2022 FALL into Reading Gift Ideas and Buying Guide Page
Disclaimer: Beautiful Touches received copies of these titles in exchange for sharing them on our site. No monetary compensation has been received. All information and images come directly from the publishers /agents/ authors.
The temps are getting cooler (even in Florida), and there is a crispness to the air. A wonderful time of year to curl up on the sofa and read a good book or two or three. We’ve put together a list of title for all ages. Check them out and see if your next read is on our list!
Welcome to the 2022 FALL into Reading Gift Ideas and Buying Guide Page
THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO DRONES Second Edition
By Colin Smith
About the Book:
THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO DRONES, 2ND EDITION
“Learn to master your drone—the gear, the technique, the photography, the video—and create jaw-dropping visuals!
Over the last few years, drones and quadcopters have become the hottest new gear in photography, whether you’re a professional photographer or an amateur shooter. These “flying tripods” have given photographers the ability to place their cameras virtually anywhere they want, creating still images and video footage that was previously impossible to capture. Many photographers have a drone or quadcopter right at the top of their “I want” list. And many others have already purchased a drone but haven’t mastered its use yet.
No matter what model you may own—whether that’s a popular Mavic, Mini, Air, or Phantom from DJI, or another brand—you need to learn how to put this new gear to good use in your aerial photography. You need to learn how to safely operate and fly a drone, how to create compelling photos and video, and how to make your work stand out from the crowd.
In this fully updated and revised edition of the bestselling first edition, photographer and bestselling author Colin Smith guides you toward mastering your drone and creating powerful and impactful imagery. Featuring his award-winning and beautiful aerial photography throughout the book, Colin will teach you:
- • How to fly a drone, including practice flight patterns and controller tips that will help you master the basics
- • New rules of composition for aerial photography as they apply to drone and quadcopter imagery
- • How to create the best files for both still photos and video
- • Post-processing techniques—both basic workflow and advanced techniques—unique to aerial photography that you need to know, such as how to make videos look both dynamic and smooth
You’ll learn everything you need to know about drones and quadcopters in order to take your photography to new levels…literally!”
Publisher: Rocky Nook
THE LENSBALL PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK,
By Marvin Lei
About the Book:
Maximize your creativity and unleash a new perspective on your photography with the lensball.
“Whether taking portraits, landscapes, detail shots, wedding photography, sports images, or travel photos, the crystal ball can help create stunning, unique imagery.
The Lensball Photography Handbook teaches all the ingenious tips and tricks and techniques for getting the most out of your ball. Noted photographer Marvin Lei covers everything needed for taking spectacular refraction images including choosing the right equipment, shooting techniques, image processing tips, and much more.
Publisher: Rocky Nook
EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN WITH CAMERAS 35 Photographers Who Changed How We See the World
By Darcy Reed / Illustrated by Vanessa Perez
About the Book:
“Explore 35 of the most groundbreaking, creative female photographers in history and modern times!
Ever since photography was invented almost 200 years ago, women have broken barriers and influenced the artform. Now, this first-ever children’s book about women photographers tells the stories of 35 of the most talented historical and contemporary shutterbugs.
Filled with colorful illustrations, this book includes stories about Dorothea Lange’s haunting portraits of American history, Margaret Bourke-White’s bravery as the first female war correspondent in WWII, Florestine Perrault Collins’ influential images depicting Black life in the 1920s, and many more. Including explanations of key photography terms, photo project ideas, and suggestions for other women photographers to study, this charming book will inspire children to pick up a camera and make their own incredible photographs.
Publisher: Rocky Nook
DECLUTTER YOUR PHOTO LIFE Curating, Preserving, Organizing, and Sharing Your Photos
By Adam Pratt
About the Book:
“Turn your photo chaos into precious memories to be enjoyed and shared!
Now more than ever, we hold our photo collections dear. They are often some of our most prized possessions. Wouldn’t it be great to finally have all your photos organized, safe, accessible, findable, and shareable? With Declutter Your Photo Life by your side, you have just what you need to achieve photo bliss.
