Book Reviews

Product Review—The Critical Thinking Co.™

October 5, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Little Miss and I have been having fun working through a book titled Building Thinking Skills Beginning 2, from The Critical Thinking Co.™. We always enjoy the workbooks we get from this company, and this one is no exception! She loves doing pages from it, and always wants to do more than I had planned. We started out doing five pages a day, but now we’re often doing ten or more.

The first several pages were very simple—name a shape and its color, figure out what “rule” applies to a group of shapes, match shapes and colors. Then there were some activities having to do with numbers of shapes in a group, and then we started working with patterns. Some pages have groups of pictures, and she is supposed to figure out which one is different, point it out, and tell me why it is different. That takes some thinking! As we progress through the book, I’m seeing that similar assignments get more difficult. A new step or concept will be added to the ones we’ve already been doing. For example, instead of shapes of particular colors filling a grid, and having to figure out which one is missing, there might be numbers or symbols, and the colors vary. Instead of one symbol missing from a grid, there are two missing—and then three.

Concepts like halves, longer/shorter, more/less, and taller/shorter are introduced. Most of the pages are very colorful and attractive, although some are black and white. That contrast, in my opinion, adds to the attractiveness of the book. A lot of pages instruct the child to point to a particular item; some say to draw lines to it. Some pages require drawing simple shapes. Little Miss quite enjoys the ones where she is to color pictures with a limited number of colors, and make each one different!

This book is available either in a hard copy or as a PDF. I received the PDF because I live outside the United States and it would have been cost-prohibitive to mail one here. I think I would order the PDF if I was buying the book, though. Most of it can be done on the computer screen, with the child just pointing to things or drawing a line with her fingers. A lot of pages just require talking about what is there! I’m printing the ones that tell her to draw something, and it’s nice that a lot of them can be printed in black and white. The biggest reason I like the PDF is that I will have it for Miss Joy to use in a couple of years, whereas a print book is consumable.

Little Miss is a bit on the older side for this book; it’s intended for use by preschoolers/kindergartners. She does have to stop and think a bit about some of the assignments, though. It’s been good for her to be forced to think logically to complete the activities! As we progress through the book, she is having to think a little more and a little more. I like this book and the way it helps children to think logically! I want to go through it with Miss Joy when she is four or five—I think she’ll love it, too!
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Book Review—Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue

September 8, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 3 Comments

About the Book

Book: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue
Author: Steve Searfoss
Genre: Fiction
Release date: January 26, 2020

Chance Sterling launches a pool cleaning business over the summer. Join Chance as he looks for new customers, discovers how much to charge them, recruits an employee, deals with difficult clients, and figures out how to make a profit. Oh, and his sister Addie wants in on the action too. Will they learn how to be business partners? He has twelve weeks to reach his goal. Will he make it? Only if he takes some chances.

KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.

I am a Christian and a parent. My wife and I pay close attention to the books and media our four children consume, and try to make sure the content is edifying, just as Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:8. I wanted to write a book that met that standard, and was also fun and engaging. KidVenture teaches kids the importance of hard work, of keeping your word and being trustworthy, and telling the truth, even when it means delivering bad news. As the story progresses, the protagonist understands that business is about more than making money as he appreciates the responsibility he has to his customers, his employee and his partner. How you treat people matters in tangible ways.

At the center of the story is a strong family. The two main characters are a brother and sister, who engage in their share of sibling rivalry, but also learn how to work together and forgive each other. At key junctures when they face big dilemmas, they turn to their parents for advice. The kids learn a healthy mix of independence, risk taking and learning through trial and error — balanced with knowing when to ask for help. All of this is presented in a way that is not preachy or hokey, but wrapped inside a story full of unexpected plot twists, witty banter and memorable characters.

My Thoughts:

Sometimes when I request a book for review I’m taking a chance because I’ve never read anything by the author, and can’t even preview the book on Amazon. If the book is a children’s book, and looks like it might be good, I often request it anyway. Some of those turn out to be really good—and some don’t. My mom had the chance to read my most recent gamble before I did. What she had to say was quite reassuring—and made me want to read the book myself! She said, “I really liked Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue. It introduces basic business principles in story form—using a 10-year-old entrepreneur—in a sufficiently interesting way to keep me reading! I especially appreciated the involvement of the Dad, and the son’s respect for what he had to say.” Whew! I was relieved to hear this.

I really liked Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue, too. I like the way it clearly explains how businesses work. The importance of treating people nicely and fairly is stressed all the way through. Chance learns the value of honesty. He learns how valuable it is to get along with his sister and listen to his parents. He learns the importance of knowing his math and how math works in real life. He even learns how good it feels to go beyond the call of duty and help someone out! There are a lot of life lessons in this book, beyond just running a business.

