Book Reviews

Book Review—Ghosted at the Altar

December 17, 2020 by NZ Filbruns 2 Comments

About the Book

Book: Ghosted at the Altar
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian fiction, Christmas romance
Release Date: September, 2020

He’s goin’ to the chapel and he’s gonna get… ghosted?

Guys don’t always “get into” the whole wedding thing, but there’s one thing Mitchell Bogaert has been anticipating for the last two years–that first glimpse of Brenna coming to meet him at the altar. So, when the back doors open to reveal a missing bride, he’s shocked, disappointed, hurt, angry–pick your negative emotion. It probably fits.

Brenna Kinsey didn’t know she’d bolt at the last minute, but now she’s trying to figure out what happened and how to prevent it happening again before Mitchell decides she’s not worth the emotional trauma–or the town drama!

Lauren Kinsey, on the other hand, is more than just the kid-sister bridesmaid. She’s a self-proclaimed sleuth and determined to ferret out the problem, arrive at a solution, and get things back on track before broken hearts shatter into more pieces than Humpty Dumpty.

Time’s running out, only the bride and groom don’t realize it. How will Lauren fix this mess before the “clock strikes midnight” and there isn’t a ghost of a chance to save the marriage that never got a chance to be?

My Thoughts:

Some books are a given—I know before they are even written that I will read them, and like them. Ghosted at the Altar is one of those. If Chautona Havig writes a book, I will read it, and I will like it. There is just no question about that. A couple of years ago, she wrote The Ghosts of New Cheltenham; this one is a sequel, telling the story of what happened to Mitchell and Brenna two years later.

Mitchell couldn’t wait to see Brenna coming up the aisle to him. Imagine his shock when the doors at the back of the church opened—to nothing. Where was Brenna? What happened to her? As for Brenna, she had no idea she would bolt from the altar until she found herself running desperately through the streets. What could have happened? What could fix this?

Enter Lauren, kid-sister, bridesmaid, and amateur sleuth. She set herself to finding the “why” of her sister’s flight, and fixing the problem. Brenna had to get married to Mitchell—she just had to! And time was running out. How could Lauren and Mitchell get everything solved so that Mitchell and Brenna could still get married?

This is a great story. It isn’t a deep one; I would consider it more fluffy than otherwise. It is a good glimpse into what effect past trauma can have on your life, and the need for forgiving yourself for dumb mistakes and moving on, accepting other people’s forgiveness for what you’ve done. If you enjoy light romance and second chances, give this book a try.

I received a free copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More From Chautona:

How Did One Silly Story Become a Favorite Series?

Dickens and his revival of the “ghost story” at Christmas inspired the kick-off book in a series I’d planned almost twenty years ago. The little village of New Cheltenham first appeared in None So Blind and Thirty Days Hath…. However, the touristy village with its obsession with all things English was actually conceived almost twenty years ago!

That first book… still isn’t in print. I’ve reimagined it, and it will be coming out soon. However, Dickens… well, that guy has a way of getting under your skin, and what better place for a Dickens Ghost Storytelling Contest than in a village that looks ripped from England’s countryside?

The Ghosts of New Cheltenham was born. I actually thought it would be a great way for me to force myself to finish that book I’d started so long ago. But then Amanda Tru sent me a message that said, “We’re going to do one about wedding dresses,” and Something Borrowed, Someone Blue became the second book instead. I wanted more of Mitchell, Brenna, and the loveable Lauren, so I concocted a story that would give me just that.

Is it any wonder, then, when Amanda messaged again with our next collection theme of jilted brides or grooms, I immediately thought, “Oh, dear! What if Mitchell got ghosted at the altar?” That is the fastest title I’ve ever come up with!

Because one more Christmas story in New Cheltenham wasn’t quite enough, I set a third one there this year! The Bells of New Cheltenham. In that one, Mitchell is done with this ghost storytelling stuff and starts a contest of his own!

While you can read these books as stand alones (both mine and the ones within the collections), mine will be a richer reading experience if they are read in the following order

The Ghosts of New Cheltenham (read the companion short story free on Kindle Unlimited HERE)

Something Borrowed, Someone Blue (in The Wedding Dress Yes CrossRoads Collection)

Ghosted at the Altar (in the Five Gold Rings CrossRoads Collection)

The Bells of New Cheltenham. (in the Melodies of Christmas Love Collection)

(note, the last two really can be read in any order.)

How did my silly idea for a plasmaphobic guy who had to tell a ghost story to inherit spark one of my favorite series? All things considered, how could he not?

To purchase your copy, click here.