Photographers and family historians understand the immense power that photographs have to convey meaning, emotion, and memory. We cherish both old film photos that were handed down by previous generations and our latest digital photos captured on the newest smartphone. But when those priceless memories are unorganized and scattered every which way—on a smartphone, on a laptop, on memory cards and flash drives, on two or three photo sharing websites, in photo albums, and in shoeboxes in the attic—the joy of photography becomes an overwhelming burden. What a mess!
Whether you’re a professional photographer, a casual shooter, or the designated family historian, Declutter Your Photo Life will help you organize and enjoy your photos once again. In this book, professional photo organizer, photographer, and author Adam Pratt teaches you his straightforward step-by-step workflow that, along with powerful image-organizing software such as Adobe Lightroom Classic, will have you taking complete control and creating a calming order out of your photo chaos. And once you’ve mastered Adam’s system—Gather, Preserve, Organize, Share, Maintain—you’ll be able to enjoy and share your photos today and for generations to come.”
Publisher: Rocky Nook
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY The Complete Guide
By Lauren Caris Short
About the Book:
“The must-have guidebook for creating great food photographs!
The Complete Guide to Food Photography is a visually stunning, eminently useful, and comprehensive resource for creating fantastic food photographs. In this book, professional food photographer Lauren Short teaches you her entire image-making process, as she covers lighting, composition, styling, storytelling, editing, and processing great food photographs.
In the first part of the book, Lauren covers the core concepts, where you’ll learn:
- • How to work with both natural and artificial light (as well as modifiers)
- • The tools, guides, and rules of composition for food photography
- • Techniques, tips, and tricks for styling your food so it looks its best
- • How to build a story with the use of backgrounds, props, and other supporting elements
- • Processing, retouching, and compositing techniques to finish your image
Additionally, Lauren explains the why behind her creative decisions. By understanding her decision-making process and walking through her problem-solving techniques, you’ll become better equipped to make informed creative decisions so you can excel at food photography, no matter what scenarios you encounter.
In the second part of the book, Lauren walks you through multiple case studies of complete, start-to-finish shoots so that you can see every aspect of her image-making process and understand how it all comes together. Each case study also includes a link to a full video for each shoot so that you can easily follow along.
Filled with beautiful imagery as well as behind-the-scenes photos and helpful diagrams, The Complete Guide to Food Photography is a must-have for any food photographer looking to create images that stand out from the crowd.”
Publisher: Rocky Nook
WHAT DOES YOUR DADDY DO?
By Joshua Page
About the Book:
“Ashton’s fifth grade class settles into the classroom. Ms. Dusenbury starts the discussion of career week. The kids are really interested in it and want to learn more.
Ashton knows very little about what his dad does so he goes home and says, “Dad, what do you do?”
Ashton could have never imagined all the really cool things that his dad gets to do every day and all the really cool tools he gets to use.
This is such a great week at school, and all the kids get to learn what their moms and dads do.
What does your daddy do?”
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing
B IS FOR BEEKEEPING An Alphabet Book
By Justin Wells / Illustrated by Winda Mulyasari
About the Book:
“B is for Beekeeping is the must-have children’s book for all beekeeping enthusiasts. Encourage the next generation of beekeepers by teaching them the ABCs of beekeeping with playful illustrations and easy-to-understand vocabulary.
Did you know one-third of the food we eat gets pollinated by honeybees? Honeybees are critical to our ecosystem. By purchasing this book, you are helping children learn the important role that honeybees play in our world. Additionally, your purchase benefits the protection of all bees! B is for Beekeeping will be making a special donation to organizations that help preserve bees and their habitats.”
Publisher: Independently Published
THE CHRISTMAS POOP LOG
By Jonathan Chastek / Illustrated by Teguh Sulistio
About the Book:
“Traditional Storybook: The included storybook features 30 pages of fun, child-friendly, and engaging visuals to get you in the spirit of Christmas. This book stems from an over 400-year-old story that emerged in the Catalonia region of Spain, helping families across the world embrace this unique age-old tradition. The Poop Log’s History: This unique practice was an original roughed up log found outside and altered for children to feed and beat. In fact, the strange name comes from the command sung during beating the log, urging it to “Poop, log!” After Christmas, Catalans would burn and recycle the log’s ashes to help crops grow. While walking with my mother, one day, we happened upon a fallen log. I was surprised when my mother explained, “There is a poop log.” Her words triggered unpleasant thoughts; I was thinking what does she mean. Mother related a family tradition of how poop logs appear at Christmas. They are placed in the home and attended to with comfort and love. She explained Santa’s magic dust made them. As Christmas day approaches, will I find that I have received treats from our poop log? Or is the legend a figment of my mother’s imagination? Parents and children will receive a fascinating educational experience that revolves around a Catalan Christmas Tradition. Its origins date back to the 18th century and are enjoyed to this day by many families. This story will be one that will delight both young and old.”