All the way through this book, there are pictures of Chance’s calculations and how he worked out what his profits were, and what percentage of his earnings needed to go toward expenses, or what his pay was per hour. Each chapter ends with a dilemma that Chance faced, and a few questions to help children think through what was happening and what Chance should do next. This book is very well-written; I would like my children to read it for themselves! If I have the opportunity to read more books by Steve Searfoss, I will certainly do so!

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

About the Author:

I wrote my first KidVenture book after years of making up stories to teach my kids about business and economics. Whenever they’d ask how something works or why things were a certain way, I would say, “Let’s pretend you have a business that sells…” and off we’d go. What would start as a simple hypothetical to explain a concept would become an adventure spanning several days as my kids would come back with new questions which would spawn more plot twists. Rather than give them quick answers, I tried to create cliffhangers to get them to really think through an idea and make the experience as interactive as possible.

I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.

I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.

More From Steve:

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Book Review—Flipping Hearts

August 25, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

About the Book

When a hurricane rips through Hooper Island, a tidal wave of TV crews follows and upsets the locals.

Brooks Crawforth agreed to volunteer crews helping to clean up and repair things on the island, not a whole home and garden series on the total renovation of several houses and a bit of cleanup on the side. He’s furious, and the show host is spitting nails at the person who blew it in the first place.

His and his father’s jobs are in jeopardy, the islanders are about to kill him, and that crazy show host blames him for her assistant’s last-minute, “you’ve-got-to-sign-this-now-or-we-can’t-come” contract.

One more thing. Did she have to be so cute?

He’s got even more trouble, though. Islanders are starting to blame Mallory Barrows for the invasion. Not only that, there are rumors of dismantling the association and allowing tourism on the islands. How’s he supposed to fix this mess?

They can’t stand each other, but if they can manage to flip off the enemy switch and flip on some cooperation, maybe their hearts’ll get flipped, too.

This “enemies to romance” novel introduces the next island in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

My Thoughts:

I first read Flipping Hearts as it was being written, a scene at a time, and actually never even read the ending. I was not very impressed with this book; it felt like one of Chautona Havig’s more “fluffy” books. When it was finally finished, I never got around to reading the whole thing again until this week. What do you suppose I thought of it when I was able to read the entire book in one go?

I really liked some of the conversations between Brooks and Bailey. Bailey had only become a Christian recently, while Brooks was raised in a Christian home—but she said some things that challenged him, like the conversation about good versus bad in people. And then there is the line, “But I hate the way we all act like we’re all superior about being in some ‘exclusive club’ while people out there are just doing their best, not knowing it isn’t enough.” As Brooks felt, “Double ouch, Lord.” Then there was the discussion about being “grace blind.” I could relate! Ouch again. All this to say, I was wrong with my first impression of Flipping Hearts. This is a much deeper book than I thought at first glance. I ended up really liking this book. The mystery (who was sabotaging the job?) kept my interest focused on this story, and the interactions between characters seemed very natural. I really liked that the romance was only a small part of the story, near the end.

About the Author:

Author of the bestselling Aggie and Past Forward series, 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 I Almost Missed This Important Life Lesson

He annoyed her. The guy was bossy, demanding, rude, and unwilling to admit fault—mostly. Truth be told, she was pretty much the same. Two people with similar faults. The relationship would never happen.

Now what was I supposed to do?

Without any idea how I’d take two near enemies and turn them into a couple, I kept writing the primary story—the one that was supposed to bring them together. The one that would have driven me far, far away from a guy like Brooks.

Right about the time I thought about that is when Bailey had her revelation. “He likes me.”

I nearly did a spit take. I mean, where did that come from? Why would he like someone who hadn’t bothered to be likeable?

And still the story unfolded. “Life or death” moment? Check. Unintentional sharing of attraction and heart. Check. Still confused author as these characters draw closer and closer… check, check!

It took until after the story’s climax for me to realize that Brooks really did like Bailey for who she was—and vice versa. Only after all that tension diffused and their distrust had been smashed to smithereens were Bailey and Brooks able to examine everything. Only after that was I able to realize a truth I hadn’t expected to learn.

People fall in love with people they argue with.

People in love argue. See, my husband and I don’t do that. We don’t argue. Ever. Do we agree on every little thing? No. We just don’t argue about it.

Look, it’s not like I’ve never written people who argue. I do. But Never have I looked at a fictional relationship, seen that it would produce the kind fireworks that Bailey and Brooks will, and thought, “Oh, they’re perfect for each other.”

