Book Review: Keto Reset Diet

I don't like "diets". I have tried way too many different ones in the past.

I will be honest, that I didn't fully follow the 21 day reset. It wasn't my intention to do that when I requested the book.

I was, however, interested in learning more about the Keto lifestyle and how it would be good for me, as a cancer survivor. Right now, I am trying to be as alkaline as possible, and sometimes it is harder than it should be, when you have been living in a world full of meals on the run and fast food places on every corner.

I did like the explanation about what Keto is in the beginning part of the book. It was very informative and easy to read, not giving all the science behind everything. Let's face it...some people just aren't into all that kind of things - just want to learn how this lifestyle works, why it's good, and how it will benefit my health.

I read through the 21-day reset and it seemed like it would be fairly easy to follow. My only problem is I am on a budget and can't always afford to buy a good portion of the things in the books that I read, so I tailor it to my lifestyle.

I also don't like books that give you recipes and they have terribly long ingredients list, complex directions, and foods that are not easily accessible to my part of the world.

I did like a good portion of the meals - easy to follow, easy to find products, and great tasting...despite the fact that they were healthy!!

I will be trying to incorporate more keto in my diet and help my body heal from years of neglect. I only get this one body, and I need to take care of it so I can live to be 190. :)

Book Review: NIV Color Code Bible

I don't think that a person can ever have too many Bibles - especially if they are from different translations, or if you are like me, and do a lot of Bible journaling with highlighting and marking notes. You eventually will run out of room.

A couple years ago, I came across a well-known website where they do a lot of color coding in the Bible - different topics are given different colors (God, Jesus, Family, Love, etc...)

I came across this Bible and thought, wow, this is great! I read that it was for children. However, I am in my 30's and I loved the color coding of the different Bible passages. As a visual learner, the color coding really helps to remember the different verses and the symbolism and meaning to each one.

I believe that this Bible would be great for anyone....from the person picking up a Bible for the first time, to the person that has almost every verse written on their heart. What a great way to remember the story of God's love for us!

Book Review: How to Set a Table

Super cute book about how to set a table.

Pictures are beautiful. The examples given, and the text are super easy to read.

Great ideas from formal dining, to setting up for a movie night or camp out.

This book would be a great idea for someone that is having a housewarming. I would recommend giving to a college student as well, as these tips could be used on their meager living.

Book Review: God's Book of Prayers

I was expecting a book full of wonderful, devotional kinds of prayers.

What I received was something very different from the above.

The author explains that this book was something that he wanted to write for a long time - a book full of all the prayers in the Bible.

I thought, "Oh, this will be a wonderful piece and handy place so that I can read a prayer and have it right at my fingertips." I was very wrong.

To me, this book read more like college course book. And maybe that is a good thing in of itself - to be used as a supplemental book in a Theology/Biblical course.

On a daily reading book though - I found it very hard to follow.The beginning reads as an informational guide of what prayer is. The second part of the book is all the prayers listed out prayed by the people or God.

I have mixed feelings on this. As a stand alone just a lazy day read - not good for me. As a piece that could be used as a Biblical course - quite a nice addition.

Book Review: The Mediterranean Love Plan

I often see people so in love when I walk down the street and I smile. What really awes me is couples well into their golden years, still sneaking a kiss or holding hands, and showing genuine affection for each other. 

I am not married, but hope to be some day. But that doesn't mean that I can't prepare my heart for what is yet to come. 

Marriage isn't an easy thing. But sometimes, relationships, whether they be romantic or platonic, have moments of struggle and I think that we can learn a lot from couples who are deeply in love for years and year.

The Mediterranean Love Plan offers so many tips on intimacy can be found in the daily lives of those in Italy, Greece, Spain, France and Israel. There are such great ideology that can be integrated into our hustled lives here in America - which we forget just how busy we truly are to just sit and enjoy.

