My middle daughter loves rocks. She’s said she wants to be a geologist for as long as I can remember

Geology Lab for Kids: 52 Projects to Explore Rocks, Gems, Geodes, Crystals, Fossils, and Other Wonders of the Earth’s Surface by Garret Romaine is an amazing book with fun projects to learn about geology!

Geology Lab for Kids is a great introduction to all things geology!

The book includes twelve units with an introduction, a section on Identifying Rocks and Minerals, and a Resource List. At the beginning of each unit, there are jokes, stories, and information about the topic. Each unit has between three and six labs to reinforce the learning topic.

About the Book

Geology Lab for Kids offers 52 simple, inexpensive, and fun experiments that explore the earth’s surface, structure, and processes. Learn about the wonders of geology: the formation of crystals and fossils, the layers of the earth’s crust, and the eruption of geysers and volcanoes. Readers will learn about how crystals form; how insects are trapped and preserved in amber; how water shapes mountains, valleys, and canyons; how a volcano forms and erupts; how a geyser uses heat beneath the earth’s surface; and more.

About the Author

Garret Romaine is an award-winning journalist and technical writer hailing from Portland, Oregon. His grandfather, Harold Banta, was an attorney in Baker, Oregon specializing in mining law, and his grandmother Floy ran a rock shop in Baker. As a boy, Garret visited many collecting areas, mines, and ghost towns in the Baker area, and was hooked for life on field work. He earned a geology degree from the University of Oregon, studying under stalwarts such as Dr. Ewart Baldwin, Dr. William Orr, and Dr. Allan Kays, and followed that up with a master’s degree in geography at the University of Washington and an MBA from Portland State.

Garret has written for multiple publications in the Portland area, and has managed technical writing teams for several technology companies. He has taught technical writing at Portland State since 1997, and serves on the board of directors for the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals and the North America Research Group, devoted to fossil hunting.

Garret authored a regular column entitled “Mining the Internet” for the Gold Prospectors Association of America (GPAA). He has written features, product reviews, personal interviews, field reports, and research compilations for many locales across the west. He wrote Gem Trails of Washington, updated Gem Trails of Oregon, and wrote Rockhounding Idaho. He has also written a series of rock & gem identification books, plus handbooks for rockhounds and prospectors. He has written gold panning guides for the Pacific Northwest and California, and is working on Colorado next.

Our Review

We looked through the book and found a couple fun projects to try.

Most of the ingredients are household items. Color photos illustrate the project and the geology term it represents.

Tori had her heart set on making crystal geodes and we attempted that, after trying to remember three different times to buy superglue! It’s at least a two-day project, so we’ll see if crystals form in a couple days.

We made lava cakes for dessert.

Those were a big hit!

We learned about lava flow and brittle crust.

We love the simple but information labs to learn about geology. This will be a book in our science repertoire for years to come!

The Seven Money Types: Discover How God Wired You To Handle Money By Tommy Brown, published by Zondervan, is a great tool to learn about how to make money work for you!

My Review

I first took the quiz to find out my money type, then had my husband and teen daughter take the quiz.

Here are our results:

My money types are Isaac and Moses. My strengths are discipline and endurance. My shadow sides are fear and impatience.

My husband is tied with Abraham and Jacob. His strengths are hospitality and beauty. His shadow sides are self-sufficiency and indulgence.

My daughter’s money types are Jacob and Abraham. Her strengths are beauty and hospitality. Her shadow sides are indulgence and self-sufficiency.

Jacob types represent a mix of Abraham and Isaac types.

And now I understand our arguments about money!

I like how each money type has a virtue but also a shadow side that is an opportunity to mature related to money.

Each chapter explains the money type using scripture with great real life examples to illustrate that type.

At the end of each chapter is a blessing, scriptures, and reflection questions.

The book concludes with The Way to Financial Well-Being – an overview of the seven money types.

There are also Prompts for Group Discussion. This would be a great group study!

Book Description

True financial well-being involves more than getting out of debt and accumulating wealth. It’s about discovering how you’re wired by God, and how that wiring influences the way you think about, feel toward, and handle money.

