A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

  Carved in Ebony Jasmine L. Holmes Bethany House Publishers This book wasn't quite what I expected, although now that I'm taking a better look at the title, I'm realizing I should have guessed that. Rather than being straight-up biographical (as I thought) this mixes biography and memoir. Some of the book was a little repetitive (although, granted, there isn't a whole lot of information to work with for a few of the women) and I would have loved it if it had included at least a few pictures. I think the chapter I enjoyed the most was on Charlotte Forten Grimke; I recognized the last name, and then she was described as a "folklorist" (among many other things!) and then it turns out that she collected folklore from South Carolina's sea islands! All of the ladies included led interesting lives, but I think she's the one I'd most love to have a conversation with. I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for...

The Girl's Guide to Conquering Life Erica & Jonathon Catherman Revell      Okay, first off, I don't think that I'm really the target audience for this book--which is something that I didn't know from looking at the cover and reading the blurb. I assumed that it was going to be more of an "adulting" handbook for women in the twenty-ish age bracket, but it's really much more juvenile. The how-tos are incredibly basic and the small handful of sections that I thought might be useful for me personally didn't give me much help; I think I'd get a better idea of how to change a car tire from youtube or my dad, for instance. Maybe my parents just prepared me very well for the world, but I can't imagine not knowing a lot of stuff in here. I can see this book maybe being useful to a girl with a single dad who can't really teach her how to shave her legs, shop for a bra, etc., but a lot of the skills it tries to teach are learned more by...

NIV Journal the Word Bible      I had been admiring the journaling Bibles in my local Books-A-Million not that long ago, and I thought the idea was neat. It seemed like a worthwhile keepsake, not only to remind you of what God has done throughout your life, but also for maybe your children and grandchildren to one day see. This edition has a lovely cover and is well-made, even if the NIV isn't my preferred translation (but it was the only one available for review, so that was that- although there are other versions available if you want). Also, I wish there wasn't any wording on the side or that it simply said "Holy Bible:" the "NIV Journal the Word" logo seems a little commercial for my taste. However, the inside is great, although the print is small. There are  lines for writing, but they are faint enough so that you could draw of doodle along the sides if you wanted to, as well. I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest ...

Simply Calligraphy Judy Detrick Watson-Guptill Publications       I've always been interested in and fascinated by different types and methods of lettering. Italics is one of the simplest and more recognizable forms of calligraphy, and that is what this book focuses on. While there isn't much that makes this book different or unique among calligraphy how-tos, I do like how simple and to-the-point it is. I was especially grateful for the little 30-degree angle illustration, since the right angle of holding the pen has always gotten me confused in nearly every other calligraphy book I've tried. I do wish that this book had come in a set with all the materials needed, though.      It's definitely a beginner's book (as it says in the subtitle) but being a beginner, I can appreciate that. :) I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The Elements of Pizza Ken Forkish Ten Speed Press      I really, really like pizza.      I mean, I think most people do, but I just felt the need to admit that I, too, am not immune to the charms of this dish. It's the one thing I just can't seem to get enough of, and I can keep up with my three teenage brothers on the amount of it I can eat. And since my family actually does make homemade pizza on a pretty regular basis, I thought that this would be a good book to give us some more knowledge and tricks in the making of this blessed gift from Italy.      There's a lot of background information packed into this book, and I think it might be for a person who's slightly more serious about pizza-making (I did skip some of it), although I did find some of the historical information interesting. A lot of the recipes look really good, and I liked how many different styles of pizzas are included (I also like the simple sauce recipes, ...

Hairstyled Anne Thoumieux Potter Style You don’t need to be a professional to get show-stopping hair.  Hairstyled   presents 75 deceptively simple techniques for creating your favorite high-fashion hairstyles. Dress up your everyday look with a ballerina bun or accessorize with a scarf bow. Turn heads at special occasions with the woven crown braid or a regal bouffant.  Each style has how-to photographs that are easy to follow, and chapters dedicated to a variety of hair lengths and textures help you update your look whether you have a pixie cut or long, curly tresses. With product tips and countless ideas for accessorizing your ’do and inventive variations on classic styles,  Hairstyled  is your guide to getting gorgeous hair every day.      I feel like this is a book that I would be much more impressed with if I wasn't such a Pinterest user. While there were one or two hairstyles in this book that I hadn't seen before, most of them...

The Carols of Christmas Andrew Gant Thomas Nelson From Oxford professor and renowned British composer, a joyous account of the history behind our favorite carols. Everyone loves a carol--in the end, even Ebenezer Scrooge. They have the power to summon up a special kind of mid-winter mood, like the aroma of gingerbread or the twinkle of lights on a tree. It's a kind of magic. But how did they get that magic? Andrew Gant--choirmaster, church musician, university professor, and writer--tells the story of some twenty carols, each accompanied by lyrics and music, unraveling a captivating, and often surprising, tale of great musicians and thinkers, saints and pagans, shepherd boys and choirboys. Readers get to delve into the history such favorites as "Good King Wenceslas," "Away in a Manger," and "O, Tannenbaum," discovering along the way how "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" came to replace "Hark, how all the welkin' ring...

