Project Inspired by Nicole Weider, 2015

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Nicole Weider is on a mission: to help young girls avoid the traps that culture sets. The trap that baits you into thinking you must sacrifice your self-worth in order to be beautiful and popular. Nicole launched Project Inspired in 2010 (www.projectinspired.com), a website for teen girls that analyzes pop culture and explores ways girls can live in their authentic beauty.
In Project Inspired, Nicole shares tips for you to stay true to yourself--to how you were created to be--as well as how to dress modestly yet fashionably, how to make a positive difference in the world, and how to enjoy your teen years while standing firm in your faith. With photographs, real behind-the-scenes stories from inside the fashion world, and an honest look at living a life that looks great on the outside and feels great on the inside, Project Inspired is a book you'll turn to time and time again.

(176 pages)

This isn't really what I was expecting. I requested it from a Christian book catalog, but the synopsis doesn't really sound that religious so I thought it was going to be mostly more general advice, not Christian-specific. That doesn't mean I'm not the target audience (after all, I am very much a Christian teenage girl!), but it does mean my blog isn't quite the target I thought it would be - I try not to stray too far into Christian books when I do my reviews, but oh, well. Non-Christian readers, just skip over this one, I guess.

Anyway, on the whole I really liked Nicole's tips. At times they seemed kind of random (and in the beginning I thought the entire book would be full of outfit tips!), but she makes a lot of great points. I can't say that all of the fashion terms really registered with me (what the heck is a "studded cross body" purse? And who actually worries about the oils in her hands being bad for her face?), but I think that's just because I'm not nearly as dressy as a lot of my peers. A few days after reading Project Inspired I was sorting through all of my clothes, getting rid of those that don't fit or that were too heavy for summer (yes, I waited until August to put aside my winter clothes). I found myself thinking about some of her tips as I considered what outfits I could make with the leftover clothes, and whether I needed to buy any more (the answer: yes. After getting rid of all the winter clothes, I have like ten tops, five skirts, and four pants. I put them all on hangars and they didn't even fill up my closet).

With the life and faith advice, I appreciated that Nicole was very nonjudgemental, and very focused on God's forgiveness. I didn't agree with her on a few points (for example, she believes gender roles are necessary in healthy relationships), but on the whole she had a lot of strong advice about staying pure, actively cultivating strong friendships, and looking for good boyfriends/husbands. I checked out her website very briefly, and found a lot of really great advice (and some I, again, was a little meh about) couched in very loving terms. I believe Nicole honestly has a passion for helping girls "enjoy [their] teen years while still standing firm in [their] faith."

So yeah. I might refer back to Project Inspired in the future for some clothing tips as I work on sprucing up my wardrobe, but I don't think I'll be frequenting the website with any regularity. I love the idea of it, though, and may check back now and then just to see what sort of things people are talking about. I don't know if I'd really recommend this to anyone, but I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, either - and if one of my friends is interested by my copy, I'll probably just give it to her.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review.

Unfriend Yourself by Kyle Tennant, 2012

We are all connected. To each other, to our devices, to our networks, to everything... The world of social media has turned the rest of our worlds upside down.Can you disconnect for three days to assess the situation in your own life? This short book is split into three sections to help you DETOX, DISCERN, and DECIDE what role Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and all the rest can and should have in your life. Unfriend Yourself will help you think critically, biblically, and practically from a Christian perspective about the merits and ramifications of our social media culture.

Don't worry, the world can wait; your friends won't even know you're gone-seriously, there are over half a billion of them out there. I doubt you'll be missed.

(96 pages)

This is meant to be a sort of devotional for someone who is untangling himself from social media for a weekend. The book is separated into an introduction, three chapters (one for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), and an end note. You're supposed to read the book piece by piece and really take the time to absorb what it's saying.

I didn't. I'm really sorry, and I know this totally skews my ability to review the book. But you see, I don't have a social media problem. And I'm not just in denial, either - I honestly don't do that much on social media. The only platform I'm on is Twitter, and if you look at my newsfeed you'll see that most of my tweets are auto-tweets about new blog posts that Bloglovin does for me. The truth of the matter is that I can never seem to fully plug into social media for more than short periods of time, and I wind up forgetting all about it. Then I remember I'm supposed to be interacting and networking and all that jazz, so I hop back on only to have no idea what to tweet about. That's why my Twitter feed is full of auto-tweets and updates about my schoolwork. Sounds appealing, right?

