Book Reviews

Book Review—Thirty Days Hath…

April 25, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 5 Comments

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Book: Thirty Days Hath
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian fiction, contemporary romance
Release Date: Revised edition, Feb 26, 2019

Note: I was given a copy of this book by the author. All opinions expressed are my own. Links in this post may be affiliate links.

Blind Dates Are for Wimps!

At least, that’s what Adric Garrison thinks.
Can you blame him? Thanks to his sister and brother-in-law, Adric is about to embark on a year of month-long, chaperoned, blind dates. Awkward.

He didn’t ask for it. But Adric still finds himself living what seems more like a bad TV reality show than a new life in Fairbury.

Once an ordinary (if prematurely gray and vertically challenged) guy, Adric is now Fairbury’s newest “most eligible bachelor,” and dreams of permanent bachelorhood loom on the horizon. Will he call it quits before the year is out, or will one of his “girls of the month” change his mind?

One man, twelve women, one happily ever after.

My Thoughts:

I have been wanting to read Thirty Days Hath… ever since I read Past Forward a few years ago. I never got around to buying the book, though, so when I had the chance to get a copy for review, I jumped at it. I was not disappointed! I really don’t care for much romance, but somehow Chautona Havig has a way of writing a romance that isn’t an offensive romance (to me). This one has quite a unique premise; a bachelor allows 12 different women to move into his house for a month each, with chaperones, so they can get to know each other.

Read the rest of my review here.

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 on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

Guest Post From Chautona Havig:

A SILENT TRUTH NO ONE ADMITS: BLIND DATES ARE FOR WIMPS

Maybe I’m not the one to talk. After all, I never dated. Not really. My best friend in high school was a guy. We went to the movies. We did things. Still, we were just great friends.

I had what might be considered one date in Lubbock, Texas in 1987. Maybe. I didn’t consider it one, but I suppose the guy might have. Maybe.

Then I went from best friends with the guy I’ve been married to for 30 years to engaged in the span of a few seconds after what might have been a rhetorical question. He’s under orders not to tell me if it was. After all, he’s the fool who went on to say, “I do.” Just sayin’.

Still, in the first decade of the 21^st century, I discovered a new “thing” in reality TV. The Bachelor. Though I tried watching it, I couldn’t after a while. It started out reasonably clean, but then it devolved into cat fights, spit-swapping sessions, and drama. Oh, the drama.

But one aspect intrigued me. The focused attention to finding the girl. What if Christians did that? What if we stopped playing the silly game of “pretend we’re not in this to see if you’re someone I could put up with for the next fifty or sixty years…”? Oh, man. What if the church rallied around its members and helped without pushing.

Trust me, you don’t want to push too much. You may discover that the people you’re pushing just get together and talk about it. Laugh at your antics. Mock the ridiculousness of it. Not that Kevin and I ever did that back in the day or anything. (Check out that story HERE.)

That “what if?” spurred an idea.

Sister churches. Chaperones. Not a couple of weeks in a giant house somewhere, but a whole month of real living with someone, day in. Day out. And again, with that chaperone to avoid that “appearance of evil” thing. If you could spend that much time with someone, seeing warts, virtues, best and worst sides… well, maybe you might just be right for each other.

At the least, you’d have a good idea if you even wanted to find out. That’s a healthier and quicker start than two or three months of a date here or there and hoping you’re seeing the real person. Right?

I created a character and ran with it. From giving him less than Hollywood good looks, to an anger problem and a blue-collar job, Adric had lots going for him… and not so much!

Then I tested it out. Acid test. I signed him up for eHarmony.

No, really. I did.

For the record, apparently short, prematurely graying mechanics with anger issues are a hot commodity. It took hours to get it set up, but man there were many women out there for him… supposedly.

And to this day, my Gmail email (that I never use) still says adricgarrison@gmail.com. No joke.

For what it’s worth, Adric learned one very difficult lesson that year.

