Review Date: 3/19/2022

100 EASY RECIPES IN JARS is an excellent publication. There are recipes for homemade gifts for friends and family. The author also includes labels and recipe cards that can be downloaded and affixed to your treats. Here are the categories: cookies and bars, muffins, nuts and snacks, popcorn seasonings, soups.

The directions are clear, aided by the images. There is no nutritional info. Finally, there is a photo of almost all of the treats offered in this book. The author also has suggestions for using these jars for fundraising. This is a keeper.

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Review Date: 11/20/2024

This cookbook has a variety of recipes with easy instructions. I've tried several and found them to be easy to replicate, and the cookbook offers ways to embellish or upgrade the recipes to the next level. There is no nutritional information or photos. This is because the author encourages additions and changes to the recipes, which would make it difficult to estimate the dietary values.
I'm quite impressed with this cookbook. However, if the author updates it, I might suggest making the recipe titles different colors from the section headings. They would be easier to read.

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Review Date: 5/11/2024

Because I know so little about the Near East, I wanted to read this story about ancient nation-states. National Geographic indicates that the Near East and the Middle East are the same territories of the Arabian Peninsula, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria, and Turkey. Afghanistan is often included in this group.

This book details great changes at the end of the Late Bronze Age. The lingua franca was Akkadian. Until recently, the turmoil of this earlier time was laid at the feet of the Sea Peoples. However, we are still not sure who the Sea Peoples were or when they arrived on the scene. With Cline's research, it is clear that there was more afoot that brought civilizations down.

These elevated cultures, including the Egyptians, Hittites, Canaanites, Assyrians, and Babylonians, developed a method of kinship to increase trading and friendship. There was a high level of gift-giving between Egypt, the Near East and Greece. They called each other 'brother' to instill feelings of partnership in trading, even though there might be no familial relationships.

While the leaders were engaged in gift-giving, the common man was busy buying and trading goods. Cline says that we have underestimated the amount of trading and bartering that took place at this early time. According to Cline, the Bible was written down between the 9th and 7th centuries BC.

This is a deeply-researched tome that brought together ancient texts, archaeological evidence, and historical information to show the "perfect storm" that created the conditions for the failure of the known world in 1177 BCE. Cline also compares that world to our own, showing the comparable conditions then and now. This is a masterful work. This is a book that I will read again at a later time. I doubt that I gleaned all there was to learn in one sitting. I also found listening to this work to be less helpful than reading it myself.

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Review Date: 11/18/2021

All 12 of these stories are new to this publication. This is one of several books of this type (historical Christmas stories, mostly) and I've found them to be very readable. There's nothing steamy about them; they are historical stories about the meaning of Christmas in the West. For me, this volume had too many Christmas Bride stories in one book. I left the book and read something else for a while, coming back later. There seemed to be too much sameness; I took long interludes between stories.

THE FESTIVE BRIDE (Diana L Brandmeyer) -- G+
Roy Gibbons needs a mother for his two daughters but not a wife. Dr. Pickens and his daughter, Alma, help with Roy's sick child. Dr. Pickens and Roy decide Roy should marry Alma. When they tell Alma, she's less pleased and sets some stipulations.

THE NUTCRACKER BRIDE (Margaret Brownley) -- VG+
Lucy Langdon accidentally shoots the Texas Ranger, Chad Prescott. As she takes care of him, he learns the charming tradition of the bride's nutcracker. Witty dialogue.

THE CHRISTMAS STAR BRIDE (Amanda Cabot) -- VG
Esther finds an itinerant painter/artist to create a Christmas Star for her niece, which is a family tradition. Jeremy Snyder lost his foot in the Civil War (20-years ago) and has been moving around the country, plying his trade. Esther helps Jeremy by allowing him to paint in her bakery shop. Esther's intended died in the Civil War. Although they are both older (about 40-years), Esther and Jeremy's affection for each other grows.

