Winner announced

Congratulations to Heather you won the BTC Cookbook! Check your email you should have one from bloggingforbooks . Once you give them your address they will send your book to you.  Thank you to all who participated. 

The Little Book of Book Making

I received the Little Book of Book Making. I have to say I was looking forward to this book but I was somewhat disappointed. I thought that it was going to be a book full of great instructions and ideas. I love to scrapbook and thought that I could get ideas for mini albums.

First, the book is about 6x6 it is beautifully illustrated and about 181 pages. The first 3/4’s of the book is very nice pictures and descriptions of various artists’ books. The last ¼  of the book gives instructions on how to make some of the books that are illustrated. The instructions are step by step and have pictures to go along with the steps.

I’m not sure I would pay the $23.00 price for this book. I was disappointed that there weren’t more instructions and ideas. Although the artists’ books are beautiful and I suppose gives the reader a good idea what can be done with the created books I don’t think the price constitutes the instructions for 6 books and a few stitching and paper techniques.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

Woman of Courage

I couldn’t put down Wanda Brunstetter’s book Woman of Courage. I really enjoyed every minute of the story. Set in 1837 Amanda Pearson has been jilted by her fiancé on the day of her wedding. Her father and she decide to embark on a journey across the country to be missionaries to the Nez Perce Indians. Along the way she is faced with many tragedies and trials. Amanda’s courage must prevail. Amanda makes new friends along her journey including Mary who also proves to be very courageous.

I love genealogy and I think that is why I love historical novels set in the 1800s and early 1900s. I often imagine what it must have been like for those early settlers as they crossed over the mountains. How it must have been a treacherous journey. Mrs. Brunstetter brought this journey to life and I could imagine my early ancestors embarking on such trips as some of them were Quakers. I loved the characters in her novel they were so colorful. I found myself riding along through the trails along with the sights and smells. Some parts made me sad others made me laugh. I loved the Christian message and love that was portrayed throughout.

If you love historical novels with a Christian theme you will love this novel. I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

A July Bride

 

 

July Bride by Beth Wiseman is a novella that introduces us to Alyssa Pennington who just got left at the altar by Brenden. Alyssa is devastated but she starts dating long time friend Dalton. The question is can Dalton make Alyssa forget Brenden even though Brenden knows he made a terrible mistake and wants to win her back.

I enjoyed reading this novella I think it could have been turned into a full novel with a little work. It seemed there was a lot that could have been done with it and it was a little rushed but it was still fun to read. It is much like the other novellas in this series as it is predictable and cutesy. Also, it is a quick read if you are looking for something light.

If you liked the other books in this series I think you will enjoy this one too. I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Mix & Match Guide to Companion Planting

 

Josie Jeffery’s book “The Mix & Match Guide to Companion Planting has some really good information on gardening in an organic way. There is info on composting, collecting rain water, sowing seeds, transplanting and thinning just to name a few topics. The main focus is the flip, tab pages that is a Directory of companion plants. You can pick your main crop and then line up plants that will grow well and become natural pest control and natural minerals to help with growth.

I found the book full of a lot of useful information and I think it is a good starting point for growing food organically with no harmful pesticides or fertilizers but I feel like it is lacking in depth of information. There weren’t a lot of crops listed that I would plant but there were some that I would.

I would say this is an easy book to grasp and a good start to gardening organically but I wouldn’t say it is comprehensive. It is beautifully laid out.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase this book here

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A Deadly Business

Lis Weihl is one of my favorite authors and with “A Deadly Business” once again she didn’t disappoint. A Deadly Business is the second book in the Mia Quinn Mystery series. Mia is a prosecutor whose husband has recently died. She pairs up with Detective Charlie Carlson to work on a case together when he suggests maybe her husband’s death may have not been an accident.

It would probably be best if you read the first book in the series, A Matter of Trust, before this one but even if you didn’t there is background information included to catch you up to speed. The characters were developed in the first book but Ms. Weihl has introduced new characters in this book. The story is full of twists and turns. The characters seem real and the story line believable. There are a couple of different cases going on at the same time but they are easily followed.

In this book I did feel like the secondary story of the case she was working on kind of got left out a little and maybe wasn’t a real important part of the book. It made good points and showed how we could and probably should look at things differently. I think the secondary story could have made a good storyline on its own if it had been the focus. And I suppose it is how she introduced some new characters.

Over all if you like a good, clean mystery you will like this series. Again I recommend reading A Matter of Trust first but it isn’t completely necessary. I’ve really enjoyed both of these books and am looking forward to more books in this series.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.