Portfolio Book from Presto Photo

This photo book turned out better then I expected. The photos are very clear and look amazing. The website takes you step by step through the process of making your book. You can choose your photo layouts on each page and every page can be different. You can also design the front and back covers as well as the binding. I have the 11 x 8.5 lay flat book and absolutely love it. I will personally be ordering more in the future. The hardest part is deciding which of my thousands of pictures to put in the book. The book is a standard 20 pages but you can order your books with more pages for an extra charge. You can have 1 large photo or several smaller photos per page as well as text. Mu book has the lay flat pages. They are also Hinged Velvet Photo Paper no curl pages. Which mean when you open the book there is no bump in the center of the book. My book is also the hard cover book but they do offer a leather cover. The whole process is simple. Just upload your photos to the website, choose your book size and you are on your way. These books are great to remember special occasions and are awesome gifts.

 

Check all the great products out on PrestoPhoto.com

https://www.prestophoto.com/help/11x8.5+Hinged+Layflat+Photo+Book

I either received this product for free or at a discounted price and have chosen to leave this honest and unbiased review.

Canada by Norah Myers

I absolutely love traveling. But many places I know i will never go, and if I do gt to go I know I will never see all the sites. So being an armchair traveler is a hobby for me. I love visiting travel website, I love going on tours or places on Youtube, and I really love photography books of places, like this one. I absolutely get lost in this type of book. Imagining what it would be like to walk do the streets, to visit the shops, to see the people, to take in the stunning sites and breath taking views.

This book features Canada. As a small child my family went to Canada a few times, but I was really to young to remember much about our trips. I have a Brother In Law who lives in Canada. He posts pictures all the time on Facebook of places they go and things they do and see. I love it all.

In the book you can see the sites, the towns, the people, the animals and more. The photos are so clear and vibrant you can imagine yourself standing there. There is a small excerpt that tells you about each photo, where it was taken and what it is showing. Basically in less then an hour you can tour so many sites across Canada. Even the run down areas are beautiful in this book.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Churches and Churchyards of England and Wales by Richard Hayman

Churches are beautiful. Historic ones are even more beautiful. This book takes you on a pictorial guide of Churches in England and Wales. It also gives you history of how Churches began and how they developed over the centuries. This is a beautiful and informative book. I enjoyed it very much.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Ghost Signs Clues to Downtown New York's Past by Frank Mastropolo

Have you ever driven through a town and looked up at the old buildings and seen advertisements painted on them? This book is about those advertisements. From the early 1900's to the 1960's people referred to as "WallDogs" hand painted these advertisements on the buildings. It could be advertisements from different businesses all across the city or the products themselves. Do you know why a lot of these ads are still visible some over 100 years old? They were painted with lead paint. The colors are faded but the white lead paint is still bright and easy to read on a lot of the buildings.

There are also the molded insignia's on some buildings and the hanging signs both metal and glass in front of buildings stating names of long gone business.

Frank Mastropolo has done an amazing job with this book. He takes you through New York City and points out the many Ghost signs. He tells you where to look an even gives you a photograph in the book. This book could be used as a day trip guide and scavenger hunt. It is very informative and the photos are great. It also gives you something to stop and think about and to look for next time you are riding through town.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Abandoned Industrial Places: Factories, Laboratories, Mills and Mines that the World Left Behind by David Ross

I have always enjoyed Urban Exploration and I actually spend more time then I am willing to say on Youtube watching Urban Exploration videos. There is a strange beauty in the old building and the rusting and rotting items left behind. I cannot understand all the graffiti and destruction though. Why do people want to break things, scatter things, and cover everything in Spray paint? These buildings are a part of our past, whether or not you live in that town or even in a different country. Like the Domino Sugar plant in Brooklyn NY.

I am a huge fan of photography books as well. I will never be able to see all the places and things in photography books. I read one about Oregon Last week and have added Oregon to my bucket list, form that book. I also read one about junk yards, and although I am not a car guru I found beauty under the rust of that book as well.