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Book Review—What You Said to Me

December 3, 2020 by NZ Filbruns 3 Comments

About the Book

Book: What You Said to Me
Author: Olivia Newport
Genre: Christian Fiction
Release Date: November 2020

Book 4 in the Tree of Life Series: A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Faith Journeys on Family Trees

When 15-year-old Tisha Crowder gets caught shoplifting, attorney Nolan Duffy tries to protect her from consequences that could rattle her already troubled life. His daughter, Jillian, feels like she’s the one being punished instead—by having Tisha assigned to work with her on a backlog of genealogy files. Tisha doesn’t seem interested in taking the job seriously, and Jillian’s patience wears thin. Besides, everyone in Canyon Mines knows the Crowder family has experienced generations of brokenness. Then a sliver of hope turns up in long-ago words in plain sight, challenging shrouded assumptions about Tisha’s family. Now Jillian is the one who can walk with Tisha back to 1893 and uncover where everything went wrong in the first place—and save her from the past.

What You Said to Me is the fourth book in the Tree of Life series by Olivia Newport. You’ll want to return to the lovely Colorado mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that will inspire you to connect with your own family histories and unique faith journeys.

My Thoughts:

I’ve been reading the Tree of Life series since the first one was published. I have enjoyed all of them, but they keep getting better and better. Each one features Jillian, a genealogist, who meets a troubled person and unravels their family tree to find out why they react the way they do to things that happen. In the first two books, it felt somewhat forced, but the third and fourth felt a lot more natural. I especially liked this fourth book, What You Said to Me.

Jillian is stunned when Nolan, her father, informs her that she needs a helper—and furthermore, the helper is arriving now. Yes, she knows that the dining table is buried under piles and piles of old folders that need to be organized for the project she’s been hired to do—but surely she can handle this without 15-year-old Tisha Crowder’s help? And Tisha’s attitude doesn’t make it any easier. What is behind the girl’s attitudes and actions, anyway?

The story flips back and forth between Jillian, Nolan and Tisha, in Canyon Mines, Colorado, in the present, and a family in 1893 Denver. I found myself caught up in both stories, eager to see how the two intersected. I also wanted to see if there was any way that Jillian could help Tisha out of the generations of bitterness, anger, and distrust that plagued her family and caused her problems. Nolan was sure she could—but how?

One thing I really like about this series is that there isn’t a lot of romance. There is a little, in the third book and also in this one, but it’s a very minor element. A few kisses were alluded to, but not much more. I also enjoy Nolan and his cooking and opera singing! He’s a very fun character. There is not a strong Christian message, but the story is very clean and reflects a Christian worldview. As I said to begin, I really enjoyed this book, and I’m looking forward to the next one. There are loose ends from books three and four that have not been tied up yet!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and CelebrateLit, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

Olivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of Pikes Peak.

More From Olivia:

Careful Words

“You didn’t just say that.” Or, “I can’t believe you said that.”

Have you ever said that in retort to someone whose comment offended or wounded? I know I have. But what cuts me even more deeply is when I say to myself, “I can’t believe I just said that.”

The words of a parent at wit’s end, a spouse harboring hurt, a friend saddened by misunderstanding, an employee feeling undercut—they have all been my words. And they came out too fast to swallow back before they did their damage.

I hope I have also had the words of a parent who set aside busyness to listen, a spouse offering loving encouragement, a friend checking in with someone going through a tough patch, a coworker curious to see how I could help rather than compete. Those are the kinds of words I’ve never regretted, never had to repent of, never had to do rebuild from.

I certainly didn’t write What You Said to Me because I think I get it right all the time or even most of the time. Far from it! In our culture of rushing and achieving and—let’s face it, sometimes just getting through the demands of the day—sometimes our words are the last thing we are careful with. Yet they have the longest lasting consequence in our relationships and families—sometimes for generations. The dual-timeline story traces how words that injure became a pattern in one family line until one girl finally fought back to find healing for her future.

My challenge for myself, and all who read What You Said to Me, is to be the person who speaks healing words of hope so that “I can’t believe you said that” becomes “Thank you for saying that.”

If you have a particularly poignant experience of how another’s words impacted you, I’d love to hear from you.

Olivia Newport

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Book Review—Bells of New Cheltenham

November 20, 2020 by NZ Filbruns 2 Comments

About the Book

Book: The Bells of New Cheltenham
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian fiction, Christmas romance
Release Date: October 15, 2020

Who knew that Christmas carols were love songs?

Justine Driscoll sure didn’t. Peace on earth? She’s heard of that. Holy and joyful? Something about that, too. But love songs sung by a bride about the birth of her bridegroom? That’s just weird stuff right there.

Weird or not, though, once Justine decides to enter a short story contest using a Christmas carol as the inspiration, she discovers love in the carols she investigates, in the story an ex-Army guy tells, and in the little tourist town of New Cheltenham.

“But what do the words mean?”

Ken Torsney is used to fighting for causes he believes in. He just never imagined he’d go from Army “warrior” to spiritual warrior in the span of one question from a stranger. Justine is like no girl he’s ever known— hungry for the gospel even as she rejects it.

He’s falling for her, and that’s bound to break his heart.