Some things I learned while reading this book:
1. A great marriage is possible for anyone who works at it. 
2. Healthy, passionate marriages develop from healthy, passionate individuals.
3. Specific (simple!) suggestions are needed because some of us are a little clueless. 

This book is a fun, light read on making marriage fun and passionate. I found that the tips weren't just effective for marriage, but for enjoying a passionate life in general. The author compares passionate marriage and sex to delicious food, and writes about how to enjoy both. 

I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a healthy relationship - no matter what kind!

I received this book from Book Look Bloggers for free in return for my honest, sincere opinion. No monies were exchanged.

Book Review: How Music Works

We all know that music moves us in some way or another. We also know that there are times a catchy tune (whether it's a song you love, or that jingle you just can't get out of your head) will make it's mark on us at some point. We laugh, cry, reminisce. 

But why does music it do that? How is it that something can change drastically over thousands of years, but still evoke something in us? 

How Music Works by David Byrne dives into that .

There is a lot of information about musical roots and how musicians worked to perfect their sound according to what worked best with their style. 

Byrne gives us his take on music in a style that is very pleasant, straightforward, and conversational. He comes across as someone whose wide-ranging, collaborative experience and creative intelligence combine with an everyday kind of modesty.

Byrne simply goes through the music creation process (ideation, performance, recording, manufacturing, promotion, etc.) piece by piece and explains them to the best of his ability. Those with little to no music experience, would better understand what goes on in an musician's head when they are creating a masterpiece. 


The book would be a great gift or recommendation for someone--especially a young person--who's passionate about listening to music but who hasn't really thought about it in any structured way, or alternatively for someone who has *only* had formal instruction.

I was given this book for free in return for my honest, open opinion. No monies have been paid.

The Inkblots

I have always been fascinated how the mind works. People think it is such a simple thing. It is clearly not.

I remember doing the inkblots in school at one time, and in an actual counseling session. I remember my counselor asking: "What do you see?" Afraid to say what I was seeing, or lack thereof, whether I would be wrong or not, was something that always made me ponder.

While this book is very meaty in terms of the story behind Hermann Rorschach, it was very interesting to learn the history behind the man, and the reasoning behind the inkblots.

Some people will either find this work of literature boring, others too in-depth, and yet others completely overwhelmed. 

Those that have studied psychology will either agree, disagree, or agree to disagree.

Book Review: 5 Minutes with Jesus; Quiet Time for Your Soul

This was a short, super sweet book to read.

For those people who say they don't have time to sit down with Jesus, needs to read this book. Each daily devotional is 5 minutes or under (depend on fast you read, or how long you take to truly let it soak in). It was a perfect way to either start or end the day.

Honestly, every day seemed to fit just perfect with what was going on in my life at the moment. It seemed like it was written just for me, just for that moment in time. Truly like Jesus was with me knowing what I was going through.

I gifted this book to a friend after reading. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did.

Berenstain Bears: Bless our Pets - Book Review

I grew up reading the Berenstain Bears.

Who doesn't love them! Who doesn't love pets! Call me silly - but I read this to my cat...I believe he enjoyed it too.

This was a super cute, short book. A series that I loved as a kid. I thought it was cute how the animals come to church to be blessed.

This brings up the age old question: Do animals go to heaven? Do animals have souls that matter?

I honestly believe they do. God wouldn't have put these special companions in our lives they didn't. My kitty has been there for me when I needed a hug, when I felt alone, when I needed a good laugh. He has been there for me when I needed to talk to someone - and never judged me.

Animals are a true statement of what love is. And I wish we could take our animals to church with us too.

Oh what fun that would be!!

Book Review: Talk Yourself Happy

In my honest opinion, and I hate giving these kinds of reviews, I felt like it was all stuff I had heard before, in the same way as a lot of other "Christian Self-help" books.

The author uses their own story to draw people in, then say how God was the one that helped them through it and showed them the way. The chapters: Compassion, Trust, Identity, Obedience, Forgiveness, Praise, Help, and Promise - are all things I have heard before in other books about how we draw closer to God in our hardest times, to gain a better understanding of His plan.

