As someone who recently caught the pottery bug, this book has been my trusty sidekick. The first thing that struck me was how approachable it feels—no intimidating jargon, just clear explanations paired with gorgeous photos that make me want to dive right into my next project.

I keep it propped open (love the spiral binding!) while wedging clay, and the 'quick reference' page links are genius. Last week, I accidentally created a lopsided bowl—flipped to the troubleshooting section and realized I'd skipped the 'compressing the base' step. Crisis averted!

The glaze section is surprisingly addictive. I've dog-eared pages showing crystalline glazes that look like frozen galaxies, though I wish there were more wheel-throwing techniques to balance it out. That said, the project variety keeps surprising me—who knew you could make a teapot shaped like an artichoke?

Warning: This book creates serious FOMO. After seeing the gallery of Japanese raku pieces, I immediately started researching local kiln rentals. My wallet may hate me, but my creative soul is thriving.