The Crown

Just this week, I sat at the dinner table discussing the royal family with a Brazilian. And it suddenly dawned on me: Americans (in general, that is) adore the queen. The happenings of the royalty have always intrigued me and (I think) carried a certain degree of importance to even us Yankees.

So you can imagine my happiness when this book-lover found out this week that there is not only now an entire TV series explaining the rise of Queen Elizabeth but also a book that details her life.

With photographs.

Yes: pictures! What could make a history book better?

I, for one, am extremely excited for “The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1.” And I think other fans of the British crown will be too.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Here, Kitty Color!

What better way to spend a rainy or lazy day than with a coloring book? While children’s coloring books have always existed, there seems to be a recent invention (or return, I’m not sure) of coloring pages for adults. Even in China where I currently live, I have seen all the garden-themed coloring books that one could desire. But Cats in Paris is the first cat-themed coloring book I have seen grace bookshelves.

Cat-lovers everywhere rejoice!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Women’s Bible Studies Rejoice!

A few weeks ago, I found myself reviewing Lazarus Awakening by Joanna Weaver. Needless to say, the book met with rave reviews. But, even more than that, I am excited to announce that the book is not the end: Weaver has put together a companion video study. Women’s Bible studies the world over can find a reason to cheer, for Weaver’s message is important.

Allow my review of the book to explain:

Lazaruth, Lazaruth, Lazaruth…I remember hearing my dad mispronounce this famous biblical character’s name again and again. Each time, the little English teacher inside of me would cringe.

But, aside from Lazarus’s somewhat lisped final syllable, my dad always had something wonderful to share with us about this man. And so does Joanna Weaver.

Known more famously as the author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Weaver has recently published Lazarus Awakening, a wonderful study about a man who, through his own death and resurrection experience, encountered the heart of God. As Christians, we all too often fall back into a works-based mentality of salvation, thinking–however much we may hate to admit it–that we have somehow deserved or earned God’s favor for our lives. Not so, Lazarus’ story proclaims.

Weaver masterfully emphasizes biblical truth on this topic. Beginning her book with a quote from fourth-century Christian Serapion of Thmius (“Lord! We entreat you, make us truly alive!”), she establishes a clear connection between Christ and spiritual life.

As a woman, I realize how often my mind begins to think in terms of earning God’s favor. Because of this, I am particularly grateful for Weaver’s work (both her book and her video companion series), and I believe that many other women will also find it helpful, challenging, refreshing, and inspiring. I recommend it for any woman–age 9 to 101.

I received a complimentary copy of this DVD and study guide from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Sprouts and Other Healthy Stuff

I’m a big fan of breakfast. A day just won’t do without it. But breakfast can often become monotonous: boxed cereal, oatmeal, boxed cereal…That’s why my mouth dropped when I first opened up the pages of The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon. My eyes met yummy delights.

Baked eggs with barley creamed greens and mustardy bread crumbs.

Flourless stone fruit breakfast crumble.

Winter fruit salad in ginger lime syrup.

Need I say more?

My mouth dropped even more when I continued to thumb through the book. Of course, there were more tantalizing recipes. But then there were also the photographs. The author, Sara Forte, partnered with her husband, Hugh Forte, to put together a book that holds not only appeal for the tongue but appeal for the eye, as well.

Not many people will probably be attracted to the concept of putting sprouts in daily dishes. (I, for one, am not.) But this book reveals recipes that even bean sprouts can’t ruin–recipes like strawberry tabbouleh (page 141), grapefruit lillet sherbert (page 186), dark cherry hazelnut salsa (page 194), and Thai lemongrass sauce (page 205).

Who will like this book? Why, anyone who likes food, I think. While small children may not like the mixture of flavors in some of the recipes (cherry salsa might not sound right to their ears), more mature tastebuds will.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

I realize that I have been on a steady diet of cookbook reviews recently. If you have any book recommendations or requests for reviews of other books, comment below. I’m always ready to discover a new book. 🙂

Curriculum Giveaway

Sonlight Curriculum, the homeschooling curriculum I grew up on (and loved), is giving away two free years of curriculum! Follow the link below for more information and to register for the giveaway.

http://25.sonlight.com/wp-login.php?action=register&v=4&ref=9935#sthash.X6UpxEm7.dpuf

Time-Tested

First it was MSG-free. Then it was gluten-free. Now it’s non-GMO.

Food rages come and go in stages. It seems that one study follows another, disproving all studies before it and wowing the health food connoisseur with all the potential problems inherent in the food he eats.

While I typically do not follow these trends–perhaps simply because I cannot keep up with all the changing research–I do like simple, hearty food that both time and tradition have proven is good for me.

Enter Simply Ancient Grains by Maria Speck. Simply looking at the photographs of the food in this cookbook assures me that the recipes are healthful. (Whether or not I will try to cook and eat them is another matter.) There is something appealing about cool summer salads like “Minted Summer Couscous with Watermelon and Feta” (page 100) and something woodsy and quaint about “Warm Wild Rice Salad with Herb-Roasted Mushrooms and Parmesan” (page 112) and something comforting about “My Mac and Cheese with Greek Yogurt and Leeks” (page 177).

