This book begins with advice on being vegan and the benefits for your health.
There are some good instructions about including vitamins and supplements in your vegetable diet, as well as answering questions about getting enough protein.

There is a chapter with advice on how to prep, items to stock in your pantry, and equipment that is needed in the kitchen. The recipes are divided by Smoothies, Juices, and Shakes; Breakfast, Snacks and Sides, Salads, Soups and Stews, Handhelds, Noodles and Rice, Special Occasion Showstoppers, Desserts, and Staples.

The recipes have wonderful tips for substituting ingredients, as well at nutrition labels. There are labels for Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, and Whole Foods options. There are gorgeous photos of the prepared food at the beginning of each chapter, but I wish there were more photos so that the reader could see what the food will look like before trying a recipe.

Some of the recipes that look especially delicious are the blueberry pancakes, cilantro-lime rice, and the walnut-quinoa chipotle burritos. These recipes have so many rich flavors!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book has written prayers, meditations, and journal prompts for Christians with a Scripture verse at the beginning of each section.

Although the title is "Meditations on Christ", every section is all about the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians. Christ is certainly mentioned in each prayer and meditation, but the title is misleading, since the meditations do not focus primarily on the person of Christ. A better title would be "Meditations on the Fruits of the Spirit."

This book does have a few weird ideas though, such as making an altar with some candles and "an image of Christ". That sounds like idolatry.

There are many references to the "children of God" and how "we are all family in the Kingdom of God." Except we aren't. Those who believe in Christ are adopted into the family of God, and everyone else is not in the family and is unfortunately not going to heaven when they die. This book says "In God's kingdom, all people are members of His royal family..." It SHOULD say, '...all people who are believers in Christ are members of His royal family...." I don't know if the author really believes that everyone is going to heaven, or that everyone is a child of God, or if the writing is just not clear enough. Usually the term "child of God" refers exclusively to believers, not to "all people". All people are created by God, but we are not all His children.

There are also many prompts to "Envision Jesus Christ in your heart, in your mind, and in every part of your body, as if He is attuning the atomic structure of your being to become identical to His." That is a very weird way of expressing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I can't necessarily say that it's doctrinally incorrect, because I'm not quite sure what they mean by it. It just sounds utterly strange, as if they are trying to infuse Christianity with some sort of mysticism.

Another mystic one says "Visualize yourself in an invisible force field of angelic protection." I'm not sure if that is just imagery and imagination, or if the author really thinks God uses magical force fields to protect us.

Some weird ideas in this book that could very easily be used to lead people astray into some mystical voodoo version of Christianity that is NOT at all what the Bible actually teaches.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

The Madden sisters are growing older, poor and unmarried, and ignored by society. Their younger sister, Monica, is still young and pretty, and they hope that she will marry well. She meets a Mr. Widdowson and contemplates marriage with him as a way to escape the horrors of being a spinster like her sisters.
Rhoda Nunn is another single lady who finds herself in the middle of a flirtation with an intellectual man, all while passionately avowing the most extreme feminist ideals and criticizing the institution of marriage.

I loved so many things about this book! The writing is incredible, and really pulls you into the story. The plot kept me wondering, and every emotional scene was glorious. It's all about deception, ambition, betrayal, addiction, love, manipulation, jealousy, and pride. It's not a happy book, but a very interesting and engaging read.

There are some really wonderful details in the writing that give the story so much depth. For instance, in the beginning the Madden sisters declare that they are vegetarian and eat very little, but it's when their meager meal is described that the reader begins to truly see that the sisters are pretending to be vegetarian because they are so poor and unable to buy meat or rich foods. It's the details that tug on your heart and bring that emotional element into every chapter.

The writing also does a wonderful job of hinting at a hidden meaning or a bigger purpose behind those details. A person stops at a pub and orders a drink, and it's the way they furtively look around and nervously toss it back that alerts the reader that they might just be trying to hide their alcoholism. I love the way the writing shows these little glimpses to the reader and lets you draw your own conclusions, and then later in the story those hints are confirmed.

The characters are incredibly deep, and they feel very real. They are flawed, and they make terrible decisions, and their emotions are wild and unruly.

Every single character relationship is horribly manipulative. I started noticing this pattern in a few of the relationships where very manipulative characters are fighting for control of the relationship, but really ALL the relationships are manipulative on some level. This made me feel sorry for the author, who apparently never had a good relationship that wasn't completely dysfunctional.

The characters are constantly analyzing every little word or gesture or glance or facial expression from other characters, in an attempt to manipulate the situation and gain mastery over the other person. It got on my nerves after a while. I appreciated all those little insights into the characters reactions to each situation, but why can't any of the characters just let another character be? Just let them be free to express themselves without scrutinizing everything about them, so you can use it against them later.

