity + inclusion professional in a Fortune 100 company, Cummings has recognized that people work for the sake of working without understanding how to leverage their unique gifts and position themselves for success. As a result, Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning into a Career You’ll Love shares transformational lessons to ensure success and puts the ball back in your court. In Cummings’ highly acclaimed book, a specific, effective framework is unveiled to ensure each reader channels and utilizes their highest potential as they regain control and steer professional opportunities in their favor, gaining key information as to:

• Taking stock of their experiences to ensure strategic career moves

• Discovering how  to cultivate and maintain fruitful relationships that support career growth

• Uncovering how to build a two-year career strategy to move you into future leadership positions

• Gaining a deeper look into personal and professional branding to ensure alignment with leadership capabilities and career goals

• Learning how to use their voice in the workplace to advocate for themselves