Books read Aug 11

Peace Cottage by Lisa Kent
This book starts out with a mother who's lost her spouse and with her two teen daughters they travel from VT to Maine to find themselves. The come across a store that leads them to a cottage that is deplorable but
Lucy is able to clean it up and the family is happy to have found the place. Girls are wrapped up in their life studies and work that gives time to Lucy to find her new self again. With her 51st birthday she is once again able to knit. She hates how they just walked away from everything in VT and reaches out to her family and parents and the sisters visit one Thanksgiving.
Some days are harder than others and she fears the time that both girls will be away at college-just next year. The landlord gave them a break on the rent after she cleaned the place spotless and they don't know much about Jack. Love the travel excursions they go on and the treasures they find that make their home complete.
Teared up a few times reading the words and thinking of myself in her position and that they are in such a healing place.
Love that they have found a church as it's Christmas time and we always grew up with the Advent calendars.
As the story goes on you find out the details of why they had to leave the town in VT and what Jack is hiding from them. Didn't see the ending as written and loved it as is.
Such memories and treasures. beautiful story.

Loved this one so much I bought the second in the series.

Three! by Tia Perkin

This colorful children's story about a little boy who is turning three.

He wakes his mother up and then he wants to play. He gets himself dressed and all the clothes come out of the drawer. He gets his toys out, all of them and then they go to the store

and he continues to be a messy kid. They try to get him to take a nap but he wants no part of that. The parents are exhausted and he might go to sleep at the end of the day...

The Tale of the Clownfish and the Great Shark by Lily Lexington

Colorful rhyming children's book about the Great White Shark who lives down deep in the ocean.

Different fish are shown and a few sentences about each one, things they do or eat or their colors.

They each dared another to go down to see the shark to steal a sharp tooth from him.

What happens when Jasper the clown fish goes down deeper is amazing and they get to really talk to one another.

Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

My Dad is a Superhero by Lily Lexington
This colorful children's book is about a boy and how he plays with his dad.
His dad can do things  a superhero can: faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a lion, read minds, xray vision, sonic hearing etc are some  of the things he has.
Each page shows how the dad and son play using his special skills.
Love the ending the most.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

The Bath Time Book
Children's colorful story about Alfie and it's time for a bath and he's not even tired to go to bed.
He just wanted to play, no eat or drink or take a bath and the others told him he couldn't play as it was his bath time.
He finally gives in as he knows all his friends are in their beds already. He imagines a lot of things he could be doing...
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

The big Sneeze by Ruth Brown
This is a children's story and I listened to it. Starts at the farm and you hear the sound of the buzz and the farmer sneezes.
The fly then landed on the spider and the story goes on as other animals come to life on the farm. Quite the variety.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

The Princess in My Teacup by Sally Huss
Have enjoyed other works by this author and this is a great read also.
Very colorful rhyming children's book about being useful and helpful to others.
Starts out when she was visiting with her cousin. She would see a princess in her teacup. She's also see her in other places.  She asked what she could do and the princess said to be useful. She had been doing that by helping others in the family with small things.
Next she saw the princess and she told her to make friends with those who don't have any. She did notice a boy and it was raining out so she offered not only her umbrella but her friendship.
Next she was telling the little girl to do more...love how she realizes at the end who the princess really is.
Cute story.

35 Slow Cooker Christmas Recipes - Happy Holiday Meals for Your Slow Cooker by Jean Pardue
Starts with an introduction about Christmas.
Recipes start with a title and list of ingredients and how to make the dish.
There are no pictures. There is no nutritional information.
Recipes are scattered, they are not in any order, soup then breakfast casserole, french toast, sandwiches, etc
There are no servings but it does tell you how long to put the slower cooker on for.
Chocolate drops then sausage dish.  Might be able to substitute for a healthier option in the ingredients.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

Chocolate Cakes: The 20 Best Recipes Ever! by Marjorie Kramer
Starts out with introduction about the family members that started the cooking in the family and about their life.
Recipes start with a title, summary and list of ingredients. Not sure if you could substitute for a healthier option as it would change the batter a bit.
Directions and frosting are also included.
There is no nutritional information and no pictures.
Nothing jumped out at me but the mayonnaise chocolate cake.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

