Coconuts and Kettlebells Book Review

I've done plenty of reviews on this blog over the years, but never a cookbook review!  I'm super excited to tell y'all about possibly the single most fantastic cookbook out there - because it's so much more than just a cookbook! Noelle Tarr and Stefani Ruper, the authors of the Coconuts and Kettlebells cookbook and …

January Reads

So far the 2018 reading year is off to a great start!  I've read five really great books this past month.  Here is a brief review of each one: Jumping Ship by Michael and Debi Pearl This short, bold little book is one that I can already tell will be read and reread over the …

Mansfield Park Book and Movie Review

  Much to some of my friends’ chagrin and astonishment, I have never been a fan of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.  I’ve read it at least two or three times in the past (even doing a really good book-discussion led by Maribeth), but nothing could convince me that Mansfield Park had any of the depth, …

Professor Severus Snape and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

**Serious spoiler alerts for both Harry Potter and Hamlet in this post!  Do NOT read this post if you may ever, possibly, in the most remote future, even consider reading Harry Potter.  This will completely ruin it for you.  I'll be discussing the biggest plot twist in the entire series in this post.  Also, both …

Holiness at Hogwarts

Almost two years ago I did something I thought I'd never do. I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. My whole life I had grown up hearing the name "Harry Potter" mentioned with extreme disapproval and even disgust.  In the Christian circles in which I moved, I only ever heard the series discussed as dangerous, and …

The Sunshine Award #2 – At Long Last

Heidi of Along the Brandywine tagged me with this sweet little tag ages ago.  I feel bad about taking this long to post it, but better late than never, right?  Sorry, Heidi.  😉  These questions are just plain fun, and I've had a great time answering them.  Everyone, consider yourselves henceforth tagged!   1. If you …

Oh, That Old Time Religion!

Have you ever noticed how many older books mention God? From Sherlock Holmes to Jane Eyre, it seems that many books written before the 20th century seem to include a copious amount of Christianity.  In contrast, the majority of modern Christian stories are now sharply divided from secular stories.  The secular books generally leave every trace …

The Mini-Reviews Post

Forgive my blogging silence - life has been crazy this summer!  I'm just three tests away from being finished with college, one week away from a local-authors book festival, halfway through a very complicated quilt, one day away from a friend's wedding and I'm also getting back in the swing of my part-time job.  Nevertheless, …

A Little Bit of Everything

Today is a happy day - it's the beginning of a two-week holiday for my family!   The next fortnight will be filled with traveling, visiting with family and friends, lots of laughter and no school.  I'm already getting super excited about the socks I'm going to knit, the books I'm going to read and …

No More Mr. Nice Guy

The other day, I was talking to someone about Captain America.  I said how much I admired Steve Rogers's character.  "I've never really cared for him," the other person said.  "He's just too nice." It's not a new sentiment - objecting to characters because they're too good.  It's an objection that I've heard many times, …