Tag Archive for Books

Back to School with CampusBookRentals.com

CampusBookRentalsogo

Back to School with CampusBookRentals.com

Are you headed back to college or know of someone who is? College students should know about the perks of renting textbooks from CampusBookRentals.com I am sure my daughter will want to look into this for next year when she goes off to college.

Here are some perks:

-Save 40-90% off of bookstore prices

-Free shipping both ways

-Can highlight in the textbooks

-Flexible renting periods

-They donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

-Live customer support

….and so much more.

CampusBookRentals.com RentBack Program

CampusBookRentals.com started a new program, RentBack. RentBack is new initiative that allows students to rent the textbooks they own – to other students… which is an awesome opportunity for them to make 2-4x more money compared to what they’d make through buyback options! Buyback is selling their books back at the end of the semester.

Isn’t that a great idea?! Check out this CampusBookRentals.com RentBack video:


This is a featured post.


signature

In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin

FFR image for posts

In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin


In Perfect Time
by Sarah Sundin is book three in the Nightingale series. Each book is a stand alone book. The series is set in WWII and is about flight nurses and the men serving in the war. I have enjoyed this series. You can see my reviews of the first two books of the series here and here.

In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin

I enjoyed the adventure and intrigue of Lt. Roger Cooper’s flights in this particular novel. It kept me wanting to turn the pages. A couple of flights are based on true WWII flights, which my husband found hard to believe when I relayed information to him. He’s a skeptic though and a war buff so he likes the facts and the flights were pretty amazing feats so that’s why he was a doubter at first.

There is a definite Christian theme in this book, as there are in most of the books I read. This particular book’s theme centered on the fact that God loves sinners no matter what they have done. We are all redeemable and do not need to earn forgiveness but to accept it as the gift it is.

In Perfect Time provided me with the back stories of a couple of characters featured in the first two books. It was nice to finally learn more about them and what made them tick, as well as the follow-up story of some of the other characters.

I even enjoyed the romantic side of the book this time. It was realistic, romantic, humorous and heart-breaking all rolled into one.

There was an underlying theme of parents who do not display confidence in their children’s talents and abilities. For me this was sad to read about, it made me feel sorry for the characters and question if I am expressing my belief in my children so they know that I truly believe in them and what they are capable of doing with their lives. The characters in this book only learned in adulthood what should have been impressed on them in childhood – you are talented, you are worthy, you are capable and you can do anything you put your mind to. Every parent should instill self-belief into their children, especially if the child does not have it in themselves. What a responsibility we have as parents!

I give In Perfect Time two thumbs up and recommend it to all history lovers and romantics.


signature

The Big Book of Symptoms: A-Z Guide To Your Child’s Health

The Big Book of Symptoms

The Big Book of Symptoms: A-Z Guide to Your Child’s Health

Reviewed by B, my 15 year old daughter.

I thought The Big Book of Symptoms: A-Z Guide to Your Child’s Health
was very informative. I liked the fact that it had both natural and traditional preventives and treatments. I wish it hadn’t had so much of the “take your child to the pediatrician if he/she has such and such a symptom.” I completely understand taking them to the doctor for what you think could become/be life threatening i.e. Leukemia, A Brain tumor, TSS and others like these, but I would have liked to have known what to do in the meantime to ease my child’s symptom(s).

I like that it was written by a mom and a pediatrician.

I found this book to be really informative and easy to read. The illustrations were handy and easy to understand (especially to a non-picture reader like me :)) I loved the 3-in-1 First Aid, Choking, and CPR chart you can take out and hang up, I thought that was a nice touch.

About the Authors

Edited by two esteemed members of AAP, Steven P. Shelov, MD, FAAP, and Shelly V. Flais, MD, FAAP, The Big Book of Symptoms is an A-Z directory and ultimate guide to over 100 of the most common childhood symptoms from infancy to adolescence. From bee bites and colic to fever, sleep and skin problems, the new guide is designed to help parents evaluate their child’s symptoms and distinguish minor every day concerns from more serious conditions. It also includes an illustrated first aid manual, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) chart, and age-specific safety and injury prevention tips.


signature

The Revealing by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Revealing by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


The Revealing by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The Revealing by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the third and last book in the Inn at Eagle Hill series. As a reminder, this is a series about an Amish family, as seen from the girl on the book cover above. The mother was widowed and started an inn to make ends meet, due some bad financial decisions on the part of her deceased husband. It is all about how the family is making the inn work and their life in their Amish community. A review of book one and book two are here and here.

It was sad to see this series come to an end. I have enjoyed getting to know Rose, Bethany, Mim, their neighbors the Kings and various other characters.

In this particular book, I really liked how Suzanne made baby Sarah a part of the story and how Tobe and Naomi triumphed through some troubled waters of their relationship.

