Book Review: Confessions of April Grace: Chocolate-Covered Baloney

April Grace does not want change in her life, but that’s exactly what she gets.  If starting junior high school wasn’t enough, April is adjusting to a new baby brother, a sneaking sister, a Grandma who is dating, a neighbor that becomes her teacher and a family secret that is about to be reveled. Boy, oh boy!

"Confessions of April Grace: Chocolate-Covered Baloney" by KD McCrite is the latest in the April Grace series. It is appropriate for preteen, teens and adults. There are no love scenes or making out between teens, no drugs and no foul language, however, April and her sister do a large amount of name calling in this book. There is no physical violence but again, April and her sister bicker, yell and call each other names.

This book reminds me of the books I read as a teen. It is full of teen drama and problems that need to be resolved. I like how she uses her brain and help from those around her to solve the problems she is having. As this book is set in the 1980s you will not find a cell phone, iPod, Internet or other electronic trappings. The characters have to actually talk it out instead of texting! What a concept! 

As I grew up in the south in the 1980 this book was very relatable. The colloquialisms had me cracking up, they were very accurate. Everything from the long corded phone, attending church on Sunday to bickering and name calling was very nostalgic. 

 (Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Book Review: Crazy Dangerous

“Crazy Dangerous” by Andrew Klaven is a quick read, good for a rainy afternoon. There are no sequels or cliff hangers to worry about. It is a quick paced story that will keep you turning pages until the end. 

The story begins by introducing us to Jennifer, a teenage girl who has terrifying hallucinations, sees demons and hears unfriendly voices. Then, we meet Sam, a preacher’s kid who is just trying to fit in, like any other teenager. He falls in with the wrong crowd and knows his bad decisions are going to get him in bigger trouble than he can handle. Jennifer comes into the picture and he has to make a choice.

Sam’s choice to do the right thing, no matter what becomes the central theme of the story. No one but Sam believes Jennifer’s hallucinations are anything but symptoms of mental illness. He believes these hallucinations are something more and goes to any length to stop what Jennifer says it coming – death and terror.

The book is a good read, the writing is good and clean and the pace is quick and keeps the story moving. I do like that this book is straight forward, in that there is a end and the author gets us there without any detours or fluff, everything is there to help tie up the ending. Sam is a good strong moral character, a gentleman choosing right over wrong. That is refreshing in a world of teen lit where the main male character is so often a moody, rude bad boy. I also liked that I could read this book in an afternoon instead of knowing that at the end of this book, I have at least two more go before I finish the series.


(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Book Review: "Angel Eyes" by Shannon Dittermore

“Angel Eyes” is the first novel in a new series Shannon Dittermore. The second installment is due in early 2013.

We are thrown into Brielle’s world, one of sadness, fear and despair as she returns to her childhood home after a tragedy. She returns to her old high school, surrounded by kids she grew up, having only been gone two years. However, the familiarities around her do not ease her feelings of sadness, grief, guilt and loneliness.

Brielle is instantly attracted to the new guy, Jake, who is not only physically attractive to her, but also seems to be able to relieve her despair. Jake seems to show up everywhere and eventually comes to Brielle’s rescue. As Brielle begins to learn more about Jake and his guardian Canaan, she is forced to open her eyes to the supernatural. Brielle and Jake find themselves caught in the middle of a Fallen One’s evil plain. Can the Angels save them? Will their faith be strengthened or broken?

While it is a work of fiction, the book has a strong Christian core and addresses some thought provoking questions about God and faith. While Jake and Canaan have absolute faith in God and his will for their lives, Brielle has no such faith and is not sure she can have faith in God when she keeps losing those she loves. Brielle’s spiritual journey in this book finds her asking questions so many have asked, through Jake, Canaan the other angels, and within herself, she finds answers to some of those questions.

The book was a nice debut novel for Shannon Dittermore, it held my interest and kept me turning the pages. The story hooked me from the beginning and I wanted to know how it would end for Brielle and Jake. There were scenes that were wonderfully written, you could just see it completely in your mind. There were some sections that were not as complete, I had to go back and try and figure out where they were or how they got there. That said, Ms. Dittermore has a wonderful flow and writing style that I think will get stronger with each novel. I look forward to her future works.