Let's Grill: Carolinas' Best BBQ Recipes by David Martin
Starts out with an introduction about equipment and what makes recipes from this area different than other parts of the US.
Chapter on just the barbecue sauces along with the recipes to make them yourself.
Has a title, summary and servings. List of ingredient and how to make the dish. There are no pictures and no nutritional information and you might be able to substitute for a healthier option due to your dietary needs.
The recipes themselves for a meal has a title, summary of the dish and a color photo.Servings and list of ingredients and the dry rubs, bbq sauce and how to make it.
Different sections for different meats used.
Lots of side dish recipes and my favorite would be a hush puppy. never had one but ingredients make it sound healthy for me to try.
There are even desserts. Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

Quick Bread Cookbook: 50 Delicious Recipes of Savory Quick Breads, Sweet Quick Breads and Classic Bread Recipes by Susan Moure
Glanced through the recipes and found so many I want to try. Some do not use yeast.
Each recipe states with a title, color photo and ingredient list. Instructions on how to make are included. No nutritional information but you should be able to substitute for your dietary healthier needs.
Chapters on different types of bread are: classic, savory, and sweet breads.
There is also a linkable gift and other works by the author.
Found some of the recipes were catering to English methods and the same breads are also catered to American measurements and ingredients.
Not sure what some of the words mean as the dictionary can not help either on the kindle.
Also not sure what 76 r corn flour means. Not familiar with measurements.

Gourmet Recipes: Easy and Tasty Gourmet Recipes for Two by Despina Stojilkovska
This book has recipes that include a title, short summary, color photo, prep and total time along with servings. List of ingredients along with instructions on how to make but there is no nutritional information.
Some of the serving sizes seem to be a bit much, 11oz of chicken breasts. We are not allowed to have but 4 oz.  Also found some recipes include more than 12 ingredients.
Good ideas and I might use a few of these but not with same ingredients.

Bread Recipes: The Ultimate Bread Recipe Book by Alexandra Bostinescu, Content Arcade Publishing
This book starts in with an intro then the recipes. Each recipe starts with a short summary and prep and total time and servings.
List of ingredients are included are some are foreign foods, might have a hard time finding them at the local store.
Color photo and instructions are included.
There is no nutritional information and you might be able to substitute for your dietary healthier needs.
What I do like is the fact that many come from other countries and they sound and look so appetizing.
Everything from basic American bread to Mediterranean pita bread. Can't wait to try this one as we tend to use a bit of that more than any breads. I would use whole wheat flour myself.
Sweet dessert type breads are included at the end.

Instant Pot Cookbook for Two: 25 Easy Instant Pot Recipes to Cook in the Pressure Cooker by Shon Brooks
We have one of the these and use it daily if not more often than that.
This book has a lot of choices but I did not think they were healthy as the nutritional information at the end does not break up the fat content nor list sodium.
Also some recipes call for up to 20 ingredients. It's going to take a lot of time to gather it all up, even if you don't have to dice the products required.
Each recipe starts with a sitle and a short summary of the dish.
Prep and cook time along with servings is included. Ingredient list and you should be able to substitute for a healthier option due to your dietary needs (low fat, low sodium).
Directions are numbered in steps. The language is a bit different than American english as they want you to churn the mass. That means to mix the ingredients til a good consistency.
Also it states to close the lid on a saute cook. Also tells you to cook at pressure mode. what temperature or level is that?
The nutritional information at the end does not state if it's for the whole dish or just one of the two servings. It includes calories, fat, not broken up into good or bad, fiber, carbs and protein.
I do like the variety of dishes to make but don't think I will be making any from this book.

35 Chicken Breast Recipes by Jean Pardue
List of other works by the author are listed at the start of this book.
A short into then the recipes.
Each recipe has a title, along with ingredients and directions. Very few have a color photo. Some some prep and total time along with servings-not all.
There is no nutritional information and I suggest for a healthier option substitute for low fat and low sodium. I'd stay away from condensed soups in a can due to very high sodium content.
Not sure why you'd not keep the same format throughout, makes it difficult on the cook.

