What I Read & Watched in 2021

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In my opinion, the library is one of the best inventions of all time. I am always searching for books to read (both for me and my kids). We also like to watch family-friendly movies and shows together. Please leave any suggestions in the comments!

See my current ongoing list for 2022 here, also accessible under the Read/Watch tab at the top of the blog. Here is a partial list of what I read and watched this past year:

READING

Autobiographies/Memoirs

Mastering the Art of French Eating: From Paris Bistros to Farmhouse Kitchens, Lessons in Food and Love, by Ann Mah

Lassoing The Sun: A Year In America’s National Parks, by Mark Woods

I Left My Homework In The Hamptons: What I Learned Teaching The Children Of The 1%, by Blythe N. Grossberg.

Save Me The Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, by Ruth Reichl

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, by Austin Channing Brown

The Magnolia Story, by Chip & Joanna Gaines (Audiobook)

Becoming Michelle Obama, by Michelle Obama (Audiobook)

Cookbooks

Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites, by Deb Perelman

Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit, by Lisa Ludwinski

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom from an Obsessive Home Cook, by Deb Perelman

Magnolia Table, Vol. 2, by Joanna Gaines

Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking: Simple, Elegant Recipes for Contemporary Tastes, by Harumi Kurihara

The Gaijin Cookbook: Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Father, Eater, and Lifelong Outsider, by Ivan Orkin & Chris Ying

Theo Chocolate: Recipes & Sweet Secrets From Seattle’s Favorite Chocolate Maker, by Debra Music & Joe Whinney

Healthy Eats With Six Sisters Stuff: 101+ Delicious Recipes and Tips for a Healthy Family, by Six Sisters Stuff

Big Food Big Love: Down-Home Southern Cooking Full of Heart from Seattle’s Wandering Goose, by Heather L. Earnhardt

Crafting

Kawaii Crochet, by Melissa Bradley

Kawaii Craft Life, by Sosae Caetano

Drawing

How To Draw Cute Stuff, by Angela Nguyen

Gardening

Grow Food At Home: Simple Methods for Small Spaces, by John Tullock

Misc.

World of Glass: The Art of Dale Chihuly, by Harry N. Abrams

Novels

A Man Called Ove: A Novel, by Fredrik Backman

Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel, by Maria Semple

Picture Books

We Are The Gardeners, by Joanna Gaines

Self-Improvement Books

Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More, by Courtney Carver

The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done, by Kendra Adachi

The Clutter-Free Home: Making Room For Your Life, by Kathi Lipp

Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself In The World, by Isabel Gillies

Joy At Work: Organizing Your Professional Life, by Marie Kondo

The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference, by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval

The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox, by Katie Wells

Didn’t See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart, by Rachel Hollis

L’art de la Simplicité: How to Live More with Less, by Dominique Loreau

The Big Book of Less: Finding Joy in Living Lighter (Flow), by Irene Smit

Travel

Pacific Coasting: A Guide to the Ultimate Road Trip, from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest, Danielle Kroll

YA

All Four Stars, by Tara Dairman

Frazzled #3: Minor Incidents and Absolute Uncertainties, by Booki Vivat

Frazzled #2: Ordinary Mishaps and Inevitable Castastrophes, by Booki Vivat

Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom, by Booki Vivat

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, by Laura Taylor Narney

WATCHING

Movies

The Big Year

Crazy Rich Asians

Luca

Father of the Bride

The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Netflix)

A Week Away (Netflix)

Back of the Net

In The Heights

Raya and The Last Dragon

Hidden Figures

You’ve Got Mail

A Plastic Ocean

I Am Greta

Dora and the Lost City of Gold

Where’d You Go Bernadette?

