
I’ve been a fan of Herman Wouk for a long time. Twenty-five years ago his sweeping WWII sagas Winds of War and War and Remembrance were atop my list of favorite books.
This is a wonderful book of how to make delicious food to dehydrate in your drier to be reconstituted and reheated for camping. This approach will not only be less expensive for our (fast approaching) camping trip out west, but quicker and easier while there, while definitely more delicious than store bought options. Many of … Read more
I liked this book and give it five stars even though it is long, slow in getting started, a tad preachy in places, and about a very serious period in history that may not be fun to contemplate. I think it is not only an important book, but interesting and very well done, written as … Read more
I liked this Pulitzer Prize winning book more than most that get that award, and I give it four stars. Olive was depicted as a fleshed out character who felt very real to me. This book is made up of short stories with Olive either central, secondary or peripheral, but all are linked together so … Read more
I enjoy the topic of collage, and check out every book I can on it. Having read so many of these, I’m in a good position to point out a good one. And I give this new volume five stars. It helps the reader work on and experiment with the myriad of options in the … Read more
I don’t usually buy cookbooks, unless I find ones I want at library sales. Usually I check out cookbooks from the new books collections of libraries and find a couple recipes worth trying, which I copy into my ever-expanding collection. Similarly, I checked out this book, but before I had looked at one quarter of … Read more

I’ve been a fan of Herman Wouk for a long time. Twenty-five years ago his sweeping WWII sagas Winds of War and War and Remembrance were atop my list of favorite books.
A friend of mine recommended this book after I had read some horrendous titles recently that were not even worth reviewing. So I’m delighted to say that I really enjoyed this book! It even kept me up way too late last night to finish it which says a lot! This is about a 48 year … Read more
We’ve just finished a unit study on Monet. My youngest daughter and I read and studied a large variety of books, from adults ones to very easy children’s ones. I’ve included photos here of the ones we liked best. We also watched library videos about Monet, and tried emulating his painting style. My daughter used … Read more

This book is one of a series that screams summer is here and vacation is coming. Our family has been having a great time with this, picking it up at in between
Yesterday I spent all day with my friend Christine (blogger of The Thinking Mother blog: click here for her blog) at the first ever Book Blogger Convention 11312

I know my children’s books well enough to endorse the choices they have made here. The books it recommends are well reviewed,

This book is about a skeptical mother seeking non-traditional healing for her daughter by shamans in the jungles of Belize.
Having enjoyed the Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier… I snatched this book up and I’m so glad I did.
I loved “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. It revolutionized both my thought and my eating/purchasing of food, which is quite something to say. I also liked his subsequent book “In Defense of Food.” I really recommend reading both those books, and this one is especially not a substitute for the first one, but it … Read more

The information in this book shouldn’t be so hard to find. There is a class at the church creative arts camp I attend each fall where they make their own journals, and they are lovely indeed.
I usually avoid books that are about breaking the ten commandments, but this time I made an exception. There are some unsavory bits here, with graves and cadavers, stealing, and murder, but even more present is remarkable story telling in the tradition of Charles Dickens. You’ll love the main character, Ren, and will be rooting … Read more
Happy Earth Day! I give this important book a resounding five stars! My thirteen year old daughter is doing her science fair project on the water crisis; we’ve looked at and/or read most of what is currently published out there on the subject and this is our favorite! (The sticky tabs are facts for my … Read more