THE ADVENT BRIDE (Mary Connealy) -- VG
Melanie Douglas is a teacher with problems. A very bright student, Simon O'Keeffe, is a disruptive influence on the class and seems bored. When she tries to talk with Simon's father, the new lawman, she gets no sympathy. However, in the home where she resides, she finds an advent box. Its cleverness intrigues Melanie, Simon, and Mr. O'keeffe.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE BRIDE (Susan Page Davis) -- 1 star
This is a slow story to nowhere. I simply couldn't finish it.

THE NATIVITY BRIDE (Miralee Ferrell) -- 3.5 stars
The story opens with Curt Warren deciding that he wanted to apprentice as a furniture builder in another state, over the objections of his father. He also left Deborah Summers behind. Five years later, Curt comes back for his mother's funeral. The conflict between Mr. Warren and Curt resumed, with Deborah in the middle. When the second shoe drops, it becomes obvious why there is conflict between Mr. Warren and his son. It was resolved a bit too easily.

THE EVERGREEN BRIDE (Pam Hillman) -- 3.5 stars
Annabelle Denson's big dream is to go to Chicago for Christmas and experience a white Christmas. Samuel Frazier doesn't want her to go but he's in business with Annabelle's brother, Jack, and they are struggling with their start-up. Jack wants to marry Maggie and there isn't money to do so yet.

THE GIFT-WRAPPED BRIDE (Maureen Lang) -- E
Sophie isn't happy to have moved to Chicago with her large family and several other families. Her older brother and a friend, Noah Jackson, moved earlier to Chicago, to get jobs and scout out the area for houses and jobs for the later arrivals. Sophie dreams of being a bird illustrator. This is a complex story with lots of heart.

THE GINGERBREAD BRIDE (Amy Lillard) -- 2 stars
This story is so stupid I hate to waste the time to describe it. Madeline Sinclair puts "love herbs" in her gingerbread and her intended promptly wants to marry her. Madeline feels guilty; who cares?

THE FRUITCAKE BRIDE (Vickie McDonough) -- 3.5 stars
Karen has come to marry the preacher, Clay Parsons. They grew up together and Clay has always wanted to marry Karen. Now, he's established in a church in a small town. Not everyone is thrilled with the new fiancee and she feels unworthy of Clay and her new role.

THE SNOWBOUND BRIDE (Davalynn Spencer) -- E
This was a unique and delightful story. Arabella Taube is running away from her uncle and life in Chicago. He has sold her into a marriage she's not interested in and she has found a job in Colorado. She's traveling there when the train stops overnight in a small town and Ara notices that a man is following her. She hides in an empty wagon and is taken to a ranch up in the Rocky Mountains. Ara finds peace and is interested in the man who took her to his family's home in his wagon -- Nate Horne. This is a most enjoyable story -- my favorite of the book.

THE YULETIDE BRIDE (Michele Ule) -- VG+
This is another great story; this time the people in it are interested in music. Ewan Murray wants to marry Kate MacDougall but he is poor and Kate has someone (wealthy) interested in marrying her (Josiah Finch). Kate's family runs the town mercantile, so they are fairly affluent. Mr. MacDougall agrees to listen to Ewan's appeal for his daughter's hand in marriage if he accumulates $70 before Christmas. Ewan works night and day but comes up short. Now, what happens?

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Review Date: 6/20/2020

After reading '1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus,' I was in awe of Charles Mann's research abilities and insightful writing skills. Mann has written a sequel, '1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created.' It is just as good as the previous work. Unfortunately, I decided to 'listen' to the book and I plan to get a physical copy soon and reread it. I thought I missed a great deal by listening.

In the '1491' book, Mann showed that the Americas were already populated with indigenous peoples. However, the early explorers brought their diseases with them from Europe and elsewhere and decimated the local populations as they ravaged the areas for valuable resources. This book talks about the global changes that occurred because of the interaction with the Americas. One crop that created so much change was the lowly sweet potato; I was really shocked to see its worldwide effect on nutrition. Potatoes and rubber were other products highlighted in this study.

