"Modern Pioneering" offers a mix of gardening tips, recipes, upcycling ideas, and more. It's not a homesteading book, more of an attempt at moving urbanites into more rural thinking. It has lots of good ideas for the beginner looking to rely a little bit less on "the grid". The photos and the variety of fonts, the silly pencil drawings, and the easy step-by-step instructions make this a very fun book to read! Or, not to read. Simply looking at the pages while sipping a cup of tea would also be highly satisfying. Tuck it in your beach bag, the coated pages will hold up well in the ocean breeze! Here, take a peek at the pages yourself. You'll be hooked! http://www.randomhouse.com/book/225709/modern-pioneering-by-georgia-pellegriniThank you, Georgia Pellegrini, for breaking up the monotony of an early Spring afternoon with your insights in "Modern Pioneering". And thank you to Blogging for Books who provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. Learn more about the author and her other works at http://www.randomhouse.com/author/170370/georgia-pellegrini