Love is in the air in New Cheltenham this Christmas. Again.

My Thoughts:

A couple of years ago, Chautona wrote The Ghosts of New Cheltenham, which involved Mitchell being required to tell a ghost story in order to get his inheritance. The Bells of New Cheltenham has a much nicer theme! I enjoyed reading it as it was written, and again after it was all done.

Mitchell entered the ghost story telling competition two years in a row; this year he can’t bring himself to enter. What can he do instead? He has a bright idea: Sponsor a different kind of contest! His idea is simple; the contestants are to write a short story based on a Christmas carol. He prints up flyers and posters and gets the word around town.

Justine wanders into town with all her possessions on her back. She listens to the carolers going around the streets singing one Christmas carol after another, and then sees the flyer about the short story contest. It catches her attention, even though she knows nothing about the Bible, Christmas, or Christianity. Ken, one of the carolers, notices her interest in the carols and offers to tell her the story behind the one she thinks sounded quite depressing. She wants to hear the whole story, even though she is trying to reject it. Ken, finding himself very attracted to her, knows he has to be careful not to fall in love with someone who isn’t a Christian—but he very much wants to spend time with her and answer all her questions about Jesus and the whole Christmas story! Meanwhile, she must win that contest—it would solve all her problems!

This is a great story with a unique premise. Chautona has carefully woven the entire story of why Jesus came to earth into this story, without being at all preachy. You must read this story about how Justine discovered love in everything around her. It’s delightful! Oh, and the scene in Chapter 8 where Ken talks about buying weed? It makes me laugh out loud every time I read it! (About four times now, since after I read it aloud to one son he wanted me to read it to the rest. I could hardly read, for laughing so hard.)

I received a free copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

More From Chautona:

3 Things That Make My Christmas Heart Sing

I didn’t have a ghost of a chance.

The message popped up in my messenger at exactly the moment I sat down. This is significant, because I get dozens of Facebook messages every day, and often, they get buried when a new one supersedes it. So, as you can see, it’s a near miracle that I ever saw the message at all.

The message offered me a spot in a collection of novellas—a Christmas collection. Yep. Not a ghost of a chance.

Still, I tried to be responsible, you know? After all, I had quite a few books due at the same time already. Bookers on the Rocks, The Last Gasp, my Christmas Lights Collection “noella,” and my CrossRoads Collection “noella.” And those didn’t include anything I wanted to write in spring or summer.

Then she added another layer of temptation. This collection had a theme. That theme? Christmas carol inspired romances.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love music, Christmas, and specifically, Christmas music?

The other authors in the set had already made their carol selections. She sent a list of those that had already been claimed. I read them with great trepidation. See, I already had two carols I’d want to use in the story for this collection that I hadn’t even agreed to participate in yet.

No one had chosen “The Holly and the Ivy” or “The Bells on Christmas Day.”

That ghost slowly transformed into the ghost of my resistance.

All that remained was for me to come up with a story idea. I mean, why join a collection if you can’t even decide what to do with it?

That’s when it happened.

There’s always this moment when the first idea germinates, sprouts, and pushes up through the fertile soil of my imagination. My favorite moment. And it hit me. What if the theme for the collection was my story idea? My character could enter a contest that requires a short story based on a Christmas carol.

And once I had that idea, the rest came in a whoosh! Mitchell, from The Ghosts of New Cheltenham could be sick to death of this annual ghost storytelling contest and decide to create his own contest. And then… well…

The Bells of New Cheltenham was born.

If you’ve not read The Ghosts of New Cheltenham, you’ll follow this “noella” just fine. It is meant to be a stand-alone. However, if you want a richer reading experience, I recommend reading The Ghosts of New Cheltenham, followed by the companion short story, “The Ghastly Therapist” first. Both are available through Kindle Unlimited. Additionally, if you send your receipt (or a screenshot of the final page of the eBook from Kindle Unlimited) for the Melodies of Christmas Love collection to chautona@chautona.com, I’ll send YOU the bonus short story—the one Justine Driscoll writes in this “noella.”

But I promised to tell you three things that make my heart sing at Christmas.

The way people are often just a little kinder and a little more giving and understanding.
The joy that seems to fill every part of life—family, friends, parties, presents, church services, reading, singing…
The music that plays everywhere—and often sings of a Savior’s love.

What makes your heart sing at Christmas?

To purchase your copy, click here.

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To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Product Review—CrossTimber

November 19, 2020 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in
exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I
compensated in any other way.

Sometimes a review is just plain fun! When I saw the request for reviewers for CrossTimber, I knew we would enjoy doing this one. We were offered the choice of either five personalized Name Cards or Name Bookmarks, or an 8×10 Plaque print, along with a set of Amazing Name Print Activity Sheets. It didn’t take me long to decide that the bookmarks would be perfect for us. Since we have five boys and three girls, it was easy to make the decision that each of the boys would get a bookmark.