So what was I thinking, requesting Unfriend Yourself? Honestly, I was curious. I wanted to understand the fascination with social media that grips almost everyone I know, and I wanted to see if I could pick up any tips for dealing with other addictions (no, not dangerous addictions - just silly time-wasters that destroy my entire weekends, like playing Trivia Crack and watching corny Disney TV shows on YouTube).

Did the book deliver? Meh. I guess so. It was mainly focused on villifying social media, debunking what Tennant called the "promises" offered by sites like Facebook. I guess I learned something about the mindset around the media culture, and he offered some valid points about "networking" versus "fellowship," but I think he comes across a bit too heavily in some of his criticisms of Facebook and social media as a whole. If I were actually someone who was in love with my Facebook news feed, then I would very quickly take offence at Tennant's attitude toward Facebook, decide that he was wrong, and put the book down for good. As it is, I stayed to the end and picked up a few good points about the value of face time over screen time. Even as a late '90s kid who grew up alongside the internet, I can still see the importance of putting down the smart device, closing the computer, and getting together in person with people instead. A very large portion of my life takes place online, and though I have no qualms about continuing to operate on this level I am definitely motivated to spend more time with my friends and family irl.

Are you addicted to social media? Then this might be the book to get you stepping back and taking a critical look at how that might be harming you. The time investment Unfriend Yourself requires is minimal, and the results could be lifechanging. Even if they're not, the excercise of removing yourself from social media for a weekend is still a healthy one.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free review.

Two Renegade Realms by Donita K. Paul, 2014

From bestselling author, Donita K Paul, the second installment in a fantasy series that follows Cantor, a Realm Walker, chosen to battle the corrupt Guild.
In Two Renegade Realms, the second installment in Donita K. Paul's Realm Walkers Series, Cantor, Bixby, and Dukmee must band together to find the storied realm walker Chomountain after a devastating attack by the corrupt Realm Walkers Guild. But what they discover while traveling turns their mission upside down: the great wizard is not as he once was, and they must now find a way to restore Chomountain before they and he can restore the Guild once more.

As a long-time fan of Donita K. Paul's Dragon Keeper books, I've been itching to get my hands on this series for years. When I saw the second book available through BookLook Bloggers I knew I had to grab it, the fact that it was an ebook notwithstanding. While reading it, I was completely engrossed. I found myself drifting away from my school work, reading "just one more page" in the middle of doing what I was supposed to be doing. I thought I would give it a high rating, maybe 3.5 or 4. It wasn't quite as good as the Dragon Keeper books, but I was definitely loving it!

Then, somehow the ending just kind of . . . dropped me. Really, I was starting to get antsy by the last third of the book. Because the first third sets the book up for amazing things: old friends reunited, a spark of suppressed romance between two main characters, impending doom and the right hand of Primen. There was some serious potential there, and even though they spent a lot of time wandering around in ruins in the middle of a mountain, I enjoyed myself. The second third involves the loss of two characters, one minor (a mining slave) and one I'd thought wasn't so minor (Neekoh had better be important in the third book, because otherwise he serves abolutely no purpose that a bit of magic couldn't have performed). It sees the beginning of travel, the addition of a bunch of dragons with names that all sort of blur together, and this random guy who keeps popping up, asking Bixbee to marry him, and then disappearing again. I was sure there would be some sort of great purpose for his presenncem and kind of disappointed about where he wound up fitting into the plot. He'd better have a pretty important role in the third book (along with Neekoh), otherwise he's a pretty big waste of time.

Over all, this is a good book from a great author. The world-building is amazing as always (Paul is a world-building pro at this point!), but while I did love the characters I felt like by the final third of the book there were too many mixed in there, pulling the focus away from the characters and plot-lines that really mattered. I am definitely looking forward to the third book, though, and I think that will be the one to make-or-break the series. If the third book pulls everything together perfectly, then One Realm Beyond is a great introduction to a lot of the threads that will be needed for a masterful ending. If the third book is disjointed, overwhelming, and disorganized, then this book will have been the book that set up for that. Basically, it's a stepping stone for the story arch. Whether that step leads upward or downward is still up in the air.

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy of this book through the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

Donita K. Paul retired from teaching and took up the mantle of grandma. She loves her new career as author of stories her grandchildren devour. Winner of multiple awards, she lives in Colorado, enjoying friends and family, pets and beautiful scenery. Her favorite part of writing is the readers.

Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein, 2010

No one forgets the sweet victory of completing their first knitted block, but most of us quickly move on to more complex constructions, only making swatches for guage. In this comprehensive volume, celebrated designer and innovator Nicky Epstein reimagines the humble block with 150 new patterns and masterfully demonstrates how to mix, match, and easily combine them into stunning one-of-a-kind garments and accessories. Inside you will find: 150 original block patterns, from simple textures to embossed pictorials, intricate lace to cables, colorwork, double knit, and more, all with Nicky’s signature wit, verve, and style. More than ten exclusive project designs that will make you say “I can’t believe that is made out of blocks!”Detailed guidance for creating exciting pieces out of block knitting, without using increases or decreases. Exclusive cut-and-paste project design pages. Simply cut out the printed blocks and arrange them to help create your own masterpieces.

Blocks are quick to knit, portable pieces perfect for group and charity projects, and now not limited to just afghans! Knitting Block by Block gives you the tools to unlock a world of creative possibilities and confidently build your own design “blockbusters,” one block at a time.  

My knitting project (the blobs are
supposed to be cabling)

Yes, I really did request a knitting book for my next read-to-review. I clicked before I finished thinking it through, okay? My inner voice was going "you know, you've always wanted to learn how to knit" and I had requested the book before my brain remembered that this isn't actually a book that's made to teach people how to knit. It arrived two weeks ago, and it's been interesting. I really have learned how to knit! I've had a blast learning the ins and outs of knitting, purling, and even cabling (though I have a sinking feeling I'm doing it wrong), and after half a dozen bad starts I even got a project well under way. I decided to make the "Reversible Cables" block (in retrospect maybe I should have started with something toward the beginning, instead of the back, of the book), and I'm about halfway through. It's taken me a really long time, though, because my hand is still weak from the surgery I had in December (though on the whole it's doing much better), and so it gets sore if I knit for more than half an hour at a stretch. Also, I had an English assignment and two science tests in the last two weeks, and not a lot of down time. I decided I wouldn't wait until I finished the entire square to write the review, because I'm not exactly gathering any new knowledge about the book itself while I knit - I know how it works, what the projects are, and (bonus!) even how to knit now, so I've got everything I need to review the book - following the same instructions for another two weeks won't give me any deeper understanding into the books as a whole.

I'm not exactly a knitting patterns connoisseur, but I really love Knitting Block by Block. It has patterns ranging from simple beginners' blocks to the intricate ones I can't even begin to decipher at first glance (how the heck do you put a decorative zipper on a block of knitting?!), with detailed pictures of every project so you can see exactly what it should look like when you're done. The instructions are laid out neatly and concisely, listing exactly what you should do in simple enough terms that I caught on with only one Google search necessary - and that was just for the cable. There are also box chart  thingies that show you what to do using dots and slashes and things, but I'm afraid I still can't make heads or tails of those. It's fun, it's detailed, and there are some really cute projects that I can't wait to try out. There's also a chapter with some ideas for ways to sew blocks together into bigger projects, like scarves and afghans and a (rather ugly) shrug/shawl thingy. I obviously am not far enough to attempt any of these, because I don't have the blocks to do them, but I'm excited to make some of the projects - I think I'll start with one of the one-block projects, which are these cute little stuffed animals, and then try either the tote (which is a two-block!) or the "cool ruffle pod bag," which is a weird name for a cute purse.

All in all, the only complaint I have is that there aren't more projects for using the blocks. There are tons and tons of awesome block designs, but only like ten ideas for putting them together in larger pieces. For someone who knits more than me, this might be a problem if they wind up with more blocks to try out than they have projects to put them in. As for me, though, I think this book will provide fodder for my knitting projects for a very, very long time. If you are at all interested in knitting blocks, then this is most definitely the book for you!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review

A Plague of Unicorns by Jane Yolen, 2014

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 on Goodreads

From bestselling and award-winning author Jane Yolen, this new middle-grade fiction reminds us that heroes come in all sizes.
Young James, an earl's son, is a bit bothersome and always asking the oddest questions. When the last of his tutors quits, his mother sends him away to be educated at Cranford Abbey. But Cranford Abbey has its own problems.The Abbey is falling apart. Abbot Aelian believes he can save the abbey with his secret weapon: a recipe for golden apple cider passed down through his family for generations. One obstacle stands in his way-unicorns! Unicorns  with very sharp horns that happen to feast specifically on the golden apples.In this new middle-grade fiction by bestselling author Jane Yolen, young readers will learn about life in a medieval monastery and be reminded that heroes come in all sizes.
(192 pages)


I saw this on Booklook Bloggers and snapped it up, because it looked cute and fun and just my little sister's speed. I read it in one sitting, which took about a hour and a half, and thought it was largely just that: cute and fun and the kind of book my sister will like. It's got some great historical info mixed in with the usual fantasy fun. You can tell Yolen did her research on the time period before departing from actual history. My favorite nod to the past is the poem James and his sister come up with to remember the queens of England:

Tilda, Jane, Mary, Lizzy,

They all make me very dizzy.

