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Category: Nonfiction

Review: How to Pick a Religion by Trevor Barnes

[ 5 ] April 7, 2012

Reviewed by Jill Franclemont

How to Pick a Religion: A Consumer’s Guide. What a great title. And the jacket blurb is even better: “entertaining yet factual consumer guide… a no-nonsense cost-benefit analysis of your religious options… help you find the best religion for you, to secure a place in the next life, while still making the most of this one.”

Teehee. Sounds delightful, no, with tremendous snark-potential? I thought so too. Alas, alack – not so much.

In truth, I felt that the book offered much more on the factual side than on the entertainment side. Which is perfectly fine and useful and all that, but not exactly what I was expecting. It is organized by the elements of life (money, sex, food, worship and contemplation, death and the afterlife), and compares the relevant dogma of the major world’s religions on each of those elements. It is, quite literally, organized like a consumer’s guide to buying a television or new car.

Which, when I think about it, IS kind of snarky. Just not the way I envisioned.

The writing style is educational, informative, and pleasantly enjoyable. The organization is clever and useful. I originally thought it was intended to be a funny book that offered some information. After reading it, I believe it’s quite the opposite. This really is intended to be a consumer’s guide to making a decision on the deeply divisive, controversial, and extraordinarily personal issue of religious belief.

It was not quite the book I thought it would be. But if you’re looking for a Theology 101 or Comparative Religions 102 overview – or to actually pick a religion – then this is a great place to start.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

A former corporate attorney and government relations/health policy executive, Jill-Elizabeth walked away from that world (well, skipped actually) and toward a more literary life (equally challenging, but infinitely more enjoyable). 

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Hodder & Stoughton. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Developing Your Presentation Skills by Theo Theobald

[ 1 ] April 4, 2012

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

Everyone will need to make a presentation at some time in their lives. Whether it is a formal business speech or an informal toast at a friend’s wedding, knowing how to make a speech is a valuable skill to have in any situation.

Develop Your Presentation Skills by Theo Theobald is part of the Creating Success series. The chapters cover the development of topics, the use of humor and tools like PowerPoint, as well as offering templates and content for a speech, and tips for managing your nervousness and the audience (including question and answer sessions, and when those question should be allowed to be asked). There are helpful activities for the reader to try, and summaries of what to do for each stage of developing a presentation. These tips apply to most formal professional presentations made in the context of a work scenario, but the strategies would also apply to any situation where speaking in public is required.

In the chapter on finding your inner voice, Theobald focuses on a research study (the Mehrabian study) which showed that over half of the speaker’s ability to impact an audience is derived from her non-verbal cues or body language. This means that your voice as well as your action needs to portray a confident spirit. How do people become confident when required to speak in public? Pre-recording your voice and making preparations ahead of time are the two obvious stand-bys to answer the confidence question. In that respect, much of the advice given in the book is standard fare for anyone interested in finding out how to speak in public or prepare the next speech.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Kogan Page. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Giveaway: Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden

[ 25 ] April 4, 2012

Enter to win a copy of Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden!

About the book

Escape from Camp 14 tells the unbelievable true story of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only known person born in a North Korean no-exit camp to have escaped and survived. In a starred review, Library Journal describes it as “a book that all adults should read,” Foreign Policy named it one of the 21 books that will matter in 2012, and BBC Radio 4 selected it for their prestigious Book of the Week series.

Although the world pays little attention, North Korea’s political prison camps, which hold between 150,000 and 200,000 prisoners and are clearly visible in satellite photographs, have existed twice as long as Stalin’s Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. Shin, who was bred by guards to be a slave and a snitch and was expected to work and die anonymously in a camp that the North Korean government says does not exist, escaped when he was twenty-three years old and miraculously found his way to China, South Korea and finally the United States. Through this harrowing narrative of Shin’s life and remarkable escape, Harden offers an unbelievable glimpse into the world’s most repressive, totalitarian state.

