Review: The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden

Book Details:
Title: The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden
Author: Karen Newcomb
ISBN: 978-1607746836

Book Summary:
  To accommodate today's lifestyles, a garden needs to fit easily into a very small plot, take as little time as possible to maintain, require a minimum amount of water, and still produce prolifically. That's exactly what a postage stamp garden does. Postage stamp gardens are as little as 4 by 4 feet, and, after the initial soil preparation, they require very little extra work to produce a tremendous amount of vegetables--for instance, a 5-by-5-foot bed will produce a minimum of 200 pounds of vegetables. 

When first published 40 years ago, the postage stamp techniques, including closely planted beds rather than rows, vines and trailing plants grown vertically to free up space, and intercropping, were groundbreaking. Now, in an ever busier world, the postage stamp intensive gardening method continues to be invaluable for gardeners who wish to weed, water, and work a whole lot less yet produce so much more.

My Review:
This is a very handy gardening book. No color photos included, but there is a lot packed into this book. Planing seasons, different examples of plot sizes and shapes, and explanations on different kinds of plants are all in there. There is also instructions on how to prepare your soil and keep it nutritious for your plant.s I enjoyed a few of the small sections included on things like moon phases and how they might affect your crops.
There seems to be very detailed sections of rotating crops and how to get your postage stamp garden to thrive. This method reminds me a lot of the Square-Foot Garden method where you are doing more intensive gardening rather than having your crops all spread out in rows. This is nice for obvious reasons and perfect for someone with a small space to still have a great vegetable garden. The author seems very knowledgeable and the writing is easy to read and understand. I will definitely be using this as a reference for years to come.

More Info
Author Bio

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books for an honest review. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

Book Review: I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson

Book Details

Title: I Quit Sugar

Author: Sarah Wilson

2014, Clarkson Potter

ISBN: 978-0804186018

Genre: Non-fiction, Cookbook

Book Summary

Sarah Wilson thought of herself as a relatively healthy eater. She didn't realize how much sugar was hidden in her diet, or how much it was affecting her well-being. When she learned that her sugar consumption could be the source of a lifetime of mood swings, fluctuating weight, sleep problems, and thyroid disease, she knew she had to make a change.

What started as an experiment to eliminate sugar--both the obvious and the hidden kinds--soon became a way of life, and now Sarah shows you how you can quit sugar too:

* follow a flexible and very doable 8-week plan
* overcome cravings
* make food you're excited to eat with these 108 recipes for detox meals, savory snacks, and sweet treats from Sarah Wilson and contributors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Curtis Stone, Dr. Robert Lustig (The Fat Chance Cookbook), Sarma Melngailis (Raw Food/ Real World), Joe "the Juicer" Cross, and Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows)

I Quit Sugar makes it easy to kick the habit for good, lose weight, and feel better than ever before. When you are nourished with delicious meals and treats, you won't miss the sugar for an instant. 

"When I quit sugar I found wellness and the kind of energy and sparkle I had as a kid. I don't believe in diets or in making eating miserable. This plan and the recipes are designed for lasting wellness." -- Sarah Wilson

My Review

Okay, I was going to wait until I finished the program to write my review, but I may just have to come back and update it. When I originally received this book for review, I was interested in the topic, but didn’t see myself wanting to actually attempt to “quit sugar”. Then I started reading the intro pages and really found myself drawn to the whole idea. These were concepts I already believed and I realized that here was a way to actually attempt it.

I have finally convinced my husband (half the battle honestly) to try the 8-week detox program with me and we are currently only on Week 1, but I am excited about the upcoming process.

Things I love about this book and program so far:

-The layout of the book is very beautiful and makes it fun to look at. There are lots of tips and info boxes all over.

-I like that the author starts in slowly with two weeks of cutting back before she makes you go cold turkey. During these two weeks you are slowly trying a few new recipes each week.

-I saw some others complaining about this, but it makes me REALLY HAPPY that this is a bit of a free-form diet plan. I have followed some other diets and they are so strict that I feel you cannot make a real lifestyle change. This plan isn’t as rigid, there is no exact list of what to eat or drink every meal of every day, but it gives you the tools to make the right decisions… and hopefully that will translate into making those better decisions after the 8-weeks are up.

Things I’m not sure about:

-Some of the ingredients… there are a lot of special ingredients. The author claims to use these same ingredients over and over, so we’ll see how that goes.

-I’m not sure about some of the recipes either. I’m not sure how my family is going to respond to Squash Soup or pancakes made with buckwheat flour, but I’m willing to try it.

I will say that we’ve tried the granola and I made an apple and cheese dessert last night and it’s been very yummy so far.

I think this book would be a great resource for someone to find out more information on sugar in our diets, or some sugarless recipes. If you’re someone who has to have a rigid diet plan then this book is not going to be for you, but if you like to be able to have some control over your diet, than you should check this one out.