I'm not exactly sure who "Tilda" is, but Jane is the often-overlooked three day queen who "ruled" before Bloody Mary (the "Mary" in the poem), and "Lizzy" is, of course, Mary's sister Queen Elizabeth I. I'm a bit of a history geek, so I thought it was fun seeing the book's references to actual history.

That said, this book has some major pacing issues. Literally the first half of the book focuses on world-building and backstory and character introductions. Those are all wonderful, necessary things to have in any engaging book - but this was the focus of the first half of the book. And that left only half of the (rather short) book to tell the actual events of the story.

And here we run into the next problem. Too many things happen in too few pages. We've got James' relationships with his sister, his mother, his uncle, and his absent father. We've got James' insecurities about being the next duke. We've got a rather (too) long bit where James is traveling to the Abbey. We've got the lukewarm welcome James receives from the boys living in the Abbey. We've got Brother Luke's lessons on caligraphy, with a bit of Latin thrown in. Then, of course, we've got the unicorns themselves and the long string of "heroes" who come to drive them away and inevitably fail. Which are important? Which are not? Who knows? There are too many characters and too many plotlines for a book this size.

Reallly, that's the issue. The book should have been longer. You could tell Yolen had a longer story to tell than she had pages to tell it with, and so she wound up spending the whole book setting up this wonderful premise and showing off her research of the era, then jumbling on a quick-finish ending last-minute when she realized she didn't have room to bring everything to fruition. I would have loved this book so much if she had made it longer and taken the time to flesh everything out. I would have called it a great kids book if she had snipped a bunch of the side plots, and evened up the pacing. As it is, all I can say is that it's a cute book with a great premise which will probably make kids blind to the pacing issues. Older readers will have a harder time ignoring all the "could have been"s.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

The 13th Gift by Joanne Huist Smith, 2014

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on Goodreads

After the unexpected death of her husband, Joanne Huist Smith had no idea how she would keep herself together and be strong for her three children--especially with the holiday season approaching. But 12 days before Christmas, presents begin appearing on her doorstep with notes from their "True Friends." As the Smiths came together to solve the mystery of who the gifts were from, they began to thaw out from their grief and come together again as a family. This true story about the power of random acts of kindness will warm the heart, a beautiful reminder of the miracles of Christmas and the gift of family during the holiday season.
(224 pages)

I am so jealous of the Smiths.

No, wait, that came out wrong. The Smiths had a horrible, terrible thing happen to them when Mr. Smith died. Joanne is heartbroken and limp, unsure if she is even capable of continuing on without her husband. I don't envy that! But what I do envy is the joyous mystery of the Twelve Days of Christmas gifts. How exciting it would be to have a different kind gift show up on your doorstep the twelve days before Christmas! What a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit!

And, of course, that's what the gifts were for. They were given because the Smiths were in mourning, and they needed some holiday cheer. And while Joanne may have begun the twelve days of Christmas covering her ears at the hint of a Christmas carol, she certainly ended them in much better shape.

This book reads like fiction, and well-written fiction at that. Joanne is a reporter and you can definitely tell that she's got a way with words. She wrote this book almost fifteen years after the events it describes took place, so she had time to step back and analyze her own condition and the conditions of her three kids at the time, and portray them brutally honestly.

That brings me to the children. I feel so bad for those kids! The youngest girl, Megan, was only ten when her father died. How horrible. She is actually the one who deals with it the best, though, as she gets wrapped up in the excitement of Christmas and acts as peacemaker between her mother and her oldest brother Ben. Ben was seventeen when his father died, and you can see how hard it was for him to lose his male authority figure at such a difficult time. He struggles to deal with his emotions, and (especially early in the book) winds up hurting his mother with his rebellious behavior more than he means to. Nick, the middle child, was so cute! He spent most of the book rotating between being a kid who just lost his father, and a kid who wants a new computer, a new bed, a new room, and a new video game console for Christmas. All three kids are drawn realistically with the eye for detail only a mother can furnish.