This April, North Korea will celebrate its 100th anniversary celebration as a “great and prosperous” country. And with the world’s eyes on the new leader Kim Jong Eun—who happens to be the exact same age as Shin Dong-hyuk—now is as important a time as ever to focus on the truth of what’s happening in these camps.
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Review: The Ultimate Allergy-Free Snack Cookbook by Judi & Shari Zucker

[ 1 ] March 31, 2012

Reviewed by Jenna Arthur

Judi and Shari Zucker are two twins on a mission – to bring delicious and nutritious vegetarian snacks to children and adults alike that have common, as well as, uncommon allergies. Starting at a ripe age of 11, these twins became vegetarians. They wrote their first snack book at age 16 and are continuing to spread the word that there are alternatives for traditional snacks that make allergy sufferers sick.

The Ultimate Allergy-Free Snack Cookbook is not only filled with dozens of kid friendly treats and sweets but also has a lot of information for parents and adults new to coping with allergies. The beginning of the book explains common allergies while also explaining foods and additives to avoid. The delicious recipes to follow are easy to make and taste amazing.

I tried the Really Raspberry Sorbet, the Lemon Drops, Mummy’s Yummy Hummus and the Burritos 2 Go. Being lactose intolerant, I was delighted that the Raspberry Sorbet was luscious and full of fresh ripe raspberry flavor and the Lemon Droops smooth and tangy. Perfect for serving to little ones! Mummy’s Yummy Hummus  and Burritos 2 Go were a hit with my two picky nieces and nephews who have combined nut, dairy and other food allergies.

I look forward to trying more safe for the stomach recipes. I definitely recommend this cookbook to allergy sufferers and parents with little ones that have allergies. Because why shouldn’t everyone be able to have gourmet tasting, allergy free snacks? Look for the sisters’ other books as well!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Jenna lives in the bustling city of Pittsburgh, PA with her fiance and her two beautiful cats. Along with her passion for reading and the literary world, she is also an artist, writer, environmental activist, creative coordinator and aspiring culinary genius. She believes there is nothing better to her then a good book, and lives one cover to the next.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Square One Publishers. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth

[ 4 ] March 30, 2012

Reviewed by Jill Franclemont

Ali Wentworth has lived quite a life. I confess I didn’t know who she was at first. From the blurb I learned that she was married to George Stephanopoulos and is the daughter of Ronald Reagan’s White House Press Secretary. As a former resident of Washington, DC, how could I resist? I enjoy memoirs, love DC, and couldn’t imagine turning down a book with blurbs by Kathy Griffin, Jerry Seinfeld, Alec Baldwin AND the author’s mom… Plus the synopsis for Ali in Wonderland called it “addictively funny” and included a slew of adjectives I am quite fond of, like “off-the-wall”, “hilarious”, and “borderline insane”.

Will I never learn?

No book that is self-described as “hilarious” ever really is. I think it’s akin to real smart people talking about their own intelligence or real rich people about their own money – if you’ve got it, you know it, and you don’t have to tell everyone. That’s what happened here.

Sure, there are funny bits. Ali was a precocious child and got even more precocious as she grew up, so there are some very cute and very funny stories. Much of this is standard “poor little rich girl” fare, set against the backdrop of the DC political scene. She goes out of her way to shock, – again, fairly standard fare for a memoir of this type – but while she is occasionally over-the-top, it’s usually in a fairly predictable way.

She’s not exactly as outré as one would expect a former In Living Colour girl to be, but her stories are, for the most part, fun to read. As an added bonus, they’re not always entirely believable – a fact which I felt actually added to, rather than detracted from, their charm.

I know she’s a comic actress, and that “hilarious” is the type of adjective a publicist will always use in that context. But I will offer the same, unsolicited, advice I often do: be careful, oh mighty publicists and press agents, because over-billing may sell initial copies and drive initial interest, but it almost always guarantees a case of reviewer let-down.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

A former corporate attorney and government relations/health policy executive, Jill-Elizabeth walked away from that world (well, skipped actually) and toward a more literary life (equally challenging, but infinitely more enjoyable). If you enjoyed this review, please visit her at Jill-Elizabeth.com, the official home of All Things Jill-Elizabeth – that is, all of the teehees, musings, rants, book reviews, writing exercises, and witticisms of her burgeoning writing career.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Harper. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher

[ 3 ] March 28, 2012

Reviewed by Nina Longfield

Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher begins with a rambling, seemingly unrelated series of thoughts. With the progression of her story, though, Fisher delves into her personal battles with self-medication, depression, being bi-polar, weight problems, personal loss, and the challenge of once being Princess Leia (thirty years after the role ended). Fisher’s stories are at once vivid, engaging, sometimes charming and a few times shocking. Fisher reflects upon her past and present with dry humor, at times laugh out loud funny, and other times pensive.