With amazing dexterity, Mann talks about the effects of crops, diseases, domesticated animals, pests, and of course, slavery in the world. His explanation of the moving of the silver and gold from their source to other nations initially created vast wealth, but when the markets were flooded with a continuous flow of these metals, it created economic instability and collapse.

Mann shows how America's discovery caused a convulsion in the world's status quo. He explained how each of the new products (crops, diseases, livestock, pests, and slavery) changed the world. This is just as brilliant as the previous book.

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Review Date: 5/30/2021

This is a very exciting description of the earthquake of April 18, 1906. It is amazing that buildings (the ones that stayed upright) moved their foundations 2 to 3 feet! It is shocking to hear that the earthquake was the minor end of the tragedy. Stories are told from the viewpoint of those who were there.

Our son lives in southern California and says that there is no way to prepare for the shakes, and that is the most difficult part to accept (He's used to facing hurricanes here on the Gulf Coast, and people have plenty of warning).

This book offers the feeling that you are there, experiencing the fear and trauma, just like another stellar book by Captivating History, "ThePeshtigo Fire of1871: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Wildfire in the History of the USAThat Occurred in Northeastern Wisconsin." If you haven't read it, it is another story that readers don't forget soon.

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Review Date: 1/22/2015

This book captures the 1920s beautifully; from silent films to the Depression, from the Jazz Age to economic chaos. There are over 300 black-and-white photos that show it all and explain things in English, German and French.

The section, The Haves and the Have Nots is a particularly poignant group of photos. We tend to see films with famous actors in their later years; this book offers early views of Jimmy Cagney, Noel Coward, Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich.

This is an engaging book that brings to the reader the grotesque and gorgeous era in Americas history. The entire series is worthwhile but this book really gives a broad view of an exciting and frightening age.

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Review Date: 2/7/2024

Because Hourly History promises a short, concise explanation of its subject, it takes less than two hours to read. This is a quick look at the events leading up to the formation of the nation of Israel and the war that convened almost immediately after its formation.

Bless Hourly History for an excellent region map, but we could have used it earlier in the book. This is an overview of the conflict, with considerable analysis. I thought it was balanced. Because they covered a lot of information in a short time, showing what and why things happened. Then, they talk about the effects that carry to the present. Finally, readers can access the bibliography for more information.

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Review Date: 7/1/2021

Helpful Score: 1

This seemed very average; one story came from Kenya. Maybe there wasn't much by way of serial killing in the US in the 1950s. The author gave an overview of what each person had done, but he gave his opinions, which I thought was odd. What each serial killer did was horrific enough without the author adding his 2 cents worth. This almost seemed like a book report; he told the reader which book he used to glean his information from.

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Review Date: 5/8/2016

Having lived during these turbulent 10 years, I appreciated the fact that things seemed to be reported in a rather even-handed fashion . Although aimed towards 9 to 12 year-olds, I found this tome very interesting. It did a wonderful job of looking over the panorama of a very upsetting era. I was disappointed with the large number of black-and-white (instead of color photos).

The author makes a point of saying that the 1960's opened with happiness. A young president and his wife occupied the White House and many referred the presidency as Camelot. The euphoria ended with John Kennedy's death. I was a junior in high school (American History class, to be exact) when the news came.

Then, it seemed as if the country was coming unglued: another Kennedy murder, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, rioting over civil rights and the Vietnam War. It was the first time war was shown literally as it happened and US citizens didn't like what they saw.
I remember feeling very frightened about what was happening. Things that had made sense suddenly changed. People we thought were leading our country sounded like regular liars on TV (LBJ, General Westmoreland, etc.).

This volume offered a useful chronology of the decade; provided the books used and offered suggestions for further reading.

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Review Date: 5/16/2023

While millions of people were watching the Oakland Athletics play the San Francisco Giants in the World Series (October 17, 1989), a 6.9 on the Richter Scale registered in the Bay Area. After the fires were over, more than sixty people died. This made the 1989 earthquake the deadliest since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.