This book is a photo book of Abandoned Industrial  Places from around the world. Some places in this book I have heard of, even drove past a few like the Willow Steam Plant in Philadelphia. I would love to be able to go in some of these plants and explore, but for now I will just revel in the photographs of this book. I would love to visit the Wilson Carbide Mill in Ottawa Canada, there is a stunning waterfall outside of the crumbling building that is just stunning. Some of these Factories, hospitals, and other building are quite old, others have just recently closed. They may not be much to some people but I loved every photo in this book.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

FREE 8X10 photo from Walgreens

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Amazing Churches of the World Michael Kerrigan

5*
Churches have always been a place of beauty. I love going in to churches. The older the better. The newer churches are not more than buildings. But oh the pride and love put into the older ones is just phenomenal. This book takes you on a tour of Churches all over the world. There are huge ones and small ones. There are highly decorated, and some not so much, but there is beauty in each and every one of them.

The pictures of stunning. Full color shots, of both inside and out. The book is broken down by continent. There is a small except telling you the name of the church and where it is for each picture. Some tell you when they were built, if there is a famous moment in time surrounding the church. There are over 100 Churches, Cathedrals, Chapels, and Basilicas shown in this book.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Oregon, My Oregon by Photo Cascadia

5*
I have just added Oregon to my bucket list thanks to this book. I never knew anything about all the beauty of Oregon. Its one of those states you just never hear a lot about. I had no idea there were so many waterfalls and other stunning views. I am hooked now. This book shows so many amazing views or Oregon. The pictures I know probably do not do the real thing justice but they are absolutely beautiful shots. There is short captions telling where and what by each photo but other then that no reading. Of course the pictures say everything that need to be said. There are no real words to describe the beauty in this book. This is a true coffee table book. I could look at it again and again.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

American Carnival by David Skernick

I am a huge fan of photography books. I love taking photo's and I love looking at pictures. There is so much beauty in pictures. This book is filled with photos from fairs, carnivals, and festivals all over the United States. There are some black and white photos but most are very vibrant color photos. If you have ever been to a fair you know from the paint used on the booths and the rides and the neon lights are all bright and vibrant colors. These photos bring these beautiful colors into the palm of your hand through the photos. There are pictures of the booths, the rides, the people and so much more. Each photo tells you where it was taken and tells you something about a lot of the photos. The book is fun all but the snake page. It is an uplift to your spirits, you can almost smell the funnel cakes and popcorn. You can almost hear the shrieks coming from the rides. David Skernick has done an amazing job with this book. I can flip through the pages over and over again.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Bob Langrish’s World of Horses by Bob Langrish

Horse's are beautiful animals. I loved this book and the beauty Bob Langrish has brought out in it. He traveled to 6 continents to make this this amazing book. He shows the horses in all different settings, different colors, different breeds, different ages, and has truly brought out the beauty or these animals. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed the photos in this book.

If you love horses this book is for you.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

People Kissing by Barbara Levine and Paige Raimey

For every romantic hearted person out there this book is for you. There are a centuries worth of photo's of people kissing. These are taken from old photo's, postcards, and more. Some of taken in odd situations, some are very comical. But either way this book brought a smile to my face, and images in my head of my husband and I not just kissing in our home but also being the characters in the photo's

I love photography books and the subject matter of this one made it one of my top reads this year.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this book.

Montauk 11954 by Carissa Pelleteri

I would love to be able to pack my bags and travel on a whim, but I like most others cannot. SO I am an armchair traveler. Whether it be through Youtube, television, or my favorite books, I get to travel the world and learn about new places and see the good the bad and the ugly of these places. With Montauk 11954 I really seen no ugly and all beauty. This books features over 100 beautiful photos of Montauk. Montauk is on Long Islands south shore and is a get away spot for people in New York as well as vacation spot for people from around the world. The photos in this book gives you a personal tour of the area, and if you are like me will be sure to add this spot to your list of must see places.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Strange 66 Michael Karl Witzel

5*
Everyone in the US and some other countries have heard of Route 66. Over the years many places and things have come and gone but there are still some out there from the beginning. Thsi book is filled with photos of the many many stops along the route. It also gives you the strange history of some events that have taken place at many of the stops. Things like a hideout for Bonnie and Clyde in Baxter Springs, Kansas. The Trail of Tears tribute in Jerome, Missouri.  and so much more. This is a thrilling book and would make a great conversation piece as a coffee table book. I personally think ever Doctors office on the planet needs to have a stack of copies of this book, I hae going to the doctor's office, you have an appointment and end up setting there an hour after before you get called back, this book would keep your mind busy and you may get upset when they finally do call you back. This is a great book very interesting and the numerous photos take you there.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.
        

