The Berenstain Bears: Easter Sunday

I just received The Berenstain Bears: Easter Sunday. I have to say I love this children’s book and will be purchasing more Berenstain Bear books in the future. I absolutely love the Easter message in this book. It is perfect for children and is a very simple message. It allows a parent to elaborate more or leave it as is. There is also a section that explains Easter eggs. It does so in a way that no one is condemned but also explains it isn’t in the Bible. There is an alternative activity illustrated in the book that would be great to teach the kids in church, the treasure hunt, but you will have to read it yourself to see what it is. I believe many different things could be applied and stories taught using this activity.

I highly recommend this book for small children and young readers. The illustrations are so beautiful and the book is very nice quality. I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review. I love it!!!!!

Cats in Paris A Magical Coloring Book

 

 

I just received Cats in Paris: A Magical Coloring Book by Won-Sun Jang It wasn’t exactly what I expected but it is a nice quality coloring book. The cover is really pretty and there is a page inside the coloring book identical so that you can color it the way that you want. It is also a dust cover jacket and you can color the inside of it. It’s very nicely done.

The pages are double sided some are a two page coloring image. The pages are very thick and have a nice feel too them with a smooth tooth. Pencils lay down nicely. The first 10 pages or so are actually more what I expected of the entire book. They include cats that are located in places in Paris such as cityscapes, stores, cafes etc. but the rest of the book is just cats. I really hoped it would be more things like the beginning and not just pictures of cats. I couldn’t see inside images when ordering.

The next thing I’m not absolutely crazy about is the line drawings look a lot more like sketches and crudely done in my opinion. Which is okay if this is the look that you like they are nice images I just like a more refined look. If you love to color and love cats this will be a nice addition to your collection. If you are looking for Paris in this book you will not find much. I’m still going to enjoy this book but it’s probably not something I would’ve purchased for myself if I was standing in the store looking at the pages. It is a wonderfully good quality coloring book though. Not cheaply made at all. Check it out for yourself and see if it is your style. It is very nice just not me.  I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review from www.bloggingforbooks.com. You can order a copy here.

The Word of Promise New Testament NKJV Audio Bible

I absolutely love The Word of Promise New Testament audio NKJV Bible!!!! I wasn’t sure what to expect but figured it would be like so many other audio bibles. Someone reading the text in a monotone voice or overly theatrical voice but this one is different. 

It consists of 20 cds and is read by various artists. Very well known actors such as Marisa Tomei, Richard Dreyfuss, Louis Gossett, Jr, Lou Diamond Philipps, Luke Perry, John Schneider, and Michael W. Smith just to name a few. It is presented in “Dramatic Audio Theater” It is like listening to an onstage theatrical play without being able to see the actors. It follows along with the actual bible but is done in a way that it comes to life. There are special effect sounds in the background to go along with the scripture.

I put the first cd into my computer and it immediately grabbed my attention. I was able to listen to quite a bit of it and hated to have to turn it off to finish what I was doing. This isn’t your typical audio bible. I’m not sure if the Old Testament is available but I’d love to have it too if it is. I am sooo glad I got these cds. If you are looking for a great audio bible I would highly suggest getting this one. You will not be disappointed. 

I received this audio book from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Brunch @ Bobby's

“Bobby Flay may be best known for his skills at the grill, but brunch is his favorite meal of the week.  Brunch @ Bobby’s has 140 recipes that will tempt anyone who appreciates brunch. It has 8 sections: Coffee, Tea and Cocktails, Spreads and syrups, Pancakes, Waffles and French toast, Egg dishes, Pastries and breads, Sandwiches, Fruit dishes and fruit salads, and Savory side dishes.

A lot of the drink recipes include alcohol and I don’t drink so for the most part they didn’t interest me and I didn’t spend much time in this section. Now there was a delicious looking pancake recipe “Pineapple upside down pancakes” that I hope to try soon.

The recipes throughout look easy enough to follow and are clearly written. I’m not sure I would always have the ingredients available at all times and some shopping may be required before preparing a dish from this cookbook. It does appear that most ingredients can be found in well stocked super markets.

This book is full of beautiful photographs of prepared foods.  Most of the recipes have a photograph but not all.

If you want to prepare a nice brunch I would say this is a wonderful cookbook for that. Even if you are just looking for some good breakfast foods I think you will find it here. It looks like you will need to prepare ahead and give yourself plenty of time to cook. Some of the recipes take awhile to cook. Most of the recipes tell you when it is best to serve after cooking and how long you can wait to serve.  He also gives some menu ideas at the end of the book so that you can tell what will pair well with each other.

Overall I enjoy this cookbook and it will be one I will keep in my collection.  You can purchase a copy for yourself here.  I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

Whatever is Lovely: A coloring book for reflection and worship

Whatever is Lovely: A coloring book for reflection and worship is so far my absolute favorite adult coloring book. It is filled with scripture to reflect upon while you are coloring the page. Each illustration is done by a different person so they each have a unique style while they still remain cohesive to one another.

The illustrations are one sided printed on very thick pages. The back side tells who each illustrator is and some include versus, scripture and poetry. I have some adult coloring books which are very tedious and not really relaxing this one is the opposite. The images are not difficult to manage and color and it is easy to reflect upon the scriptures as you are coloring them. Some designs are very simple and others are a little more intricate in nature. This is a very well done coloring book and very nice quality.

This is a must have coloring book if you love the Word and love to color!!!! I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

Faith Builders Bible

I am slightly disappointed in the Faith Builders Bible. It may be good for a child around 9-11. The font is tiny and I felt the building block verse pages were lacking. The illustrations/pictures of block creation seemed small.