More Info
Read Chapter One
Author Bio

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the Blogging for Books program. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

Mini Reviews #1

Okay, so this a new thing for me this year. I'm going to save up several reviews and do them all at once rather than doing a long review on each book. If they are just books I've picked up to read, I'm going to do a mini review. I like to be able to look back at what I've read and see if it was something I enjoyed or an author I liked, so I still want to document it... just not clog up my blog with millions of reviews!


If they're for a publisher review or ARC tour, then obviously then they will get their own lengthy one. =)


Click the Goodreads Summary for a summary of each book.

Title: 51/50: The Magical Adventure of a Single Life

Author: Kristen McGuiness

2010, Soft Skull Press

ASIN: B00440D824

Genre: Non-Fiction

Goodreads Summary

My Review:

This was the first book I read on my Kindle. I started it thinking it was kind of a weird fictional book about a recovering alcoholic trying to discover herself... only to realize that it was actually more of a memoir written by the author about her own weird life. At that point I was too far in to quit, but I thought it was a strange and not very uplifting book.

Title: Paradise Valley (Daugthers of Caleb Bender #1)

Author: Dale Cramer

2010, Bethany House Publishers

ASIN: B004EPYYDQ

Genre: Christian Fiction

Goodreads Summary

My Review:

I'm always a sucker for a good Amish story, so when I saw this one for free on my Kindle I was pretty happy. This book is about a father who moves his Amish family to Mexico to avoid  a government that is attempting to force their children to attend a conventional school 5 days a week. Apparently this was based on some true events, which made me like the story even more. This was really a great novel, with intelligent and interesting characters. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series to see what happens to the Bender family in Mexico.

 Title: Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart

Author: Beth Pattillo

2010, Guideposts Books

ISBN: 0824947932

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Goodreads Summary

My Review:

This is my least favorite of my books I'm going to review today. There was something lacking about the storyline of this novel. It was cute, it was nice, but for some reason I wasn't too excited about it. It's a little unfortunate, because I looked back at my view of Jane Austen Ruined My Life by the same author, and I really liked it. I felt like the author was really grasping to make the story work with the whole Mr. Darcy/Jane Austen theme for this one. 

Title: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1)

Author: Beth Fantaskey

2010, Graphica

AISN: B003UV91AQ

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Goodreads Summary

My Review:

This was another free Kindle download. I'd never even heard of it before. I really enjoyed this book. I always like a unique vampire story and this one delivered. Main character, Jessica, is a smart, interesting and fun American teenager and her counterpart, the vampire prince she's betrothed too (surprise!), Lucius, is complex, mysterious, charismatic and brooding all at once. Makes for an interesting relationship and story line. If you like paranormals I'd suggest picking this one up. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

Book Review: Amish Prayers

Book Details:
Title: Amish Prayers
Complied By: Beverly Lewis
2011, Bethany House
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0882-9
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction

Book Summary (from the back cover):
The Amish and other Anabaptist groups have treasured the same book of prayers for centuries, turning to it for inspiration during times of peace as well as persecution. Now a selection of prayers from Die Ernsthafte Christenpflicht is readily available in English. This exclusive, authentic translation from the original German - with an introduction by bestselling author Beverly Lewis - pairs each prayer with a Scripture passage and offers insights into the rich spiritual foundations of the Plain people. Whether used for personal devotions or in a group setting, this beautifully illustrated collection will help draw you closer to God.

My Review:
I am a big fan of Amish fiction, including Beverly Lewis's novels, so I was excited to get the opportunity to review this book of Amish prayers. This book of Amish prayers is a small and very sweet book.

Each prayer is paired with a scripture verse. This book would be wonderful as a daily devotional. There are twelve chapters or sections that the prayers are compiled into, including:
Prayers for a New Day
Prayers of Repentance
Prayers for Comfort
Prayers of Praise
Prayers of Humility
Prayers in the Evening

There are beautiful illustrations throughout the book (by Phil Stauffer), which add to the aesthetics of it as a whole. Scripture verses are from the King James Version, which seems to fit the overall feel of the book.

The prayers are worded in a powerful way and you can see why the Amish people have treasured them for so long. According to the forward by Beverly Lewis, the original Amish prayer book was published back in 1708 and have been carried with them throughout the years along with their German Bible.

We ask you, Holy Father, to give us grace that we may live and walk in such a way that we may always be recognized as your servants, who are waiting for their Lord. Whenever you start the wedding feast, may you find us ready and willing, Lord, every hour of every day. Amen.

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching. Luke 12:37
(Excerpt from page 122)

 

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me free of charge by Bethany House Publishers

for my honest review. Any and all opinions expressed about this book are purely my own.

