The Part-Time Vegan by Cherise Grifoni

This paperback cookbook promises "201 Yummy Recipes" and does not disappoint. A very helpful Vegan 101 is included in Chapter One. Chapters are broken down by food type ie. dips and appetizers, easy breakfasts, salad dressings, salads, super soups, vegetable dishes, rice, pasta, grains, tofu, seitan and desserts.

Chapter 13 offers 11 different meal plans consisting of appetizer, main course and dessert. All dinner plans serve four making the plans quite attractive to experiment or to make for a romantic dinner for two. Yes, I said romantic because after reading this cookbook I do believe good health and better eating can be good for a marriage!!

The author's sense of humor and her casual approach to Vegans as explained in the back of the book in the 'About the Author' section left me with a dilemma.

As this review was offered in the Christian market to be sold in the Christian market as a Cooking resource, I must not turn a blind side to the text presented. In my opinion, the author's comments throughout the book presented verbiage with a sarcastic, non-biblical approach.

For example, immediately upon cracking open the cover in the 'Acknowledgements' section Ms. Grifoni states, "A salute to my father, Jim, because he has taught me the most important lesson that I have ever learned: be tough, or you will break; no on will ever, ever put you back together but yourself." God's Word tells us that we are desperately lost apart from Him Ephesians 2:1-10. He will provide all our needs Philippians 4:19. He will renew our minds Romans 12:2. He will straighten our paths Proverbs 3:5-6. God also tells us our acts are like nothing but filthy rags Isaiah 64:6 without Him.

The word "hell" being used twice was offensive. I quote respectively (section V11 and page one), "Are you curious about where the hell vegans get their protein?", "Maybe you have questions like these, 1. How do you start? 2. What ingredients do you look for? 3. And how the hell do you find them?"

Also distasteful the use of the "ninth-circle". There are not three sins according to God's Word but seven Provebs 6:16-19 the Lord detests. Also there are no levels of Hell as acted out in Dante's play. Hell is hell. Horribly horrific. Enough said. This is supposed to be a cookbook after all. I mention these details merely for the sake of supporting the argument that sarcasm/joking about the things of God or God's proper behavior for His people is not biblical.

Also offensive page 219 describing the Foolproof Vegan Fudge, "Rich and delicious, vegan fudge is just as good as the "real" stuff. So good, actually, that no one will ever know the difference. See, a little fraud may or may not be a good thing!."

Humorous? I understand the attempt to use words like virtue, contrast heaven and hell in regard to "good eating choices vs. bad eating choices", however Ms. Grifoni's attempt is in bad taste - pardon the pun.  It is unnecessary.

If you are going to write a book for the Cooking Market, write a book about cooking. Period. Leave the "religious" humor at home.

Solely reviewing this book as a cookbook I give it five stars. The recipes are fabulous. I had been buying some of the staples in it such as quinoa, tofu, couscous and up til now have not known what to do with these items other than cook and add butter (seriously!).

For this reason I appreciate her incorporation of those specialty or "vegan" ingredients with my standard list of pantry items. I am sure we can all agree we do not want to buy 5-10 new items that we may use just for the recipes in a cook book never to use again. Ms. Grifoni allows the average reader to save his/her money and just buy one or two items to make many of the recipes.

I appreciated several of her humorous attempts aimed at men and women of faith. Her Table of Contents reads "Table of Contentments." I also appreciated the Intro title "Totally Not Boring Intro". She was effective and encouraging in her little comments for each recipe. She offered tips and tricks and a few warnings here and there which left me the reader feeling so much less intimidated about exactly what a vegan lifestyle is and is not.

The recipes offer versatility and a healthier lifestyle (I do believe eating is a crucial spoke in the wheel which is Lifestyle). Should this be considered a cooking resource for the Christian market? Yes. And No. The comments I explained were truly offensive and unnecessary. The Secular market would hopefully laugh along with the author. However, a born again Bible reading person like myself? Not so much.

Distasteful humor forgiven - Mercy grace peace and love to Ms. Grifoni for presenting new tasty meals without sacrificing a single animal. My extra-firm tofu has been pressed and ready to enter the saucepan as we speak. I may just become a part-time vegan after all.....


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from F+W Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed.

Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com/.

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

Having first read the first book in this series The Traveler's Gift I realized one without the other would not suffer. However, having a background of the main character Mr. David Ponder, I better realized his depression in Chapter One.

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews was a challenge for me to review. As a reviewer of mainly Christian non-fiction works, this type of Christian historical fiction left me with mixed emotions regarding take away and entertainment value.

I appreciated the "Seven Decision For Success" which was certainly the theme throughout. The story unfolds at the end of Chapter One as Mr. Ponder is an old man and though he has overcome many financials struggles and was at the pinnacle of affluence, he is lonely. The archangel Gabriel is ushered in and the adventures begin starting in Chapter Two.

Without being a spoiler of events, there was a lot of interesting historical discoveries and intermingling accounts of the human sinful condition, which was relatable to me. Hopefully relatable to readers also. There was a considerable amount of reminiscing about past time travel and the character seemed to take the role of a man with the purpose of helping humanity.