Publisher: Gold-N-Spike LLC
THREE BUNNY SISTERS
by Raveena, Diya, and Amisha Duggal
About the Book:
“Three Bunny Sisters get ready to help the world! Join Meghan, Sophia and Sparkle as they learn about the joy of working together and helping others. Will they raise enough money to reach their goal? Let’s find out!”
Publisher: Tellwell
PAIRS OF PEOPLE
By Jeanne & Mark. Shriver / Illustrated by Laura Watson
About the Book:
“In this lively, vibrant, and inspiring follow-up to the Christopher Award-winning book 10 Hidden Heroes, New York Times bestselling author Mark Shriver and his wife Jeanne Shriver help children learn about the power of numbers and how working together can make the world a better place. Pairs of People makes math fun and meaningful by showing how our service to others multiplies when people pitch in together.
The whimsical, rhyming text and colorful artwork from award-winning artist Laura Watson inspire discussion on such topics as friendship, leadership, and camaraderie while illustrating the basic concepts of multiplication.”
Publisher: 4U2B Books & Media
BLOWN INTO NOW Poems for a Journey
By Mylo Shaafe / Photography by Alex Lowenstein
About the Book:
“Blown Into Now: Poems for a Journey carries the reader from deep sadness and loss to comfort and support, finally edging toward joy. Her melodic words become a guidebook, allowing those who grieve to witness a spectrum of responses, understand what might give relief, and know how to look for signposts and healing.
The 45 remarkable poems by Mylo Schaaf are paired with striking photographs by her mountaineer son, Alex Lowenstein, who passed on unexpectedly in his twenties. To those who must endure such shocking new reality, she brings compassion, beauty, and spiritual connection.
Her poems reveal a mother’s great heart and the love she shares with her son for granite peaks and untracked desert. Each photograph provides a pause from grief and allows us a glimpse of something we want and cannot name.”
Publisher: Blue Light Press Publishing
THE MOST UNLIKELY LEADER
By Roger Smith
About the Book:
“For the first time ever, Roger Smith, the former President and CEO of American Income Life Insurance and Liberty National, takes readers on an unflinching journey through his remarkable life; a life that includes astronomical business success alongside family struggles and a life-threatening battle with addiction.
Written in a fast-paced, no-holds-barred style, The Most Unlikely Leader is a tour-de-force. Why ‘unlikely’? By the time Smith was a teenager he was living on the streets of Santa Monica and addicted to drugs. He dropped out of high school, ran into trouble with the law, had his best friend shot right next to him while running away from a failed robbery attempt and, at one point, was so down and out and desperate for a fix in his early thirties that he walked into the Pacific Ocean expecting never to come back.
While the first third of Smith’s story deals with his life as a functional addict, The Most Unlikely Leader reveals how he got clean, got his mind right, got his career back and ascended to the highest role in a massive corporation. From Smith’s first foray into entrepreneurship as a young boy selling comic books on the streets of New York City, to his first sales job in Compton, California, to his taking over American Income Life, this book shares the philosophy, the decisions (both good and bad) and the grit that resulted in a man without a high school diploma being put in charge of one of the largest life insurance companies in the world.
Oklahoma City. Arkansas. Baltimore. Chicago. Dallas. Washington, D.C. These are just a few of the stops we’ll visit as Smith rose through the ranks of American Income relying on nothing but his wit, work ethic and his evolving understanding of what it takes to build teams and lead national organizations.
Part leadership manual, part business manifesto and part memoir, The Most Unlikely Leader is the rare leadership book you won’t be able to put down.”