Diabetic Breakfast Recipes: How to Cook Easy and Delicious Breakfast Recipes for Diabetes Diet (How to Cook Easy and Delicious Recipes for Diabetes Diet Book 1) by Cynthia Michaels
There are many diabetics in the family so I wanted to learn what it is they can eat. Starts out with an intro about being diabetic and how dangerous it can be if you don't pay attention to your diet.
Gives a few tips on what is important with a breakfast meal for a diabetic.
Recipes for type 2 diabetes:  recipes start with a title, summary and list of ingredients and how to make it.
No nutritional information and they are not really set up as a recipe, just a few paragraphs and there is no order as to how they appear.
Each chapter seems to cater to certain foods like whole grain or dairy, protein and fruit.
As the book goes further the recipes take on a new shape: title, servings, ingredient and how to make  and they each will start on a new page.
Author states how many grams of fat one biscuit is and calories so am wondering why it can't be listed as such for all of them?

Breakfast Cookbook: Fast and Easy Breakfast Recipes Inspired by The Mediterranean Diet (Free Gift Inside): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for Busy People on a Budget (Healthy Eating Made Easy Book 1)  Alissa Noel Grey
Starts out with Healthy breakfasts for busy mornings and how to use this Mediterranean cookbook is about and what the health benefits are.
Each recipe has a title and servings and prep time and a list of ingredients with directions.
There are no pictures and no nutritional information and you should be able to substitute for healthier options with some of the ingredients for your dietary needs.
Some of these recipes I'd not associate with having at breakfast. They'd leave me too full and wanting to take a nap.
Salads I also do not associate with a breakfast meal.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

Easy Crepe Cookbook: 50 Delicious Crepe Recipes (Crepe Recipes, Crepe Cookbook, Breakfast Recipes, Breakfast Cookbook Book 1)  Maggie Chow
Have made some before and enjoyed them.
Starts out with other cookbooks by the author as a gift.  Short bio then abbreviations.
Recipes contain a title, ingredients and directions on how to make.
There are no pictures. Also has per servings: prep and cook time and nutritional information: calories, fat-not broken up into good or bad, carbs, protein, cholesterol and sodium.
Think as the healthiest I'd like to try the yogurt and jelly filled crepes.
Quite a variety to choose from.

30 Delicious No-Bake Icebox Cookie Recipes by Lori Burke
Starts with an intro about how she was taught to make cookies from her relatives and what ice box cookies are.
Tips about freezing dough is included.
Each recipe has a title, servings. List of ingredients and you might be able to substitute for a healthier option due to your dietary needs.
Directions on how to make and freeze. Also sections on how to prepare for the oven to bake.
No nutritional information and no pictures.
Like the idea that I can mix it, a  5 dozen supply and store in the freezer for several months. It's a lot of butter though so I'd use it for just special occasions where we'd not be eating any ourselves.
Oatmeal coconut would be my choice as it makes 5 1/2 dozen and I like those two flavors.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

Princess Faith Encourages Eli (Princess Faith Series) by Kelly Strenge
Offer of a free ebook about Princess Faith is included.  Faith is playing indoors and Eli knocks and they play inside.
Colorful, some pages are dark to read, children's book. Other friends want them to come play in the park but Eli knows he doesn't play well enough to join them.
Faith is able to talk to Eli and they do decide to go to the park. Morel of the story is we are all good at one thing, not always everything.
Be proud of yourself for what you can do.  The stories come from the Bible and they are true stories to believe in. Like the ending.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest review.

The Truth About Cancer Second Edition: A Child's Guide To Understanding Cancer (The Truth Series) by Kelly Strenge

Had read an earlier version of this and find it to be as useful. Children's colorful story about what it means when someone gets cancer.

It is a scary thing for someone you love to go through but it is not your fault. You can help them in many ways. Book pages show you as you read along how you can comfort those going through the different phases of cancer.

Shows you what might also happen to the loved ones because of different forms of medication and how to be ok with it.

Explains a bit in detail that it won't matter if you are young or old or what race you are or if you're short or tall.

Glossary at the end of the difficult words and their meanings. Lots of encouragement and hope. Free instant access for a limited time to other educational library for parents.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest review.