I allowed each of the boys to choose the picture for their own bookmark. We spent a few hours, on a couple of different evenings, perusing all the different options and trying to decide which picture fit each boy best. There were so many different categories, and so many beautiful options within each category, that it was hard to make the decision—but it was great fun. The four major categories are Symbolic/Meaningful, People, Outdoors, and Creatures. We spent most of our time in the Outdoors section, although the Creatures section also appealed to my boys (Mr. Diligence debated about choosing the rooster!). Once the photo for the background was chosen, we had to decide about letting CrossTimber choose the Scripture verse to go with the meaning of the name, or choose our own. Only Simon decided to spend the extra dollar to choose his own verse; he wanted something that would be a reminder of what was happening in his life right now. The other option would have been either a quote from a president or famous author, or a character quality. We could also have added a ribbon or corner design, or gotten a matching name card, greeting card, coffee mug, or any of a few other gift items.

We were also given a set of AmazingName Print Activity Sheets. I had those done with Little Miss’s name on them. She loves the mazes and was delighted to get to color a name label to set up on her dresser. There are also coloring pictures, both for children and adults, word searches of various difficulty levels, and penmanship pages. These sets will appeal to many different ages! As with the other products from this company, they talk about the importance of names to God and the importance of the meaning of names. We were sent a printed copy of the set, on nice, thick, semiglossy paper. You can also choose to receive this set as a PDF, and then print pages as you wish, as your child grows up and can do more things.

It was very easy to order the bookmarks and activity set. The only difficulty was in narrowing down the choices and finding the perfect one! My sons are very happy with their bookmarks. They are pretty and seem fairly durable. Esther (who tends to be quite picky with graphics!), however, felt that they could have been better quality. She pointed out that the designs are not centered on the cards, and in her opinion, too many different fonts were used. For most people, these wouldn’t be an issue, but just something she noticed.

If you are wanting special, personalized gifts that encourage people and glorify God, have a look at CrossTimber’s offerings. I was impressed with the variety of products they offer! Having the meaning of your name in front of your eyes can be very encouraging. We were amused at the meanings attached to the names of a couple of our boys; we had never heard those meanings with their names before, but they sure fit their personalities! (Grandma, maybe you can figure out which ones I’m talking about!)

As always, check out what other families had to say about their experiences with CrossTimber by clicking the image below.

Product Review—Building Life Castles

November 10, 2020 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I was somewhat interested in 4th Grade—Building Life Castles from Positive Action Bible Curriculum when it was offered for review a few months ago. I’m happy with the Bible course we’ve been using, but I also enjoy trying out new things. So, I decided that I would work through this book with Mr. Sweetie and Mr. Imagination, who are just finishing 5^th and 3^rd grades right now.

The first thing my boys did when we received these books was to study the cover picture. Would you believe, the thing they commented on first was that a cardboard box says, “This end up,” and the arrow points down! The student book is fairly attractive. It has full-color illustrations, and plenty of space to write answers to the questions. Each lesson has four parts—A, B, C and a section on “Building Your Life Castle.” In the first three parts, the student mainly looks up Scripture references and finds answers to the questions from the verse.

The teacher’s guide is a sturdy 3-ring binder with three dividers, for Teaching Material, Testing Material, and Answer Key. There are a couple of pages of teaching helps and lesson plans for each part of a lesson, and then pictures of each of the student pages with the answers written in. The Testing section contains a quiz for each lesson. Each of these quizzes has ten questions, which makes it very easy to figure a grade!

The first several lessons talk about Who Jesus is, and His coming to earth, including an overview of the land in which He lived. Then, several lessons talk about various aspects of His ministry. After that, there are several lessons about the Holy Spirit, and then quite a few about applying Biblical truths to our lives. These topics include trusting God, having compassion for others, the value of humility, forgiveness, and making wise choices. The last seven chapters talk about the Apostle Paul and his ministry.

There is a lot of good in this course. The topics taught are well-worth thinking about, and the questions are well done. However, we struggled to use it in our family, mainly because it is designed for a classroom and that made it a bit difficult to use in our homeschool setting. This is intended as a 4th-grade course. Mr. Sweetie had no problems finding the correct answers; Mr. Imagination did.As I said, they are finishing 5th and 3rd grades, so I would say the grade level is about right. I would guess that it would work well for a lot of families, but for ours it just wasn’t a very good fit. Don’t just take my word for it, though; click the image below to see what other families had to say about it. Oh, one last thing: I was given a code (REVIEW20) which will give free shipping for any customer in the US who is purchasing new curriculum.

Building Life Castles {Positive Action Bible Curriculum Reviews}

Product Review—Bible Unearthed

November 6, 2020 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

We have been enjoying Drive Thru History® Adventures for several years now. When the opportunity was given to use and review their new course, Bible Unearthed, we jumped at the chance. We were given early access to this brand-new course; it will be available to everyone before too long. We have been watching one of the videos each week, and reading the extra material that goes with it, too. Everyone is finding it quite interesting! I’m even wishing my husband would have time to watch these.

