Chocolate The Consuming Passion Book Review

Title: Chocolate: The Consuming Passion

Author: Sandra Boynton

Genre: Nonfiction, Chocolate, Food, Humor,

Plot: We all love chocolate (if you don't, why are you reading this book?) and there is nothing better than chocolate. We can have chocolate straight up, hot or cold, dark or milk, cover almost anything in chocolate and still be down for more chocolate later on.

This adorable little book covers all things chocolate (please don't eat the book, it isn't covered in chocolate), as well as giving a few fascinating chocolate facts and handy charts that explain how white chocolate is not real chocolate.

Likes/Dislikes: My kids love Sandra Boynton's board books so obviously I had to read her chocolate book when I spotted it at the library. My kids looked through it too and asked for chocolate. I strongly recommend buying some chocolate to nibble while reading this book, it will help satisfy the cravings.

Rating: PG-all ages (though not for young readers who will eat the book)

Date Reviewed: Dec 17th, 2019

Only Dead On The Inside Book Review

Title: Only Dead On The Inside

Author: James Breakwell

Genre: Nonfiction, Humor, Parenting, Survival Guide, Self-Help,

Plot: Quick! It's the zombie apocalypse and you have kids, what do you do? Since most of us probably can't answer that questions without thinking about it first, James Breakwell has written a handy guide to have around when the inevitable occurs.

Shopping with kids, making meals for picky eaters and just about everything else is ten times harder to do with kids than without. Throw in an end-of-the-world scene complete with the wandering undead looking for snacks and parenting successfully just flew out the window. Or did it? The kids might not be a huge fan of the blankets over their windows, being quiet all the time and the cardboard ketchup sandwiches when the real food runs out, but they are still alive, right? Call it a win-win and move onto more important things like securing the basement door.

Likes/Dislikes: I've followed James Breakwell on Twitter and other platforms for several years now and was tickled pink to finally get a hold of his book (I bought it for my husband and then immediately took it away and read it). This was hilarious! Combining the feel of a self-help parenting book with a survival manual while flipping it side-ways and injecting zombies and a wonderful dose of humor made this book truly unique. I couldn't put it down. My kids liked all the comics sprinkled throughout too, so win-win.

Rating: PG-12 and up, mainly for reading level and content (zombies, parenting, humor associated with parenting that only parents will understand).

Date Reviewed: Dec 17th, 2019.

Love And Death Among The Cheetahs Book Review

Title: Love And Death Among The Cheetahs

Author: Rhys Bowen

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Series,

Plot: With this latest installment in the ongoing saga that is Georgie's life in the 1930s, Georgie is on her honeymoon with the dashing Darcy O'Mara. After a long and bumpy journey, they finally arrive at their destination and begin to settle in with the locals who are an odd bunch, to say the least. But shortly into the trip, Georgie begins to suspect that Darcy didn't whip out this magical trip to Africa at the last minute just to amaze her. He is actually here on his secret spy business.

Needless to say, that knowledge does not sit well with Georgie and she begins to investigate his sneaky business. She gets a bit waylaid when a body is discovered and the question comes up of whether or not the dead man was connected to Darcy's shady dealings or not.

Likes/Dislikes: This is the 13th book in the series. I enjoyed reading about Darcy as a main character rather than the dashing hero who saves the girl at some convenient time. I don't really care for Georgie, even after watching her grow a bit over the course of the series. She's just not assertive enough and comes up with some really dumb ideas sometimes. In this particular book, it is very obvious that they were invited to an orgy. Even Darcy figured it out eventually and rumor has it that he's been around the block. All in all, this was a fun read but it won't make it to my favorites' list.

Rating: PG-16 and up, mainly for content (dead bodies and talk of orgies).

Date Review Written: June 4th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

It's A Love Story Book Review

Title: It's A Love Story


Author: Lincee Ray

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Sequel

Plot: If Hollywood is any reliable indicator, we all love a good love story. If there is rain, a tall dark handsome hero and chocolate thrown in, all the better! We could spend our whole lives surrounded by things we love, enjoying the people we love and doing the activities we love.

