Green Smoothies by Fern Green

Oohhh! Do you have a juicer or blender or one of those fruit ninjas or such? Are you looking for some ideas/inspiration? This book is full of great recipes/ideas for healthy juicing and smoothie making! The book is called Green Smoothies, by author Fern Green [real name? Hmmmmm :) ]

The photo on front is a pattern for the illustrations throughout the book. There are full-page photo recipes of the ingredients for each delicacy and then a picture of (I assume) the completed juice or smoothie in a cute little bottle with a colored top!

Some of the recipes call for items you probably already have in your fridge, some are a little more seasonal -- or you could purchase them out of season (pricey, but. . .) I guess if you live in an area with a long growing season you're more in luck :)

The book is broken into several sections: smoothies, juices, shots and milks. There's a section about equipment (juicers, etc) and about the different "super greens" as well as one about a juice detox. Each of the recipes also has a few body improvements that the juice or smoothie or such promises, such as *skin enhancing *immunizing *cleansing *body stimulating and more. I can't speak to the actual efficacy of each of these, but they sure look promising!

It's a pretty book, inspiring, full of good ideas. I'd definitely recommend it!

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

(here are a couple of pictures from the book just to show you how appealing they look!)

Undaunted Hope by Jody Hedlund

Are you a romance reader? This might be the book for you! :) This book, Undaunted Hope by Jody Hedlund, is a historical fiction/romance book in a setting of a coastal community in Michigan in the 1870's.

Tessa, a schoolteacher who is running away from her past misdeed, arrives at Eagle Harbor to become their next schoolteacher. Her first disappointment is that they were expecting a male teacher and the supervisor seems questionable in his morals. Also on her first day in town she is accosted by a bunch of sailors who threaten her until she jumps/falls into the icy waters and is rescued by Alex, a fisherman. [[here is where the tone of the book is set, I'd say, by the descriptions of this super-handsome, super-strong fellow]].

As Tessa's adventures in town and school continue, so does the love story with Alex and his brother. There are different things that happen in the book, but this is the primary theme. Eventually there is a near-tragedy and in the end a declaration of love by two of the people. I won't spill more :)

SO -- it's a romance, purely a romance. Not much to the story but that. I don't mind romance in the books I read, but I really rather it not be the primary theme. To me it seemed over-romancey (yeah, I know that's not a word) so if you like reading romance books (I know there are a lot of you!) then you will probably like this one. To me, I wouldn't choose to read this type of book. It's a "Christian" book, but there's not really much Christian stuff in it, maybe just the lack of inappropriate romance book themes. . .it's a "clean" book. There were some kind of minor plots that came out in the book that I wished were developed more thoroughly also.

Would I recommend it? Well, it depends. To my mother in law or her mother, who read romances all day long. . .sure. If that's not your thing, then I'd say probably not. If you're just looking for historical fiction, I'd maybe look elsewhere.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators by David H Ross

Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators: Mastering the Art of Drawing from Memory by David H. Ross is a book filled with mini-lessons about different aspects of drawing human figures, kind of super hero-type drawing.

I really like this book, my daughter and son are using it to learn some tips. I really liked all the horizon and perspective lessons (using the quartered box as a guide section was nice). The chapters are entitled:

1. A Perspective Primer
2. Introducing the Glass Mannequin
3. The Standing Figure
4. The Walking and Running Figure
5. The Crouching, Sitting, and Reclining Figure
6. Drawing the Head
7. Drawing the Hands and Feet
8. The Skeleton
9. The Muscles
10. Dynamic Action

There are lessons about muscles, motion, different steps in motion, etc. The lines of balance, poses of different parts of the body, and on.

I'm not sure I'd say that I love this book, but I think it is a good tool. It's a very nice quality book and I think the mini-lessons are not intimidating and can add on to already existing art skills.

I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review, I was not required to write a positive review.

The Midwife's Choice by Delia Parr

Back in the summer I read (and reviewed. . .see here) a book by Delia Parr called The Midwife's Tale. I have just finished the second book in this series (At Home in Trinity series) and really enjoyed it! This new book is called The Midwife's Choice by Delia Parr. It is set in the 1830's and is the story around the life, town, and family of Widow Cade (Martha), the area's midwife.

Martha's daughter, who had run away with a carnival in the previous book, comes back home to her mother's joy. She has been living with a family who was taking care of her, employing her, and allowing her to work as a writer. Martha is living above the confectionary with the two sisters who run it (her brother's place where she used to live had burned down).

