Breathe Deep & Swim ~Book Review~

Breathe Deep & Swim By: Jenna Marcus Cleanliness (See “About” for scale): 4/5 (Moderate cursing, Topics to consider: death, COVID-19, & racism.) 4 Stars Breathe Deep & Swim is the bittersweet tale of loss, forgiveness, adventure, and brotherly love. At 150 pages, it is a fairly short book, yet it still manages to completely capture …

In Cold Blood ~Book Review~

In Cold Blood By: Truman Capote Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): 3/5 (Cursing, Topics to consider: murder, racism, pedophilia, suicide, and capital punishment.) 4 Stars "Of all the people in the world, the Clutters were the least likely to be murdered." In Cold Blood is a well-crafted, intriguing true story of the Clutter family murders …

Breakfast at Bronzefield ~Book Review~

Breakfast at Bronzefield By: Sophie Campbell Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): 3/5 (Content to consider: Cursing, mentions of rape, mentions of sexual assault, and violence) 4 Stars Breakfast at Bronzefield is a nonfiction, autobiographical recounting of Sophie Campbell's experience in the UK's female prison system. All told from her perspective, this book reads a bit …

Beyond the Mirror ~Book Review~

Beyond the Mirror: Seechers By: M.K. Williams and Natalie Kavanagh Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Yuck (10+ curse words) Stars: 4.5 This book is absolutely amazing! Although the storyline appears to be a fairly basic fantasy book, the scientific/mental aspect of the "magic" and the writing itself takes it to an entirely new level. There …

Get Outside ~Journal Review~

Get Outside By: Ink & Willow 4 Stars Get Outside is a beautiful journal focused on religion and nature. It features "inspirational quotes, thoughtful journaling prompts, and valuable information to enhance every outdoor adventure." The first time I used this journal, I was sitting outside in the grass on a peaceful summer day. The prompts …

Feelu ~Book Review~

Feelu: Explore Your Feelings By: Niloufar Shafiei 5 Stars Topics to consider: bullying Feelu is a very in-depth book that teaches kids how to deal with emotions as well as bullying. It uses examples, pictures, and colors to explain how to express each emotion and where that emotion fits into life. The illustrations are absolutely …

A Secret to Die for ~Book Review~

A Secret to Die forBy: Lisa Harris Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Clean (Topics to consider: murder, cancer, divorce, religion, and death.) 4.5 Stars A Secret to Die for is a fast-paced, intriguing novel about murder, hacking, detectives, and healing after loss. I felt like I could barely put it down! The storyline is constantly changing …

A Dream Within a Dream ~Book Review~

A Dream Within a Dream By: Mike Nappa and Melissa Kosci Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly tainted (Topics to consider: murder, kidnapping, PTSD, torture, and death.) 4 stars A Dream Within a Dream is an intense suspense novel about a man with PTSD, the CIA, FBI, (and as the main character would say, "the …

How to Tame Dragons and Hush Hyenas ~Book Review~

How to Tame Dragons and Hush Hyenas By: Kerry Orchard Ages 10 and under. Topics to consider: anger and destruction. 5 Stars The quote on the back page truly sums up this book when it states, "This hilarious tale filled with colourful illustrations is perfect for the young reader learning to deal with dragons of …

I Am Malala ~Book Review~

I Am Malala By: Malala Yousafzai Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly tainted (Topics to consider: terrorism, shootings, bombings, mention of stillbirth, blood, sexism, religion, surgery, and murder.) 5 Stars Wow. Just wow. I Am Malala is the autobiography of a young girl from Pakistan who stood up for women's rights and education and was …

It’s a Bright World to Feel Lost In ~Book Review~

It's a Bright World to Feel Lost In By: Mawson Bear 3 Stars "Are you feeling a little lost? Got that ‘left in the spare room’ emptiness about you? Mawson does too." This is a picture book for adults written by a teddy bear... Yes, you read that right. I had no idea what to …

Loblolly, Loblolly, You’re So Tall ~Book Review~

Loblolly, Loblolly, You're So Tall By: Mommy Moo Moo Ages 4 and under 3 stars This is a very different story. It is full of fairly random descriptive words that tell you about Loblollies. What are Loblollies? I had to look them up because this book never technically tells you (although you will probably figure …

Haibu: Lost in New York ~Book Review~

Haibu: Lost in New York By: Blake Freeman Topics to consider: disobeying parents, mention of blood, orphans, and animal abuse. 4.5 stars This book is so adorable and teaches very, very obvious lessons. Haibu is a little girl who disobeys her parents, gets lost, and changes New York for good. The story teaches that animals …