Charleston by Quentin Bell And Virginia Nicholson

This beautiful book features the Charleston House and Gardens in Sussex. The house belonged to Vanessa Bell, the sister of Virginia Woolf . The book was written by Quentin Bell the nephew of Vanessa And Virginia Nicholson, Quentin's Daughter.

The book is filled with pictures of each room, paintings, a blueprint of the house and garden. But the best art is reading Quentin's true life accounts of life in the house. He has stories about happenings in each room of the house. The house also features the Bloomsbury decorative style.

The book was beautiful to flip through and very interesting to read. I would love to visit this house some day. The house is open to tours.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Justice Howard's Voodoo Conjure and Sacrifice by Justice Howard, Writings by Voodoo Queen Bloody Mary

Have you ever wanted to know more about Voodoo? I mean the real Voodoo, not the Hollywood version? This book takes you on a journey so to speak through the world of Voodoo and its practitioners. Hollywood usually gives Voodoo a bad name, when in actuality it is a religion. It is thought to be the oldest religion. Voodoo was born in Ancient Africa and came across the world during the Slave trading days. 

This book is also not just a journey through the written word. The book is filled with photo's. Yes some have full frontal female nudity, some have severed animal heads, and snakes lots of snakes. The nudity is not done in a Playboy manor, it is beauty, it is Voodoo.

There is so much to learn from this book about Voodoo. Justice Howard has done an amazing job along with Bloody Mary, a Voodoo Queen in New Orleans. Between the stories, legends, explanations, and pictures you get the true meaning of Voodoo. This book is a basic version of Voodoo but it gives you enough to know the true meaning of this religion.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Villages of West Africa by Steven & Cathi House

This is an excellent book of beautiful pictures of the Villages, people, architecture, and more of the West Africa. I love to travel and as much as I would love to travel the world in person I cannot. So I am a armchair traveler. I will probably never make it to West Africa in person but with this book I can see so much about this country.

The pictures are clear and beautiful. They show more then what you would see in a travel brochure. This book gets into the the true West Africa. It shows the good, the beautiful, the bad and the ugly. I really love that the pictures are not a sanitized version of the true country like in a travel brochure. Steven and Cathi House have done an amazing job with this book.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Under the Dome by Jason Dick

Have you ever wondered what the inside of the White House and other capital buildings in Washington DC looks like? Who the people are inside of these buildings? Or just what goes on inside of them? This is an amazing book of photos.

Jason Dick is giving a us a photo tour of the people, places, and things that go on in some of these buildings. He breaks the book down into chapters. The chapters are not by the building but of the things that happen including feelings. There are chapters on Boredom, Love, distraction, anger, terror and more.

There are pictures new and old. There are pictures of things visitors can see, there are pictures of past presidents and other elected officials and so much more. The pictures show some of the stunning fixtures in these buildings, amazing painted ceilings, statues, and so much more. There are short explanations of each picture.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Brooklyn Before by Larry Racioppo

Brooklyn Before is one mans version of Brooklyn in the 1970's and early 80's. He tells about things going on around Brooklyn during that time period but even better he shows us through his photographs taken during the time.  He basically goes street by street telling us his memories of the day, with some amazing photos. There are children playing in streets, friends watching tv, pictures of mailboxes and views of the city. This book is great for anyone who lived in Brooklyn, or if you just want to know what the town used to be like when it was just a small town. Over the years Brooklyn has grown into a major City gone are the mom and pop shops, and small town living. This book really is a blast form the past.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Contemporary Sand Sculpture by E Ashley Rooney

This book features some of the most amazing sand sculptures I have ever seen. From small sand sculpture to life sized. Cartoon characters to real life like looking people. Everything you can imagine and some you cannot made strictly out of sand and water. There also also some interviews with some of the artists and more. Very informative and very beautiful pictures.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Secret Houses of the Cotswolds by Jeremy Musson

Secret Houses of the Cotswolds by Jeremy Musson, is a stunning look at 20 of the castles, estates, palaces and manor houses is the Cotswolds. Most of these houses are privately owned and this book will be the only way you will ever see inside of these homes.

The pictures in this book show not only the home but also some of the grounds, and original architecture, that has been preserved over the years. You also learn a bit of the history of the home and the current owners.

I am an armchair traveler and have gotten a huge taste of England with this book. Jeremy Musson and his crew has done a wonderful job bringing these homes to all of us who will probably never get to see them in person.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.