I was disappointed that we did not get to see how Bethany and Mim’s love life ended. I mean we saw them get to know a couple of fellows but that was it. Granted, Mim is just 14 years old in this book so it is kind of hard to show who she ends up with….but it was like a cliff hanger gone wrong because the series ended with too many questions. It made me feel like the story of The Inn at Eagle Hill was left unfinished….unless she is going to start a new series and share the missing details in it. I want to know if the inn ends up being the income Rose needs to provide for her family, I want to know if Jimmy goes into the horse breeding business, I want to know if Mrs. Miracle continues to give advice, what Mim and Bethany go on to do? See? Too many questions!

Otherwise I did find it an enjoyable read since it will probably be one of the only books I read this summer.

What are you reading this summer?

Buy it Now


signature

Forgiving Our Mothers and Fathers Book Review

leslie

Leslie Leyland Fields and Dr. Jill Hubbard have written a new book in the issue of families and forgiveness. Leslie uses personal stories from her journey of forgiveness as she shares her heart with the reader throughout the course of this novel.

Delving into the heart of forgiveness based on scripture and the importance of forgiveness to find healing, Leslie uses practical and honest advice on how to find the strength to forgive.

While she acknowledges that it can be hard to forgive those who have wronged us, she also understands that we need to move away from hate and love everyone around us. Including those who have hurt us.

You can find a copy of Forgiving Our Mothers and Fathers on Amazon for $9.99.

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


signature

The Waiting Book & Giveaway

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing and participating in The Waiting review. We are being compensated by Tyndale Publishing and The Motherhood. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review and compensation, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

FFR The Waiting Book Cover

All I wanted to do this past Mother’s Day was relax and read The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow. My husband let me sleep in and when I woke up I read my book. What I didn’t expect to give myself was a huge headache, a pile of tissues, and red, puffy eyes!

FFR Teary eyes after The Waiting
Lighting in our bathroom is awful! Should have taken it somewhere else!

I don’t think I have ever cried as much while reading a book as I did during The Waiting. That’s why I took pictures of my pile of tissues and red, puffy eyes.

On to the review….

The Waiting Review

The Waiting is a true story of a woman’s wait to see her first born daughter again after giving her up for adoption.

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down until I was done. I shooed my children away , mostly because I didn’t want them sitting there on the bed with me watching and staring at me while I cried buckets of tears!

As emotional as the book made me, I cannot imagine living it as Minka did. I cannot imagine giving up my child and waiting 77 years to see her again.

There are so many facets of the story that show God’s faithfulness to a young mother and her years of praying and waiting. The fact that all the letters Minka wrote to the director of the “home” (like a pregnancy crisis center where young girls were sent to hide their pregnancy) were put into Betty Jane/Ruth’s adoption file, which would eventually be proof to Betty Jane/Ruth that her birth mother loved her fiercely for 77 years and never, ever forgot about her.

I loved the reunion and family bond Minka and Ruth’s families experienced upon meeting. I loved the honor and love bestowed upon Minka and how active and involved she continues to be even at age 102 (or possibly 103 at the time of this review). There’s so much more I could say but I think you should just read the book…how often do I say that!?

I highly recommend this very inspirational book. You won’t regret it. My daughter B read it the same day I did!

The Waiting in the Press

The NBC TODAY Show interviewed the author of The Waiting, Cathy LaGrow, who is Minka’s granddaughter. The interview aired on Friday, May 9, click the NBC link to watch it.

Tyndale is Giving Away FIVE Copies of The Waiting!

Enter to win one of five copies of The Waiting below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


signature

Mother’s Day Gift Idea: The Greek Yogurt in the Kitchen Cookbook

FFR image for posts

The Greek Yogurt Kitchen Book Cover

As I mentioned before, we love Greek yogurt so when the opportunity to review The Greek Yogurt in the Kitchen Cookbook I took it. I really like the looks of the Eggs Benedict recipe so I have shared it below.

This cookbook would be a great Mother’s Day gift for you or your own mother. It contains over 130 recipes with meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. It also explains the health benefits of Greek Yogurt. I am really looking forward to trying new recipes, which is a change for me because I usually dread it because my family doesn’t really adapt well to new things, at least certain ones.

You can find The Greek Yogurt in the Kitchen Cookbook at any major book retailer.

About the Author

Toby Amidor is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition, where she provides nutrition and food safety consulting services. She is a nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com, writing for their Healthy Eats Blog, a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report Eat + Run blog, and an adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Toby trained as a clinical dietitian at New York University. Her expertise includes over 14 years of experience in various areas of food and nutrition. Through ongoing consulting and faculty positions, she has established herself as one of the top experts in culinary nutrition, food safety, and media.