I didn't remember reading about the 1989 earthquake, so this was an interesting overview of a traumatic time for the West Coast. I liked the explanation of how building codes were changed after the 1906 earthquake and other remedies created so there was sufficient water for firefighting.

The author gave quotes from people who had experienced the quakes, fires, and aftermath. This gave a strong sense of what life was like for those affected. The photos were extraordinary and helped explain so much about the tragedy.

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Review Date: 5/3/2021

These are some of America's finest naval officers. Each of these men has his own story published by Charles Rivers Editors. My purpose is to give the reader some idea of the bravery and brilliance of their actions. They each made important decisions that had powerful effects on America and the high seas.

Charles Rivers offers a singleton story about each of these men. In this book, the lives of five sterling naval officers are told.

STEPHEN DECATUR --
Stephen Decatur's most famous action came in 1804 in Tripoli. His job was to rescue or destroy an American ship that had been taken. In the end, it had to be destroyed. During action in Tripoli, Stephen's brother, James, was mortally wounded. Finding that James was wounded after he had surrendered; Stephen went to fight the cowardly Tripoli commander. During the hand-to-hand fighting, another Tripolian sailor swung his saber at Stephen. Ruben James stepped between Decatur and the saber, taking a blow to the head. He did not die and later continued in the Navy. This is the source of the famous song, "Reuben James."

Son of a commodore, Stephen flew the pennant of a commodore during the War of 1812. Then, Decatur was able to bring about peace with the Barbary pirates. Decatur was named to the board of Navy Commissioners in 1816. There was bad blood between Decatur and James Barron. It came to light that Barron did a poor job protecting his seamen from impressment. Barron challenged Decatur to a duel and killed Decatur on March 22, 1820, in Washington, DC. The information about dueling in general (during this era) and this duel, in particular, is fascinating and should not be missed.

OLIVER HAZARD PERRY --
Like Decatur, Perry was in the Quasi-War with France and the Tripolitan War against Barbary pirates. However, he played a small part in these actions. When the War of 1812 began, Perry requested action and received a commission to lead the building of a flotilla under construction on Lake Erie. He was successful in both building the ships and winning the Battle of Lake Erie. These were both arduous tasks.

On his next ship, Perry worked to quell the continuing problems with the Barbary pirates in 1815. During a shocking incident in which Perry slapped another officer, John Heath and Oliver Hazard Perry were both court-martialed and found guilty. Mild reprimands were issued to each man. Heath challenged Perry to a duel. Heath missed and Perry refused to pull the trigger.

While Perry was on a diplomatic mission to South America, crewmen caught yellow fever; five died. While underway to Port of Spain, Perry woke up with the illness and died on his 34th birthday, only a few miles from help.

DAVID FARRAGUT --
Because of the untimely death of his mother, James Farragut left one naval family to live with another. Later, James adopted the name 'David' in honor of his foster father. David went to sea with his foster father when he was 9-years-of-age, as a midshipman. He would be a foster brother to both David Dixon Porter, a Civil War admiral, and Commodore William D. Porter.

Incredibly, David served in the War of 1812, under his foster father. By 1822, he was named lieutenant and roamed the West Indies, ferreting out pirates and making the shipping lanes safer. Farragut saw action in the Mexican-American War. When the Civil War started, mistrust was rife in the Union military.

The Union was going to leave Farragut out of the fighting because of his southern birth, his southern wife, and his long residence in southern states. His adoptive brother (David Dixon Porter), however, drew Farragut into the war. Porter wanted Farragut to help him take New Orleans. The description of the battles related to taking New Orleans (and the other Civil War battles) is very interesting reading. In 1862, in recognition of Farragut's exemplary service, Congress created the title Rear Admiral and gave it to Farragut.

By the way, it was David Farragut who yelled, "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead." He said it during an amazing battle at Mobile Bay with Confederate ships. Congress again awarded Farragut with a new title -- Vice Admiral in late 1864. By July 1866, Congress created another title and promoted Farragut to Admiral. He died just 4 months shy of being in the Navy, on active duty for 60 years.

