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Favorite Victorian Authors
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 readingPicture Book Review: I Believe In You!
I Believe in You
by Sabrina Moyle (Goodreads Author), Eunice Moyle (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars
A unicorn helps a young dragon who wants to learn to fly. First they try a superhero cape, then a rocket ship, and finally a big bunch of balloons tied to the dragon to help him fly. All through their experiments with flying, the unicorn is supportive. The unicorn listens and encourages the dragon every step of the way.
Continue readingCraft Book Review: Kids Book of Paper Love
The Kids’ Book of Paper Love: Write. Craft. Play. Share.
by Editors of Flow Magazine
5 out of 5 stars
This amazing craft book has writing paper, scrapbook paper, stickers, bookmarks, cards, envelopes, postcards, decorative stamps, photo booth props, and cutouts you can paste and use elsewhere for dozens of creative projects. There are little paper dolls and 3D houses you can assemble. The book is full of games and activities. There are even little journal books you can remove for your own notes!
Continue readingNonfiction Book Review: Space Maps
Space Maps
by Lara Albanese
3 out of 5 stars
This book has amazing maps of star constellations, our solar system, planets, galaxies, and comets. There is a wealth of information about gravity, dwarf planets, black holes, the moon, and spacecraft. I especially liked reading the history about how ancient cultures viewed the stars and the folklore and mythology that grew up around certain constellations.
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