Carve: a Book Review

Carve A Simple Guide to Whittling is absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love with it the moment I looked at it. The cover is stunning. The paper within is very high quality and is full color from beginning to end! Melanie Abrantes does a phenomenal job of writing. The instructions are clearly written and are also shared through photographs. I had hoped I would enjoy this book, but I was blown away instead. I don't have a lot to say except that it would make a lovely gift and will look great on your coffee table resting on top of your newly carved tray.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Inside the Test Kitchen: A Book Review

While I do most of the main cooking in our family, Adam loves to experiment in the kitchen. He says, "if it is good for you in any way Michelle probably made it." Inside the Test Kitchen is all about experimenting. You open it up and you feel like you just opened up someone's high school notebook. This cookbook is so relaxed that you just can't help but want to dive in.

The first thing I always notice about a cookbook are the pictures. This book is filled with photos and I love that! Not just a photo for each recipe, but photos of the process. They are accompanied by "handwritten" notes. The recipes are unique plays on classic comfort foods like mac and cheese and green bean casserole. There are discussions on the best type of ground meat to use for hamburger and which cheeses are the stretchiest. I am delighted to have this book in my new kitchen when we move in 50 days from now.

Tyler Florence has really created something special in this book. It is as fun to read as it is to cook from. It's so easy to follow and I can actually find the ingredients. There are many recipes that are gluten free, which is a major plus for our family. I can't wait to surprise my darling husband with this super fun cooking experience this Christmas. My taste buds can't wait either!

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: A Book Review

I love the feel of a tidy home! I didn't grow up in one and neither did Adam. It certainly doesn't come "naturally" for us. We have spent years purging unnecessary stuff and each time is the wonderful result, a tidy home. We have also seen the emotional impact of doing this. Our entire family is happier in a tidy home. Even now as all our things are packed and we are ready to move to the mission field in a few weeks, we are ready to go through all our possessions again and make one final purge.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo really sparked my interest. I knew right away that this book would be up my alley and I couldn't wait to get it. Chapter one did not disappoint. I love the stories of her years of experimenting with tidying and organization. They remind me of my own. Goodness knows Pinterest is full of ideas for organizing. Marie talks about why we can't seem to keep our houses tidy, how to go about discarding your belongings, tidying by category instead of location, how to properly store things, and how a tidy home will transform your life.

The book is so easy to read and I was so absorbed that I couldn't put it down. The cover is beautiful. It is simple and the watercolor art is wonderful to look at. The best part is that I am so psyched to go through all of our moving boxes again that I can't even express it! I am really glad I had the chance to read this book. I am having a hard time deciding if I want to keep it forever or share it with someone else. This is definitely a must have book for anyone that needs to work on their tidying. I would give this book a 6 out of 5 stars, if only I could!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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365 Pocket Prayers for Mothers: A Book Review

365 Pocket Prayers for Mothers is a beautiful little book. I don't think there are many women's pockets that it will fit in, but it is a great size to keep in your purse. Inside it's ultra soft lavender cover are prayers for every day of the year. There is a wide variety of prayer topics for moms. You can go through the entire book day by day or peek in the back to find prayers for specific needs. I really like that the days are simply numbered and not dated by day and month. The prayers are beautifully eloquent but also simple.

This book is perfect for moms who are new to prayer. It also is great for those times in every mom's life when you simply do not have words to speak. When those difficult times come it is nice to have words to express with. I like this sweet little book. It would make a great gift for a mom in your life or just for yourself.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale Blogging Network in exchange for an honest review.

My Perfect Pantry: A Cookbook Review

My oh my, I cannot wait to have my own kitchen in less than 3 months! Thanks to Geoffrey Zakarian and his fantastic cookbook, My Perfect Pantry, my mouth is watering and I have the cooking bug. I am really impressed by this book. It has everything I like from a cookbook and more.