Discovering your money type – whether you are an Abraham (hospitality), an Isaac (discipline), a Jacob (beauty), a Joseph (connection), a Moses (endurance), an Aaron (humility), or a David (leadership) – will bring greater self-awareness, reduce internal financial tension, help you resolve financial conflict with others, and help you grow financially from a faith-based perspective. As you walk with Pastor Brown through the Scriptures you’ll find holistic financial pathways that lead you to a place of increased awareness and confidence related to money.

In The Seven Money Types, Pastor Tommy Brown leads you on a journey of personal discovery as he reveals the seven money types found in Scripture, helps you identify the type that best fits you by means of a 35-question assessment, and coaches you on understanding, affirming, developing, and enjoying your unique approach to money.

About the Author

Tommy Brown is a writer, speaker, and develops strategies that support financial development. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Winston-Salem, NC along with their children Seri and Seth. He served in leadership at two churches as an ordained minister from 2001-2014, leading congregations into financial wellbeing and a holistic approach to integrating faith and finances. Tommy has a B.A. in Pastoral Ministry and Masters degrees in Divinity and Management. His entrepreneurial endeavors over the years have extended into real estate development and church consulting on stewardship matters.

Peter Martyr Vermigli (Christian Biographies for Young Readers) by Simonetta Carr.

Our Review

Katie loves to read! She and I both love to read biographies, especially about missionaries.

She devoured the book and says she loves all the details about Peter Martyr Vermigli’s life and seeing his travels.

I love the quality of this hardcover biography. The illustrations and photographs really bring it to life for readers, young and old.

Katie was so excited that we’ve actually visited many of the places listed in the text. We were not familiar with Peter Martyr Vermigli and all his travels and contributions to the Reformation. This is a great addition to our home library.

I enjoyed this book as much as my kids!

The book includes an introduction, 6 chapters about Peter Martyr Vermigli, a timeline, Did You Know? section about facts of the era, What Happened to Others? section about his contemporaries, and quotes.

We love all the information about the Reformation!

Summary

Born in Florence, Italy, in 1499, Peter Martyr Vermigli decided that he wanted to teach God’s Word when he grew up. After many years of study, he became a well-respected leader in the Roman Catholic Church, yet he questioned the church’s teachings because he believed they were contrary to the Bible. Eventually forced to flee Italy and the Roman Church, Vermigli joined the Reformers north of the Alps and devoted the rest of his life to teaching, preaching, and writing about the great truths of the Protestant Reformation. He lived in many parts of Europe, and he influenced many of the most important figures of his times.

There’s a whole series of Christian Biographies for Young Readers. I want to collect them all!

This volume in the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series retells the story of a servant of Christ who left behind a postion of prominence in the Roman Church to courageously join the cause of the Protestant Reformation. Enhanced by illustrious, photographs, and additional information about the Reformation era, this account shows young readers how God can use the piety and talents of one man to advance the cause of His truth.

About the Author

Simonetta Carr was born in Italy and has lived and worked in different cultures. A former elementary school teacher, she has home-schooled her eight children for many years. She has written for newspapers and magazines around the world and has translated the works of several Christian authors into Italian. Presently, she lives in San Diego with her husband Thomas and family. She is a member and Sunday School teacher at Christ United Reformed Church.

Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories by Mariana Enriquez, is a collection of twelve short stories about life in Argentina.

My Review:

I love the daring, creepy, and even macabre stories written in this collection. Like contemporary Latina lit meets Victorian Gothic novel. Some episodes, I was glad were over and others I wanted more, to know what happened but the story just ended and left me wondering. The characters are rich in personality within even a few pages which attests to Mariana Enriquez’ masterful storytelling. The history and culture revealed in the stories and characters are exciting for me and I kept reading, sometimes late into the night, like binge-watching a favorite series. I do love how the entire book theme seems to be about women and girls and their experiences, memories, fears, and love. The male characters take a backseat as supporting characters. Women have a voice in these stories.