As I’ve already confessed. I’ve never been on a blind date. I doubt anyone would even consider that I’ve been on a date. Still, after writing this book, I know for one thing. Blind Dates Are for Wimps.

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Book Review—Moriah’s Wings

April 18, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 2 Comments

Book: Moriah’s Wings
Author: Iris Carignan
Genre: Christian Children’s Fiction
Release Date: March 26, 2019

Note: I was given a copy of this book by Celebrate Lit. All opinions expressed are my own. Links in this post may be affiliate links.

She’s just a slave girl. What does she know? Desparity’s life couldn’t have been worse, she thought. However, when she’s captured and sold into slavery, Despairity discovers that things can get worse—much worse. However, her new mistress, Naaman’s wife, gives her a new name. Moriah Asha—a name that means “chosen of God” and “hope.” Moriah now can only pray that her new name will bring a little of that hope to her life. When Moriah discovers a hidden treasure in her doll’s pocket, she discovers a mystery that changes everything. With her faith in God to guide her and complete trust in His goodness, Moriah may be able to do more than be a living testimony to God… she may be able to save Naaman’s life! A fictionalized imagining of what the little servant girl in II Kings may have been like, Moriah’s Wings tells the story through word imagery and stunning illustrations. Discussion questions provided to enrich the reader’s faith.

My Thoughts:

I was quite intrigued when I saw Moriah’s Wings come up for review. Most of the books that I see available for review are women’s fiction, mainly romance, and frankly, I’m not real interested in romances. This one was different—a children’s story about a nameless character in the Bible. I decided to sign up for it, and was glad I did. This is a good story!

Read the rest of my review here.

About the Author:

Iris Carignan’s passion for writing and art finds inspiration through faith and family. She is the author of “Fresh Eyes: Seeing God in the Unexpected,” a published poet, and has written several children’s books. “Moriah’s Wings” debuts Iris as both author and illustrator.

Guest Post From Iris Carignan:

An Author Peers Deeper

As an author, I have learned that writing is a most revealing craft. Consuming a story may fill the reader with insights for their own life, but it may also peer into the heart of the author’s own soul.

If that sounds a little backwards, it probably is. But, for me, writing has always been an overflow of my own experiences, hopes, dreams, and soul-searching wounds. So, naturally, some or all of those may float to the surface of a fluid story. Perhaps that is why my latest book, Moriah’s Wings, reflects so much of my own seasoning.

Most surprising, though, is how my own words sometimes return full circle to me. Just recently, I was struggling with some new tasks and responsibilities that were not resolving. Frustration overflowed as all my best efforts continued to fail. Then I picked up my book, “Fresh Eyes: Seeing God in the Unexpected,” and began reading. There, shouting from the pages of my own hand, lay wisdom, inspiration and a reminder of God’s solution to my dilemma. The title of the story-“Keeping the Goal in Sight,” was about how we can reach our goals.

Using the powerful racehorse, Secretariat, in comparison to its jockey, it read:

“I considered how the rider must feel as he becomes one with the horse, experiencing its power, strength, and exhilarating force flow through his spirit…” “What a beautiful metaphor for all believers, equestrian or not, as we ride through life…” “When we become one with the Lord in purpose and goal, we harness His power, like a jockey whose horse takes him to the finish line. Whether we are at the pinnacle of a life changing moment or working our way through everyday stuff, only through His might and strength, will we run the race He has set before us.”

So there is was all laid-out before me, clear as day and speaking back into my own soul. The irony wasn’t lost on me as I began to think about a biography I’d written for “Moriah’s Wings.” Though it wasn’t my first, that particular one unearthed an epiphany. All the puzzle pieces came together as an amazing trifecta. I suddenly realized that it was at the age of nine that three key factors had a profound effect on my life. At nine, I took my first painting lesson, wrote my first book and I came to faith in Christ. All three became my fountainhead as an author, artist and woman of faith.

