Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life Book Review

Title: Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life.

Author: Marta McDowell.

Genre: Nonfiction, Gardening, Biography, Plants, Historical, Photography, England.

Plot: Beatrix Potter is best known for her Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny tales {among others}, but what some people might not know is that she was also a gardener and a country girl at heart. McDowell takes us along as she dives into Potter’s life, looking at her through the eyes of her gardens as they shaped and changed her, influencing Potter’s famous stories. We tour her gardens ourselves, spending all four seasons in them – particularly her famous Hill Top Farm. We admire her gorgeous array of flowers; her carefully tended vegetable garden and her orchards. We learn new depths to Potter’s character and we fall in love with the outdoors, with gardening, with trees, flowers and the lush countryside all over again, inspiring us anew to step away from our screens and take a deep breath.

Likes/Dislikes: This is a wonderful little book. I love it! On almost every page is a glossy beautiful picture of a plant drawn by Potter herself, one of her beloved characters, or gorgeous photographs of her gardens. I can’t wait to add this book to my personal library and share it with my daughter as she grows up in our garden.

Rating: G- all ages. Highly recommended!

Date Review Written: February 23^rd, 2015.

The Spiritual World of The Hobbit Book Review.

Title: The Spiritual World of The Hobbit.

Author: James Stuart Bell.

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Companion Book, Spiritual.

Plot: With the recent Hobbit movies, interest in Tolkien's world has been re-sparked and with it comes new books such as this one that gives a better glimpse into the enchanting world of Middle-Earth. My husband and I were just talking about the spiritual world of Tolkien's books and how they aren't like an allegory at all {like The Chronicles of Narnia are}. Our conversation hit a bump when we couldn't decide if Gandalf was a prophet or an angel.

This new book from Bethany House answers that question {he's technically a guardian angel - I win!} and more. It gives a brief history of Middle Earth, provides character profiles on main people/groups like Gandalf, the eagles and the dwarves. And we get a chapter by chapter look at how Bilbo grows and matures throughout the book, with insights into Tolkien's life and viewpoints. It's all highly fascinating.

Likes/Dislikes: I didn't really think this book would be very interesting but after the first chapter, I found it to be wonderful. I couldn't put it down for very long. It was beautifully written with hardly any repetition and jam-packed with interesting tidbits. My only objection is that there wasn't any additional information on Beorn. He's such an interesting, mysterious character. Oh well.

Rating: PG- 12 and up, for reading level. Highly recommended for all ages.

Date Report Written: May 27th, 2014.

I received a copy of this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple Book Review

Title: The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple.

Author: Anne Hart.

Genre: Fiction, Fictional Biography, Fictional Character Profile, Miss Marple Companion Book.

Plot: One of Agatha Christie's most famous sleuths is the ladylike Miss Marple, with her knitting needles and harmless appearance disguising her sharp mind. Miss Marple is also famous simply as a lady sleuth, in a world dominated by male detectives, sleuths, investigators and those yucky people who are always in the wrong place at the right time. Miss Marple, brought to life by the talent of Agatha Christie, has thrilled readers for generations and will most likely continue to do so for many more years to come. But what was she really like?

Taking a creative path in her debut book, Anne Hart explores Christie's silver haired sleuth as a biographer would explore Christie herself. Having carefully {and joyfully} read all of Christie's books featuring Miss Marple and taken careful note of the clues hidden about our favorite sleuth in the pages of these books, Ms. Hart lays out a wonderful in-depth biography that will thrill all Miss Marple's fans everywhere. In just thirteen short wonderful chapters, Ms. Hart lays all the facts out in neat order for us to treasure and study over and over again. It also makes a lovely reference book.

Likes/Dislikes: This book was beautifully written, not at all boring like you'd expect most biographies to be. While each of Miss Marple's stories were talked about in minor detail and quoted from, the spectacular endings weren't spoiled - a thoughtful gesture on the author's part. This is the first fictional biography I've come across or read before, and I quite like the idea.

Rating: PG-14 and up, for reading level and mild content. Highly recommended!

Date Report Written: May 8th, 2013.