The introduction shares Geoffrey's view of the pantry from childhood to cook and is a very sweet start. He shares his list of must have pantry spices and ingredients. There are a total of 50 ingredients that he talks about. Each section includes information about the ingredient. I really liked this bonus information. I learned a lot about BBQ sauce that I did not know and will have a lot of fun sharing with my BBQ sauce lovin' husband. Then there are 3 recipes using the ingredients. This is my favorite part, there is a picture of every single dish! I really like to see the dish before I make it and so this feature alone would have made me happy. He includes so much more and that is what makes this book worthy of making space in one of our moving boxes for.

The recipes are so easy to understand and use ingredients I can actually find. I can't wait to start cooking with this book and experiencing some new flavors!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.



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Lost in Translation: A Book Review

Lost in Translation by Ella Frances Sanders is a beautiful little book. I was expecting a large coffee table book, probably paperback. Instead I opened my package and found this adorable hardcover book that is not much bigger than a steno pad. The cover really describes it well when it says it is "an illustrated compendium of untranslatable words from around the world."

Each two page spread is set up the same. The first page is a solid block of color with a short paragraph describing what the word means and the language the word comes from. The second page contains original artwork from the author with the word and the definition. It is very interesting to see which languages feel it necessary to have words for certain things like a third cup of coffee or the way your heart beats before leaving for an exciting adventure.

This is a great coffee table book, and it won't even take up your whole coffee table. You will enjoy the artwork and learning a little something about the languages of the world.

 

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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Let Us All Eat Cake: A Book Review

Cake, it is not normally Gluten free and that is a problem for our family. Let Us All Eat Cake by Catherine Ruehle with Sarah Scheffel is devoted to gluten free cake. How can you not want to peek inside with a scrumptious cover like that?

When the book came in the mail I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was hardcover. It is a beautiful and well constructed book. There are so many recipes for cakes, frostings and sauces. Plus there are tips and instructions for decorating your tasty treats. The photographs in this book are simply stunning. They are not always of the recipes though. I love a cookbook that has photos of each recipe. I want to know what it is supposed to look like so I know if I have screwed up. This book has many pictures, but way more recipes than pictures. The recipes also include vegan ingredients so I assume that they may be vegan recipes as well.

Over all, it is a gorgeous book. My husband loves to bake and I know he will be thrilled when I surprise him with this book. I also know I will enjoy the fruits of his labor. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because I really want to see what the food looks like, less pictures of peaches and spoons, more cake slices.

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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The One Year Devotions for Active Boys: A Book Review

Get ready for this unique devotional that is available on October 1st. I am so happy I had the chance to review it. Each page of The One Year Devotional for Active Boys is jam packed with impactful devotionals and activities that keeps your active boy engaged by what he is reading. The activities include hands on crafts and science experiments, interesting weird facts about our world, word puzzles and more.

Each day is different in it's message and activity. The lessons are applied so well to a boys life, too. The book could be used well by about any boy but I feel like the reading and activities are geared to rough ages 9-14. To walk you through a day I will give you a tour of January 24, which I found especially interesting. The first half of that day's page is the story of Stephen being stoned to death for his faith and how he could have prayed for them to stop but chose to pray for those attacking him instead. There are some deep questions about how you react to being mistreated. Then there is an experiment in which we replicate a crocodile stomach and see how the stones they eat can crush food. Ultimately learning about how rocks can really destroy things, like poor Stephen. At the end there is a prayer prompt and a Bible verse. Each day is laid out in a similar manner. There are stories of serving others, both biblically and in the present, mighty warriors, health, generosity, and having faith in God every day. This is a fantastic devotional designed to run from January to December and is labeled for each day. I highly recommend it, and just dive right in with your active boy!

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Money Saving Mom One of My Favorite Blogs

I have been blogging for a long time (9 years) and my favorite blogs have come and gone. Right now one of my favorite blogs is Money Saving Mom! If you haven't seen this blog yet, get on over and check it out.