Though the writing style was inspirational, encouraging and warm as well as entertaining, I was left with one question. Wouldn't Scripture have added a deeper value to this book? I do believe God's Word would have added a point for further discovery.

The text on page 217 entitled A Personal Declaration was awesome! I appreciated the encouragement that writing provided as well as the beautiful images the author shared his reader. However, ultimately the point of any Christian truly is to give God all the glory and honor and praise. I felt there was a flavor of New Age mixed with a positive, self-help style of preaching to the reader. No doubt if Scripture had been infused into the pages of this book there would be no doubt as to what The Final Summit truly was all about (giving Glory to God).

The Reader's Guide at the end of the book was a great idea for a Christian Book Club to utilize (along with the Bible of course). This resource will drive the reader back into the book and hopefully be a tool to introduce the Gospel.

I am still absorbing this interesting read. It was a book I shall not soon forget. The take away was no doubt our free will and how we make decisions according to the choices we are daily presented.

What is your final summit? I pray every reader that closes this book will understand that though the archangel Gabriel (with or without wings) may never visit them, they are going to be facing their final summit one day. Romans 10:9-11. They may never travel through time or space. However, the God of the Bible is and was and shall ever be. And this He has accomplished without ever having to launch the Time Travel machine once. This story of the Bible as outlined in Genesis I will no doubt refer to again and again...
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com/.

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse was a unique read for me, as it was my first experience reading the Regency period. Add to that first, and the genre was Christian fiction.

The truth was shrouded from the start. One particular secret introduced from the start was Mariah Aubrey's banishment from her home. Mariah was an author, which was considered improper in those days.

I appreciated her spunk and her unwillingness to become a victim of her circumstances. I found the environment intriguing and at times frustrating. I kept becoming impatient asking, "Why?" often.

The main character was hard for me to understand at times. She was closed and unemotional. Possibly the author intended this aloofness which may have added to her mysterious ways.

I enjoyed this introduction to Christian fiction set in the Regency period. While I would not state it was the best book I have ever read, I do applaud the author for writing a classy, plot-driven mystery romance. No doubt, lovers of this genre will be blessed to crack open this book. Hey, he/she may even plan a beach vacation around it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.

Night by Elie Wiesel

Recently, I pulled this book off the shelf in a lending library by the sea. I assumed it would be a memorable read. How I underestimated the impact this book would have on me!

At the time I stuffed this paperback in my beach bag and headed for the sun, I had no intentions of writing a book review for this title. However, some books contain true stories that need to be shared. This author's work must be talked about and often - Lest We Forget....

I reviewed this book with an open mind, however, as I am firstly a reviewer of Christian non-fiction, I did seek a faith element. I did find a faith element weaved throughout.

Page 19 posed a question of which I may never receive an answer. The author's family is being led from their home by German policemen. I quote, "My father was crying. It was the first time I saw him cry. I had never thought it possible. As for my mother, she was walking, her face a mask, without a word, deep in thought. I looked at my little sister, Tzipora, her blond hair neatly combed, her red coat over her arm: a little girl of seven. On her back, a bag too heavy for her. She was clenching her teeth; she already knew it was useless to complain. Here and there, the police were lashing out with their clubs: "Faster!" I had no strength left. The journey had just begun and I already felt so weak..."

If you saw Schindler's List, (if not, you will only need to watch this DVD once to understand) you will no doubt remember seeing the little girl in the red coat. Since this movie was presented in gray scale and sepia tones throughout, this splash of color quite hard to miss and so very tragic - the constrast of joy (red versus death (gray, black and sepia tones). I wondered if possibly this account was woven into Schindler's List which is a true account. Elie never saw his sister or his mother again soon after page 19.

There is a character Moishe the Beadle who miraculously is taken away and returns. He is a sort of town crier or prophet who warns of the impending evil soon to descend on the town. However, because of his eccentric behavior and dabbling in Kabbalah (the town is mostly Jewish) the people ignore him. In the opening act of Night the author is intrigued with the diversity of this man's spiritual views.

However, Mr. Wiesel does a quick turn away from Kabbalah back toward the God of the Bible in page 20. Page 33 brings with anger at God. I have no judgement but compassion for the author's faith journey in this amazing work. Truly, I do not know how anyone could come away from this horribly evil, cruel, tortuous dark world with their sanity intact let alone not spend even one hour thinking God forgot about them or did not care. And so I truly appreciated the honest account of his turning from God, questioning God for being treated so horrifically and then his returning to the Lord for the sole reason that he had survived.

Page 45 he states, "Some of the men spoke of God: His mysterious ways, the sins of the Jewish people, and the redemption to come. As for me, I had ceased to pray. I concurred with Job! I was not denying His existence, but I doubted His absolute justice."

"Those were the first human words." You must read this chapter beginning on page 29. You would understand this short sentence better than I or anyone else could ever hope to explain. Utterly devoid of humanity these victims of evil were treated. Mr. Wiesel blessed me as he shared the hard-to-hear treatment of people who did nothing wrong but be of Jewish lineage.