Hiding in the Light Rifqa Bary Waterbrook “After four years of hiding my faith from my family, I knew that it was time. I wrote with shaky hands, ‘Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I refuse to deny him….’ There was no turning back now. I had to get out of that house if I wanted to live. Was this worth risking everything for? Yes.” Rifqa Bary grew up in a devout Muslim home, obediently following her parents’ orders to practice the rituals of Islam. But God was calling her to freedom and love. He was calling her to true faith. He was calling her to give up everything. Leaving Islam for Christianity cost her more than she imagined but gave more than she could have dreamed. Hiding in the Light  is the story of Rifqa’s remarkable spiritual journey from Islam to Christianity. It is also the untold story of how she ran from her father’s threats to find refuge with strangers in Florida, only to face a controversial court case that reached national headlines. ...

The Sweetapolita Bakebook Rosie Alyea Clarkson Potter Paint, doodle, and sprinkle your way to stunning one-of-a-kind sweets.       The world of Sweetapolita is sparkly and sprinkly and charming as can be, with   75 recipes for everything from pretty homemade cookies to decadent layer cakes. But what really sets these treats apart are interactive designs that let everyone in on the fun of decorating: Painted Mini Cakes are served with edible "paint" for guests to personalize at the table, the fondant-covered tiered Chalk-a-Lot cake is paired with homemade edible "chalk," and Rainbow Doodle cookies are made for kids to go to town on with edible markers.       Rosie Alyea, the creator of the Sweetapolita blog, frolics in flour and frosting, and she loves to get her two young daughters involved, too. The pages of her debut book are full of playful ideas that will inspire creativity in bakers of all levels—including a recipe for mak...

Novel Interiors   Lisa Borgnes Giramonti Potter Style For those who have ever lost themselves in the stylish worlds of novels like Sense and Sensibility, The Age of Innocence, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray and countless others, this design book embraces the fantasy of time and place, showing you how to bring some of those elements into your own home. Lisa Giramonti inspires a new approach to decorating: by teaching us through the lens of worlds we may already know and love. With gorgeous photographs by World of Interiors photographer Ivan Terestchenko, aspirational quotes, and tailored reading lists, Novel Interiors reveals the essence and details of interiors mentioned in great literary works. This is a stunning, photo-driven book that shares enchanting and timeless ways to live more elegantly.    The premise for this book was promising. Unfortunately, the execution of the idea was passable at best. ...

No Greater Valor: The Siege of Bastogne and the Miracle that Sealed Allied Victory Jerome Corsi Thomas Nelson Jerome Corsi's newest opus,  No Greater Valor , examines the Siege of Bastogne-one of the most heroic victories of WWII-with a focus on the surprising faith of the Americans who fought there. In December of 1944, an outmanned, outgunned, and surrounded US force fought Hitler's overwhelming Panzer divisions to a miraculous standstill at Bastogne. The underdogs had saved the war for the Allies. It was nothing short of miraculous. Corsi's analysis is based on a record of oral histories along with original field maps used by field commanders, battle orders, and other documentation made at the time of the military command. With a perspective gleaned from newspapers, periodicals, and newsreels of the day, Corsi paints a riveting portrait of one of the most important battles in world history. I've recently been diving into more non-fiction, and as I ...

Knitting Block By Block Nicky Epstein  Potter Craft Since I fully admit that I'm not the most talented of knitters, this book greatly appealed to me. Since every project is made of much-easier-to-handle blocks, I figured it would be a good way to get back into to knitting. So far, I've only tried one block (and a really easy one at that) but it seems to be working out fine. I do have a couple of complaints, though. The first is that while there are some really beautiful block designs that I loved, some are really unattractive (and in many cases the colors shown in the examples don't help their case) Also, I would have loved more projects to use the blocks in. There are about ten projects (such as purses, scarves, and afghans) but there were really only two or so that I would consider making. The rest were either not my style, or they were -I'm sorry to say- just plain ugly. However, there are a lot of techniques in here that I'd like to learn, and ther...

Bonhoeffer Abridged Eric Metaxas Thomas Nelson From the  New York Times  bestselling author of  Amazing Grace , an abridged version of the groundbreaking biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the greatest heroes of the twentieth century, the man who stood up to Hitler. A definitive, deeply moving narrative, Bonhoeffer is a story of moral courage in the face of the monstrous evil that was Nazism. After discovering the fire of true faith in a Harlem church, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany and became one of the first to speak out against Hitler. As a double-agent, he joined the plot to assassinate the Führer, and was hanged in Flossenberg concentration camp at age 39. Since his death, Bonhoeffer has grown to be one of the most fascinating, complex figures of the 20th century. Bonhoeffer presents a profoundly orthodox Christian theologian whose faith led him to boldly confront the greatest evil of the 20th century, and uncovers never-before-revealed f...

Fierce Convictions Karen Swallow Prior Thomas Nelson The enthralling biography of the woman writer who helped end the slave trade, changed Britain's upper classes, and taught a nation how to read. The history-changing reforms of Hannah More affected every level of 18th-Century British society through her keen intellect, literary achievements, collaborative spirit, strong Christian principles, and colorful personality. A woman without connections or status, More took the world of British letters by storm when she arrived in London from Bristol, becoming a best-selling author and acclaimed playwright and quickly befriending the author Samuel Johnson, the politician Horace Walpole, and the actor David Garrick. Yet she was also a leader in the Evangelical movement, using her cultural position and her pen to support the growth of education for the poor, the reform of morals and manners, and the abolition of Britain's slave trade. "Fierce Convictions" weaves toget...