I Am David

Television

Big Shot (Disney+)

The Flay List

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The Money Challenge For Teens Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Learning about how to handle money is an essential life lesson that kids and teens need. The following book review is written by my thirteen year old daughter:

The Money Challenge for Teens, by Art Rainer, is a finance book with a Christian perspective that teaches you how to start managing your money early by giving, saving, and spending wisely.  The book’s topics vary from giving to your local church to saving for retirement as a teenager.  The book is divided into 3 sections: Give Generously, Save Wisely, and Live Appropriately. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start when you begin to handle money. This book solves that problem by giving you steps that you can take in order to have a successful money system in the future. In addition, there are 30 helpful and varied money challenges for you to complete. These challenges range from reading and reflecting on a specific Bible verse to opening a checking account.  In every chapter, there are interesting and relatable fiction stories and personal insights from the author.  The most interesting part in the book for me was the way Rainer describes debt.  He shows how dangerous it can be and how it can negatively affect your future.  The Money Challenge for Teens would be a great read for both boys and girls that are around 13-15 years old.  I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars. 

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The Electric Pressure Cooker Soup Cookbook Review + Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a preview copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Like many people, I bought an electric pressure cooker a few years ago. Traditional pressure cookers seemed a little intimidating, but electric pressure cookers are simple to use. While I like that using the electric pressure cookers is a time-saver, I do not think I am using it to its maximum potential. As I am always on the look-out for new pressure cooker recipes to try, The Electric Pressure Cooker Soup Cookbook sounded interesting. The author, Karen Lee Young, is a popular food blogger at The Tasty Bite. I think it is so exciting when bloggers cross over to the “book world”!

Soups are a food that truly nourish the soul. This book offers an incredible array of different types of soup recipes, ranging from Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup to Oaxacan-Inspired Barbacoa Soup. It was difficult to pick a recipe to try out first, but I decided to go with Chicken Parmesan Soup.

Chicken Parmesan Soup

First, I gathered up the ingredients. This particular recipe uses rotisserie chicken, so that is a time-saver in itself.

The directions were clear and easy to follow. I used the Saute function to cook the onions and garlic in a little olive oil first.

Next, I just dumped in all of the other ingredients and stirred to combine.

I set my pressure cooker to 5 minutes on Manual mode.

When the timer went off, I did a quick release of the steam vent and stirred in some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

I went with the author’s suggestion and served the Chicken Parmesan Soup with some garlic bread and a salad. Everyone in my family enjoyed this hearty soup! I like how you can prep the ingredients ahead of time and then let the pressure cooker do the work. I think the next recipe I want to try will be the Thai-Inspired Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup.

The Electric Pressure Cooker Soup Cookbook also has options for gluten and dairy-free, vegan, and freezable soups you can enjoy later. It will be officially released on August 11, but you can check it out here. 

The Electric Pressure Cooker Soup Cookbook Giveaway

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a copy of The Electric Pressure Cooker Soup Cookbook!

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Modern Parents Vintage Values Book Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Modern Parents Vintage Values, by Sissy Goff and Melissa Trevathan, is a handbook of practical parenting guidelines for today’s parents. While some of the topics that “modern” parents need to deal with are actually new (e.g. social media, phones, e-cigarettes, etc.) the underlying values that parents want to instill in their children are the same as they have always been. For example, this book discusses the values of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, integrity, responsibility, patience and confidence. I found these chapters particularly helpful and inspiring. Such lessons are best taught through real-life situations, and this book includes many examples. The authors also use several lessons gleaned from the Bible, and their advice is given from a Christian point of view. Modern Parents Vintage Values would be beneficial for parents of children of all ages, as they discuss issues regarding dealing with toddlers up through teenagers.

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The Edge of Everywhen Book Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Both of my kids are avid readers, so we are always on the lookout for quality kid lit. The Edge of Everywhen, by A.S. Mackey, is a recently published book that combines fantasy with real and valuable life lessons. This novel tells of how the main characters, Piper and Phoenix mourn the loss of their mother, how they learn to overcome their tough circumstances, and how they don’t lose hope in reuniting with their long, lost dad. Even though the book was a little scary when describing the state that their imprisoned dad is in, the story was intriguing, held my interest, and made me keep wanting to read more. I liked how the book provided many unexpected twists and turns, the plot was well thought-out, and how the whole story came together at the end. I think this book would be suitable for kids around the age of 11 or 12.