In many ways, the story in “Moriah’s Wings” is a tapestry of these same experiences. Its inspiration struck as I read II Kings 5 about Naaman and a young girl who was captured and sold into slavery. When I came to the part where she suggests that Naaman go to Elisha for healing, the story began to develop. I visualized what the girl must have felt and experienced. I saw how she served a godly purpose and pictured Naaman’s wife giving her a new and hopeful name. Then, using mental clippings from my own childhood, the story completed its course and message.

So, just as that first book I wrote as a nine year old was based on a true story, “Moriah’s Wings,” has its foundation in a Bible story. Uniquely, though, it brings together truth and fiction creatively illustrating its message.

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Product Review—CrossWired Science

April 17, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I wasn’t overly excited about reviewing CrossWired Science when the opportunity was presented, but we watched all the sample videos before I made the final decision, with input from my four school boys. We all agreed that the videos were fascinating—and one of them answered a question I had vaguely wondered about before (how do animals get their Vitamin D?). We decided to request this online program for review and give it a try. Am I ever glad we did! I am loving it! The children are enjoying it, as well, some more than others.

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We have been given access to both of the global topics that CrossWired Science has come out with so far, Sound, and Fluid Dynamics. So far, we have mainly focused on Fluid Dynamics, since the majority vote from the boys was for that one, although I would like to go through Sound as well. It has been fascinating to learn about how air and water work. We have watched videos on a number of subjects that all have to do with air and water movement. For example, one was about Dog Slobs & Cats. It showed, in great detail, how both animals lap water and why dogs make a mess while cats are tidier (although our cat manages to splash milk all around her dish, somehow). After we watched that, Mr. Imagination checked out our cats’ tongues to confirm that they have the texture that the video said they did. Other videos talked about dolphins, boxfish, penguins, nose aerodynamics (now we know why our cats are so lazy!), carburretors, and the alulas on bird wings (another lifelong mystery cleared up for me), among other topics. Each video has a worksheet with questions from the video, as well as a true/false online quiz. We have not done any of these worksheets, because they were not available when we started the course, but have done the quizzes. There were a few discrepancies between the quizzes and the videos; this is a brand-new course and is a work in progress, so I expect to see these problems resolved soon. (It’s very good already, but once these issues we noticed are corrected, I believe this site will be great.)

Worksheet #1

Besides the videos, there are many other suggested activities. There are a lot of options for experiments. I somehow neglected to get any pictures of my boys trying out the matchhead rockets, but they spent several days playing around with them. They had loads of fun building and shooting off these miniature rockets, and Mr. Intellectual discovered a new-to-us YouTube channel full of fun experiments (I think it includes a fair number of explosions, which he loves!). They also tried out the paper airplanes and figured out how to make a loop of paper fly very well across the room.

One page suggests many books to read. We have a few of them, so we added them into our read-aloud day. I was happy to be reminded to read The Great Dinosaur Mystery and Dry Bones and Other Fossils with my boys. The wide range of books that are recommended would make a great library. They suggest several biographies by Janet & Geoff Benge, one of which (Alan Shepard) we read in the past year. They also recommend Creation magazine, so I told Mr. Intellectual to spend his science time one day summarizing what he had been telling us about from the most recent issue the day before.

Right now, we’re working our way through the Gold Dig section. This is six pages about bones. The first page had a video and a quiz; we’re currently on the next page, which talks about all sorts of subtopics having to do with bones—just look at this outline!

Bones #1 There is a worksheet which goes along with this. Each day, I’m reading through about three sections of this page with Mr. Diligence, Mr. Sweetie, and Mr. Imagination, and we answer the questions that go along with those sections. It takes about 15 minutes to do that much, and that’s about all the time they can handle doing something like this, since we usually don’t get to it till after lunch and they are ready to run outside! Mr. Intellectual is doing this part by himself, since he is a strong reader. One thing we really enjoyed about this page was a photo of the International Space Station. What we really loved was that New Zealand, and the top part of our island, was in the background! It’s a very clear photo, and we could almost see where we used to live!