The dynamic of each character relationship is determined by two things: mental fitness and emotional understanding. The relationship between Monica and her spinster sisters is strained because they don't understand her emotionally or mentally. The relationship between Rhoda and her gentleman, Everard, is based on their mutual mental fitness, and they have a lot of fun sparring with intellectual swords. Monica is completely misunderstood by her beau, Widdowson, and they are utterly unfit as companions, both emotionally and mentally. The only two people in a major relationship in the entire book who ARE suited to each other in both respects are Rhoda and her friend Mary. Their friendship goes through some storms but ultimately it is their mutual respect and understanding that keeps their friendship strong and resilient. I loved their dynamic!

Every main character is selfish and proud, so no wonder they are all miserable for most of the book. But many of them are also loyal, courageous, empathetic, and good-hearted. It is mostly their own insecurities and anxieties that make them so fiercely proud, and it is their losses and struggles that make them grasp selfishly for what they want out of life. It makes them feel like real people, so while I didn't exactly like any of the characters, I found them supremely interesting and compelling.

Rhoda and Everard both think that love is a game, a contest to be won, and they are always trying to subdue and conquer, even to the point of hoping that the other person is suffering emotional distress so that they can gain the upper hand. They hold up these impossible standards to each other, and basically dare the other person to live on that pedestal.

Monica and Widdowson are the perfect counterpoint to Rhoda and Everard. Widdowson sees women as children who need a teacher to guide them and rule over them. He thinks that he can solve Monica's unrest by giving her needlework to do. He is incredibly insecure and afraid of appearing incompetent or weak, so he MUST imagine that she is incompetent and weak to make himself feel better about his own flaws.
Monica also has expectations from Widdowson that he must fulfill her male ideal of a strong and courageous man who knows what to do. She sets him up to be embarrassed and feel helpless when he can't perform perfectly in every situation that arises.

Ultimately, this is a book about contradictory ideals: the ideal woman of sweetness and femininity, the ideal man of courage and decision, the ideal behavior that is expected of each person, the ideal romance, the ideal marriage, an ideal society where women and men have equal rights. Every character has their idea of how the world "should be", and then they are disillusioned with others, and disappointed in themselves when no one can live up to those expectations. They are devastated to realize that they are only human after all, and must muddle through with the rest of the masses.

The only ideal that really holds up by the end of the book is Rhoda's ideal of women's equal rights, although she has lightened her heavy militant ideas through her character arc. I really loved her character development! For me, that makes her the main focus of the entire book. She has suffered emotionally and has been forced to reexamine her concepts of what freedom for women truly means. Through that suffering her harsh personality is softened. In the beginning she shuts out any compassion for weaker women who have "failed" her ideal of the emancipated female, but by the end of the book, she shows compassion for others. She still believes in that emancipated feminist ideal, but it is tempered with pity and a greater understanding of a woman's scope in life.

There is one scene in particular where Rhoda has just been through the worst of her emotional distress and suffering. She has finally pulled herself out of terrible depression, and another character comes to her and confides that they "don't think they will live", hinting at suicidal thoughts. Rhoda gives a beautifully encouraging speech to that character, urging them to make their life useful, have hope for the future, and find happiness in their connections with their loved ones, but all the while, you can tell that she is also giving that speech to herself. She is coming full circle to find all those things for herself, and it makes her so glad to be able to help someone else find it too.

Rhoda's noble ideals give her a contented (if not exactly happy) ending, and she is full of energy and hope. She has a virtuous purpose to give her life meaning. I loved so many things about her character and her story!

One of my favorite scenes in the entire book was when two of the characters go hiking on Sca Fell in the Lake District, and the beauties of the mountains and lakes are described in such powerful but concise language that I had to look up photos of the area. It added so much depth to the story to see the actual location where they were at, and that whole scene felt like a dream. The scene is intended to feel like a dream when the characters are away from their normal lives in London, and they are free to be themselves without the normal constraints of society. The whole plot line was masterly orchestrated with this scene as the romantic dream, and then a rude awakening when their ordinary responsibilities and anxieties creep back in. Brilliant writing!

My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more of actual loving marriages and healthy family relationships. The only happy marriage in the entire book is between two minor side characters, the Micklethwaites. It is barely touched on, only gets two or three short scenes, and is sort of dismissed as a fluke. So many of the personal relationships on every level of family, romance, friendship, and acquaintances are entirely dysfunctional, abusive, and manipulative. If only there had been a little more attention to good and healthy relationships, I would have given this book 5 stars. However, after reading a little bit about the author, it looks like he never experienced a happy or healthy relationship in real life, so no wonder he found himself unable to write about them.

I was also disappointed in how Christianity is completely dismissed in this book. It's not even considered as a possible avenue for happiness or personal fulfillment. Many Victorians twisted Christianity into something that would oppress people with rules, instead of the true Christianity of the Bible which sets people free to be whoever God created them to be. It was annoying to see how religion was sneered at in this book, but it wasn't often enough to ruin my enjoyment of the book.