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Good Man Book Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Good Man, by Nathan Clarkson, immediately caught my attention because I am a big fan of his mother, Sally Clarkson. I have read her most of her books and even attended a few of her conferences. Sally Clarkson’s books are about motherhood, and I was always impressed with the accomplishments of her four children, (who are all now young adults). It would be easy to have an impression that the Clarksons are the “perfect” Christian family, but we all know that everyone has struggles. Nathan Clarkson’s book offers a glimpse into some of his personal struggles, and it is quite eye-opening. Just because someone was raised in a strong Christian household that cares deeply about education does not mean that they will automatically become a “good man”.

Clarkson writes about his journey to becoming the man that God wants him to be by weaving personal stories and passages from the Bible. The chapters of the book each address a different attribute of what he believes a good man should be (e.g., heroic, honest, emotional, authentic, wise, etc.) Clarkson also comments on the current culture of manhood and explains how it differs from God’s desire for him as a man. He explains why it is important for young men to recognize this dichotomy and not to succumb to sin or settle for mediocrity. I will be saving my copy of Good Man for my son to read when he is a little older, perhaps in high school.

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50+ Books To Read in 5th Grade

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My son kept track of the books he read in fifth grade (this school year). Since I am a big fan of book lists, I thought this list might be helpful for parents who are looking for books for their kids who are around the same age to read. We are crossing our fingers that our public libraries will reopen soon! (The asterisks denote his favorites.) Comment below if you have book suggestions for a sixth grader!

  1. Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighorn George
  2. My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighorn George
  3. *Treasure Hunters, James Patterson
  4. *The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne
  5. Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan
  6. *Fish in a Tree, Lynda Mullaly Hunt
  7. Cat Running, Zilpha Keatley Snyder
  8. Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper
  9. The Birthday Room, Kevin Henkes
  10. *Counting by 7’s, Holly Goldberg Sloan
  11. *Spy Ski School, Stuart Gibbs
  12. Out of Left Field (The Gordon Family Saga), Ellen Klages
  13. The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose & Me, Sara Nickerson
  14. Soldier’s Heart, Gary Paulsen
  15. *Spy School Secret Service, Stuart Gibbs
  16. Becoming Naomi Leon, Pam Munoz Ryan
  17. *Prisoner B-3087, Alan Gratz
  18. Greetings From Witness Protection!, Jake Burt
  19. Behind the Bedroom Wall, Laura E. Williams
  20. Chains (The Seeds of America Trilogy), Laurie Halse Anderson
  21. *Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story, Nora Raleigh Baskin
  22. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
  23. Serval Cats (We were not able to find this book on Amazon, but n says it is a non-fiction book that is part of a series and the cover is blue. Ha!)
  24. *Refugee, Alan Gratz
  25. *Spy Camp, Stuart Gibbs
  26. *Explorer Academy: The Double Helix, Trudi Trueit
  27. The Boy Who Saved Baseball, John H. Ritter
  28. *The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
  29. Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
  30. Time for Kids: John F. Kennedy: The Making of a Leader
  31. Death on the River of Doubt, Samantha Seiple
  32. Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile, James Patterson
  33. *Other Words For Home, Jasmin Warga
  34. Rebound, Kwame Alexander
  35. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Photographic Story of a Life, Amy Pastan
  36. A Drop of Hope, Keith Calabrese
  37. John F. Kennedy: A Photographic Story of a Life, Howard S. Kaplan
  38. *Treasure Hunters: Secret of the Forbidden City, James Patterson
  39. *Treasure Hunters: Peril at the Top of the World, James Patterson
  40. *Treasure Hunters: Quest for the City of Gold, James Patterson
  41. *Nikki on the Line, Barbara Carroll Roberts
  42. *Ungifted, Gordon Korman
  43. The Fighting Ground, Avi
  44. The Right Hook of Devin Velma, Jake Burt
  45. *Making Bombs for Hitler, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
  46. *The Mysterious Benedict Society: The Perilous Journey, Trenton Lee Stewart
  47. *Supergifted, Gordon Korman
  48. Hello, Universe, Erin Entrada Kelly
  49. *The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, John Hendrix
  50. Focused, Alyson Gerber
  51. *The Conspiracy: The Plot to Kill Hitler #1, Andy Marino
  52. *The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom
  53. Summer of a Thousand Pies, Margaret Dilloway
  54. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #1), Rick Riordan
  55. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #2), Rick Riordan
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Talking With Your Kids About Jesus Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Talking With Your Kids About Jesus: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have, by Natasha Crain, is a thought-provoking book that might be as helpful for parents as it is for kids. The premise of the book is that it is important for parents to have conversations about Jesus with their kids before they leave the house and go into adulthood. The author frames these conversations around questions that kids might encounter from doubters, atheists, or anyone else who wants to challenge Christian beliefs. Some of these questions include, “Did Jesus Really Perform Miracles?”, “If Jesus Is God, How Could He Die?”, “Was Jesus’s Tomb Really Empty?” and “What Does It Mean To Be Saved?”.

