book review
“Life of Charlotte Bronte” Review
Classic Book Review: Shirley
Shirley
by Charlotte Brontë, Lucasta Miller (Introduction), Jessica Cox (Editor)
5 out of 5 stars
Caroline and Shirley are dear friends, but their friendship is tested when they both appear to have fallen in love with the same man. They never speak of it, but they each suffer alone with their hearts in anguish until the truth can be known.
Robert Moore, a mill owner, is threatened by his ex-employees when he brings in new machinery to replace their jobs. A riot ensues and the mill is attacked. Robert must act swiftly and decidedly to save his business in the face of violence, but he leaves no room in his heart to show compassion to the poor. He struggles to find a balance between charity and justice.
Non Fiction Book Review: Storey’s Basic Country Skills
Storey’s Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
by M. John Storey
5 out of 5 stars
This book has everything you need to know about living in the country, and some things that city folks could learn about too.
There are sections about repairing your home, cultivating your garden, cooking in the country kitchen, and caring for your barn, livestock, and fields. Those sections are divided into smaller chapters with detailed information about installing windows and plumbing, cleaning rugs, harvesting vegetables, composting, keeping rabbits out of your garden, how to build a shed, how to keep chickens and dairy cows, and how to butcher your own meat and freeze it properly. These are only a few of the things included; there are dozens more with excellent advice and instructions.
Continue readingNon Fiction Book Review: Prepping 101
Prepping 101: 40 Steps You Can Take to Be Prepared: Protect Your Family, Prepare for Weather Disasters, and Be Ready and Resilient when Emergencies Arise
by Kathy Harrison
5 out of 5 stars
This book gives instructions for how to prepare your family to survive an emergency situation. There are sections for:
Calculating how much water and food your family will need during an emergency.
How to plant your own garden, and store and cook the food you grow.
How to handle garbage, laundry, and sanitation in an emergency.
Protecting your electronics and having enough batteries.
Making an evacuation plan, or creating a safe room.
Talking to your children about emergency preparedness.
Survival tips on staying warm or cool in extreme weather.
AND a dozen other things that are helpful for not just surviving an emergency, but handling it with poise and intelligence.
Non Fiction Book Review: The Stupidest Sports Book of All Time
The Stupidest Sports Book of All Time
by Kathryn Petras , Ross Petras
5 out of 5 stars
The book details the weirdest, craziest, and most insane things to happen in the history of sports. There are strange injuries, dumb quotes, and the worst bloopers on the field. There is a whole section devoted to the weird superstitions that players have, from eating the same thing before every game to wearing the same shorts (unwashed). And it’s not just limited to pro sports; there are also high school and college stats, as well as international oddities from around the world.
Continue readingClassic Book Review: A Little Princess
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Tasha Tudor (illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars
Little Sara Crewe is wealthy heiress, and she is treated like a princess at Miss Minchin’s boarding school for girls. Her father loses all his money and dies abroad, so Sara is forced to work as a servant. But she never stops behaving like a noble princess with kindness and generosity to everyone.
I always love rereading this book. Sara has such a gentle personality, and she’s so intelligent and adorable. I love how imaginative she is and how she is always making up stories and living inside her head. She has a marvelous intuition about people around her, and she can see through their facades right to their heart.
Continue readingClassic NonFiction Review: The Life of Charlotte Bronte
The Life of Charlotte Bronte
by Elizabeth Gaskell, Alan Shelston
5 out of 5 stars
Charlotte Bronte was truly an extraordinary individual. This biography written by her friend Elizabeth Gaskell is a powerful history of the tragic life the Bronte sisters led. Their strong personalities and steady faith drew them closer together, and provided the genius for their incredible writing.
I loved reading about the eccentric Bronte family, and the close relationships between the siblings. Their isolated home among the moors of Yorkshire inspired similar vigorous settings for many of their books. It was interesting to see how their personal experiences led to fictional creations like the terrible Lowood School in ‘Jane Eyre’ or the awful governess situation in ‘Agnes Grey’. There are many parallels from their real lives to their writing.
Continue readingPuzzle Review: Let The Sun Shine In
Let the Sun Shine In 1,000-Piece Puzzle
by Irene Smit, Astrid van der Hulst, Editors of Flow Magazine, Anisa Makhoul (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars
This 1,000-piece puzzle is beautifully designed and thoughtfully crafted. The puzzle comes with a little 9″x6″ poster of the art, so that you can use it as a little poster, put the art in a frame, or use it to help you complete the puzzle. I was especially impressed to see that the backs of the puzzle pieces also have a little repetitive design of some blue flowers. It’s delightful to see little details like that which make this puzzle really special and show the exceptional craftmanship and careful thought that went into the design and manufacture of the product.
Calendar Review: Brave, Wild, and True
Wild, Brave, and True Calendar 2021
by Cheryl Strayed, Workman Publishing
5 out of 5 stars
I really like the designs in this calendar. The colors are bright and cheerful, and the artwork includes random shapes and lines that are appealing to the eye. The quotes from author Cheryl Strayed are uplifting and thoughtful.
I feel like I would be inspired to reach my goals and be more mindful in 2021 with these encouraging quotes to look at every day.
Luminous Libro 