Book Review: Best of Bridge Weekday Suppers: All-New Easy Everyday Recipes by Emily Richards and Sylvia Kong

Best of Bridge Weekday Suppers: All-New Easy Everyday Recipes by Emily Richards and Sylvia Kong

When you don’t know what to make for supper and everyone is bugging you to feed them NOW, what do you do?

You could go scream into the clown’s head and get some robot food, or you could pick up your copy of Best of Bridge Weekday Suppers: All-New Easy Everyday Recipes by Emily Richards and Sylvia Kong and you are ready to go.

You probably have everything you need to fix most of these recipes. There are even recipes for dessert in here.

These recipes are easy to follow. Well, not really. The problem will be when the recipe says to cook the bacon and set it aside. What cook is going to allow bacon to just sit there without eating it?

If you can resist the bacon long enough for it to actually make it into your recipe, you have the makings for some very tasty meals.

The spiral binding on this book makes it easy to follow the recipes because it doesn’t change the page while your back is turned. Who hasn’t had the page turn on them while they are making a recipe? This makes for some interesting meals.

This easy to follow book will make a great addition to your cookbook collection. Even a husband can follow these recipes. Get your copy of Best of Bridge Weekday Suppers today.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: The Tears of Gethsemane by Deborah Faulks

The Tears of Gethsemane by Deborah Faulks

The Tears of Gethsemane by Deborah Faulks was a difficult book for me to read and review.  It is very different from most books regarding Christianity.

When I first started reading this book, it was difficult for me to concentrate on it.  I started it over several times because I just wasn’t getting it.

I started to just set it aside for later, but then a prompting told me I really needed to get into this book.  I said multiple prayers and then dug into it.

Once I was able to quiet my mind, I was able to really understand what the author is trying to say.

Suzanne and I are from a charismatic, fundamentalist background.  This being said, we a have a few fundamental theological differences, but the overall feel and message of the book is completely in keeping with our beliefs.

This is not the kind of book one should just plow right through,  It is the kind of book that one should read with a lot of prayer and reflection.  One should keep their favorite translation of the Holy Bible handy and probably another translation to help when one has questions.

The Tears of Gethsemane would make a great small group Bible study. This would probably be the best way to approach it.

Perhaps a group of Christians should take one chapter at a time and spend a week reading and re-reading it as well as prayerfully considering it.  Then, they could come together and discuss it in more detail.

If you miss this book, you have probably missed a blessing.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: The Herbal Medicine Cookbook: Everyday Recipes to Boost Your Health by Susan Hess and Tina Sams

The Herbal Medicine Cookbook: Everyday Recipes to Boost Your Health by Susan Hess and Tina Sams

Cholesterol too high? Take a pill.  Blood pressure too high? Take a pill.  Got a cold coming on? Take a pill. So many pills cannot possibly be good for us.

Modern medicine has an answer for just about everything.  But at what cost to your health?

The Herbal Medicine Cookbook: Everyday Recipes to Boost Your Health by Susan Hess and Tina Sams provides you some simple, relatively inexpensive ways to help you stay healthy.

This book is a step-by-step guide to eating in such a way that you give your body what it needs to heal itself.

You don’t need to replace your doctor or other health care provider, unless that is your goal.  You can help yourself feel better by following the recipes in this cookbook.

The Herbal Medicine Cookbook takes the idea of Chinese medicine and makes it easy to understand and easy to follow.  You won’t need a lot of fancy herbs or other ingredients. You probably have just about everything you need to follow most of these recipes right now.

This book tells you what equipment you need to get started.  Most modern kitchens have all of it or, at least, most of it anyway.

By following these easy recipes, you will give your body what it needs to feel better and healthier.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: Keto in 30 Minutes: 100 No-Stress Ketogenic Diet Recipes to Keep You on Track by Jen Fisch

Keto in 30 Minutes: 100 No-Stress Ketogenic Diet Recipes to Keep You on Track by Jen Fisch

Let’s face it, there is no one, perfect diet.  We hear so much about keto diets now but, what is a keto diet and how will it help? Keto in 30 Minutes: 100 No-Stress Ketogenic Diet Recipes to Keep You on Track by Jen Fisch will answer many of your questions.

This book takes the time to explain what a keto diet is and what it isn’t.  Did you know that certain vegetarian dishes can be a part of a keto diet?

Evidently, the keto diet was intended to help with epilepsy.  It has also been used to help with Parkinson’s Disease. The thing is, you should never start a diet of any type without discussing it with your doctor, nutritionist and/or other medical professional.

This book answers the question, “How do I know I am in keto?”

You will learn about the proper kitchen tools to make following a keto diet easier and about exercise, as well.

This is probably something a diabetic wants to shy away from but, for many others, the keto diet may just be what you are looking for.

Keto in 30 Minutes delivers just what it promises. That is keto meals that are quick and easy to prepare without a lot of fuss and muss.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: Express Yourself: The One-Year Journal for Girls by Katherine Flannery and Illustrated by Elizabeth Graeber

Express Yourself: The One-Year Journal for Girls by Katherine Flannery and Illustrated by Elizabeth Graeber

Express Yourself: The One-Year Journal for Girls by Katherine Flannery and Illustrated by Elizabeth Graeber is a great year-long guided journal for girls (for anyone, really).

There are weekly questions to answer, in addition to writing a little snippet for each day of the year. If you tend to write very long daily entries, then you will need to do it outside of this book, which only allows a few lines for the daily entries.

The weekly questions range from the not-so-serious to questions of depth, such as describing the funniest thing that ever happened to you and how you have dealt with rumors being spread about you.

There are round up questions after the year of journaling, which help you to reflect on the year. Some of these can be very emotional, depending on how your year has gone.