I’m also looking forward to learning about sound. So far, all we have done there is to watch one video, which was about the larynx and the vocal cords. It looks like the Global Topic on Sound is laid out similarly to the one we’re working on. All the Digging Deeper pages have something to do with sound, in humans as well as the animal world. We had started the year using the same series of science textbooks we’ve been using and loving for the past several years, but I’m thinking we’re going to finish what we want to use in CrossWired Science before we go back and finish that book. There is so much to love in this course! We’re enjoying the variety of ways to learn about the topic, and we love the way it points to the Creator. One thing we’ve noticed is that the videos don’t actually mention God, but what we read on the screen does. The videos do talk about how things are designed to work the way they do, very definitely giving glory to God if you think about it a little. I am very slow to buy an online program for school, but this is one that is worth the price they ask for it, even for us. I like it and am very glad we were put on the review.

If you are interested in trying out this fascinating website, here is a coupon code that will take $5 off every order—no matter how many times it is used: loh12.

One thing I had a bit of trouble figuring out is how to schedule CrossWired Science. There is so much information here, in a variety of styles, but it’s not laid out in lessons, although I have heard that there is a suggested schedule somewhere on the website—I haven’t found it myself. The intention is that a student will choose what appeals to him, and work through most or all of each project (Fluid Dynamics is one project) in any order. The way it’s set up, you click a button labeled “Finish Quiz” at the bottom of each page, and then you can tell by looking at a bar at the top of each page how many more pages there are to complete. All ages can do this course together. Of course, older children will go more in-depth than younger ones, but even Little Miss, who is four, enjoys the videos. Also, there are two levels. We’re using the First-Timer course, but for those who have been through it once as a younger child, they can do it again using the Second-Timer course. I haven’t looked at it yet, so I can’t say how it is different. Here are screenshots of the menu on the Lesson Page. You can see that they have made it easy to tell which lessons are completed.

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Each project is intended to be a full Science curriculum for a month or two. The plan is to have enough projects up to provide six years of Science! I’ll be very interested in following the progress of this course to see how it develops. Of course, not only can it be used as a stand-alone curriculum, it could also be used as a supplement to any other science curriculum. Be sure to click on the banner below to see what the rest of the 80 reviewers have to say—I’ll be checking out some of those reviews, because I’m curious to know what others think of this!

Sound, and Fluid Dynamics {CrossWired Science Reviews}

Book Review—Dead Letter, Book 4 of the Meddlin’ Madeline Mysteries

March 28, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

Book: Dead Letter, A Meddlin’ Madeline Mystery
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian historical, mystery
Release Date: February 19, 2019

For the first time, Madeline has permission to meddle.

Something’s not adding up in the Wintherwood, Ohio bank, and Madeline’s there to figure out why.

Sent by the Rockland Pinkerton’s office to investigate shady banking practices, Madeline finally has the opportunity to try out all her developing detective skills. From her new disguise to an assumed persona, complete with non-existent fiancé, Madeline takes on embezzlement in Wintherwood, Ohio.

Now, to find the culprit and get back to Rockland before Amy arrives, before Mrs. Barnes gets any sicker, and before Russell writes her off as a hopeless, heartless girl.

As Madeline figures out what’s happening, even Mr. Flint begins to lose confidence in her. How will she prove who is taking the money and why–especially after her primary suspect ends up dead?

Dead Letter is the fourth book in the Meddlin’ Madeline series.

My Thoughts:

I have been enjoying the Meddlin’ Madeline books ever since the first one was published, three years ago. It’s fun to watch Madeline developing her skill as a detective, and at the same time to watch her grow in her walk with God. Then, there is her friendship with Russell…

To read the rest of my review, go here.

About the Author:

Guest Post From Chautona Havig:

3 REASONS YOU’LL LOVE THE BOOK AND HATE ME

“This is book four, right?”