Because see… if I were Bailey, I’d run. Fast. Conflict is a natural part of life and relationships, and I’m not so naïve as to think it’ll never occur. But entering a relationship knowing it’ll be a regular occurrence? Unthinkable!

So as I pondered all this during those last pages of the book, something hit me.

Jesus enters a rocky relationship with us. Willingly.

Don’t believe me? Think about it. Jesus knew, before He ever spoke light into existence, that His bride would blame Him for… pretty much everything. He knew she’d get him brutally murdered. He knew she’d rail at Him, spit at Him, abandon Him, cheat on Him, and even after forgiveness… she’d do it all over again the next day.

Even knowing all that… He still whispers to our hearts, “Be Mine. I love you.”

If that’s not the most beautiful, unbelievable, amazing thing, I don’t know what is.

It’s probably one of the most important life lessons I’ll ever learn. People choose to be in relationships with people they know they’ll argue with—people who will hurt them, annoy them, demand things of them. And the greatest example of One who does it so beautifully is Jesus. Because see… Jesus entered that relationship with me, knowing I’d be that person. Humbling, yeah. Important life lesson? Most definitely.

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Book Review—The Fallacy Detective

August 18, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

A few months ago, my mom wrote a letter to one of my children, and mentioned looking something up in The Fallacy Detective. That piqued my interest in the book, and when, soon after that, I was offered a chance to review the book, I jumped at the chance! Of course, the fact that the authors, Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn, were willing to send us a physical copy made the book even more attractive. Not very many physical books are sent here for review.

We’ve been reading through The Fallacy Detective as a family. Several evenings a week, I read a lesson aloud at the dinner table, and then we discuss the questions at the end of the lesson and try to figure out the answers. It has been a lot of fun! We are really enjoying this book. We’re learning to recognize fallacies, too. Quite often, someone will call out, “That’s a red herring!” or “You’re using a straw man argument!” Today, one of our boys used equivocation, and when we were discussing a possible scenario, I said, “That’s special pleading!”

There are five sections in this book. The first, The Inquiring Mind, includes three chapters about the importance of exercising your mind and learning to listen to others. The second section, Avoiding the Question, includes a lesson or two about several different fallacies. We had a lot of fun with the chapters about Red Herrings, Special Pleading, and the Straw Man Fallacy. Some of the children like to say the words Ad Hominem and Tu Quoque—and trying to remember what they mean!

We’re working through the third section of the book right now, Making Assumptions. The first lesson in this section is a story, and then there are questions about whether statement were true according to the story, or not. It was fun to see what assumptions we made that weren’t actually in the story! We have also learned to recognize circular reasoning, equivocation and loaded questions in this section. The Slippery Slope was quite interesting, and I’m looking forward to the Part-to-Whole and Whole-to-Part lessons next.

Coming up, we have sections titled Statistical Fallacies and Propaganda. I’ve already been pointing out examples of these to the children when I see them in the media, so it will be interesting to read the lessons about them and learn what the Bluedorns have to say.

Each lesson describes a particular type of fallacy in an interesting way, using conversations or stories to get the point across. Most lessons have a comic strip (often Calvin and Hobbes or Snoopy), or a cartoon. My younger set love comics, so they like to look at the book just for those! In fact, the day it arrived in the mail, the book got soaked because someone was reading it while holding a cup of water (I was glad I had taken a photo for this post already!). After the fallacy is thoroughly described and illustrated, there are a number of conversations or short stories given, and the assignment is to identify the fallacy included, if there is one. Some of these questions poke fun at the authors. That always gets a laugh here! Some of the members of our family are getting very good at identifying the fallacies! We’re all glad there is an answer key at the end of the book.

The The Fallacy Detective is a great book from which to learn logical thinking and recognize bad reasoning. It’s also a lot of fun! We laugh a lot while we’re working on these lessons. Everyone in the family is enjoying it; if I forget to read a lesson, I’m usually reminded, and not always by the same person. Elijah and Esther are probably the most interested, but even Mr. Sweetie and Mr. Imagination enjoy the lessons. Every family should get this book and have fun learning to recognize faulty reasoning together, although it is quite possible to go through it alone and learn a lot, too. It’s just not as fun! Be sure to click the image below to read other people’s reviews of this fascinating book!

Product Review—The HomeScholar LLC

August 12, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

I’ve been looking over the resources offered by The HomeScholar LLC today. Their High School Solution has a wealth of information and encouragement for any homeschooling family! I listened to parts of both an online conference and a recorded live conference talk by Lee Binz, and read the handouts from these presentations. I didn’t have time to get through all their material, but enough to get a feel for what she offers.