Freedom’s Light ~Book Review~

Freedom's Light By: Colleen Coble Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Yuck (Topics to consider: war, murder, religion, kissing, mention of abuse, drinking, multiple scenes of implied sex, and death.) 4.5 stars This story will totally suck you in. The Revolutionary War setting makes this book so much more than just a romance. It has mystery, …

24: What Can Happen in a Day ~Book Review~

24: What Can Happen in a Day By: Michael Ford Jr. Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Disgusting (10+ Curse Words. Topics to consider: suicides, nakedness, descriptions of body parts, mentions of sex, mention of rape, blood, descriptive injuries, and death.) 4 stars Ever wonder what it feels like to be a firefighter? Well, this book …

Candide ~Book Review~

Welcome to the third review on my classical to-be-read list!! If you haven’t seen my list, check it out here: Classics TBR. And be sure to take a look at my first two reviews here: The Alchemist & Animal Farm. Candide By: Voltaire Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Trash (1 Curse Word. Other content: descriptive war, kissing, …

A Brush With Death ~Book Review~

A Brush With Death By: Ali Carter Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Yuck (10+ curse words. Other content: smoking, drinking, mention of sex, descriptions of privates, religion, murder, and death.) 3.5 stars This book was simply odd. I think I expected too much of it. There was mystery, a tiny bit of romance, and humor; …

Animal Farm ~Book Review~

Welcome to the second review on my classical to-be-read list!! If you haven't seen my list, check it out here: Classics TBR. And check out my first review here: The Alchemist. Animal Farm By: George Orwell Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (No curse words. Topics to consider: drinking, blood, suicide, murder, and death.) …

ESV Archaeology Study Bible ~Review~

ESV Archaeology Study Bible Published by: Crossway 4.5 Stars First of all, I want to say: #1 I have only read the footnotes in this book through Exodus at the time of writing this review. #2 A study bible really shouldn't be read the way I read it. This study bible is really, really cool. …

This Is the Day ~Book Review~

This Is the Day By: Tim Tebow Release Date: September 25th 4 Stars Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean (Topics to consider: religion, semi-graphic injury, and death.) This book is what I would consider an inspirational self-help religious autobiography. It's a fairly quick read packed with tons of motivational quotes, encouragement, stories of success, …

The Crescent Stone ~Book Review~

The Crescent Stone By: Matt Mikalatos Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean (No cursing. Topics to consider: terminal illness, blood, war, and death.) 4.5 stars With mystery, magic, humor, and even history, The Crescent Stone is a very fun book to read! In a land where everyone keeps their word (except when they don't...), …

What Blooms from Dust ~Book Review~

What Blooms from Dust By: James Markert Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (No curse words. Topics to consider: murder, smoking, drinking, still-birth, cutting, and death.) 4 Stars The thing that attracted me first to this book was the beautiful cover! The cover and the title are very meaningful once you've read the story. …

Blue Sky ~Book Review~

Blue SkyBy: Brian Kindall Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (8+ Euphemisms. Other content to consider: name-calling, nakedness, and multiple deaths.) 3 Stars You've heard all the tales of an abandoned child being raised by wolves, now get ready for the little girl raised by ibex! This middle-grade fiction is about as weird as …

Shattered Loyalties ~Book Review~

Shattered LoyaltiesBy: Karen Chalfant Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (No cursing. Topics to consider: smoking, drinking, slavery, abuse, religion, murder, brief kissing, and death.) 4.5 Stars Shattered Loyalties talked about two very tough subjects: sexism in the 1800s and slavery in the 1800s. The author did it rather well! This was a very …

Chicken Hero ~Book Review~

Chicken Hero By: Uyi Osifo Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean (Content to consider: mention of blood, mention of poop, drinking, bullying, and religion.) 2.5 Stars Uyi Osifo has a pretty amazing memory. Chicken Hero is a unorganized, random collection of the author's memories from when he lived in Nigeria. I enjoyed some of …

The House at Saltwater Point ~Book Review~

The House at Saltwater Point By: Colleen Coble Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly tainted (No cursing. Content to consider: drugs, blood, multiple murders, mention of suicide, brief kissing, ISIS, and death.) 5 stars This is a book of hate and love, betrayal and trust. I had so many emotions flying. The House of Saltwater …

Finding the Love of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation ~Book Review~

Finding the Love of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation By: Elyse Fitzpatrick Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean (Topics to consider: religion and sexism.) 3 Stars One thing I almost always skip over in a book is the dedication page, but this one caught my eye. "To every woman who has ever wondered whether …

Guest Blogger: Joey ~Book Review~

Here's something new to my blog. Today, I have a post not written by me! This is Peggy's (check her blog out here: A Quiet and Peaceable Life) review of Joey! Please give her a big welcome to guest blogging and make sure to check out my review of this book here! Thanks to Peggy for sharing …