So why don't we? We enjoy those things for a reason and they make us happier than other things. Why not own up to the factor that we are addicted to Cadbury eggs and can only watch The Bachelor in our fuzzy socks? Those things that we love make us who we are and ultimately, the ability to love these things comes from the One who loved us so much that He gave the ultimate sacrifice. Trying to fill that void inside with cookies and concert tickets is a temporary band-aid for the true love we are all looking for. But until we get that unconditional love, we can at least enjoy those other void-fillers.

Likes/Dislikes: I enjoyed I Hate Green Beans quite a lot more than I expected to so I got very excited to see a second book by Ray. This book doesn't go on about The Bachelor in fine detail; instead, it covers lots of things that Ray loves. Concerts on summer nights, fishing with her niece, watching humanity come together after a horrific hurricane and the simple joy of a classic Disney princess movie. All of these little pieces make up Lincee Ray and prompt us to examine the little pieces that make us up. We might be over the moon for brownies or enjoy walks by the beach with amazing sunsets in the background. We were designed with the ability to love because our God loves us and wants us to be able to love. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more by Lincee Ray.

Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for reading level

Date Reviewed: May 7th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Revel Bloggers for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions in the above review are my own.

How To Raise A Reader Book Review

Title: How To Raise A Reader


Author: Pamela Paul and Maria Russo

Genre: Nonfiction, Parenting, Reading, How-To, Book Lists

Plot: Raising a kid who loves to read is a lot of work and requires years of consistent and age-appropriate effort. But it is not as daunting a task as it sounds. Authors Pamela Paul and Maria Russo draw on their own experiences raising their children to be readers and break this goal down into manageable steps and achievable mini-goals, complete with handy book lists to get the ball rolling.

From babyhood and the exciting toddler years (where, yes, you have to do the bulk of the reading) to the early readers and then middle grade independent readers who devour everything in sight and binge on their favorite series and then finally the teenage years where they are off in worlds of their own and only require the smallest parental guidance in their reading adventures. This book covers all four age groups and has several additional lists in the back for further reading.

Likes/Dislikes: This was a delightful little book to read and I definitely found the beginning chapters on toddlers and babies very inspiring and encouraging. I read the early reader and middle grade sections a bit disinterestedly as I am not in that category yet with my budding readers. I found the teen chapter to be a bit amusing considering that I would not have welcomed any parental interference in my reading choices as a teen. Thankfully, the advice for that section was to be very hands-off with the teenagers.

I didn't really like that graphic novels were so strongly recommended. I can see the appeal for younger readers like mine but after that, I want them to read more words and less pictures. I also found it amusing that internet use is encouraged to go hand-in-hand with the reading experience. I use the internet to read book reviews and find new books all the time.

Rating: PG 15 and up (geared more toward parents)

Date Review Written: April 27th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Minimalist Kitchen Book Review

Title: The Minimalist Kitchen


Author: Melissa Coleman

Genre: Nonfiction, Cookbook, Organizing, Lifestyle,

Plot: Minimalism is all the rage right now but how do you minimize the kitchen and yet keep it functional in a way that suits your family's needs? A kitchen is arguably the most important part of the house and it is certainly the busiest part of many houses. Keeping it streamlined, efficient and functional is a daunting and challenging task. Throw in minimalism and the game is up. Or is it?

Author Melissa Coleman uses her own kitchen and experience with minimalism to show us how to have a functional and minimal kitchen arrangement. The best part is that this particular room's level of minimalism can be tailored to your own specific needs. If you have both a blender and a food processor but only use one, the obvious solution is to donate the unused item and make yourself a smoothie with the other one. But if you have twenty forks and use every single one of them, it might be more productive to sort the collection of spoons instead.

Likes/Dislikes: This is a surprisingly large book but in a nice size. Coleman gives simple tips and advice for streamlining the kitchen items and even provides sample grocery lists for an organized shopping, storage and cooking experience that will free up mental space, shelf space and cooking time. If you always know how much of something you have and need for every recipe, you won't buy multiples or store more than you will consume. The rest of the book is filled with delicious recipes that range from Overnight Oatmeal to Kitchen-Sink Lentil Bowls and Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches. The Immunity Smoothie recipe looks especially enticing. This is definitely the type of book I would want to buy and then study with a highlighter and sticky tabs to mark all the recipes I want to make.

Rating: G-all ages, geared toward adults (cause what kid wants to minimize the kitchen?)

Date Review Written: April 12th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley, lost that digital copy and found it at my local library. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.