I listened to the audiobook version of this, rented from the library, & enjoyed it quite a lot. I am definitely a history geek, & enjoy reading about WWII & the Holocaust, but like other reviews on this book have stated, I didn't really know much about the specifics, other than a general knowledge that lots of bad things happened. It was nice to learn a few new facts, & this is an area of study I'd like to revisit in the future.

This was another freebie I picked up a while ago for my kindle (looks like no longer available), & I was so excited when I downloaded it that I immediately put it in my "to be read next" collection - and then promptly forgot about the book for a good six months or so.

Being born in the 70's, I of course missed the Beatles craze. I remember once seeing on television fans going crazy & screaming whenever they saw the Beatles & I asked my mom if that really happened, because it just seemed so crazy.

I really enjoyed reading the book, I've picked up lots of Beatles history over the years, but never really had had a cohesive picture. I knew of course about the "other, early Beatles", knew the basics about their breakup but didn't know about the court battles or all the complexities of life after being a Beatle. And, I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, but I had no idea how or why John Lennon was murdered, though at least I knew he had been murdered!

As with all biographies that I read, I often find myself wishing certain parts had more meat to the them, and other parts had a little less meat - I would have enjoyed hearing more about their personal lives, especially with their families, instead of all too brief section that was in this book, but all in all, I greatly enjoyed the book & recommend it to others who don't quite know the full Beatles story.

I admit it, I've always enjoyed reading fiction books about individuals from the Bible. It seems a natural fit for me, as I love history & grew up reading the Bible & even teaching Bible school for a number of years. I'm pretty familiar with the book of Joshua, & I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this book - especially because, in this world today, how was the ending going to end up a happy one, when thousands of people are going to die?

The characters are all very well written & are very believable, Wolf does a wonderful job in drawing you into Sala & Rehab's world, & discusses the religious aspects of the book in a very realistic way. She only briefly touches upon the city's utter destruction in the final climax of the book, making the story be more about Rehab, her family, & her change from paganism to Christianity.

In fact, I enjoyed this book so much, that I pushed her other titles that have been in my "TBR" pile further up the list!


I received a copy of this book for free to review from Book Sneeze. I was not paid for this review, but I do get to keep the book!

In short, this book is about a young lady, Lena, & her struggles - both her struggles to listen to her beloved father, her struggles to do what is right & her struggles to listen to what she believes God is telling her to do.

The book begins with Lena's love interest, Adam, making a promise to Lena's dying mother. As with most romance books, most of the anguish of the book could have been solved if Adam just told Lena of his promise to her mother - but he doesn't. The rest of the book is about how he struggles to keep his promise, how their romance is resolved, so they can live happily ever after. There's a few minor mysteries that are solved along the way as well.

This book takes place during the Revolutionary war, but those seeking a historical fiction book won't really see any history in the book. There's a few brief mentions of going off to fight the war, & Adam is friends with a military man, but over all, this is more of an Amish romance than a historical fiction book.

All & in all, I did greatly enjoy the book & read it in just a couple of days, which is amazing for me these days. I felt it was a little slow in the middle, & I wish it had ended a little sooner (instead of adding a couple more scenes after what I felt was a nice climatic ending), but I did enjoy reading the tale of Lena, Adam, & his brother Issac.

Sweet Shawlettes, by Jean Moss, is a great little book showcasing 25 shawlette, capelet, wrap, & cowl patterns. (Though I admit to being pretty disappointed with the cowl patterns in the book - they are very unusual, which is cool, but a "cowl" is NOT a "shawlette" and shouldn't be in a "shawlette" book. Unfortunately most of the patterns in the book are a cowl).

Bronte is my favorite, though it's knit with Rowan Purelife Revive, a yarn I've never heard of before, a DK weight yarn not even listed in Ravelry.

There's also Kardamili, a two color shawl made with Sublime Bamboo & Pearls,

Harlequnn, a fun entrelac number knit with 2 skeins of bulky weight Rowan Colourscape Chunky for a fast, quick gift.

Kitty is beautiful, though not really my taste, and Mantilla, a lace weight wrap that I think will prove to be quite popular in time.

All in all, it's a cute little collection of knits that has a nice variety of projects in it, from fair isle, lace, cables, entrelac, and some unique ones I'm not quite sure how to describe.

I acquired a review copy of this book through netgalley.com. This book is due out in a month, & since I consider myself pretty nerdy, it was a definite request! The author of the book also writes a blog which I invite you to check out! A recent nerdy knitty photo she just posted a couple of weeks ago







You definitely have to be a geek to appreciate this book. Patterns include:
* Lieutenant Uhura’s sexy Star Trek minidress
* Hobbit feet slippers
* Firefly-inspired scarf, socks, hat, and jacket
* Tank Girl socks
* Hermione Granger’s secret beaded bag
* Manga-inspired leg warmers
* The Big Bang Theory-inspired his and hers sweater-vests
* Lord of the Rings-inspired shrug

But as you can see from the list, there’s really something for any fan! I love the fact that they include a mix of old & new nerddoms, like Star Trek & Harry Potter! There’s a baby elf beanie pattern in here that’s so cute, I want to upsize it for ME! There’s also Dr. Horrible’s gloves (you know, from Joss Whedon’s Dr Horrible’s Singalong Blog). Cool beans