The point that is stressed over and over is not to fear! You can do this! You can teach (or rather, direct) your children through high school! Lee gives a lot of information about what should be covered during high school, either to meet college entrance requirements, or simply to prepare for life. With each subject area, she talks about the types of classes or studies that high school students can take and how to use their interests to earn credit. What constitutes a credit, anyway? She tells what, and how to grade classes. One handout available is a planner to help make decisions about what classes to take each year of high school, in order to earn enough credits.

I found a paper about Research Facts on Homeschooling quite interesting. The statistics are from the United States, and are over ten years old, but very encouraging! People’s reasons for homeschooling are also reported here, and some of the results that are seen in homeschooled children as they mature.

I glanced over the materials included in a section titled How to Homeschool the Gifted Child. Not much in that group of talks and articles was very helpful to me; our children are not academically gifted, for the most part. Rather than having to keep up with a child who learns and understands easily what he/she learns in school, I’ve had to push most of mine all the way through! If you have academically gifted children, though, these resources would likely be very helpful. (I’m adding the term “academically” to “gifted” because I consider all my children gifted… but in different ways!)

The section about Homeschooling Struggling Learners is more helpful to me! Most of our children fall in that category. Some have had severe dyslexia; Simon still struggles to read and write. In this section is a talk by Hal and Melanie Young, offering suggestions for accommodations for struggling learners in high school and college. There are also a couple of articles offering advice and encouragement. Even people who struggle through high school can go on to college, with some help!

One piece of encouragement that stood out to me, as it was repeated many times throughout the materials I looked over was that each child is unique. We have to find what works for each one. By the same token, each family is unique. In our family, we have not put an emphasis on going to college or university. So far, our children have not needed it; two of the boys found themselves doing apprenticeships (which include lessons and assessments through a vocational school) in trades, and the third boy is hoping that an apprenticeship will open up for him soon, too, with the man for whom he has been working part time. If you are unsure what direction to go with your children’s high school, the High School Solution might be a good resource for you to look at. There is a lot of information about how to take the SAT and ACT tests here, as well as how to structure high school in general.

All that is under the How-To tab. I haven’t even started on the other tabs, which are labeled Ages, Stages, and Curriculum. And then, there are the bonuses. There is a lot of material here! If you need help or encouragement in homeschooling through high school, definitely check out The HomeScholar LLC. Click on the image below to read what other families have to say about this company, as well.

Book Review—The Last Gasp

August 4, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

About the Book

Book: The Last Gasp
Author: Chautona Havig
Genre: Christian Historical Mystery, Fairytale retelling
Release date: July 6, 2021

At the pinnacle of his Hollywood career, Garrison Prince’s reign ends tonight.

As plain old Gary Prinz, he can pursue his Bible education, buy a bungalow in Pasadena, acquire a few chickens, and marry the girl of his dreams. He just never imagined trading the silver screen for a pulpit would wreak such havoc.

A cigarillo girl, Lucinda Ashton spends her days with her boyfriend, Gary, and her evenings selling candy and “gaspers” to the Hollywood elite at the Taj Mahal Theater.

However, when gunshots ring out just as intermission begins, Lucinda finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a brouhaha that leaves three dead, and no one has a clue why.

All the police know is that the evidence points to Lucinda as the killer and Gary as the intended target.

Four new friends, one young orphan, and a potluck of clues that don’t seem to fit anywhere leave the police baffled, Lucinda in fear for her freedom, and Gary ready to trade in his acting shoes for gumshoes if it’ll save his “Cinda.”

The first book in the Ever After Mysteries combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries, The Last Gasp. This Cinderella retelling blends a murder with enough crime and story clues to keep you on the edge of your seat.

My Thoughts:

Murder mysteries are not my favorite genre, by any means. I usually steer clear of them. I don’t like reading about blood and gore and people dying, and since much of my reading time is the 15 minutes just before I go to bed at night, I don’t like to read very many books that are so gripping that I dream about them all night (that’s not very conducive to a good night’s sleep!). However, if Chautona Havig writes a murder mystery, I’ll read it—I know I will enjoy it, and I won’t end up dreaming all night about the story, trying to solve the mystery. At least, most of the time I won’t. Chautona’s most recent mystery, The Last Gasp, has a few scenes that aren’t pleasant, but overall it’s a delightful story.

Gary Prinz, also known as Garrison Prince, reigns as Hollywood royalty after starring in another new film—but today he is resigning. He has made up his mind to go to Bible college and become a pastor, and Mr. Walker, the head of Imperial Studios, is not happy about it.