Express Yourself is a great book to help a person get into the practice of daily journaling without being overwhelming.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: Together With Christ: A Dating Couples Devotional: 52 Devotions and Bible Studies to Nurture Your Relationship by Chelsea Damon

Together With Christ: A Dating Couples Devotional: 52 Devotions and Bible Studies to Nurture Your Relationship by Chelsea Damon

Christians are instructed in the Bible not to be unequally yoked. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are instructed not to marry people from the occupied lands. The reason for this is that we are often enticed to follow the gods of the other people.

In today’s modern world, this translates into Christians not being in a relationship with non-Christians for the same reason.  After a while, we tend to gravitate towards the non-Christian lifestyle of the other.

This is where Together With Christ: A Dating Couples Devotional: 52 Devotions and Bible Studies to Nurture Your Relationship by Chelsea Damon can help dating couples.  It can even help newlyweds and not-so-newlyweds, as well.

This book presents 52 weekly devotions designed for couples to read and discuss together.  The subjects covered are very important to couples who are striving to have a Christian relationship and a successful marriage.

If a couple will sit down together and truly discuss each weekly devotion, they stand a much better chance at a successful marriage than they would if they did not.

Together With Christ also makes a great text for a small group Bible study.  Your church should strongly consider this.

If your families are from different Christian denominations, it would be well to sit down with both sides of the new family separately, and maybe even together, to work through this book.

Remember, one must put God in charge of your married life.  Therefore, if marriage is a good thing right now, it will be a good thing a year from now.  Don’t rush it; grow together and give your marriage the best chance at success that you can. Together With Christ will help you to do that.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine Bettinger

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine Bettinger

You must have heard about DNA.  We studied it back in school, way back in the dark ages of the 1970s.  Now, DNA testing has become all the rage.

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine Bettinger is a great resource to help genealogists and wannabe genealogists make sense of a complicated subject.

I am not a genealogist and I don’t play one on TV.  However, my beautiful child-bride Suzanne is a genealogist and she has just branched out into the fascinating world of using DNA testing to assist in tracing the family tree.

Just like any new scientific area, DNA testing will develop and find more and more uses.  The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy will help you understand the technology as it relates to the world today.

This book is part of our personal Kindle collection.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: Chess for Beginners: Know the Rules, Choose Your Strategy, and Start Winning by Yelizaveta Orlova

Chess for Beginners: Know the Rules, Choose Your Strategy, and Start Winning by Yelizaveta Orlova

When I was in the tenth grade, everyone was learning how to play chess.  I did not want to be left out, so I taught myself using the World Book Encyclopedia.  It gave me the basics, but it did not teach me any strategy.

Once you buy Chess for Beginners: Know the Rules, Choose Your Strategy, and Start Winning by Yelizaveta Orlova, you will not only know the basics, but you will learn some basic strategies for winning at chess.

There are a few problems with this book.  The first problem is that the chess quotes included in the book are written in a light red which does not stand out very well from the background.

There appears to be a mistake in placing a heading on page 67. To me it appears that the bold words that say Diagram 6.13 should actually appear just over the heading Why Did Black Make This Move? instead of where it has been placed.

I really think that this book would be better if there were more step-by-step diagrams, rather than a few diagrams, to support the moves discussed.

Either way, before you start out you should have a good, basic chess set up so that you can see the plays and move the pieces for each move.

You will not be a World Champion just by reading Chess for Beginners. Then again, that would be expecting too much from a book designed to teach you the basics.

Once you have your copy of this book, you will want to teach your children basic chess and then make the game a part of your family home evening.

 

Click image to see this and other chess sets on Amazon.com!

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: GEDnetics: How To Find Relatives Using Genealogy and DNA Testing by Gednetics

GEDnetics: How To Find Relatives Using Genealogy and DNA Testing by Gednetics

Suzanne has been tracing her family tree ever since she was a very young teenager.  Recently we have taken DNA testing to help trace our family tree.

If we were very new to genealogy, GEDnetics: How To Find Relatives Using Genealogy and DNA Testing by Gednetics would have been very helpful. For anyone who has not yet had their DNA tested, this book is a great tool.  It is not very long, but has lots of information that would be very useful to anyone who is just starting out.

If you are contemplating tracing your family tree using DNA testing, this book will help point you in the right direction.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Book Review: Franklin: The Man behind the United States Commando Dogs by Matthew Duffy

Franklin: The Man behind the United States Commando Dogs by Matthew Duffy

If you are a dog person, you will love Franklin: The Man behind the United States Commando Dogs by Matthew Duffy.

If you are a military person, you will love this book as well.  It is very hard to believe that this is the first book of this type that Matthew Duffy has written.

Duffy has written books about dog training in his career.  As a matter of fact, it appears that Duffy is one of the top dog trainers in the country.  However, he tells the story of Jeff Franklin and his dogs so well that you just can’t put the book down.

So far this year we have read over 225 books.  If we had to choose one “Best Book” we could not do that.  However, there is no doubt that Franklin would make it into the top ten along with Code Name Papa books one and two.

Duffy tells you several dog stories that are just riveting.  When we saw the name of one of the chapters, “Dog Down”, we were on the edge of our seats.  I, David, could not tell that story to our other reviewers here at Manian Debil Productions without tearing up.

Franklin is a Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine.  Our family is strong military. Our Marine likes to tell his Navy sibling that the Marines are a department of the Navy, the MENS Department.  Once you read Franklin, you will know why that is so.

Have yourself a potty break, grab yourself a comfortable chair, make a pot of coffee, and prepare to sit in place for a while because you won’t be able to put Franklin down. Go on, we dare you.  Just try to put it down for long. You will pick it right back up.

If you can only read one book this year, you should make it Franklin.  It is hands down one of the best.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.