Bible Unearthed is a bit different from the other courses we’ve used from them. Most of Dave Stott’s films show him exploring a historical location and narrating what happened there at some time in the past, which is a great way to learn about history. This course, however, is mostly filmed in one room. Dave Stotts and Randall Niles are at a table with archaeologist Titus Kenndy, asking questions and learning about archaeology. At least, Randall is learning—Dave is clowning around! His funny antics help keep these videos from being lectures, and keep the children’s attention!

A few years ago Mr. Intellectual used some of their courses and I wrote a review about this company; we really liked them. This time, I’m having everyone who is home during the day watch the videos. That includes Mr. Diligence (15), Mr. Sweetie (11), Mr. Imagination (8), and Little Miss (5) all the time, and Esther and Mr. Intellectual at times, when they aren’t at work. The older ones are understanding and appreciating the information about archaeology and how it helps to support the Bible, and the younger ones really like the joking around that Dave Stotts does. We watch the video one day while we eat lunch; the next day, we read the article that is linked in the Digging Deeper section of the lesson during our history time. The day after that, we read the rest of the information in the lesson and answer the questions on the worksheet. Here is one of the “Digging Deeper” articles and a part of a worksheet.

The series of 12 episodes begins with a discussion of what archaeology is and what impact it has on our understanding of history. Then, we got to learn about how archaeological sites are discovered and what life is like for an archaeologist. Next week, we’ll get to learn about what’s being discovered today, and then some archaeological mysteries. That sounds fun! I did skip ahead a little and watched a couple of the later episodes when the older children were away but Simon was here; he enjoyed learning about top discoveries in Biblical archaeology and accidental discoveries. Some of the other titles look intriguing, too, like Trends in Archaeology and Weird Archaeology. I’m looking forward to getting to those!

The dashboard makes it very easy to use this course. After you watch one of the 15-minute videos, you are automatically moved on to the next episode, but if you come back later and want to read one of the articles or rewatch something, it is easy to move back and forth. I like that each lesson has a button to click when it is completed—that way I know where we’ve been and what we’re ready for!

This course is definitely worth going through. We tend to love history, and especially finding things that prove that the Bible is true, so this is perfect for us. As an example of something we heard yesterday in the episode we watched, an inscription was found in northern Israel that mentioned David. This helps to prove that David was a real person. Many little gems of information like that are scattered through the course.

Eighty-four families had the chance to use this course and review it—click on the image below to find their reviews and see what they thought of it!

Bible Unearthed {Drive Thru History® Adventures Reviews}

Product Review—MathandAlgebra.com

November 4, 2020 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

One thing I rarely request for reviews is a math curriculum. I’m happy with what we have, and it’s hard to switch to anything else. We ended up being put on the MathandAlgebra.com review, though, so I’ve been using it to supplement Mr. Sweetie’s regular math book. He’s been doing some of each, and when he finishes his regular math for the year this week, I’ll keep him doing this Basic Math for another month or so, to help prevent that “summer slump.”

There are four levels in this online homeschool math program. There is Basic Math, Advanced Math, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra. Basic Math starts with whole numbers and moves on to fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions and percents, and geometry, algebra, charts and graphs, probability and statistics, and word problems. Each topic has 4-16 lessons. Each lesson has a roughly 5-minute video lesson and a worksheet. Each section ends with a quiz, and there is a final quiz at the end of the level. To begin, I had Mr. Sweetie do the quiz at the end of each section, and if he got everything right, I figured he didn’t need to go through the lessons in that section. When he reached the part about ratios, proportions and percents, he didn’t do well, so he started there. He says that the lessons are presented clearly, and he is obviously understanding the concepts. This is something he hasn’t done much with in his regular math lessons, but he’s doing well here. He watches the lesson, works the sample problems with the instructor, and then works the rest of them on the worksheet himself. There is an answer key that he opens separately, and checks his own work. Each worksheet has about four review problems, ten for the new concept, and a word problem at the end. There are also speed drills, which we haven’t used yet because he still has them with his other math book.

Advanced Math covers the same topics as Basic Math; I presume it goes into more depth with everything. Pre-Algebra starts with sets, integers, fractions and decimals, and goes on to exponents and square roots, ending with number theory, number lines and coordinate systems, equations, and more about probability and statistics. Algebra starts out with 22 lessons on “Tools for Algebra.” Then it goes on to equations, solving and graphing them, polynomials and quadratic equations, and finishes with algebra word problems.