Book Review and Giveaway: A Word to the End Time Church

Book Details:
Title: A Word to the End Time Church
Author: Georgie Newman
2009, VMI Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-935265-02-3
Genre: Inspirational, Motivation, Christian Non-fiction

Book Summary (from the back cover):
Consider this a warning - A Word to the End Time Church - to those yet to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ needing to sincerely consider the claims of the Gospel. It is warning of false prophets, lukewarm living, depending on an easy-believism gospel and relinquishing our responsibility by following a particular teaching.
Consider this a challenge - to Christians everywhere to check where they stand before the Lord and what they need to do for themselves and others so they do not miss out on the first resurrection.
Consider this a sounding alarm - that we need to prepare for our future based on correctly dividing the Word of God for ourselves, not depending on others interpretation - and an opportunity to prepare for the end to come, no matter what the timing is.
Consider the cost - Our future will be determined by our decisions on this earth, so we need to wake up, take responsibility for what we believe and prepare to endure no matter the cost.

My Review:
This book is broken down into two sections:
Section 1 - How Well Do You Know Him? (Chapters 1-10)
Section 2 - Are You Ready? (Chapters 11 - 24)

Section 1:
I had a hard time with this portion of the book. I felt that the author's tone sounded very overly-spiritual. She uses A LOT of language that I think only those who have been Christians for some time would understand - that churchy kind of language that is learned the longer you attend church. I think that she had a lot of good things to say - and that her heart is in the right place, but I just had a hard time with her delivery. I felt this portion of the book was a little hard to relate too.

Section 2:
I enjoyed this portion of the book much more - and felt that it really was the Word to the End Time Church as the title claims.
Interesting points of interest:
The importance of attending church
Equipping Christians to be aware and discern false teachings now and in the end times
Preparing for the worst-case scenario (a post-tribulation rapture)
What do you really believe?
Prophecies of the End-Time events
A discussion on the 7 churches mentioned in the Book Of Revelation

This section was very good. The chapters dealing with Biblical end-time prophecy was enlightening, intriguing and a little scary. The author really drives home the importance of living our lives according to Biblical principles and aligning ourselves with Christ NOW and becoming mature Christians NOW so that we can survive the hard times that are swiftly approaching.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of A Word to the End Time Church from Bring It On Publications in exchange for my honest review. All opinions in this post and on this blog are my own.

The GIVEAWAY
CLOSED!

I am giving away my previously read copy of this book to one of my readers. It is still in excellent condition.

To ENTER - Please fill out the form below. Any comments on this post are welcome, but WILL NOT COUNT as entries. I've made this one super easy to enter!

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Giveaway ends on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 11:59 pm PST. Open to US and Canadian residents only. The winner will be drawn from Random.org and announced on Thursday, February 17th by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

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Book Review: The Next Great Move of God: Christians Returning to Their Hebraic Roots

Book Details:
Title: The Next Great Move of God: Christians Returning to Their Hebraic Roots
Author: Dr. LaSalle R. Vaughn
2009, VMI Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-935265-05-4

Book Summary (from the back cover):
Find the key to godly success in faith, family, finances, and fellowship with Him. Most Christians have understood the topic of salvation, but have never contemplated the Jewishness of Jesus. Understanding the culture in which Jesus lived will help you properly interpret the Bible. The Next Great Move of God: Christians Returning to Their Hebraic Roots with open your eyes to the Jewish world of Jesus. This profound book reveals that the Christian life is much more than salvation; it's a lifestyle of obedience to the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
You've received God's salvation ... but find yourself frustrated and struggling in certain areas of your life. You're newfound obedience to previously hidden meanings in the Scriptures will transform your life.

My Review:
To be honest, when I first started reading this book, I thought the author was way off and I was not sure I wanted to continue reading it. I'm not a Bible scholar and there is a lot of scripture quoted in this book. At first I wasn't sure if I would be able to tell if the author was interpreting the quoted scripture references correctly or if he was bending it to his needs.

As I continued on though, I was really interested in the topic and felt that he had a lot of good information in it. The way he writes is very simple and easy-to-read even considering all the scripture that is quoted in it.

A couple of the chapters I found most interesting and why...
Chapter Two - Returning to the Ancient Paths
This chapter discusses:
-The Salt Covenant
-The Shema (one of the daily Jewish prayers)
-The Midnight Prayer

Chapter Three - Symbols of Our Faith
-The Word of God
-The Ark of the Covenant
-The Menorah
-The Shofar
-The Tallit
This chapter discusses a lot about the Torah, the Hebrew language, and common Jewish symbols. Although I found parts of this chapter confusing (mostly the language parts), the rest of it was very interesting. As a Christian we read and know about some of these symbols, but I don't think really understand what they were (and ARE) used for in the Jewish faith.