DAVID DIXON PORTER --
David came from a very long line of exemplary naval men and he was a bit cocky about his status. Others saw David as a 'born fighter,' who was born for war. David had an incredible range of naval jobs during his life. When his father, Commodore Porter left the US Navy and accepted command of the Mexican Navy, David went along as a midshipman.

While under the Mexican flag, David saw considerable action. In one instance, he and his cousin, David Henry Porter were on the same ship. His cousin was killed, and David was injured. He was taken to Havana as a war prisoner. After that, the Commodore wanted David to return to the US Navy.

Just as David was going to leave the Navy, the Civil War began. He was assigned to take and hold New Orleans, which was the largest city in the Confederacy. By taking the city, the Union could cut off supplies to the troops and citizens. Both David Porter and his foster brother, David Farragut, saw considerable action. Then, the Union ships moved up to Vicksburg, hoping to split the Confederacy. However, it was a more difficult job.

David was promoted to Rear Admiral. He was called on to assist General Ulysses S Grant, in Grant's efforts to take Vicksburg. The story of how Grant, Sherman, and Porter achieved their aim is rousing. At the end of the battle, the temporary rank of Rear Admiral was made permanent.

After the Civil War, Porter was named Superintendent of the Naval Academy. He revolutionized the buildings, training, and curriculum. In 1866, he was promoted to vice admiral. When his foster brother, Admiral David G. Farragut died in 1870, Porter filled his place. He was named admiral in 1871 (the second person to achieve that position) and spent the last 20 years of his life writing. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery.

GEORGE DEWEY --
After his training at the Naval Academy, Dewey saw action in the Civil War. However, his greatest claim to fame would be the Spanish-American War. In 1897, he requested to be moved to the US Asiatic squadron because he saw war with Spain coming.

He studied the Spanish-owned Philippine Islands and prepared for war. When it broke out in April 1898, he entered Manila Bay, where the Spanish fleet was anchored. He opened fire at about 6 am. Dewey's famous command was, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." His four cruisers and two gunboats had sunk or destroyed most of the Spanish warships by the time he withdrew at 7:35 am.

His victory gave the US the Philippine Islands and increased America's stance in the western Pacific. Dewey was promoted to rear admiral in May 1898 and the next year, he became a full admiral. In 1903, Congress honored him with the special rank of Admiral of the Navy (but took retroactive effect from 1899).

This was the highest rank to be held by a US naval officer and Dewey was the only Naval officer to receive it. He also received other honors including the Battle of Manila Bay Medal and a special sword (especially crafted by Tiffany and Co.) from President McKinley in October 1899.

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Review Date: 8/10/2013

Helpful Score: 1

The essential value of such a book as this is to take a peek at everyday life in America in the years before the Civil War. It is considered to be a primary source - which is important to those of us who work on genealogy. Primary sources give firsthand accounts of folk's lives; they may appear in letters, diaries, photos, etc.

Caroline was 10 years at the time she began her diary; she lived in western New York, in Canadagua, near the Finger Lakes region. When Caroline was 6, her mother died and her father wanted her to be raised well (good education). Thus, this teacher and Presbyterian minister sent his daughters to their grandparents to live.

His sons were sent to boarding schools. In those days everyone went to elementary school until age 10 - 12. The goal was to teach children how to read, write, spell, do math, plus learn geography, grammar and history. Both genders engaged in physical education.

After elementary school, only the wealthy could afford to send their children to private schools and the poorer children went to work. Seminaries (for girls) and boarding schools (for boys) were separated by gender because it was believed females and males had different educational needs.

The biggest surprise in this small tome is related to Grandmother Beals. Caroline reports that when her grandfather left on a trip out-of-town, Mrs. Beals invited an elderly (and quite portly) black woman to her house for dinner. She also sent a carriage to collect and return the woman to her home.