This seems to be a fairly thorough math program. It would be great for a student who needs to get through several years’ worth of math in a short time. There are no extras here, and no busywork. In a lot of ways I’m impressed with it. One real plus is that the child can do it with no help from Mom. I showed Mr. Sweetie how to reach the site through a bookmark, login, resume where he left off, and print his worksheet, and he was off. I rarely have to help him at all with this. So, if you’re struggling with math, and have a child who is 10 years old or older, this might be just what you need. It is recommended for grades 4 and up.

The group leader’s console is very basic. Mostly, it allows me access to all the courses; one tab allows management of students. Under that tab are two tabs; one lets me remove a student, and the other gives a report of their progress. This picture shows Mr. Sweetie’s progress. As you can see, he got 60% on his first try of the Ratios quiz, but 100% after going through the lessons. He starts Geometry today, and he’s a bit scared of it, but I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.

We did find a few problems. They were fairly minor, just a bit annoying. One lesson had exactly the same worksheet as the one before it, and a couple of times the answer key had the wrong answer. I went over the problem several times to be sure. I also had trouble getting Mr. Imagination logged in when I wanted him to start using this for review here over the summer after he finished his regular math. I contacted support, however, and they got on to the problem quickly and got it solved.

Bottom line? If you need a math program when you just don’t have time to spend with your children, you might want to check this one out. I saw on their website that they offer a 30-days trial with your money back at the end if this program doesn’t work for you, so it may be worth checking out. Also, have a look at what 48 other families said about this program!

Math & Algebra Family Subscription {MathandAlgebra.com Reviews}

Book Review—Sand & Mistletoe

October 22, 2020 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

About the Book

Book: Sand & Mistletoe
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance (Holiday)
Release Date: November 24, 2018

What’s Christmas without family drama, an accident, and mistletoe?

If you ask Portia Spears, it’s a horror movie—especially since she’s never the one caught under that mistletoe. And who thought it was a good idea to spend the last Christmas as a family unit away from their family home?

Her bossy older sisters, that’s who.

Christmas at his parents’ house with his son—just the way Reese Whitaker likes it. But a chance encounter on the beach might just change everything. How often do you meet someone who loves kids and knows American Sign Language?

Not often. Trust him.

However, with just two weeks to get to know each other and two families that couldn’t be more different vying for their time, will they even have a chance to test out that mistletoe they found?

Find out today in Sand & Mistletoe.

My Thoughts:

I read this book when it was first published, and was not overly impressed with it. I read it again now, for this tour, and enjoyed it much more! There is still a bit too heavy an emphasis on romance for my taste, but there’s so much more, too. The book started out with Portia struggling majorly to appreciate her sisters, and just wanting out of the family drama. I liked the way that ended, though, and I enjoyed reading a book that has so much about a deaf boy and sign language. I haven’t seen many books that featured that! I liked the way Duncan was included in the times his father and Portia spent together. This isn’t a deep, heavy book, but it’s fun and worth reading when you are just wanting a light Christmas read.

I received a free copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

More From Chautona:

What Happens When an Author Rewrites History

To be fair, almost none of us wanted to be there.

And really, that wasn’t fair. Two of our daughters planned as a “destination Christmas” bash for the whole family—just a nice getaway in San Diego for the “last” Christmas we’d probably all be in the same place on the same days. The kids were getting older, getting married, and even moving out of state. It was a beautiful thing for them to try to do for us.

But Havigs are homebodies who like their traditions, and most of us left in Ridgecrest weren’t too thrilled being “dragged” four hours south to celebrate Christmas in a beautiful house on a cliff overlooking the San Diego countryside. It had everything, game room, lots of space, yards, hiking trails, an infinity pool, a hot tub…

Yeah. That hot tub kicked off the weekend with a splash all right. With no lighting around it, and no railing either, my husband stepped out of it and right off the ledge—down a hill (at least fifteen feet), bouncing off boulders and thankfully, stopped by a fence. Otherwise, he’d have rolled for a LONG way.

Get this. He broke nothing. Don’t even ask me how (because we all know Who took care of that, right?).

Still, I spent my Christmas Eve sitting in an ER waiting for someone to tell us the damage (superficial scrapes and deep bruising). The whole time I thought, “This has got to be a book.”

Two years later, it was.

I say this at the end of the book, but I need to say it again.

People who know our family will recognize some of my kids (I left four of them out of the story). They will also say, “Wait, she’s not like that!”

And that’s the point. I put just enough of real people in it to really capture the feel of the personalities, meshed some quirks (including the ones that got left out), and then set them in a stressful situation and really way over-exaggerated actual responses. I want to say this here again. None of us acted just like I portrayed us in Sand & Mistletoe (although, frankly, I wouldn’t have blamed a couple of them if they’d wanted to). Unlike A Bird Died, I didn’t even try to stick to facts.

Instead of San Diego hill country, I put us at my favorite beach—Ventura. I stuck our rented beach house where the Pierpont Inn is/used to be (don’t even know if it exists anymore). Reese’s parents live in the house I lived in when I was nine—right there on Pierpont just a block from the beach. And where they went to get mistletoe… one of my favorite places in the world.