Lucinda is making a modest living for herself selling candy and cigarettes at the Taj Mahal Theater, and spending time during the day with her friend Gary. She thinks he is about to propose, and has determined what her answer will be. Tonight, though, she has to work, being careful, as usual, not to look at the faces of the elite she sells her wares to, even though Garrison tries to catch her attention.

When a shot rings out at intermission and an actress falls dead, and three more people end up dead before the night is out, no one can figure out a motive—much less who might have killed them. Lucinda is dumbfounded when she is arrested for the murders—why would anyone think she might have been responsible? And who was being aimed at, anyway? Was Mr. Walker really that unhappy with Garrison? Lucinda, herself, wasn’t very happy when she discovered that her Gary was actually Garrison Prince. Why had he concealed that information from her? Could she really trust him?

As I said, I don’t enjoy the bloody part of a murder mystery. I was glad that part only took up a few pages! On the other hand, though, as I’ve read before about stories like this one, it’s satisfying to see evil brought to justice. The author did a great job of concealing the real murderer until nearly the end of the story, and weaving a delightful romance through the story at the same time that the investigation is going on. She was able to weave genuine faith in God throughout the story, too, in a way that I loved. I also loved the child who comes into the story! If you enjoy gentle, clean romantic suspense, don’t miss this story. It’s good!

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

WARNING: People are shot in Chapters 3, 5 and 6.

About the Author:

More From Chautona:

What Beautiful, Unexpected Parallel Did I Find Writing this Mystery?

I bought it at Pic-n-Save when I was eleven—an 8.5×11 paperback book of traditional fairy tales. I learned another side of the age-old stories that you don’t see from Disney. Rapunzel? Yeah. That was the story about the queen who was craving rampion (a salad vegetable) so much that she promised to give up her child for it. Rampion—Rapunzel. It’s a thing.

It’s also where I learned Cinderella’s name as “Aschenputtel.” Look, those Brothers Grimm were… well, they were German and that should explain everything. “Puttel” just sings of German, doesn’t it? That tale was also a bit gruesome. The one sister cut off her big toe to make the shoe fit because her mother said, “You won’t have to walk anywhere if you’re a queen. Who needs it!” So the idiotic girl did. Same for the other sister and her heel. Seriously, didn’t she learn from her older sister?

Oh, and it’s the one where mother and stepsisters get their eyes picked out by birds. It reminded me of Proverbs 30:17. “The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.”

Talk about bringing Scripture to life for kids there. Gulp

True confession, our kids used to sing that verse to the tune of “All Hail the Pow’r of Jesus’ Name.” You should have heard the lusty voices of our children in our Grand Marquis station wagon (may the wonderful beast rest in peace) singing, “The ravens shall pick out his eyes and eeee-agles eeee-eeaat the saaaammmme!”

I digress.

Cinderella—I mean, Aschenputtel—really wasn’t my favorite story, though. I liked other stories from other books. Like the Ten Brothers—a Chinese folk tale. You know. Fairy tale.

Know which fairy tale I liked even less than Cinderella?

The Little Mermaid. Seriously, I didn’t like the original (Sorry Mr. Andersen… I just didn’t), and I can’t stand Disney’s. But when we first began planning the Ever After Mysteries, I knew which one I wanted to do. The Little Mermaid had everything going for it. Houdini and a water tank. Can’t you just see it? It would have been great. But a friend asked who was writing about the “cigarillo girl” (as I mention in THIS post), and well… the rest is history. Or at least, it’s set back in history.

But there’s one truth I discovered as I wrote this mystery.

Mystery… that’s a good word for this truth, actually. Cinderella is a beautiful picture of Jesus as our prince. We can be His bride and put on the shoe He has fashioned only to fit us, or we can try to snatch it up and make it suit our wills and hold our overgrown egos (work with me here). He takes us out of our ragged, dirty lives and brings us home… to Him. To His Father.

Is there anything more beautiful? I don’t think so.

In The Last Gasp, Gary knows Cinda long before she knows him—truly knows him. He loves her just as she is. Is it a perfect retelling of the beauty of Christ’s love for his church? Not hardly. It wasn’t intended to demonstrate that relationship at all. But there are tiny nuances that do. And that’s pretty cool.

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Book Review—Regaining Mercy

July 29, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

About the Book

Book: Regaining Mercy
Author: Carolyn Miller
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Release date: June 29, 2021

A mom ready to do anything for her son. A man determined to win the woman he loves.

Going on Love at First Glance had seemed like such a good idea. She didn’t care about finding Mr. Right. No, Mindy Murray chose the reality TV show for more mercenary reasons. A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do when it comes to feeding her son.

