Book: The Girl’s Guide to Camping

If you've had the misfortune of getting tangled up with a woman who isn't outdoorsy, then turn to Laura James’ book, The Girl’s Guide to Camping: Outdoor Living in Serious Style (Skyhorse Publishing, $15). It caters to the elusive anti-camping woman who fears the outdoors. The tents have polka dots and the lanterns are pink in this read, and the author lays out a playlist and the essentials to pack for a day at the Butte Folk Fest. But for those of us who camp more than stay at home, this book isn’t for you: it’s mainly a recruiting tool for girly-girls. The recipes are enticing, but I usually don’t cook Indian-spiced lamb skewers on my pop-up MSR stove (though it does sound better than the freeze-dried bag of whatever I usually pack...).