So, here’s my version of the tale—the one I wrote instead of told. Just like Francie Nolan learned from her teacher in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. When I tell the story, I tell it exactly how it happened. However… I wrote what should (not) have happened! (this is much more interesting than the real story).

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–Jack

October 1, 2020 by NZ Filbruns 6 Comments

About the Book

Book: Jack
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Historical Western Romance
Release Date: January 26, 2016

Women are trouble—lying, cheating, untrustworthy bundles of trouble.

Jack Clausen doesn’t need anyone but his horse and a boss who won’t interfere in his personal life—or lack of one.

Sure, he’s a lonely cowboy, but better lonely than brokenhearted.

If only he hadn’t met a girl who made him hope that honest and true women do exist. Maybe he wouldn’t be riding off into a snowstorm with a fresh determination to avoid women—indefinitely.

When Hazel Meissner sees a cowboy risk life, limb, and horse to save a child, she knows he’s someone special. When he finally gives her his heart, she considers herself the most blessed woman alive.

However, when he rides off without a word, she wonders if her heart will survive the loss.

One broken man. One trusting woman. One orchestrated misunderstanding that tears them apart. What’ll it take to bring Jack home again?

It’s Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing mashed up with the old ballad, “Cowboy Jack.” Don’t miss a cast of characters inspired by the Bard himself—especially Dirk and Deborah (Benedick & Beatrice).

Jack: a lot of hullaballoo on the prairie.

My Thoughts:

I first read Jack several years ago when it was published. I enjoyed it then, but it wasn’t one of my favorite of her books—probably partly because I am not into cowboys. I read it again last week, and enjoyed it more. I would still say it’s not my favorite, but I do like it! I laughed at Deborah and Dirk, and the way they gave each other such a hard time. The conniving of the other cowboys, and Hazel, was fun. I think I actually liked Deborah about as much as Hazel, although Hazel was the main character in the story.

Hazel is a dear, sweet girl. I enjoyed watching her with Jack. He, on the other hand, had a lot to learn about trust. Childhood experiences can shape so much of a person’s character—would he ever be able to trust women, after what he experienced with his mother? As in so many of this author’s books, there are a lot of things to think about in this story. Try it—you’ll enjoy it!

I received a free copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

More From Chautona:

The Inspiration I Hate to Love

The plaintive notes of a ballad filled the living room. People sat on couches and chairs or stood in the doorway, listening. Three steps up the staircase, out of view of most of the room, a little girl sat, chin in her hands, listening.

If you looked close, you’d see freckles dotting her nose and crooked teeth that never were too large for her mouth like most children’s were. Just a bit closer, and you’d see wide, hazel eyes riveted to the man with the guitar seated on the hearth. To his right, a cup of coffee and sometimes a shot of whiskey.

With a voice like Jim Reeves (the non-twangy Reeves, mind you), the songs told stories, like all ballads do—a little blind girl praying for her father’s future happiness, a girl of thirteen who barely escaped a massacre in 19th century Wyoming. “Hazel eyes,” the man called her. California Joe—he was a real man, although not as good of one as the song made out.

Sometimes the man sang happier songs, but most of them were slow, western ballads that could keep Nicolas Sparks writing for decades.

And the little girl loved them all—especially California Joe and one about a cowboy who left his sweetheart alone on the prairie after a quarrel. One called “Cowboy Jack.”

As you’ve probably surmised, I was the little girl, and that man who sang and stirred the hearts of our family at nearly every gathering was my father.

How I miss those days.

For years, I wanted to give Jack a happier ending. See, the song goes like this. A lonely cowboy (with a heart so brave and true) meets and falls in love with a maiden (with eyes of heaven’s own blue). Alas, as with all good romances, the couple quarrel and Jack rides away. He finds a new band of cowboys and would have been just fine, but someone asks him to sing a song to “drive all cares away.” Alas, the song he devises is one about a “lonely maiden who waited for her Jack.”

Of course, he rides off to ask forgiveness. It’s all his fault. He arrives too late. She died of a broken heart on the “lonely prairie where skies are always blue.”

After I began writing, the idea came to me to turn those songs Dad sang—old ones that had been passed on and down through many different versions—into novels. I’d write all the subtext the songs left out.

I’d give them happy endings.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. One by one, I figured out how to do it, but Jack… well, I didn’t want to change the stories. I just wanted to leave on hope instead of despair

Shakespeare to the rescue!

I was watching Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado about Nothing adaptation, and the answer came to me so clearly. It had the solution I needed. So, I smooshed the song and the play together. Inside, you’ll find the characters Shakespeare created (including Dirk and Deborah and their biting repartee—they steal the show!) in the setting and with the elements of the ballad, too.