Summary:

In these wildly imaginative, devilishly daring tales of the macabre, internationally bestselling author Mariana Enriquez brings contemporary Argentina to vibrant life as a place where shocking inequality, violence, and corruption are the law of the land, while military dictatorship and legions of desaparecidos loom large in the collective memory. In these stories, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and Julio Cortázar, three young friends distract themselves with drugs and pain in the midst a government-enforced blackout; a girl with nothing to lose steps into an abandoned house and never comes back out; to protest a viral form of domestic violence, a group of women set themselves on fire.

But alongside the black magic and disturbing disappearances, these stories are fueled by compassion for the frightened and the lost, ultimately bringing these characters—mothers and daughters, husbands and wives—into a surprisingly familiar reality. Written in hypnotic prose that gives grace to the grotesque, Things We Lost in the Fire is a powerful exploration of what happens when our darkest desires are left to roam unchecked, and signals the arrival of an astonishing and necessary voice in contemporary fiction.

About the Author:

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

My review for No More Faking Fine: Ending the Pretending by Esther Fleece, published by Zondervan.

Description:

If you’ve ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it can feel to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. Far too often, it seems the response we get to our hurt and disappointment is to suck it up, or pray it away.

But Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.

No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get gut-level honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. Lament, a practice woven throughout Scripture, is a prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. As author Esther Fleece says, “Lament is the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God, and with those around us.”

Esther learned this the hard way, by believing she could shut down painful emotions that haunted her from a broken past she tried to forget on her fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you’ve done the same.

No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament—to give voice to the hurt, frustration, and disappointment you’ve kept inside and silenced for too long. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God’s own language to draw closer to Him as He leads us through any darkness into His marvelous light.

My Review:

This book was quite interesting to me.

I agree that many people, even Christians can’t handle laments. Most of us are silenced and reduced to “faking fine.” No one really wants to know anything about the negative. But everyone seems to be a counselor and offers advice that’s unwanted and unneeded.

I couldn’t relate to the author’s neverending supply of supportive friends who helped her all along the way with her issues. I found myself wanting to feel more sorry for her lack of relationship with her family, but I had some questions. She left her brother out of her story almost altogether. How did he react to events?

I couldn’t relate to the somewhat shallow craving for shopping and closets full of shoes. I don’t lament things. I’m not into prosperity gospel. And who gets to go on a long retreat to Alaska to heal? Almost none of us.

I think I was hoping for more of a workbook than a personal account. The book touches on a lot of good points about biblical laments in Psalms, Job, Lamentations. Some of the stories became repetitive and I think it could have been condensed a bit.

The book is a good commentary of realizing that many of us are not “just fine.”

About the Author:

Esther Fleece is an international speaker and writer on Millennials and faith, leadership, and family, recognized among Christianity Today’s “Top 50 Women Shaping the Church and Culture” and CNN’s “Five Women in Religion to Watch.” As founder and CEO of L&L Consulting,  she works to connect influential individuals and organizations to their mutual benefit.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My review for The Pledge of a Lifetime: Her hope for connection. His guide through conflict. by Mark T. Oelze, MA, published by WestBow Press.

Description:

What is it about conflict that causes all of us to shy away? Why is it so difficult? What if there was a step-by-step process to guide us through conflict and create a deeper connection at the same time? And what if the principles learned could enhance all communication?

In The Pledge of a Lifetime, follow Jake and Lisa’s story and discover how to transform tense confrontations into rich conversations. Watch family dynamics improve as everyone works together to communicate in a manner governed by love.

From his years of conflict resolving experiences, Mark Oelze leads you into the counselor’s office between the covers of this book, where you will learn the keys to process any conflict, big or small. Fear no longer has to hold you back. Work the PLEDGE to build strong healthy communication with love as your highest goal!

My Review:

I could barely get through this book. I didn’t learn anything. It didn’t save my marriage. It didn’t teach me how to better communicate. It insulted my intelligence.

I didn’t like the book format of a fictional married couple in counseling. They were flat unlikeable characters. I couldn’t relate to their trite little issues that just stereotype men and women. I was done when the husband accused the wife of talking too much.