This book would be a good read for adults and teens. There’s no profane language, no sexuality, there are a couple of instances of non-graphic brief kissing, it does contain violence and **slight spoiler alert** the book also addresses the all too real horror of human trafficking. The author provides a resource link at the end to learn more about the tragedy that is human trafficking ways to fight it.

(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this e-book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

Book Review: Thank You, God, For Blessing Me

Max Lucado’s Thank You, God, For Blessing Me features Little Hermie, a cute baby caterpillar with a big thankful heart. Little Hermie teaches toddlers how to thank God for His many blessings. The book is a prayer of thanks from Little Hermie to God. He thanks God for his friends, family, and all that he has.

Thank You, God, For Blessing Me is a nice smaller sized board book, perfect for little toddler hands. The glossy finish makes the book easy to clean. With only ten pages, the book is short enough to keep a toddler’s attention and great for bedtime reading. The size makes it easy to pack up and take along to Grandma’s house.

The illustrations of Little Hermie and all his friends in the garden are cute and colorful, they are simple and easily recognizable for toddlers. The book is a prayer from Little Hermie to God. It uses everyday language and words that a toddler would be familiar with, such as this sample from the book: “So I give thanks to You, God, for the flowers, stars, and trees, for friends and food and playtime. Thank, God, for blessing me.”

My two year old son and I read this book together before bedtime, he liked finding all the flowers, leaves and different bugs on the pages. The words were simple enough for him to understand and I would stop and ask him if he was thankful for his family, friends, and so on. This book is a great tool to help teach toddlers about God’s love for them, to teach little ones how to accept that love and to thank God for all he has given them.

 (Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze prorgram.)

Book Review: The Elemental Journal: Composing Artful Expressions from Items Cast Aside

The Elemental Journal: Composing Artful Expressions from Items Cast Aside by author Tammy Kushnir is a beautiful full color instructional craft book. This book offers step-by-step visual and written instructions on how to create journals, scrapbooks, and other keepsakes from re-purposed items.

The Elemental Journal uses a conversational and encouraging writing style. It does include photos of each project and the page layout makes it simple to review, see what you need, gather materials and create. In general, the projects in the book require pieces from your yard, paper, plastic, metal, fabric, thread and needle, and/or simple unpainted objects you can create or buy inexpensively at a crafting store or maybe even get at a garage sale.

The style of these pieces is what I would call contemporary artsy. They are fun pieces but would not fit everyone’s taste. Of course, the book is just giving ideas; it is a good jumping off point. It gives you the materials list, a photo and the how-to guide, but you can always alter the colors or materials to fit your own taste. The projects are definitely unique and would help you create a one of a kind gift for a friend or something to keep and treasure.

I would say that these projects vary in skill level. Some of them require you to sew or work with materials you may not be familiar with, etc. It is certainly mixed media crafting. I would not recommend this book for an inexperienced crafter or someone who does not enjoy experimenting with their crafty side. However, for an out of the box crafter, a mixed media crafter, or an experienced crafter who is looking for something new and different this would certainly be a nice book for their collection.

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program.)

Book Review: Curiosities of the Civil War

I have read a couple of Webb Garrison’s books in the past and always found them interesting, so I was excited to review this one too.

Curiosities of the Civil War is what you would expect from Webb Garrison, a compilation of facts and research (and sometimes rumors), compiled into a user friend layman’s guide. This tome is quite large at over 500 pages of little know facts and stories related to people, places and events surrounding the Civil War. It is broken down into sections and includes a detailed index.

I am not a history buff so I was actually very overwhelmed with the deep and scope of information in this one. The remarks on a particular person, place, event or rumor are broken down in paragraph form, which makes for a quick read and easy to scan, but difficult to understand or reference if you are not familiar with that particular story or event in history.

I think anyone interested in the Civil War would love a copy of Mr. Garrison’s book and would find hours of entertainment in it. It may be too much and too obscurely referenced for the non-history buff though. I'm going to share it with my dad who is a HUGE military history buff!

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program.)

Book Review: A Billion Reasons Why

A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck is a romance novel following the rekindled love between Katie McKenna, teacher and Luc DeForges, millionaire. He was her first love but she decided to move on and move away. She is engaged to an everyman character named Dexter. The story finds her in New Orleans to sing for her childhood friend's wedding, and falling back in love with Luc.