Many different dramas fill the story, some having to do with her profession as a midwife, others just with her caring nature. She tries to help a newly-blinded man and his ward, assists with a stillbirth and discovers an abused wife, shares the joy of a friend's returned marriage, finds out giant secrets about a close friend, faces choices concerning love and her future, and tries to do the right thing in every situation.

It's a nice story with adventure, suspense, and Christian values. It's written in a historic setting, and gives you a good taste of life in that era. I enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

More For Girls Only! Devotions by Carolyn Larsen

Do you have a daughter or granddaughter who is in the pre-teen years? This devotional would be a wonderful tool in their spiritual development! This devotion book, More For Girls Only! Devotions written by Carolyn Larsen is spot on for this age group. It is printed with pink ink (!) and is more than just a story for the day illustrating good behavior. It is very Scripturally oriented. The day's reading begins with a Bible verse (or verses) and then a story illustrating either a desirable characteristic or an undesirable one. The story ends with some thought-provoking (and discussion-starting!) questions about the topic.

Following the story is "checkup time" which is a 1-5 scale (1=never, 5=always to answer how you feel you fall on certain questions (such as
I pray for missionaries
I know that others are affected by my choices
I feel God's love throughout the day
I know I need God's forgiveness every day
I'm good at waiting until I'm certain God has given me guidance

and so forth.

Following this is a "key" which gives you an interpretation, such as:
mostly 1's: we get it, you like to do things your way. But God's way is actually better for you. Ask him to help you believe that.
mostly 2's: Could it be that you don't trust God to guide you? . . .
mostly 3's:

etc. You get the pictures. Like those "quizzes" in magazines.

The next section is "Things to do" and gives several action items to check off and try to do that will increase your growth in that characteristic.

Following that is "Things to remember" which is a listing of verses that relate to the topic which can be used for Bible memory as well as some quotes by Christian writers on the topics.

I really like the format as well as the topics of this devotional. I have already used book one with my 11 year old daughter and it has opened up wonderful times of discussion and prayer for us. It doesn't take a huge amount of time, but I believe it is a great help in her life.

I definitely recommend this book. The age group it's written for is 8-12; it could probably be used with older girls, but I'd say it's best within this age range.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Rising Darkness by Nancy Mehl

This book, Rising Darkness, by Nancy Mehl is a book kind of suspenseful Mennonite-based book with a little romance as well. The concept of the book is that a girl who was raised in an abusive neglectful Mennonite home has left the faith and is on her way to becoming a great reporter. She has a lead that she hopes will catapult her into "great reporter" status. She has gotten a lead regarding an old robbery-turned-murder that has remained unsolved for many years and hopes to discover the criminal and expose him through her story.

The trail takes her into a Mennonite community, which falls into conflict with her upbringing and her turn away from the faith. She pretends she is someone who she is not and begins her investigation.

Throughout the story she meets some interesting characters and does some searching of her own. I will not tell you more, in case you decide to read the book :)

I thought it was an okay book, a bit predictable, and a bit unbelievable. I honestly didn't really like the main character Sophie at all. She wasn't really likeable, and I wish her character had been a bit more developed, or maybe a bit more like a real person. In the end there is a change of heart as well as some surprise entanglements. . . all in all I thought it was okay. Maybe a book you'd get out of the library and read, but maybe not buy. It was a good clean story, but not a favorite.

I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Amish Christmas at North Star by Cindy Woodsmall, Mindy Starns Clark, Amanda Flower, Katie Ganshert

This book, Amish Christmas at North Star is a collection of four stories about Amish families or connections that occur in or related to the town of North Star. The stories are written by different authors: Cindy Woodsmall, Mindy Starns Clark (and Emily Clark), Amanda Flower, and Katie Ganshert. I have read books by several of those authors before this book, so I was excited to get into this book. I generally like to read stories that are all related, which added to the appeal.

When I received the book, I dove right into it, enjoying the first story (by Katie Ganshert) a lot. The second one, though, for some reason, didn't "click" with me -- I actually put the book down for several days before picking it up to read more. The third was okay, not really compelling either. I did like the fourth one (by Mindy Starns Clark/Emily Clark.

The stories follow a bit in the lives of four individuals who were born the same night, at an Amish birthing center, assisted by the same midwife. They are all stories with a bit of romance, of course, and are good, clean stories, and interesting enough, though 2 are much more interesting than the other two. Though they are all about the same town, the stories didn't intertwine at all.

I guess I'd say that they are a good read, however, two of the four books were just kind of blah. I wouldn't recommend NOT reading the book, but just wanted to say that I was surprised that two of them were not quite pageturners for me.

I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.