Just Let Go ~Book Review~

Just Let Go By: Courtney Walsh Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean (No cursing. Topics to consider: fighting, religion, family troubles, single parents, and drinking.) 4 stars Just Let Go is a dramatic story of fame, hurt, failure, forgiveness, and love. The base plot-line reminded me a lot of Pride and Prejudice -- prideful, arrogant …

First Impressions ~Book Review~

First Impressions By: Debra White Smith Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Yuck (No cursing. Topics to consider: sexism, drinking, drugs, religion, implied sex, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, mention of abortion, brief kissing, and death.) 4 Stars I've never seen a modern Pride and Prejudice retelling that was about the production of a Pride and Prejudice play! This …

Happier Thinking ~Book Review~

Happier Thinking By: Lana Grace Riva Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean (Topic to consider: depression.) 4 stars "Happier thinking involves acting productively rather than thinking destructively." Happier Thinking is a really nice novella. It's super simplistic, yet something everyone needs to read. There is nothing revolutionary, but it is a wonderful reminder that …

Hansel and Gretel ~Book Review~

Hansel and Gretel By: Mike Klaassen Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (No cursing. Other content to consider: abandonment, abuse, witches, mention of cannibalism, descriptive vomiting, mention of flesh ripping, flesh cooking, and death.) 3 Stars This book was a little disappointing to me. First, I'd like to point out the title Hansel and …

Room ~Book Review~

Room By: Emma Donoghue Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Yuck (2+ curse words. Other content to consider: birth, stillbirth, abortion, breastfeeding, multiple mentions of private parts, mention of rape, implication of sex, kidnapping, and implied attempted suicide.) 4 Stars "To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world...." This is such a powerful story. It's pure fiction, …

Jameon’s Closet ~Book Review~

Jameon's Closet By: Shauna Havlina and Leanne Richter Ages 10 and under 5 Stars This is not any everyday children's book. The purpose of Jameon's Closet (according to the second page and back cover) is "... a story written to help children acknowledge and respect their feelings... even the hard ones. It is meant as a …

Star Trek: The Next Generation Cats ~Book Review~

Star Trek: The Next Generations Cats By: Jenny Parks Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean 4.5 stars Star Trek: The Next Generation Cats is an hilarious picture book for adults (or kids!) I think children would really love the pictures, but they definitely wouldn't understand the references. You really need to have watched Star Trek: …

A Most Noble Heir ~Book Review~

A Most Noble Heir By: Susan Anne Mason Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (No cursing. Content to consider: religion, kissing, servitude, mention of characters cursing [not specific], drinking, birth, multiple implications of sex, kidnapping, and death.) 4.5 Stars First of all, I absolutely love this cover! It is very nicely done, and gave …

New Boy ~Book Review~

New Boy By: Tracy Chevalier Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Disgusting (20+ curse words. Other content: racism, multiple mentions and descriptions of private parts, bullying, brief mention of cannibalism, and descriptive kissing.) 2 stars New Boy is an Othello retelling set in a 1970s elementary school. When I heard about the setting, I thought it would be …

Good Life, Good Death ~Book Review~

Good Life, Good Death By: Derek Humphry Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (1+ curse words. Other content to consider: assisted suicide, divorce, war, drugs, drinking, murder, cancer, non-descriptive sex, religion, and death.) 4 stars I went into Good Life, Good Death expecting a book about the right to die movement. It is not …

One Stone Left Unturned ~Book Review~

One Stone Left Unturned By: Marianna Heusler Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Slightly Tainted (4+ Curse Words and/or Euphemisms. Other content: bullying, car accident, dementia, hemophilia, family trouble, mention of dead body, magic, lying, murder, and death.) 4.5 stars One Stone Left Unturned was a story of mystery, history, sadness, and magic. The chapters alternated …

The Orphan Band of Springdale ~Book Review~

The Orphan Band of Springdale (ARC) By: Anne Nesbet Expected Publication: April 10, 2018 Cleanliness (See "About" for scale): Very Clean (Middle-grade fiction. Topics to consider: orphans, fugitives, bullying, war, injury, and lying.) 5 stars Who knew a book about World War II could be so extremely sweet and beautiful?! I loved this book so …

The Push ~Book Review~

The Push By: Patrick Gray Ages 5+ Topic to consider: disability. 4.5 stars I didn't understand the name of this book until I looked at the cover. I might have "aww'd" a little! Haha. The pictures were very cute throughout, and I liked how some of the words overlapped the pictures while some had their …

When Grandpa Gets Going ~Book Review~

When Grandpa Gets Going By: David Radman Ages 3+ Content to consider: burping and mention of monsters. 4.5 stars When Grandpa Gets Going is an adorable book that teaches kids about rhyming. It's a story about all the things Grandpa does with his grandchildren when they are over. Grandpa has lots of fun including: reading …