Given that most cooks I know do not keep couscous, wild rice, bulgur, barley, or buckwheat as staples in their kitchen pantries, however, I would say that this cookbook is not for the average kitchen. I do not recommend that the average Jane go to the bookstore and try to pick up a copy. Monday night dinners and Friday night pizza are not a highlight of Speck’s cookery.  Instead, this cookbook is for the health-conscious cook or the experimental chef. (Take the recipe for “Buckwheat and Beet Soup with Spicy Horseradish,” for example.) And, while I am not that above-average chef, I bet that those who are will appreciate the time and thought and ideas that went into this book, evidenced in the “Make Ahead” tips and recipes for desserts using ancient grains (now that takes some thinking!). They won’t be shortchanged when it comes to instructions for preparing ancient grains; there are 25 pages dedicated completely to listing ancient grains and describing how to cook them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Hmmmm….What’s a Milk Bar?

Creative. Artistic. Different. Delicious.

These are all words that one might use to describe the recipes in Milk Bar Life by Christina Tosi.

You may be wondering, as I was: What is a milk bar? Apparently, it is a restaurant–and a unique one, just like the cookbook that comes from it. The Momofuku Milk Bar in New York bakes and sells cookies. That’s right: cookies. Now if that isn’t unique, I don’t know what is. And I think that uniqueness is on purpose. The restaurant’s owner, Tosi herself, says, “I think quirks are what make the world go ’round, just like dogs, dessert, quilting, jumping rope, bad movies, and great music” (10).

The very title itself should make it obvious that this is no ordinary cookbook with to-be-expected recipes. Whether Cookie-Dough Cookie, Kimchi Quesadilla, or Eggs in Purgatory, the foods in this cookbook are truly unique. Yet twists on classics–Haute Dogs and Grilled Cheese a la Pauly Carmichael–have their due place, too. And so do unique photographs ranging from “cookie doctors” to glam shots with cookies.

This cookbook is divided into sections: tried-and-true hand-me-down recipes, supermarket dishes (which, surprisingly, are not cookies), family meals, craft night and sleepover treats, etc. There is even a section on the lingo specific to a milk bar.

Overall, I would recommend this book for cooks who need to step outside of the box, hipsters who want something fun to put on their shelves, and white-elephant gift-givers. Some will love its recipes; some couldn’t care less about them. It all depends on how creative–and quirky–you are.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Capturing Daily Life

It may be common knowledge that everyday life has its own beauty. But capturing that beauty through photographs is another matter. It takes a keen eye to recognize everyday beauty and, it seems, expertise as a photographer to transfer that beauty to photo paper.

Sarah Wilkerson, CEO of Clickin Moms, has put together one of the most beautiful books meant to solve this dilemma. Every page bears a lovely photo of everyday life taken by one of the photographers of Clickin Moms. And alongside each photo is a short bit of advice for capturing similar photos. This lovely little volume is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book yet simple enough for the beginning photographer.

Divided into sections according to various photography needs (natural light, composition, storytelling, fine art, etc.), this book takes beginning photographers on a journey toward advanced photographic storytelling.  One of my favorite features in this book–and one that other beginning photographers will appreciate–is the list of “Creativity Exercises” that comes after each chapter of the book and offers practical, immediate ideas for implementing the tips presented in that chapter. In addition, the very end of the book contains a short glossary of photography terms. What truly amateur photographer, after all, understands the meaning of “DSLR,” “ISO,” or “Spot Metering”?

I recommend this book for any new photographer…and anyone who simply wants a beautiful and highly interesting book for her coffee table.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Stepping into a Desktop Background Photo

The desktop of my laptop switches frequently from one nature scene to another. Thus, when I opened John Shaw’s Guide to Digital Photography, I felt that I had a treasury of beautiful desktop backgrounds. Though Shaw’s book is not necessarily intended as a coffee table book, it most certainly is gorgeous–and sophisticated–enough to function as one. It is by no means a photo album (it has its full share of text), but nearly every page bears a gorgeous example of Shaw’s work.

Though I am no professional photographer myself, I have taken a few photos of which I am not ashamed, and I have a perpetual desire to improve any artistic abilities I possess. Shaw’s work covers the basics necessary to improving from amateur nature photographer to professional nature photographer. In fact, an entire chapter is dedicated simply to “Getting Started” as a photographer of the great outdoors. From filters to tripods, flash to ISO, Shaw covers practically every topic that a beginner needs to understand.

I recommend this book to readers of Me Ra Koh’s books, lovers of nature photography, and photographers of all sorts.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in return for my honest review.

You Are Spoken For`

What is the one thing for which every little girl longs? A prince in shining armor.

What do the majority of chick flicks have in common? That’s right: romance.

See the trend? In Spoken For, Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke track this trend and point to its ultimate fulfillment. Their message is simple: Each and every woman was created for a love relationship with their Creator. In their engaging, personal style, they explain how we feel the need to belong, to be wanted, to be loved, to be known. Only God fulfills this longing. He is the ultimate Lover.

He is also the one who deserves undivided devotion. Just as no lover would want to share his beloved with another, so too God is jealous for our undivided devotion. Despite His love, Praise His grace, He has not abandoned us to our wayward loves. Rather, He is the One who laid down His life in order to reconcile with His beloved.

Along with the beautiful message of their words, Gunn’s and Bethke’s frequent stories keep the reader engaged and provide powerful illustrations of the truth that they proclaim. The discussion questions included at the end of each chapter will help girls (or women) connect with others as they walk with their Heavenly Lover.

Overall, this is a wonderful book. It may move you to tears. It may make you want to bask in a love story. It may bring some painful issues to light. It will, if you allow its message to sink into your heart, draw you close to the Heavenly Bridegroom who loves you more intensely than any earthly groom ever could.

While this book may be light and easy reading, I recommend this book for mother-daughter bonding time or one-on-one or group mentoring. In these settings, you can add to the material to personalize it and to meet individual needs.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for my unbiased  review.