When Mindy returns to Elnora, the girl from the “wrong side of the island” just wants a chance to rebuild her reputation. Too bad the folks at church don’t practice what the preacher preaches.

Enter Dermott Reilly. The interim boss at Greener Gardens has always had a soft spot for Mindy and her son, but with his new responsibilities, an important garden competition, and a few other concerns, he finds it difficult to prove himself to her.

A tropical storm and a missing child prove that sometimes grace appears in the most unusual ways.

Regaining Mercy concludes the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series, featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

My Thoughts:

I’ve been hearing good things about Carolyn Miller’s books, so I decided to sign up to review one of her books. I think I like her! Regaining Mercy is primarily romance, but there is enough else in the story that I enjoyed the story anyway.

Mindy has just gotten home to Elnora Island from being part of a reality show in Hawaii. She’s doing all she can to make a living for herself and her son, but people are looking down on her. When a particularly nasty woman deliberately insults her, Mindy loses her job at the grocery store—what can she do now? She knows she’s a terrible mother, and that’s probably why Jon, at four, hardly talks. She’s had so little experience with children, though, that she doesn’t know if he’s acting normally or not, and she certainly won’t be taking him to a doctor when she hardly has enough money for food!

Dermott, the interim boss at Greener Gardens, wants to help out his friend in any way he can. He feels overwhelmed, though, with getting jobs done and promoting the gardens they’ve done in a competition. He finds a way to help Mindy by helping him with promoting the business on social media—and doesn’t mind spending time with her! But, will she ever see him as more than just a friend? Then, a severe tropical storm hits, a child goes missing, and Mindy knows for sure that she is incompetent. How can any good come out of this mess?

I liked Regaining Mercy. As I said, it’s not just romance. Mindy is learning to be a mother, and how to get along with people. She is also learning that she is worth something, that she has value. She also had to learn to accept help when she needed to. I loved her friend Tina; she was so kind and caring.

I chuckled at one word in Chapter 8. The author is Australian, and she used an un-American terminology: “That’s when you rang earlier…” We hear that said here, in New Zealand—but in America you would say “called.” Oops!

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

WARNING: The word “gosh” is used once, and two kisses are described.

About the Author:

Carolyn Miller is an Australian author of inspirational romance, particularly that of the Regency era, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds where flawed people can grow in faith, hope and love through stories that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives.

More From Carolyn:

Have you ever wondered what might happen if a failed TV reality star was to return home to her narrow minded community? What if she’s been tarred and feathered with disgrace?

In our world of insta-fame, selfies and fakebook, I find it fascinating that so many people are entranced by so-called reality TV, with its editing and narratives and shiny-eyed hopefuls chasing money, love and dreams. But what if it doesn’t work out? What happens next? How do you resume ‘normal life’ when you’ve been living in a very artificial world?

I enjoy writing fiction that is grounded in reality, with realistic, flawed characters who are on a God journey to find faith and freedom. My contemporary and historical novels often see characters struggle with the choices they’ve made (don’t we all?), which is exactly what single mom Mindy is dealing with.

Combine Mindy’s challenges with those faced by gardening expert, Dermott, a man whose stone wall building skills are better than his way with women, or his inability to hide his attraction to his former co-worker’s younger sister.

Regaining Mercy encourages us to see ourselves as God does, to not let the labels of the past to shape our future. Along the way, readers will enjoy the honest portrayals of family, friendship and faith.

I’m so glad people are really enjoying my new contemporary books, where I can bring my love of gardens (& my horticulturalist hubby’s expertise!) to a new audience. Want to see what’s growing in my garden? Check out my website www.carolynmillerauthor.com – and you might even see some of my husband’s famous stone walls!

If you enjoy stories of hope, heart and humor, then you’ll be sure to enjoy this novel about a prodigal and the patient gardener who helps her find God’s mercy – and renewed hope for her heart.

Happy reading!

Carolyn

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—Trapped in the Tunnel

July 8, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I have read most of Katrina Hoover Lee’s books, and really enjoyed them, so when she asked for beta readers for her new children’s book series, I was excited to help her out! We ended up just reading Trapped in the Tunnel for review, though. I read it aloud to my boys, and they kept begging for another chapter. We knew from the title that the boys would find the tunnels they heard about—but how? And how would they get trapped? How would they get out? We had to keep reading to find out!