I was surprised; abolition might be the way people thought in New York State, but prejudice against interacting with them was still the accepted course. Grandmother was rather feisty to tempt the wrath of her neighbors.

The book is a delight with lots of photos, which made the diary jump to life. I just wish it had been longer.

4.5 stars

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Review Date: 7/26/2021

The information on why and how each spice worked was impressive. However, I was disappointed that there were virtually no recipes. For you see, I wonder how these spices can make enough difference in one's weight, with the small amount put into a recipe -- and a recipe may feed several. That was what I was hoping the author would explain: How to use enough spice to increase the metabolism so that the food still tastes good but there is enough spice to make a difference.

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Review Date: 8/11/2021

The author gives a long-winded explanation of how the body turns food into fuel. However, he then goes into his 21 fat-burning foods. Fortunately, he explains why each item is on his list and what they offer the body. Then he offers a couple of recipes to increase the reader's intake of that fat-burning food.

One really great statement is, "However, studies show that dietary cholesterol has very little effect on blood cholesterol levels. Also, you should know that your body's cholesterol levels are typically a result of high arterial inflammation caused by processed carbohydrates." He is speaking about eggs. In my research, I've also found that most of our problems are from our over-consumption of carbohydrates.

Another plus of this author is that he explains that beans and legumes are incomplete (but valuable) plant proteins. He encourages readers to add barley, almonds, wheat, and/or corn to form a complete protein (with less fat than meat).

I don't agree with a few of his fat-burning foods -- pasta, rice, potatoes, and whole-grain bread. I don't care who said they are fat-burning, I don't agree. However, most of the author's advice was great and many of the recipes seem doable and tasty. I just questioned how much sugar some of the recipes contained. Overall score = G+

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Review Date: 7/4/2021

Connor Thompson has written a highly readable book about inflammation and avoiding it through food choices. The recipes, however, didn't really ring my chimes. I thought it odd that the recipe for celery juice (for breakfast) called for mixing celery slices in a high-speed mixer, draining the celery, and drinking the water. I would have thought that it would be far better for a person to drink the shredded celery water for fiber.

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Review Date: 7/3/2022

This is a comprehensive book of recipes. The variety of meats and vegetarian offerings is impressive. On the downside, there was no nutritional information or photos. Moreover, the Table of Contents does not connect to unique recipes, making it time-consuming because there are so many.

To give you an idea of the breadth of this cookbook, I will outline the categories --
- Breakfast - 24 recipes,
- Soups and Stews - 11 recipes,
- Chicken and Turkey - 46 recipes,
- Beef - 28 recipes,
- Pork and Lamb - 25 recipes,
- Fish and Seafood - 50 recipes,
- Vegetarian - 51 dishes,
- Desserts - 15 recipes.

I have several cookbooks authored by Louise Davidson and enjoy them immensely. However, she offers more than the same thing.

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Review Date: 9/29/2023

This author concentrates on whole foods from the Mediterranean Sea, with quick cooking times. She offers a wide variety of recipes. On the downside, there are no photos, but she includes cooking times and servings.

The author encourages people to follow the Mediterranean Diet that emphasizes local, everyday products that can be purchased from the local store around the corner or grown in their backyard. This way of eating encourages fish, colorful veggies, healthy oils and fiber, and good fats. The followers of this diet tend to eat what is on sale. The suggestions on pages nine and ten are the backbone of the Mediterranean diet. Many recipes are cooked in a single pot (cutting down cleaning times).

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Review Date: 1/18/2019

This is an incredibly dull bunch of mini-soap-operas combined to make one book of about 380 pages. I knew the Debbie Macomber offered light reading, but this book was plodding and boring.

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Review Date: 3/13/2024

These recipes are quick, although hardly of the 5-minute variety. The author even has a quick mac and cheese recipe. There are no photos or nutritional information. However, at the end (and not listed in the contents), I copied three spice blend recipes: Italian, Taco, and Cajun Seasoning Blends.

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