I’m sorry to say that while I was initially excited to read this romance novel, I found this book disappointing and boring. The characters where un-endearing and I couldn’t find a hook to make me care about them, their lives, or their love. It was all but impossible to get invested in the story or the characters plights. Neither the characters, nor the plot had much depth or quality. The back story was lackluster at best.
Reading the book felt like I was reviewing a first draft and not a completed, published work. “He’s a handsome billionaire. She’s not impressed.” Nor was I.

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program.)

Book Review: Precious Moments Storybook Bible

“Precious Moments Storybook Bible” by Sam Butcher is a delightful book for any toddler, preschooler, or elementary school aged child.

The book includes important lessons, instructions and parables from the Bible in a format a young child can understand. Stories are from both the Old and New Testaments. Each story lists the Bible verses that the story refers to, so you can look up the verses in your Bible as you read. It also includes adorable and sweet full color illustrations of the Precious Moments characters. Each page has a charming border with little animals or objects as well. The colors are pastel, but appropriate for a boy or a girl.

The text is very large, making it easy for a beginning reader to see and follow. It is also great for a grandparent or anyone with poor vision, because the large text makes reading to a child easy and enjoyable.

As a bonus, included is a wonderful section of childrens songs that many readers will recognize (I grew up singing these precious songs in Sunday School). There is also a great section of special prayers that you can use for bedtime, or anytime you want to pray with your child. You can also use this to teach children to pray on their own. The front of the book has a nice record section you can use to record presentation information, the child’s family tree, and special events in the child’s life.This Storybook Bible would make a very nice gift for any young child.

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program.)

Book Review: Then Sings My Soul

Then Sings My Soul by Robert Morgan is a compilation of 150 hymns, sung during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, as well as patriotic hymns and other well known hymns. This wonderful book includes not only the hymns, but the sheet music for piano and the wonderful history behind each hymn.

I love this compilation book and highly recommend it to anyone who grew up singing or playing hymns in church. The front and back cover include bookmark flaps to keep your place. The book is laid out with the hymn on the left, exactly as you would see it in a church hymnal, and the history on the right. The historical information includes the date written, scripture reference, information on the author and events taking place at the time each was written. There is an index in the back for quick lookup of your favorite hymns.

Looking through this book was very nostalgic for me. It holds all the beloved songs I grew up singing in church, the Christmas hymns that we sang each year, and songs my great grandmother would sing to me while playing her little keyboard.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee is by far my favorite hymn and I have been singing it to my son since he was born to comfort him. Having the verses, sheet music and history of the hymns I now sing to my son is a treasure.

I highly recommend this book as a gift for anyone who enjoys music!

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program.)

Book Review: The International Children’s Bible Holy Bible

The International Children’s Bible Holy Bible is designed for children and written at a third grade reading level.

I was disappointed that this Bible was not a hardcover book; my young son bent the cover on the first day it was in our house. He does like the shiny bright red cover though. This edition has CG illustrations portraying various bible stories, geared towards computer savvy and CG inundated youngsters. Although, I’m pretty sure the pictures will seem dated in a few years, as technology is always progressing.

Using the International Version, the wording is more relevant and uses a more easily followed speech pattern. Although, if you are used to the KJV or any more tradition Bible, the modern wording may put you off.
The book includes a dictionary which helps define words and names; as well as provides pronunciation help for each entry.
Also included is a small index in the form of a ‘Where do I find it’ section, which lists popular Bible stories and where to find them. There is also a nice section listing important memory verses for children. The book concludes with full color maps of prominent bible settings.

The book includes a small index in the form of a ‘Where do I find it’ section, which lists popular Bible stories and where to find them. There is also a nice section listing important memory verses for children. The book concludes with full color maps of prominent bible settings.

I wasn’t as impressed with this edition as I thought I would be. I really think the illustrations would have been better suited if they were next to the verses and not just clumped together into sections. I also think the CG graphic are relevant today, but may seem very outdated in several years, so this would not be a bible that would grow with your children.

If you are looking for a Study Bible that would capture a school aged child’s attention with relevant illustrations, an index, maps and more, this may be a great short term use Bible for your child. If you are looking for a version that is durable and can grow with your child, you would be better going with a different edition.

(Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of this book to read and review. I'm a member of Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program.)