Terry, Gary and Larry Fitzpatrick loved growing up in their house along a river in Northern Indiana. They were horrified that their parents were thinking about moving to Iowa because of the scruffy people that they had seen going into the abandoned house next door—how could the boys convince their parents to stay? Meanwhile, they find many ways to occupy themselves. They build a bike jump, which only Terry can use because Gary has an artificial leg and Larry has bad asthma… and Terry gets hurt. They go to the library to research something that an antique dealer was asking about… and run into the scruffy man who smells awful. They sneak into the abandoned house at night… and that scruffy man shows up.

Mom has a project for the boys to work on this summer, too. She wants them to learn about the Fruit of the Spirit. This first week, they are supposed to think about love. Who do they see showing love? What can they do to show love? What symbol can they draw to stand for love? The answers to those questions surprise them!

Trapped in the Tunnel is a delightful adventure story. Set in the 1980s, there is no technology such as we’re used to now. The three boys have a lot more freedom than most children do today, and are allowed to do things like row a boat up the river to go to the library. I loved the way they interacted with each other, and the lessons they learned about relating to their parents. This is a beautiful story of family life, as well as a fun, fairly gentle adventure. I highly recommend this book for boys and girls who love a good story.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. All links may be affiliate links, which help to support Esther’s website and do not cost you anything.

WARNING: No warnings!

Buy your copy of this delightful book here!

Book Review—Far Above Rubies

July 8, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 5 Comments

Far Above Rubies JustRead Blog Tour
Welcome to the Blog Tour for Far Above Rubies by Jolyn Canty, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Far Above Rubies: The Life of Louisa MacDonald
Author: Jolyn Canty
Publisher: Azure Star LLC
Release Date: April 14, 2021
Genre: Biography

Her husband—a friend to Mark Twain, mentor to Lewis Carroll, and the man C.S. Lewis called his “master”—was one of the greatest Christian writers of the Victorian era. She was his hidden gem, the bulwark and bastion on which he could lean. Though she was an accomplished musician and singer, an advocate for the poor and neglected, and a published author, she didn’t need the spotlight, but was content to be her husband’s biggest fan and companion. She bore eleven children and adopted and cared for several others. Enduring hardships few of us will ever experience, this petite woman faced them with courage and strength.

Her name was Louisa MacDonald.

My Thoughts:

I read a few of George MacDonald’s books many years ago, and have several on our shelves now, waiting to be read. I hadn’t thought about him very much, though, for a number of years, until I read a book recently by Michael Phillips. That book quoted MacDonald a lot of times, and the characters in it and the sequel avidly read each new MacDonald book as it was published. Then, I saw Far Above Rubies, a biography of George MacDonald’s wife Louisa, availabe for review. I knew that was a book I wanted to read! Did the book live up to my expectations, however?

Louisa MacDonald never had a very easy life. As a girl, she was the plain one, with beautiful sisters. Her mother, after having 13 babies and losing several of them very young, became quite sick and eventually died. Louisa always helped to run the household and care for the younger children. The Powell household was a happy place, despite Louisa’s mother’s sickness. Louisa’s world expanded when she met a young man named George MacDonald. He was studying for the ministry and was able to answer many of her questions about the Bible, and inspire her in many ways. They also shared a love of nature. They soon fell in love, and were able to get married when he was finally hired by a church—after he recovered from a hemhorrhage of the lungs. I was really amused at the descriptions of George’s beard!

After George and Louisa were married, they were very happy together, and deeply in love. Soon, the babies started arriving. All 11 babies who were born to them were welcomed, and very much loved. Louisa poured her life into caring for her children and her often-ailing husband. Life was never easy for them; though George had a pastorate when they got married, some of the people in his congregation could not handle his straight-forward preaching of the Word, and he found himself without a position. After awhile, however, he discovered that he could weave his beliefs into stories, and people would receive them that way. For the rest of his life, he tried to support his family by writing.

I really enjoyed Far Above Rubies! I found Louisa’s life very inspiring. She truly loved her husband and children, as the many quotes from her letters to them show. I loved getting to know her and her family through their correspondence; much of the book is quoted directly from the MacDonald’s letters. I chuckled many times as I read this book; Jolyn Canty was able to relate stories about Louisa and her “Bear” in quite a humorous way! Quite often, I have found biographies that are written this way, with many quotes from the subject’s writings, to be dry. This one wasn’t! I enjoyed it all the way through.

I really liked Louisa’s attitude toward motherhood and her children. Over and over, her babies are referred to as miracles from God. One quote, especially, stood out to me: “She considered herself a chalice, a vessel to be filled to the brim with God’s Spirit, to cooperate with her husband and with God, to be poured out for her family.” She gave all her strength to caring for her husband and children in every way she could.

