Andy Hamilton (3) (1974–)

I really enjoyed reading this one, and was very excited to get an advanced copy through FirstReads. The style of writing was great and the recipes sounded phenomenal.

My husband has been wanting to brew his own beer for a while now but we didn't really know where to start. But after reading this I felt more comfortable choosing a brewing kit (or a least the items needed for brewing) and figuring out what kinds of beer to try.

I also love that it didn't focus on just beer! There were recipes for CHAMPAGNE!! Well Sparkling Wine (I won't be brewing it in Champagne...lol) and recipes for cider and wine. It was very comprehensive and I liked the history and health notes added in.

Overall a really great guide for beginners or a great recipe book for the advanced. I highly recommend it!… (plus d'informations)

As expected, the "Bible" covers topics such as gardening, energy, recycling, composting, transportation, eco-minded consumption. I've read about all kinds of interesting ideas, suggestions, and projects. At first I was worried that it wouldn't be very useful for me since it's written in the UK, I was seeing a lot of products we don't have here in Canada, and there were lots of words we don't use and references to climate that is different than ours. Well, happily I found with more reading that there's only a tiny bit that doesn't apply. What is wonderful about it being written in the UK is that there are so many new and fresh ideas. The different perspective is refreshing. Here are some fun things I've read about:

* hand-crank MP3 players
* putting foil behind a radiator to reflect more heat back into a room
* hay-box cooker (you put your hot pot of soup or stew into a box, surround it with hay, newspaper, or rags, then cover tightly)
* a solar cooker you make yourself
* pot-in-pot cooler (a way to keep food or beverages cool for up to two days, which consists of two nested terra cotta pots separated by damp sand and covered with a damp cloth)
* Bokashi composting (a Japanese method of composting indoors that uses Bokashi bran)

Oh, and the term "self sufficient-ish" refers to ways in which anyone can live a more self sufficient life without having to go all the way. In other words, you can have a balcony edible garden and a worm composter and reduce your energy consumption and reduce your chemical use, etc. while still living in the city. Every little bit helps. Great reading and full of photos and diagrams.

The Self-Sufficientish Bible is also cram-packed with nifty alternatives for everyday items. One of my favourites is the alarm clock powered by water. (I've been looking for a source for these, but they're not easy to find.) Or the solar-powered or crank charger for electronic gadgets (I think Canadian Tire sells one of these). Even better is the hand-crank MP3 Player (so far I can only find these in the UK). When I look around on the internet, I find all kinds of eco-friendly gadgets in Europe and the UK. As usual, they're way ahead of us and we'll just have to wait for the cool stuff to make its way over the pond.… (plus d'informations)