Dad’s older now. His hands are gnarled with age, swollen with arthritis. His mind is slipping away. Today, you’ll find his guitar at my house. My son now owns it, but he doesn’t know the songs I heard played on the old Goya. Still, when I take it out of the case, tune it up, and pluck the strings, everything shifts. Suddenly, I’m nine years old again, sitting on my uncle’s stairs, just out of sight, watching. Listening. Heart breaking.

See, I’ll never hear my father play again, and I can’t play either. So, the songs will have to live on with stories of Mary, Jethro, Maggie… and of course, Jack.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Product Review—Homeschool Easy

August 25, 2020 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I have been using the 1st Grade Entire School Year Curriculum from Homeschool Easy with Little Miss lately. She finished her preschool and kindergarten books about a month ago, and was eager to learn to read, so I thought this level would be a good fit for us. She was excited about trying something new, too.

We received the entire year of materials from Homeschool Easy in a zip file.When I extracted it, I found seven folders, one per subject, plus two PDF files about how to use the curriculum and an overview of it. Each week, I opened each of the folders, found the folder inside that for the week we were ready for, and printed the pages for the week. We simply worked our way through the worksheets each day, going back to the guide for some of the subjects in order to find the links we needed for videos or online books. It took an hour to an hour and a half a day to do all the work, which I thought was pretty good. Little Miss enjoyed most of this schoolwork, and it took little enough time that she didn’t get bored.

We started most days with the Math. I was very surprised, when we started working with this math course, that it jumped right into place value. Obviously, children are expected to know their numbers when they start this course! Little Miss is quite advanced with her numbers, so it wasn’t a problem for her. We cut out the paper place value blocks that were provided, and she enjoyed building each of the numbers she was told to. She quickly caught on to place value and had no trouble with it. By the fourth week, she had worked on ordering numbers up to 200, and was adding, too. This course seemed to move ahead very quickly; I have some children who wouldn’t have been able to handle it as well as Little Miss did. Looking ahead, I see that addition and subtraction are pretty thoroughly covered, as well as skip counting. Money and graphs are also introduced. In this photo, she had built the number 145 with the paper place value blocks.

We usually worked on Reading next. This presumed that the child would know the entire alphabet and how to sound out words already. The first lesson introduced a number of sight words. I made a number of changes in how we used the program in this subject, since Little Miss wasn’t ready for reading sight words yet. She learned a few of them, and I helped her read the content in the lessons. Each lesson introduces a group of words (words with a particular short vowel, or long vowel, or other combination, or simply high-frequency words). The first page has a word list and several sentences using the words. Then there are several pages of flashcards to print, cut out and glue together, and then a couple of pages of sentences with blanks to fill in. There is a crossword puzzle and a word search with the week’s words, and some comprehension activities.

The next thing we usually did was Grammar. We learned what makes a sentence, and then about different kinds of sentences. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are introduced later in the year. Each week has a page for each day, in which the child either copies a sentence correctly or writes their own.

Little Miss’s favorite subjects were Book Reading and Science. She especially loved the Book Reading. We were able to access books online to read together by clicking a link in the monthly guide. Most of the books are very simple and repetitive, and she loved helping me read them, and enjoyed answering the questions on the worksheet, too. Some of the books are nonfiction, and some are fiction. She wants to keep on doing them! For Science, we often watched YouTube videos and then answered questions about them. She didn’t like the first one, but she enjoyed the rest (the first was “too silly”). We studied plants while we used this course; bugs, mammals, birds and water animals come up later in the year. This was one of her favorite science projects—she has always loved picking flowers!

History is one subject we struggled with in this curriculum. It is very American, and the first month’s theme is Patriotism. We don’t live in America, so it didn’t apply to us. We simply skipped a few things, like the page that said to color the country we live in—it was a map of the United States! Month 2 covers the Presidents, and Months 3-8 study the geography and history of the United States.

I appreciated the Writing subject. Each week there are two writing prompts given, with several lines on which to write a short story. These have been very helpful. We are part of a writing group, and it’s hard to come up with topics. Using these papers has really helped Little Miss come up with things to take along to share with the group.

It was interesting to use a new curriculum for a few weeks. I was disappointed in how advanced it was, since it was for first grade. I would have expected it to start out a lot simpler. Little Miss is advanced enough that I would have been able to teach her to read using this, but it would definitely have taken longer than the schedule allowed for. Most of my children, however, would not have done well with this. There are very few directions for the teacher; you need to know how to teach a child in order to use this. If you are confident, however, and just need a framework, this might be a very good choice for you. The cost is fairly reasonable for a full year of school curriculum, and since it’s digital, it’s fully reusable for other children. A lot of printing is required, so that has to be factored in. All the materials needed, though, are available online and easy to find by just clicking links. Have a look at what other people have to say about this curriculum—I’m especially interested in reading some reviews of other levels, since there is a complete year’s curriculum available for grades 1-5. Click on the image below to find the other reviews.