I really thought it was going to be something different.

Book Review: Cure

I have been on a journey to figure out how to be a happier me.

I always knew that positive energy could be stronger than negative - yet the negative was holding on to me for much too long.

After reading this book, it was quite interesting to learn how strong you mind is.

Even though this was a very scientific ("smarty-pants book, as I call them - which I do read to engage my brain cells), it was easier to understand than a lot of books on the market. I'm a simple person and I "got it" when reading this.

I believe that this book was very well researched. It was interesting to get into the mind and understand it more how using your own mind, you can heal, think, and grow. Our body's are amazing things!

Book Review: The Behemoth Dinosaur in the Land of Uz

I am not quite sure how to start this review. I have very mixed feelings about it.

I'm always looking for new books to read to my god-daughter who is three. She loves dinosaurs (girl after my own heart!) and I was hoping that this would be another book that we could add to our collection.

Firstly, when I look at it, it reminds me of a story that a child would have written, based on the artwork, and the style of writing.

Secondly, there are lots of grammatical errors, all through the book. I think that the editors should have looked more closely to these. I could let some slide (I mean, you usually find errors in even the classics), but there were errors on almost every page.

Thirdly, I was very confused at first when I started reading. The book offers an English and a Spanish version. English was written in blue, and Spanish in green. I think that's a great concept to have the two languages side by side, but it truly confused me at first. Also, I do not speak Spanish, so I am not sure if the styling is correct.

Fourthly, the book doesn't follow much a storyline. Job sees Dippy (the dino), asks to give him a hug, there is a complication with the villagers, and all of a sudden Dippy starts talking about how his grandparents were on Noah's Ark. It's all very confusing.

And I do not wish to give this book a poor rating, especially if that is the case, but, if this is an adult writing a child's book, I have seen much more exciting stories, even for young children, written.

Book Review: Whatever Is Lovely

This came at the right time because I was looking for a new Bible study to do to start the year.

When I started reading it, I noticed that this is a book mostly focused for the teenage girl.

However, as a 30-something woman, I often find that these seem to speak to me better than a lot of the other Bible Studies out there.

This was no different. The devotionals are short but informative enough to really grasp the concept and the verse for that day. I also like the journal entries. I received the e-book version, so it took a little longer for me to enter my entries because I had to type everything on a tablet (fun fun...). It's a nice keep sake though, if I ever decide to do it again. Doing a paperback journal, if you write in it, you sometimes run out of room. However, with a digital version, you can date your entry, and just keep adding on for all the times that you decide you want to complete the devotional. It's nice to see how you've grown from the previous time(s) you completed it.

Book Review: Univitied

A friend had recommended this book to me a few months ago. At first when she told me about it, all I could think of was, "Great - yet another Christian book that tells the same old thing; just a new cover and different author."  I told her that I would check it out. I never did.

Enter Book Look Bloggers a couple weeks later when I went to go look for a new book to read and review.

I thought to myself, Ok - there must be a reason why this book was placed in my path. I'll bite...

When I started reading this, my heart was very closed off because I automatically fell into the thought of how this was going to be just like every other Christian book out there.

I was very wrong.

Lysa has a way about getting into the heart and reaching out like she was speaking directly to you, sitting across the table, sipping a latte at a local cafe.

I knew I was dealing with a lot of resentment and anger issues from problems in my past, but man - it really hit me hard once I started reading more and more. I learned how to let go of things that bothered me. Learned that it's ok to be "uninvited" because I am loved by someone greater than any human heart could imagine.

If you are struggling with past experiences, and they are holding you back and putting a blcok on your heart and forcing you to not let others in, I highly recommend reading this book.

Book Review: Doodletopia Fairies

I love to draw.

And I thought this would be a fun book to look at and try.

The drawings are very simple. It's great for kids who are looking for something more than just coloring books. It helps to boost the creativity. Lots of different fairies to draw.