Recipe from The Greek Yogurt in the Kitchen Cookbook

Eggs Benedict-6593

Eggs Benedict with Lighter Hollandaise
Serves 4

Hollandaise sauce is typically made with a stick or two of butter to serve four people. The fat and calories can easily be slashed by substituting nonfat Greek yogurt for much of the butter, while still using a touch of butter to maintain the traditional flavor.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
4 large eggs
2 whole wheat English muffins
Cooking spray
4 slices turkey bacon (about 1/4 pound)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 medium asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups water to a boil over high heat.
Add the vinegar and lower the heat until it is no longer at a rolling boil.
Crack an egg into a small cup, dish, or wineglass.
Holding it near the surface of the water, gently slide the egg into the hot water.
Repeat with the remaining eggs.
Cover the saucepan and allow the eggs to cook for exactly 6 minutes.
Remove each egg carefully with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
Toast the English muffins.
Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat it over medium heat.
Cook the bacon until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Place a slice of bacon on each toasted English muffin half.
In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the asparagus, cover the pan, and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon butter with the yogurt, egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and salt.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler, set it over simmering water, and heat it, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
Immediately remove from the heat.
To assemble the dish, place 3 asparagus spears over the bacon on each muffin half, and top with 1 poached egg and 2 tablespoons of the hollandaise sauce.

NUTRITION INFORMATION (PER SERVING): Calories: 241; Total Fat: 13 grams; Saturated Fat: 6 grams; Protein: 15 grams; Total Carbohydrates: 16 grams; Sugars: 3 grams; Fiber: 3 grams; Cholesterol: 295 milligrams; Sodium: 301 milligrams

Enjoy!


signature

12 Last Minute Mother’s Day Ideas

Mother’s Day is drawing near and if you are anything like us, last minute plans are usually the norm. So in light of all you last minute shoppers and planners, here’s a list of last minute Mother’s Day ideas:

1. Picnic

2. Botanical Gardens

3. A quiet day alone to do whatever she wants

4. Flowers

5. Chocolates – can’t go wrong with chocolate!

The Greek Yogurt Kitchen Book Cover

6. New books (I’ll be posting about the book above this week!)

7. Dinner at her favorite restaurant

8. Something from the heart

9. Jewelry

10. Green Thumb basket

11. A gift card for a dress from Matilda Jane

FFR Moody Sisters Mango Peach Lip Balm

12. A gift card to Moody Sisters who has a new lip balm out called Mango Peach! Our children liked it.

What are you getting your mom this Mother’s Day?


signature

Rescue Pups

FFR image for posts

I have recently just started using ebooks on my iPad.  My four year old son is pretty tech savvy now and enjoys reading ebooks on my iPad as well. We had the pleasure of reading Rescue Pups: The Adventures of Maxwell and Kota.  It is written by Bonnie Bentley and Lindsay Gamache, and illustrated by Kimberly Solderberg.

RescuePups1

The story is about a dog who is rescued by a family and meets other dogs on his walk through the neighborhood. The other dogs laugh at him when they find out he doesn’t know where he came from. Eventually he meets another dog who turns out to be adopted as well.  They become good friends and enjoy playing with each other.  They team up together to save another dog who is stuck in a fence, hence “Rescue Pups.”  The themes of the story include friendship and adoption.

Rescuepups2

My son really enjoyed the book. He loved that one of the dogs in the story was a doberman pinscher since we have a doberman at home as a pet (who happens to be a rescue).  I loved that the story was a read aloud version. The voices reading were very kid friendly and nice to listen to.  The pictures from the book were very colorful, yet simple and easy to focus on.  The story line was great. My son wanted to read it over and over and over again.

Rescuepups3

Overall it was a great ebook, with wonderful life lessons. The suggested age for the ebook is 3-6.  I would definitely recommend it, and hope they write more in the future! You can download your copy by visiting

http://kitereaders.com/2013/12/15/rescue-pups-the-adventures-of-maxwell-and-kota/


signature

Best Colleges 2014 Book

This is a sponsored post.

Best Colleges

 

I am entering a new phase of parenting in that I have a child looking at colleges! Very weird for me! Bobbie is doing all the research for college requirements, SATs, applications, etc. U.S. News & World Report provides college rankings every year. I thought their new Best Colleges 2014 book would be helpful to my daughter as she narrows down her college choices.

About Best Colleges 2014

Here are four things Bobbie took from the book and the rest of the post is basically written by her, not me:

• It provides information on colleges all across the United States for students of all backgrounds and interests.

• Gives advice for students who don’t have straight A’s and encouragement and support for getting into college.

• Provides a checklist for preparing for college, which she thought was really helpful.

• It offers information on everything from the application process, getting financial aid, to finding the right school.

Best Colleges 2014 was very helpful and gives you a good idea of what you need to do to prepare for college, as well as offering encouragement and advice from high school students who have already gone through the college process.

The checklist provides a detailed step-by-step list of everything you need to do starting at 9th grade and ending with acceptance into college.

They didn’t limit the advice to students seeking to gain entrance to an Ivy League college; they had several sections dedicated to helping B- students get into a great college.

The sections on gaining financial aid were incredibly helpful and something we definitely need help with in knowing how to apply for the different financial help available to us.

If you would like to pick up a copy of Best Colleges 2014 , use the following code SCHOOL25 to receive a discount!


signature