Yes, I cried often as I read this book. I paused briefly to grab a box of tissues then continued reading of the French woman who had befriended the author and then an unexpected reunion in Paris many years later. That encounter was one of the rays of sunshine in an otherwise black hole.

Whole paragraphs on pages 65, 67 and 69 jumped off the pages and praised God. I rejoiced as father and son stayed together until almost the very end. Amazing to me was the love of the father and the unwillingness to die though the father was suffering so long. Humanity was displayed in its not-so-lovely way on the part of Mr. Wiesel. I appreciated his confessions and his unabashedly explaining how hunger and cold turned his heart into that of a survivor and less of a human. I cried again on page 75 when the spoon his "dying" father wanted to give Elie almost became Elie's entire inheritance.

Akiba Drumer, a father in search of his entire family I will never forget. His story was so sad. He had such hope and then like a mist, was soon gone.

Again, the faith element on pages 80-81. I quote, "My faceless neighbor spoke up: "Don't be deluded. Hitler has made it clear that he will annihilate all Jews before the clock strikes twelve." I exploded: "What do you care what he said? Would you want us to consider him a prophet? His cold eyes stared at me. At last he said wearily: I have more faith in Hitler than anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people."

Powerful. Such powerful words.

Nearing the end of Night,  another account of a father and son, becoming separated stuck with me.The author again shares his observance and views from being personally a part of this scene. The author does such an excellent job of helping you to be there in Auschwitz with him. Painfully so but still sharing some of the emotions he no doubt felt and still feels today helped me to have an inkling of what the concentration camps must have felt like.

You must read the foreword as well as The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech in the back of the book. You will better understand the reason why though this book was already written and circulated forty-five years, his wife translated it again - this time into English as her English was much better than her husband's English. His challenge in his own words, "But how was one to rehabilitate and transform words betrayed and perverted by the enemy? Hunger-thirst-fear-transport-selection-fire-chimney: these words all have intrinsic meaning, but in those times, they meant something else. Writing in my mother tongue-at that point close to extinction-I would pause at every sentence, and start over and over again."

War declared on God's chosen. I disagree with Elie Wiesel. His survival to share his story was truly a miracle. His suffering not in vain as we will never forget that plotting genocide begins in the heart of a monster and is carried out by many who deceptively become vessels for evil.

Not surprising was Elie Wiesel's dedication, "In memory of my parents and of my little sister, Tzipora." His story translated so that that little girl in the red coat and so many others will not be forgotten.

The truth of Night retold - - Lest we Forget...

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free on loan from Ocean Village Library in Hutchinson Island Florida. 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com/.

Turn Your Business Card into Business by Reno Lovison

This business book of big business card ideas began with the author's first run at entrepreneurship. In the Preface Mr. Reno Lovison described his childhood profit-making Kool-Aid stand. He was merely a post kindergartner, a pre-first grader! I found his account to be not only humorous, endearing but inspiring as well.

His personal sharing was truly a celebration of the capitalistic society that we enjoy in America. Capitalism does work and kudos to Mr. Lovison for taking the time to nail this fact in place from the very start of the book.

Page Three hit me hard, "First of all it is very helpful if you understand how marketing is different than advertising. The main thing to remember is that advertising is a part of marketing." As I continued reading I realized a very important fact that I had never understood. In understanding the interplay, one can effectively incorporate their business card as a mega money saving tool to not only get business but save $$ (advertising is expensive!).

A challenge using an impressive formula was to give out 1,000 business cards per year which broken down amounts to 21 cards per week. The author shared the idea of putting the cards in a business card folder each week and by the following Monday all the cards should be gone. Repeat.

Good ideas came in two's, three's and four's. I loved the fishbowl ideas. How many of us haven't seen that big old fish bowl sitting on the table at boat shows, corporate seminars, home shows, etc.? In Turn Your Business Card into Business the author shared ideas I had never seen before. Great ideas!

You must check out the Wingman Strategy on page 23! Here are five ideas of how to get your business card to travel far and wide with little effort on your part: 1. Include your business card in the envelope with your bills 2. Leave under a tip when you dine 3. Wherever you vacation, leave your card wherever and whenever you can 4. Throw your cards in the air every time you sell a car (if you are a car salesman) - have to read the book 5. Any service occasion such as a wedding photographer - place your business cards on the table and as guests arrive they will not only know who you are, but can pick up your card on the way out.

I enjoyed reading Turn Your Business Card into Business. I gleaned so much from the author's instruction on communication, planting seeds that will grow, image development, increasing word-of-mouth business and so much more. The author's encouraging writing style was inspiring and friendly.

I learned much and will put into practice all the tips, tricks and good practices....starting Monday. There will be no time to waste as I have 21 business cards to hand out. It will be easy though because handing out business cards does not have to be intimidating, aggressive or awkward. It is easy when you realize planting seeds is the key. One day at a time. One business card at a time leads to one new customer. Before you know it, your seeds will bring forth a fruitful business endeavor.

Buy this book today - before buying new business cards!

Visit the author's website http://www.businesscardtobusiness.com/ to buy this book and for more helpful hints on business card success.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for book review. 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com/.