I nodded.

He looked at me with those eyes that conjure up the idea of puppy dogs begging for treats. So deceptive. “You’re going to have to up the stakes then.”

“Well, this is the one where she goes into official active detective mode and decides if she even wants that kind of life.”

“Not enough.”

He was right and I knew it. Fortunately, I’d prepared for this moment. You see, I know him well. He’s a horror writer. He likes to torment in ways that make my worst meannesses seem petty (like the time I suggested killing off Chad in Past Forward—trust me. That was kind compared to his ideas).

So, I pulled out my bigger gun and plopped it on the table. I added ammunition. And grinned.

Look, you guys are going to hate me for it, but trust me. It needs to be done. You’ll forgive me… eventually. Maybe. I hope.

Then he did it. He gave me that look. No, not the, “Yeah, baby!” look you want to see when you’ve hit a hole in one. The, “Is that all you’ve got?” look.

The work began. He suggested one thing. I toned it back. He looked like that puppy again—except this time I’d kicked him. Bless his heart, he does love his horror.

Still, he whistled his way out the door a short while later, and I grinned. Compromise is beautiful. But what does that mean for YOU?

3 REASONS YOU’LL LOVE THE BOOK AND HATE ME

First—

Love the book: Madeline as Jane Sempleton is a hoot. She cracked me up from the beginning, and I’m still chuckling.

Hate me: Madeline’s faith and integrity are tested in this one—exponentially. Without giving away too much, her father even rebukes her!!!

Second—

Love the book: Mrs. Barnes is such a sweet mentor to Madeline

Hate me: Mrs. Barnes. That’s all I’m sayin’. Mrs. Barnes.

Third—

Love the book: Snippets of the heart get revealed.

Hate me: Russell. That’s all I’m sayin’. Russell.

So, there you have it. All the reasons you should read this book… and remember that the series isn’t over. Not by a long shot. It’s darkest before dawn. And um… a whole bunch of other clichés.

To purchase your copy, click here.

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To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

I was given a copy of this book by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

Links in this post may be affiliate links.

What We’ve Been Reading Lately

March 19, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 3 Comments

We read a lot of great books together as part of our homeschooling. Here is what we’ve been reading the last week or two.

Our morning books (read while the breakfast dishes are being washed):

Note: Links in this post may be affiliate links, and if they are, they will benefit Esther.

We finished Volume 8 of The Bible Story yesterday, and started Volume 9 today. I like to keep a Bible Story book going for the younger ones.

We’ve been working on Who Am I? for several months now, and are about halfway through it. There are a lot of good thoughts about who we are in Christ, in this book.

We’ve been reading David Macaulay’s wonderful books for a few months now, and are nearly through Ship. I love the detail in his drawings!

Loyalty Test was a great book to go along with our study of the American Revolution. It shows a side of history that I had never seen before, and I believe it’s sorely needed. Exactly how much of what we’ve learned is true, and how much is myth? This well-researched book will challenge you, as well as intrigue you.

We read one chapter from What Really Happened in Colonial Times this morning, about Paul Revere from the point of view of his second wife. It was quite interesting!

Yesterday, we read And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? I always enjoy Jean Fritz’s books about history!

Our afternoon books (while lunch dishes are being washed):

We’ve probably been working our way through the Little House books for most of a year. We finished Little Town on the Prairie yesterday, and started These Happy Golden Years today. Even though I have read this series many times, I still love them!

Mr. Diligence and Mr. Sweetie love Lois Lenski. They ask me to buy them books by her whenever they have an excuse. We’re reading Texas Tomboy right now. For most of the way through, I was wondering if it was worth reading this one, because the girl’s attitudes were so bad, but she seems to be changing for the better now and I’m liking the story after all.