There are so many aspects of this book to consider, so many facets to the characters, and elements in the plot. I could write much more, but these are my main thoughts.

Hachiken attends an agricultural high school even though he has no interest in pursuing an agricultural career. All his classmates come from farming backgrounds, and are eager to learn so they can take over their family farm someday. Poor Hachiken has to wake up early every morning to take care of livestock, clean out the stables, and gather chicken eggs. His classmates are used to early morning hours, but Hachiken is exhausted.

This manga is hilarious! It was so fun learning about how to care for animals along with Hachiken. They take care of chickens, horses, and pigs in this book, and we learn that pigs are actually really smart. Chickens lay eggs from the same area where they poop, which is why eggs are always washed carefully. Horses are skittish and sensitive, despite their strength and large size.

I was laughing every time poor Hachiken got things wrong or was grossed out by something on the farm. I loved seeing how he connects with his new friends and shows respect for his teachers. His one goal is to be at the top of his class, and make perfect grades in every subject, so he studies all the time. Most of his classmates are smart about farming things, but do poorly in basic math and language classes, so Hachiken offers to be a math tutor.

I really want to continue with this manga series!

Cruz is in Africa searching for the missing clues his mother left behind for him to find after her death. The explorers help a family of mountain gorillas in Uganda, and then follow the clues to a desert region of Africa. The evil Nebula organization is breathing down their necks, and Cruz is devastated when one of his friends is targeted.

I loved this plot! There is plenty of action and suspense. I never knew what was going to happen next! I really loved that Lani is finally part of the team! She is such an interesting character.

The exotic locations are amazing, and I loved learning about different conservation efforts in Uganda and Namibia and all the national parks. There is a lot of interesting information about poaching and wildlife conservation. It's so interesting to see the true history and real facts about actual places interwoven with the story, especially about how the local towns have learned to coexist with the animals, finding safe and humane ways to keep them away from crops without damaging the ecosystem.

The fictional technology is really cool. This book introduces a fancy camera that can transform to look like a local plant, and takes photos of wildlife when a motion detector goes off. Of course, Mell, the honeybee robot drone, is always by Cruz's side, ready to protect her master. I just love that cute little bee!

Once again, I loved Cruz's character development in this book. He grows and learns so much in every single book so far, and this book became a turning point for him. He has grown in confidence, and he is starting to have dreams and goals of his own. He is more confident in his personal relationships too. He's more willing to step back and let others shine, because he doesn't have to prove himself.

I really enjoyed the writing style, which has both some serious situations and some humor to keep things light. The pacing is excellent. The writing kept my attention and had me turning those pages.

The artwork is a cool mixture of illustrations overlaid on top of real photographs, and it adds a wonderful dimension and depth to the story. I loved seeing the characters brought to life in the artwork, as well as the beautiful locations they visit. It really makes a special addition to the story!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Seraphin and his father are working to keep the secrets of aether out of the hands of the Prussians, and trying to track the whereabouts of the missing Bavarian king. Eventually, their search will lead them to the red planet, Mars.

I love this graphic novel from start to finish! The artwork is delicate yet bold, with beautiful colors, clear action, hilarious character expressions, gorgeous designs, and emotional scenes.

The story is full of suspense, adventure, and family! I loved the friendships, the family dynamics, and the history that made this a deep and emotional tale.

I love the main character, Seraphin, more and more in every book. He’s brave and loyal and true. He meets every challenge with intelligence and resilience. I loved seeing him learning and taking more responsibility in this volume.

The supporting characters are varied and unique, from the scientists to the evil Prussian spies. Each person rings true and real.

I can’t wait to read more volumes in the series!

This book provides practical suggestions for dealing with stress in a positive and healthy way. It includes commonly stressful scenarios and how to cope when dealing with each one. Some of the scenarios include, death of a loved one, losing a job, starting college, retiring, buying a home, parenting a difficult child, getting dinner on the table, commuting to work, feeling lonely, or being in a car accident.

Each section begins with a description of the struggles of the scenario and the possible emotions that may arise. Then there is a stress-relieving exercise to try such as meditation, physical exercise, journaling, or reframing your thoughts in a more positive light.

I love that this book focuses on gratitude, resilience, and gentleness. The writing is very encouraging, and gives excellent advice for navigating the strong emotions that can come up during stressful times.

Some of the exercises are pretty obvious, like getting enough sleep and eating healthfully. However, when you are under a lot of stress, you really can forget to eat well or sleep properly. It's as though the stressful thing takes over your thoughts, and you really do need a reminder to get some sleep and eat a healthy dinner.