Publisher: Ballast Books
CHRIST CENTERED HEALING OF TRAUMA
By Norm Wielsch
About the Book:
“THE HEALING OF A BROKEN HEART
This book teaches the foundational principles and tools for dealing with issues related to overwhelming life events. You will learn about how trauma affects the heart and body. You will be taught the biblical laws and principles that keep you in the pain go your trauma, as well as those that heal you. You will learn to recognize your poor responses to the initial wound. This involves tracing back the root causes or initial wounds that lie beneath the surface of most events to understand how bitter roots are formed and how broken hearts can be healed through the biblical process of repentance, renunciation, and forgiveness.
Message for the Reader:
You will learn God’s plan for salvation. God’s plan for healing, the behavior that separates you from God, and how we return to fellowship with Him and the healing process.
Once healed you will be able to help others who are going through similar difficult times in their life. The techniques you learn will equip you to minister to others and fulfill Jesus’ command.”
Publisher: Leadership Books
COMMITED Finding Love and Loyalty Through The SEVEN ARCHETYPES
By Carmen Harra, Ph. D. and Alexandra Harra
About the Book:
“What is commitment and why is it so hard to achieve? We’ve all struggled in love, but if you picked up this book, it means you’re ready to end cycles of pain and disappointment and foster a truly fulfilling relationship.
Committed will make you reevaluate the way you think about love. It is a relationship manual that unfolds in two parts: the work you’ll need to perform on the inside and the seven distinct archetypes you’ll encounter on the outside.
In the first part of Committed, you’ll learn how to
– reexamine core beliefs you hold about commitment and relinquish harmful assumptions,
– clear karmic patterns that were passed down to you and heal emotional trauma from your youth,
– liberate yourself from people and places that no longer serve you and habits that hinder your relationship potential, and
– develop an unshakable sense of self-worth so that you give love not just to another partner but to the right partner.
The second half of our book will teach you how to
– identify your partner’s archetype as well as his strengths, weaknesses, mindset, inclinations, and commitment capacity,
– determine your own love archetype,
– make your partner commit based on the needs, fears, and desires of his archetype,
– navigate successfully through the world of online and in-person dating,
– build emotional intimacy with your partner,
– mediate external influences that come between you, and
– apply real-world solutions to resolve any relationship problem.
The goal of Committed is to help you find and keep the love you deserve: an authentic, impassioned relationship that fills you with excitement each morning and puts your mind at ease every night.”
Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing
STORYTELLING LEGACY Everyone Has Stories
By Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse
About the Book:
“A compelling life journey, told in a mosaic of stories, from one of the leaders of the Adult Children of Alcoholics movement.
Communication is more than an exchange of information. Words can inspire, teach important lessons, and woven together offer a legacy to those that we love for generations to come. Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, who has brought hope and healing to millions of people through her work as a family therapist, co-founder of the National Association of Children of Alcoholics, acclaimed author, and conference presenter invites readers to join her as she recounts her remarkable life. Included are tales of celebrity, culture, humor, history, questions, relationships, surprises, spirituality, traditions, and travels. She then invites readers to then go deep within, to realize the wonder of their own life experiences, and to craft their own legacy of stories. Everyone has a story . . . what is yours?”
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
Books are the best! I like so many of these. I should pick some up as gifts.
With the holidays right around the corner, these books would make the perfect gift.
So many great gift ideas for my daughter. She will like many of these books.
I need help so bad with decluttering my photo life. I am overwhelmed by the amount of photos I have and have yet to save and print. I need to check that book out!
I love the idea of giving books for the holidays. I am almost out of ideas so this is the perfect time to see this one. Thanks for the inspiration!
Love all of these books about photography. I especially like the one about food photography seeing how I am a food blogger that has a recipe blog.
A lot of my friends and families will love to receive book as a gift! Thanks for sharing this with us!
This is such a really great gift idea! I’ve never tried giving book as a gift.
I always gift my book clubs books that I think they’d enjoy. One of my friends in book club is a photographer and I think I found one for her!! THanks!
These are amazing gift ideas, and a great way to give some of your favorite books to a very special person. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thank you for this book guide! Now, I can easily gift a few books from this list to my daddy and paternal aunty, who are bookworms.
So many good choices! I would like to improve my food photography and that guide will be perfect for it!
Such an interesting collection of books. I will have to check out some of your suggestions.
These are great ideas and my husband loves his drones… the newest one we got can get footage from above and cannot wait to try it.