As you can see, this book covers some weighty topics. Crain does an excellent job of finding everyday life stories that tie into the introduction for each chapter. However, her detailed explanations of some of these questions were difficult for me to grasp; I think it would be even more difficult to explain the arguments in a way that children could understand. This book showed me that I myself have a long way to go in being able to explain what I believe to critics. At the end of each chapter, there is a “Conversation Guide”. It provides questions (and answers) for each topic geared towards younger kids and then to older kids, depending on their level of understanding. Being able to defend your faith is important when the culture is full of people who want to attack it. Therefore, I would recommend Talking With Your Kids About Jesus in order to have a better understanding of effectively answering difficult questions about Christianity.

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Activity Book Reviews

Disclosure: I received these books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

With more time at home, now is the perfect time for some activity books (for both kids and adults!).

Ocean Life, by Jill Richardson, has a good variety of activities for kids, all with a fun ocean theme. There are word searches, dot-to-dots-, coloring pages, and mazes. I also like how there are facts about various sea animals woven through the activities. I would recommend this book for younger elementary school-age kids,

100 Large-Print Crossword Puzzles, by Chris King is a good book to have when you want a quick diversion. I think these puzzles are pretty easy, (as indicated in the sub-title), but they do require some thinking. The large squares are nice for those who have a difficult time working smaller puzzles.

I would say that the title of Only The Hardest Puzzles, by Willa Chen, is very accurate. I tried doing the first crossword puzzle and the first “warm-up” Sudoku puzzle, and I failed. I am going to have to save this book for my retirement-ha! If you know someone that needs a challenge, or maybe that someone is you, I would recommend this book. It is sure to keep you engaged for hours!

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Don’t Overthink It Book Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Don’t Overthink It, by Anne Bogel, presents an interesting framework for looking at the everyday decisions we face in our lives. As someone who tends to “overthink”, over-analyze and second-guess my decisions, I found the guidance given in this book to be helpful. Thinking about decisions is valuable, but only to a certain extent. By sharing some of her own life experiences, Bogel shows us how overthinking can cause unnecessary worry and rob us of joy.

I found that Bogel’s advice especially insightful regarding smaller decisions. A couple of the chapters that really resonated with me concerned the topics of splurging and identifying “small treats”. As a frugal person by nature, sometimes it is difficult for me to figure out when a splurge or treat is “worth it”. Bogel’s writing style and thinking reminds me of Gretchen Rubin (author of The Happiness Project). If you are a fan of this genre of books, I think you will enjoy Don’t Overthink It.

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