I didn’t like the fictional counselor. I thought he seemed tired and sarcastic and exasperated with the couple and that’s just rude.

The acrostic PLEDGE just regurgitates all the psychobabble that marriage counselors have given couples for decades. It’s nothing new, just packaged cute.

The end of each chapter has a summary of the “lessons” for each letter of the PLEDGE.

I suppose this book would be ok for married couples who are just experiencing a little bit of communication conflict, but not any major issues. This is not a book for marriages in crisis.

About the Author:

Mark Oelze has been a marriage and family counselor since 1985, helping couples process conflict in a manner that is completely governed by love. Married 33 years, he and his wife, Zerrin, teach the Madly In Love Marriage Conference. They have three grown children and live in Wichita, Kansas. Knowing the power of words, Mark and Zerrin have a passion to see intentional love shape the way we communicate.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The kids and I just love Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes by Ronni Lundy.

My Review:

Victuals is a photographic wonder, a delightful story about the history and current artists of Appalachian cookery. The recipes are rich and filling, full of seasonal and regional ingredients.

The heritage of Germans and Scots dot the North Georgia mountains where we would often take day trips or mini vacations. It was always fun to visit the bakeries and shops.

I grew up south of Atlanta, and most of my mother’s family are spread all over the valleys and plains of Georgia and the Carolinas. I can’t rightly claim this as my heritage, but many of the recipes are the same as what I grew up with in my grandmother’s and great aunt’s houses.

My girls especially loved the history and stories of the recipes. We now have names for some of our favorites that I make often: killed greens for fresh lettuces drizzled with seasoned bacon grease. Sallet (sautéed mixed greens) graces our table almost weekly. We all love Salmon Cakes.

We have some fun new recipe to try: Miner’s Goulash, Root & Sausage Pie, and some delectable desserts.

Some of the ingredients listed aren’t available where we currently live. Some ingredients are seasonal and regional. I’d love to visit some of the restaurants and shops listed in the book.

American cuisine is sometimes ridiculed by foodies, but there is a rich food culture in Appalachia that I am proud to call close to home.

About the Author:

Born in Corbin, Kentucky, Ronni Lundy has long chronicled the people of the hillbilly diaspora as a journalist and cookbook author. She is the former restaurant reviewer and music critic for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, former editor of Louisville Magazine, and has contributed to many national magazines. Her book Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken was recognized by Gourmet magazine as one of six essential books on Southern cooking. In 2009, Lundy received the Southern Foodways Alliance Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award. She has contributed to Eating Well, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Esquire, and other magazines.

Summary:

Victuals is an exploration of the foodways, people, and places of Appalachia. Written by Ronni Lundy, regarded as the most engaging authority on the region, the book guides us through the surprisingly diverse history–and vibrant present–of food in the Mountain South.

Victuals explores the diverse and complex food scene of the Mountain South through recipes, stories, traditions, and innovations. Each chapter explores a specific defining food or tradition of the region–such as salt, beans, corn (and corn liquor). The essays introduce readers to their rich histories and the farmers, curers, hunters, and chefs who define the region’s contemporary landscape. Sitting at a diverse intersection of cuisines, Appalachia offers a wide range of ingredients and products that can be transformed using traditional methods and contemporary applications. Through 80 recipes and stories gathered on her travels in the region, Lundy shares dishes that distill the story and flavors of the Mountain South.

Awards:

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Best Cookbooks of 2016
— Chicago Tribune: Best Cookbooks of 2016
— Cooking Light: Fall Cookbook Roundup, September issue
— Louisville Courier-Journal: Cookbook Gift Guide
— San Fransisco Chronicle: “Best of” Cookbook Roundup
— The Kitchn: Holiday Cookbook Roundup
— Tampa Bay Times: Cookbook Gift Guide
— Tasting Table: The Most Exciting New Cookbooks for Fall
— Tasting Table: Holiday Cookbook Gift Guide
— Wall Street Journal: Holiday Gift Guide: Food Books
— Washington Post: Best Cookbooks of 2016

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.