Another line that stood out was a statement by George before they were married. He was referring to two poems he had read, and said, “They were both to me worth hundreds of sermons—of some kinds at least.” This stood out because of something a friend of mine said when I was discussing MacDonald with her a few days before I started reading Far Above Rubies. To her, reading one of MacDonald’s books was as good as reading a sermon! Now, I want to read some of his books for myself, especially after reading about the author and his wife.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links to buy the book may be affiliate links, and if so, will help to fund Esther’s website.

p style=”text-align: left;”>PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jolyn Canty

Jolyn Canty is the wife to her beloved Earle, the mother of six, and the adoring Nana of three grandchildren. She is a talented artist, a passionate quilter, and a long-time devotee of George MacDonald.

CONNECT WITH JOLYN: Facebook

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Far Above Rubies by Jolyn Canty and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 6, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 13, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Print copy US only. Ebook and gift card available for international where available. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

Product Review—Home School in the Woods

July 7, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

We’re studying ancient history this year, from Creation to the time of Jesus. Therefore, when we were offered a product from Home School in the Woods to use and review, I chose one of the Project Passport World History Studies—the one about Ancient Egypt. We’ve never used a Project Passport study before. They looked too big and involved to me, the other times we were offered products from this company. I’m finding it fun, though, and fairly easy, although it will take us awhile to get through it. Because we’re using it as a supplement to the other history we’re doing (two courses simultaneously—yes, I’m a bit of a curriculum junkie!), we are doing no more than one “stop” a week, and last week we didn’t get anything done on it, due to Mom being sick, a first aid course one day, and dental appointments another day. We have made it through the first five stops, though, and I’m hoping to continue doing one a week. Mr. Sweetie (age 11), Mr. Imagination (9), and Little Miss (6) are doing this study, and I’m doing each project with them.

Each “stop” on our “itinerary” through Ancient Egypt has a few standard activities. We have been adding place names to our map on most stops, and pictures to our timeline. We often get to read and decorate a postcard, and many stops include an audio tour of something (once it was a trip on a boat down the Nile, and yesterday we listened to a man talking about how they were embalming the Pharoah). We also add to a newspaper we’re writing, with a news article or a couple of advertisements each time. Mr. Imagination loves that—he likes to draw! Each stop also includes some sort of craft and a few pages of text that I read aloud.

Some of our projects get hole punched and put into the ring binder we’re each filling up. We spent an entire week working on clothing for an Egyptian man and woman! Some of the pieces of clothing needed to be colored on cardstock, cut out and either put into slits in the person we were clothing, and we also cut out a few pieces of cloth for other items. Another project we really had fun with was the Game of Senet, based on board games found in the tombs. We spent our history time one morning assembling the game from the PDFs I downloaded, and playing it. It’s a two-player game, so we divided into two teams, since three children and I are working on this project together.

We’re also making items in most lessons to eventually assemble into a lap book. So far, we’ve made a mini-book about about the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, a wheel that turns with information on it about jobs in Egypt, a cookbook (which we plan to use!) and a mini book about mummies, coffins, and sarcophagi. Each of these items is very informative. They are also fairly easy, since the instructions in the Itinerary are so detailed.

There are also craft projects that won’t fit in the books! We skipped the first one, since noone was interested in actually dressing like an Egyptian, but Mr. Imagination and Little Miss are working on the second. They are making a mummy and a sarcophagus, from foil, newspaper, masking tape, strips of white cloth whenever I find them some, glue, and a shoe box—and lots of paint! We are given craft cards to print and store in the notebooks about these projects.

I am very impressed with this course. A lot of work went into making it! It has been organized very well, and I’ve found it easy to use. To prepare for a “stop”, I simply open and print the PDFs for the text and itinerary for that stop, and then read through the itinerary to see what needs to be printed for that stop. All the pages we’ll need for the crafts, lapbook, etc, are in one folder, and labeled by the lesson number, which makes it very easy to find the right ones. The instructions tell whether to print the pages on white or colored paper, or white or colored card stock. (I’m thankful that Esther has found a place we can order the card stock and colored paper online—I can’t get it locally!) We’re learning a lot about Egypt from this project, and I will certainly request more of these projects in the future if they’re offered (I would even buy these!). And, the children are enjoying doing this. Little Miss is the most enthusiastic. Mr. Imagination hates cutting and gluing, but he loves drawing pictures. Mr. Sweetie isn’t overly excited, but I don’t hear any grumbling from him. The variety of projects helps to keep up interest.

Home School in the Woods has downloadable timeline sets that look great! They include pictures of many people and events from various eras of history. The Creation to Christ one looks like it would be great for the study we’re doing right now. Click on the image below to read other people’s reviews of great products from this company.

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Thank you!