At the beginning there is an illustration with blocks showing the names of each book in the bible. Then there is a “can you build” page that gives 3 small activities: a cross, a fish and a lamb. On the pages with the building block verses there is a building block creation (basically Legos but the book never references Legos at all). The picture takes approximately half the page then there is a description of the story being depicted. Below that there is a “building block verse” that goes along with the story.

I believe a lot more could have been done with this bible. There really are no study materials to go along with the illustrations, no elaboration and no real teaching tool. I was really hoping for more. In today’s world of internet it would be nice if maybe there had be instructions or some kind of guide to building some of the structures so that they could be used as teaching guides. It would’ve been very easy to add these little details. Printables could have been made available via internet or instructions could have been added at the end. A lot of the illustrations aren’t much more than mini figures standing on platform boards.

I did love the ABCs of Salvation  and the Lord’s Prayer pages and I will keep this bible for my child when he is older but as of right now he is way too young for it. It is a very basic bible with no reference notes or no study guides but is a version that will be easier to understand by a child. If you are looking for a child’s bible for someone who absolutely loves legos or building blocks that is just below teen level this might be a good choice but if you are looking for a good study bible or teaching tool you may want to find something else.  I would suggest picking it up and looking through it before making a choice. I received this bible at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review. I don’t believe I would’ve purchased this particular bible at this point otherwise. It isn’t horrible but just doesn’t meet my wants or needs in a bible for a child.

 

Happy Cooking

Giada De Laurentiis’ Happy Cooking cookbook is a beautiful cookbook full of wonderful photography. It is full of recipes including breakfast foods, snacks or small plates, salads, soups, pastas veggies and sides as well as sweets plus more. The recipes seem to be pretty healthy looking. There are also a few recipes for detoxing. She has added “cooks notes” throughout  with helpful hints and suggestions.

I’m not sure this is a go to cookbook for me but there are a handful of recipes that I would like to try. Not all of the recipes are pantry friendly and will require shopping at least for me. I will not have most of these ingredients on hand and it will take some planning on my part. It also requires a lot of herbs and spices for her recipes, again something that I don’t always have. That being said if you want to plan a meal ahead of time you will probably find plenty in this cookbook. I personally prefer using cookbooks that I can grab things I have on hand and get to cooking. I don’t have a lot of time to meal plan.

I would suggest checking out some of the recipes for yourself before purchasing this book to see if it is worth it to you. I will keep it in my collection because I do believe at some point I will use it. I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge for an honest review. You can purchase it here.

 

The Hot Bread Kitchen

 

Next to sweet stuff my weakness is bread. I love all bread so I couldn’t wait to get The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook by Jessamyn Waldman Rodiquez and the bakers of Hot Bread Kitchen.

“The tasty corollary of this social enterprise is a line of authentic breads you won’t find anywhere else”  There It begins with Primordial breads or better known to me as flat breads and ends with some sweet breads. It gives you bread baking tips and storing your bread tips. It appears to me that all of the ingredients are easily found. The cook book is beautifully illustrated with wonderful photography. Most recipes include a photo but not all of them. Savory breads, sweet breads, stuffed breads, rolls are all included. I can’t wait to try out a few recipes. It’s not just bread either there is a recipe for Crispy Chicken Schnitzel, Summertime Tomato and Tuna Bread Salad, and a Grilled Cheese French Toast just to name a few.

I believe that if you want to bake some yummy bread you will enjoy this cookbook. It looks advanced enough for the experienced baker as well as easy enough for a novice. I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis

The surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis was intriguing to me. It is written by Jerry Root and Mark Neal. “This book is an introduction to C.S. Lewis’s published work. To understand Lewis well requires a frasp of his uses of the imaginations. Lewis said so himself.”

I really didn’t know much about C.S. Lewis and not really much about his works. I am somewhat familiar with his Chronicles of Narnia series but that is about the extent of my knowledge of his works.  I really enjoyed learning about him and the way his imagination worked. I didn’t realize he had claimed to be an atheist prior to his salvation.

This book isn’t something that is a really quick read and is kind of a study of the different literary imagination styles of C.S. Lewis. It shows how important imagination is in our lives. His imagination has made a difference in many lives. I believe this book is more of a textbook type study book and not a “story” type book. I plan on using in later in a home school curriculum as a study in literature.

I enjoyed this book but it did take some time to get through.

 I received this book a no charge from handlebar publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

NKJV Prohecy Study Bible

 

 

If you are looking for a bible that explains prophecy I would highly recommend the NKJV Prophecy Study Bible, with commentary by John Hagee. I’m so excited about this one!!!!!!

I wouldn’t say this is the easiest study bible I’ve ever used but neither is it difficult to figure out. It’s not just a normal study bible to study scripture but it is one that focuses on prophecy. The bible starts out with explanations and studies of the end times. There are charts and time lines to help you understand. There is also information to tell you how to use this bible.  John Hagee has done a wonderful job explaining prophecy.  It is a very difficult subject to understand and many have different beliefs on what the end times mean exactly.  I tend to agree with John Hagee and how he interprets scripture.

I can’t even begin to tell you everything in this bible but I will try. Each book includes information about the book, who the author is, the time line of the book. Some of them also include “evidences”  and stories to help explain the chapter. There are beautiful colored maps in the back and a history of Israel.  It is also a red letter words of Christ bible.

I have to say I absolutely love this bible and cannot wait to delve into it deeper.  I think this is probably one of the if not the best prophecy studies I have come across. If you are wanting to learn more about end times and prophecy I think this is the one for you. I have read some reviews that say it is missing books but I have not found anything missing maybe this was in earlier editions or maybe some mistake in the printing. As far as I can tell this is a complete bible.

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