Chapter Four - Understanding the Times
This chapter talks about some of the Jewish festivals and holidays that the author feels are still valid for Christians. He explains what these days were for and why they are still important.
-Rosh Hashanah
-Yom Kippur
-Sukkoth

Overall, I thought this was a very good book. Even if you do not agree with all the points that the author makes in his book, it is very thought-provoking and you could spend a lot of time researching all the scripture that he quotes throughout the book. It really made me think about things like keeping the Sabbath, why we don't practice more of the Jewish feasts and holidays and other ponderings like this. I will probaby be thinking about these things for awhile.

It is interesting to learn the meanings behind some of the major Jewish holidays and symbols. I think it is important for those of us who are Christians to understand the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith whether or not you agree with this authors assumptions that you should be integrating some of the Jewish traditions into it.

I also think this would make a good book for a group discussion for a study group.

Note: I was provided a copy of The Next Great Move of God from Bring It On Publications in exchange for my honest review. All opinions in this post and on this blog are my own.

Book Review: The Glass Castle

Book Details
Title: The Glass Castle
Author: Jeannette Walls
2005, Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 9780743247542

Summary (from the back cover):
The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Glass Castle is truly astonishing - a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.

My Review:
Wow. That about sums it up. Amazing story. I'm usually not much of a memoir reader. I like happy books - preferably novels. I've only read a handful of memoirs in the past and they were generally assigned reading for college classes. I was given this book to read by a friend to read. I probably never would have picked it up on my own.

Jeannette Walls tells her remarkable story of growing up with totally irresponsible parents. You can tell that her parents love their children, but they are completely selfish. There are times when they are homeless, don't have heat, food or indoor plumbing. I kept having to remind myself that this was a true story, not just something made up because it is so mind-boggling that people live this way - AND that basically, they choose to live this way. Her mother had a teaching degree and her father was a talented electrician, but neither one of them was willing to keep a job long enough to provide well for their children. You can also see her father has he spirals from a fun-loving, free-spirited person into someone who is (I think) disappointed in himself and unhappy with how his life is turning out and becomes "the town drunk."

What really was amazing is the tone in which Walls tells the story. She just tells it - she's not asking for sympathy or making it an excuse for anything - it's just the way life was for them. And between the four of the children, three of them have become successful at whatever they've chosen to do. Only the baby of the family seems to have turned out like her parents.

Like I said, I'm not usually one to read memoirs, but I would recommend this book to anyone. It was interesting and kept my attention. I would have read it straight through if I'd had the time!

Book Review: Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys

~Book Details ~

Title: Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys

Authors: Stephen James and David Thomas

2009, Tindale House
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2227-8
Genre: Family & Relationships/ Parenting

~From the Back Cover~

Born to Be ... Wild!
A boy's endless imagination, hunger for adventure, and passionate spirit are matched only by his deep desire to be affirmed, esteemed, and loved.

Yet over the past few decades, our culture has adopted a model of parenting and educating children that doesn't affirm, celebrate, or embrace a boy's hunger, passion, or wildness but rather seeks to tame it. As a result, many parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors find themselves frustrated, confused, and wearied by boys' behavior.

The truth is, boys don't need to be tamed - they need to be understood, loved, challenged, and encouraged.

Wild Things helps parents, teachers, mentors, and others understand and explore the hearts, minds, and ways of boys and the vital role that parents and caregivers play on the journey to manhood.

Based on clinical research and filled with practical tips and suggestions, Wild Things gives fresh insight and much-needed encouragement on the road to raising boys.

~My Review~

Wild Things was a wonderful book filled with lots of interesting information on the way a boy's mind and body works and what we can do as parents and mentors to help boys grow into well-adjusted men. It bases each section on an excerpt from Marice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.

Part 1 - The Way of the Boy breaks down his development into five stages:
The Explorer
The Lover
The Individual

The Wanderer

The Warrior
 In this part, the authors explain what a boy is going through emotionally and physically during each developmental stage to help us see why he is the way he is, what he's probably feeling during that stage and things he's most likely struggling with.

Part 2 - The Mind of the Boy I found very interesting because they talk about how a boy's mind (and body) is physically different than girls. This chapter talks about learning styles, why boys have a hard time sitting still and how to help him learn, in school and at home, in the  best ways possible.

Part 3 - The Heart of the Boy has separate chapters on a mother's role and a father's role and also talks about rites of passage for a boy into manhood.

Each part talks about these things in depth, the authors speak plainly and use anecdotes from their own families and clients in their practices as examples. I also liked how they gave practical tips and examples at the end of each section on how to apply the things they were discussing.

I think this book is a must read for anyone who is either living with or working with boys ages 2-20. Even if you don't agree with everything they say, there is so much good information on their development and how they are wired that I think it is beneficial. I found myself reading excepts from this book to my mom and my husband on numerous occasions as I found many parts very enlightening! I borrowed this book from the library, but I am thinking I may want to refer to it when my Little Guy gets to the next stage, so I may need to get a copy for my own library!