The first chapter is a lengthy explanation of how our hormones respond during stress, and how cortisol and chronic stress can affect your health in negative ways. It's good information to know, but if you are already under stress, I would skip to the section that deals with your situation. You don't need to know all the details about the hormones to benefit from the calming exercises.

You don't have to be in that particular stressful scenario to do the exercise either. You could jump around to different sections and try the exercises for each one, because most of them would apply to any stressful time and be helpful for promoting calm thoughts and steady emotions.

I like how this book is designed, and I love the positive messages!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

This is difficult to review because, while I loved the artwork and the lovely cover, some of the historic people that were featured in this book are very controversial. Many of them are not fit to be held up as role models for young girls! Pirates, shady politicians, drug addicts, tyrants from Ancient History, and downright gross people; I counted 19 bios out of 100 that I had serious problems with, and which I would never allow a child to read about.

I liked the bios of the decent people, like Helen Keller, the Bronte sisters, Amelia Earhart, Ada Lovelace, Rosa Parks, and others. However, I felt that some of those bios left out points that ought to have been emphasized, or emphasized points that I thought were inconsequential, or portrayed a mixed message of the person's life.

Most of the writing was skewed to a certain political viewpoint that doesn't give a complete picture of the person's achievements or what their life meant in influencing history. I could barely enjoy the good parts of this book because of so many misdirections and illusions about what these good people stood for and what made them famous. And I really didn't enjoy the bios of the people I don't admire, because the writing covered up the true nature of their corrupt lives.

Some historic figures that I expected to see in the book were missing too; people like Mother Teresa and Amy Carmichael who saved thousands of children's lives.

One thing is for certain, both in the bios chosen to be included and in the way those bios are written, there is a definite political message in this book. This writing is so biased it cannot be called historical writing.
These are NOT just some great stories of role models to inspire girls to do amazing things and never give up and believe in themselves. These are stories that send out a very particular philosophic message, and I'll just say, it's not a traditional message. I don't think it's a healthy message.

For example, just because you're a world-famous architect, does that give you the right to throw a fit if your plane is late and make everyone in the airport move your baggage and change your ticket? Apparently, yes. That is called "crossing boundaries" and "forging your own pathway".
"Getting your own way" is desirable and laudable, according to the authors.
I guess if you're special then you deserve special treatment. That's a great lesson for young ladies to learn! (sarcasm)
What a way to go down in history for throwing a fit in an airport! In a one-page bio of your life, people will know that you designed great buildings and you were a selfish pain in the butt with no regard for others.
And that is praised in this book!!
And this is only the least offensive example I could give!

Many of the bios include things similar to this that are celebrated as a woman "being a rebel" or gaining her independence or fighting the system or something. This is not the type of bad behavior that inspires me. You can change the world without being rude about it. It saddens me to think that these are the sort of people that are held up in front of us as having led lives that we should emulate.

Rosa Parks did not scream at the bus driver. She just sat down. You can make a difference without being rude, and that is way more powerful and classy than yelling at people.

I support independent and strong women, but not like this. Not these women. Not this propaganda.

A better version of this concept....[b:100 Extraordinary Stories for Courageous Girls|38749339|100 Extraordinary Stories for Courageous Girls Unforgettable Tales of Women of Faith|Jean Fischer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527523810l/38749339._SX50_.jpg|60339299]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author/publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

This book lists things you might want to declutter, and asks the question, "Do I really need it?" Each little page lists one thing, (an empty shoebox, old board games, nuts and screws, enough linens to stock a hotel, old phones, a breadmaker, holiday dinnerware, blank notebooks, and dozens more) and underneath it are checkboxes for "Yes" or "No".

After every five or six decluttering items, there is a little snippet of advice about decluttering, living more minimally, and letting go of the emotions surrounding your possessions. The tips and advice are interspersed throughout the book, so I would recommend reading all of those first, and then going back and actually doing the declutter items checklist.

The great thing is you don't HAVE to declutter or get rid of any of the items. You just have to ask yourself, "Do I really need it?" If you answer "Yes", and you have a real reason why you love the item and use it, then you can keep it with confidence. If you answer "No", then you can donate or trash the item with a clear conscience.

I love that focus of this book is on what you want to keep, not on what you are throwing in the trash. The whole attitude toward decluttering is purposeful, and that's what minimalism really is... being intentional about your possessions.

The writing style is encouraging and positive, with lots of funny little witticisms. Some of the items are really funny but also relatable, because we all have some weird lamp, souvenir snow globe, old cassette tapes, novelty pencil sharpener, or dorky item we won at a fair or carnival.

The illustrations are what make this book really special! There are little drawings of each decluttering item, some of them showing the wear and tear on the clothing, and the dirt or grime on the item, and the holes in the socks, and how the silverware is tarnished. The artwork is so whimsical and sweet! I love all the designs in this book!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.