The writers at Money Saving Mom share tons of printable coupons, information about earning money from home, and freebies galore. Last year I got tons of free goodies to add to my Christmas gifts over the course of the year. It is where I heard about Craftsy's free online classes, Blogging for Books and Tyndale Blogging Network (free books for blog reviews), and have gotten so many free Kindle books that I may not be able to read them all! I don't find something every day but it has been totally worth a peek on a daily basis for me.

Check it out! You'll be happy you did.

How to Survive a Sharknado: A Book Review

Have you been concerned about your ability to survive a Sharknado or other unnatural disaster? Now you can be prepared with Andrew Shaffer's book How to Survive a Sharknado. I have been seeing this movie everywhere, online, Netflix, Amazon. The whole idea is so absurd that I thought I'd never watch it. Seeing the book really piqued my interest. I signed on to review the book.

I wanted to be prepared and to give the book a fair review, so I watched the movie. It is totally absurd! So absurd that it is downright hilarious. Now I was psyched to read the book. I was not disappointed. How to Survive a Sharknado has a letter from Fin at the beginning and one from his ex-wife at the back. Both are characters from the SciFi film. Shaffer also peppers the book with actual facts bringing the book to life for the readers.

The appendices are not to be missed either. Two different supply lists are included. There is a quiz to find out how well you would do in the case of an unnatural disaster. And excerpts from other scifi books. My favorite part of the whole book was in a highlighted section of the Cave Bear information. He quotes Stephen Colbert's opinion on bears and it was hilarious.

I was impressed by the full page illustrations for each topic. The layout of the whole book was incredibly well done. Plus I am prepared for the inevitable icenado we are likely to get this winter.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Dear Luke: A Book Review

Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth is the long and crazy name of the book I am reviewing today. Written by John Moe, it is a satirical collection of letters, e-mails, and other communiques from many notable areas of pop culture. You would be hard pressed to find an adult, and it is very much a book for adults, that does not find something that makes them laugh. Whether it is the journal of Bruce the shark (from Finding Nemo) falling off the bandwagon and inadvertently becoming the shark from Jaws, the CIA log of Gilligan studying the effect of stranding people on an island, or the Welp reviews of such notable stops as Moe's Tavern, Bates Motel, and Bronto Burgers in Bedrock.

This book will be a hit if you enjoy dark comedy. It is quite cynical most of the time. As I tried to think of a way to describe this unique book I began to think of The Stinky Cheese Man. For those who aren't familiar with it, it is a picture book which sheds a cynical and comedic look at popular fairy tales. Dear Luke is like a grown up version of the popular 90's picture book.

Overall I would have to say that I truly enjoyed about half of this book. The book is clever and well put together. I do like a good dark comedy from time to time and this was no exception. At times it went a little too far, funny to uncomfortable in a matter of sentences. The other half of the book I was not familiar with the references to or were completely uninteresting to me, like the numerous Super Bowl Half-time ideas that peppered the entire book. The thing that bothered me the most was the gratuitous foul language. I am an adult, the book is for adults, and a little language here and there isn't necessary but not a deterrent. There are times, like in Dorothy's letter to Glinda, that the "F" word shows up several times in each paragraph. I thought the idea for Dorothy's letter was hilarious and witty, but the over use of swearing destroyed the youthful innocence of the character instead of playing upon it.

I am happy I read the book. I had many a good laugh. My recommendation is to enjoy the sections that are funny to you and simply bypass the stuff you don't get or don't like.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

 

Dad is Fat: A Book Review

Jim Gaffigan is one of our favorite comedians! I was so excited to have the opportunity to review his book. Dad is Fat is such an easy read. Each chapter is a different tale of parental hilarity. That makes it very easy to pick up and put down as your parenting needs vary. One of my favorite things about Gaffigan is that he helps us to laugh about the less enjoyable aspects of parenting. As a parent I love this book. It is great to sit and read the whole thing at once, or, more likely, in quick bursts between crying kids.

I read this fantastic book on my kindle and it translates very well into the digital format. I didn't notice any major technical issues. Plus, it takes up no space on my bookshelf which is great because it is currently packed for our move.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.