When we were in Michigan, I borrowed The Ra Expeditions from my mother (nothing like taking a borrowed book 9,000 miles, is there!). The day after we got home, I told Mr. Intellectual that it was his turn to choose one of our read-alouds, and that was what he chose. We’re about halfway through it now, over a month later. It’s a bit slow-moving, but very interesting. The last few days, the action has really picked up, as they set out across the Atlantic with this bundle of papyrus and ran into all sorts of trouble.

We’ve also been working our way through Sam Campbell’s Living Forest series. We finished Fiddlesticks and Freckles a few days ago (it disappeared, so I couldn’t put it in the photo), and started Beloved Rascals, the last book. These are great nature stories!

Book Review—Eve in Exile and the Restoration of Femininity

February 6, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

I wrote this review for our book reviews website, but it will be awhile till it is published there, so I decided to put it here for a couple of months first. This book is good.

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Wow. Eve in Exile is an amazing book. I’ve rated it as one of my top ten for the year. I had never even heard about it before my daughter heard of it from a friend and got it while it was free on Kindle. I was in the mood for a nonfiction read at that point, so downloaded it onto my Kindle (we share accounts), and started it. I could hardly put this book down! No, it’s not a mystery or even really a story, but it certainly caught my attention and held it.

There are four sections to this book. After the introduction, which discusses the confused, muddled-up mess women find themselves in today, in which people don’t even seem to know what gender they are, the first section talks about two different ways women react to this mess. Some women virtually live a pretend life, trying to go back in time to when things were different. Others spend their lives chasing after fulfillment in the ways society tells them they will find it.

The second section was fascinating to me. It traces the history of feminism from the earliest roots of today’s movement, in the mid-1700s, to the present. It was amazing to realize that, from the very earliest days, the feminists were trying to destroy the family structure. They hated marriage, and they hated that men could have sexual freedom, while women had to deal with the consequences. That, of course, led to birth control and abortion. Another point that stood out to me was the constant anger and discontentment among the feminists. They were never happy with what they had, but always wanted more and more. One quote I marked says, “Whenever someone begins issuing demands to the universe about what is owed to them, we ought to be dubious. This is fundamentally at odds with biblical teaching on what is an obedient (and effective) response to injustice.” The author goes on to point out Christ’s reaction, and how He told His followers to respond, when things were not done fairly to us. After you read this section, you will never think of the feminist movement in the same way again.

The third section is the opposite of the second one—it is positive! What are we, as women, designed for? What is our role? We are to subdue and fill the earth, be a help to our husbands, and glorify God! Another quote: “Eve was created to help, not to be the commander in chief. Adam was not brought into the picture to be her sidekick, and she was not brought into the picture to live an independent life….” These four chapters are full of amazing thoughts. I appreciated this quote, which concludes this section, as well: “It’s worth noting, since conservatives have been known to miss this, that nowhere in Scripture are women, as a group, required to submit to men, as a group. Women are commanded to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord, nowhere are we required to submit to “men.” The author finishes with a couple more sentences about the beauty of true submission.

Section four, then, gives practical ideas for carrying out our role. Throw yourself into your job—caring for your husband, children, and home! Determine that you will learn to be good at what you have to do anyway, and challenge yourself “to use the task that’s been put in front of you as a way to learn more about God and the breathtaking world He has put us in….”Change the world by making the good attractive! Be the glory of your husband, and in doing that, bring glory to God. Wow. So much to live up to, to think about and put into practice.

I was blown away by the wisdom in this book. It is one I believe every Christian woman, married or single, should read. Reading this book has opened my eyes to some of the ways I have been affected by the culture that surrounds all of us, and given me a renewed vision for my life as a wife and mother. This is a book I want on my shelf in print so I can share it with other women! If you are discouraged or discontented with your role as a Christian woman, read this book and be encouraged.

WARNING: The author is quite frank about the sexual revolution.

Buy your own copy here.

I received no compensation for this review. I simply appreciated the book so much I wanted to share it. Links may be affiliate links.