A word of warning to those who want to read it for the heartwarming Christmas book that it is: there are, like, three instances of bad language in the book, all toward the beginning. I think there are two or so uses of the word "damn" and in one instance someone in the parking lot yells "a-hole" at a rude driver. I really wish she hadn't put these words in, because the book could have flowed just as well without them, and it makes me leery to wholeheartedly recommend the book to many people who would otherwise love it.

Besides that, though, it's a beautiful story and a heartwarming read that I am very glad I was able to spend a few hours enjoying. If you don't mind the minor amount of language, then you should find nothing at all wrong with this story of love, loss, family, and Christmas.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

You Can't Sit With Us by Nancy Rue, 2014

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
According to the Ambassadors 4 Kids Club, one out of every four students is bullied-and 85% of these situations never receive intervention. Parents, students, and teachers alike have amped up discussions on how to solve the bullying problem for a networked generation of kids.
Written by bestselling author, Nancy Rue, each book in the Mean Girl Makeover trilogy focuses on a different character's point of view: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. The books, based on Scripture, show solid biblical solutions to the bullying problem set in a story for tween girls.
You Can't Sit With Us tells the story of Ginger Hollingberry, a new sixth grader at Gold Country Middle School. Ginger has been the brunt of teasing and taunting from the queen bee of GCMS. Kylie Steppe, and her so-called Wolf Pack. Kylie and the Pack favor a new and especially hurtful medium of taunting: social networking. What follows is a candid look into the growing world of cruel cyberbullying, showing kids that bullying doesn't always end at school-it can now follow you even into your home and torture 24 hours a day.
(224 pages)

I'm still buzzing from this. I joined the BookLook Bloggers program over the winter holiday, and requested this from the available titles. They sent it in the mail and it came the other day. I can't describe the feelings rushing through my mind as I pulled my new book out of its box. I got a real, actual book (for free!) in real life, just because of my blog. It was like a reward for all the work I've put into this blog, and that was amazing.

Okay, now for the book itself. Apart from being a symbol of my moving up in the blogging world, what did I think of You Can't Sit Here? Well, it was okay. The options were kind of mediocre when I picked it, so I just went with this one on the basis of its pretty cover (blue is my favorite color!) and its message about bullying. I figured that even if it was really bad, at least it was aiming to be good! 

The thing about this book is that it is, above all else, an anti-bullying book. The plot, the characters, the dialogue - everything revolves around bullying. Learning to cope when you're being bullied, self-esteem exercises to do when the bully puts you down, ways to discourage the bully from focusing on you. If I were being bullied at school, I would love this book with all its messages about self-worth and practical tips for coping and turning to adult help. As it is, I'm the biggest bully on the playground - otherwise known as the oldest kid in a homeschool family.

Apart from its important message, the book is pretty mediocre. The characters are practically caricatures (the shy, insecure girl being bullied by the pure evil bully and her personality-less wannabes, the clueless parent, the empathetic anti-bullying counselor, etc.), and the basic plot concepts pretty unrealistic. Ginger is terrified that the rumors about her mother's fatal car accident will reach home, where her father will then curl into a miserable ball at the thought of her mother's death and forget to take care of her, and her grandmother will take custody of Ginger and her brother. There is also a school Code that was established in the first book of the series (It's called So Not Okay, and I haven't read it). The teachers are so incredibly sensitive to bullying that if someone even snaps at a classmate, they have to go to anti-bullying counseling during lunch. I get the idea of this, and it's really nice to see teachers so worried about stopping bullying. But seriously? There's such a thing as too sensitive!

Ginger alternates between being "smarter than people think" and make really stupid assumptions, like her belief that her grandmother will take custody away from her father if he so much as hears the nasty rumors going around about her mother's death. I alternately loved her (especially when she was working on her Lord of the Rings project with her new friend Colin), and hated her (mainly when she was acting so idiotically). She's an okay character for this sort of message-driven book, but if she were in a character-driven novel I'd be pretty unimpressed.

I don't think I'd ever have picked this up unless it was in the BookLook program. I enjoyed reading it, and I definitely enjoyed receiving it, but I don't think it's anything special. If you're hunting for a good, biblically-based book about dealing with bullies, then this should be right up your alley. Otherwise, you're probably fine skipping this one.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.