Fisher’s writing style is straightforward. Her digressions, though, are too numerous to count, which makes me wonder whether this entire book was produced during a blitz of mania. However, Fisher speaks candidly about her continuing fight to remain sober, her battle with depression and her choice to battle the debilitating mental condition through ECT (electroconvulsive therapy, otherwise known as shock treatment).

Despite the name dropping, which I guess should be expected in a celebrity’s memoir, Shockaholic shows the reader a glimpse of Carrie Fisher battling her inner demons with the use of her sharp wit, a bit of sarcasm, and a hint of vulnerability.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 


Nina Longfield is a writer living in Oregon’s fertile wine country. When she is not reading or writing in her spare time, Nina enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding her cabin.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Simon & Schuster. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels–A Love Story by Ree Drummond

[ 5 ] March 23, 2012

Reviewed by Amanda Schafer

Ree Drummond is the Pioneer Woman, but she didn’t start out that way. Former vegetarian, Californian, and country club girl, Ree is now a rancher’s wife with her own cooking show and several published books. In this book, Ree invites us into her past as she recounts the incredibly romantic story of how her life began with Marlboro Man. Ree openly tells of all the ways that she made a mess of herself in the black heels she insisted on wearing, but also of the romantic ways that Marlboro Man would always come to her rescue.

When Ree moved back home in order to reprioritize her life before moving on to Chicago, she never expected to fall in love. With a rancher, no less! After casually dating Marlboro Man for a few weeks, fully expecting to continue with her plans to move to Chicago, Ree surprises herself by staying and pursuing the relationship.

During their time together, Ree and Marlboro Man cook for each other, watch sunsets together, and do a lot of passionate necking. And always, after every date or every day together, Marlboro Man calls Ree within just a few minutes of leaving her. They talk and inevitably he chuckles. (The chuckles, we learn, are an important thing to Ree.)

Their dating progresses into an engagement, and the honeymoon that follows seems to be one disaster after another: illness, bad news from home, and then food poisoning. They finally decide to cut the honeymoon short and head home, but the problems at home worsen when Marlboro Man has to make hard decisions about the ranch. Things get tighter and tougher for them as newlyweds, but then they discover that Ree is pregnant! After dealing with horrible morning sickness, working with clothes that no longer fit, and trying to figure out her role on the ranch, Ree gave birth to a baby girl less than a year after they are married.

I love Ree Drummond! ‘Nuff said, right? She’s beautiful, a great cook, and she homeschools her children to boot! My favorite line in Black Heels to Tractor Wheels comes when Ree realizes that she will be married to a rancher and she will have to live on a ranch and do things that ranchers do. She realizes that she’ll likely have several children (perhaps ten or eleven!) and she says, “I’ll have to squat in the garden and give birth while picking my okra.”

I absolutely love Black Heels to Tractor Wheels and would really enjoy seeing another portion of their life chronicled in a novel the way this one was done. It reads like a fairy tale, but is at the same time real and honest, and is one of the best autobiographical books I’ve ever read.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Amanda lives in Missouri with her engineering husband, two sons, and one daughter. In between homeschooling and keeping up with church activities she loves to read Christian Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and any Chick-Lit. She never goes anywhere without a book to read!

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by William Morrow Paperbacks. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Social Q’s by Philip Galanes

[ 3 ] March 22, 2012

Reviewed by Sara Drake

Social Q’s: How to Survive the Quirks, Quandaries and Quagmires of Today offers insight into polite ways of dealing with difficult situations. Philip Galanes writes an advice column for the New York Times, “Social Qs,” as well as appearing regularly on the Today Show. This book grew out of his advice columns, based on the most common questions his readers sent him.

He addresses social etiquette questions that arise from our modern world. Have you ever wondered if you should tell someone about their really bad BO? Have you ever wanted ideas on how to handle a difficult boss? Do you spend the holiday season confused by how to handle the social obligations? This book has the answers and much more. Galanes offers his advice with a mixture of humor and pragmatism, making this book an enjoyable read.

As someone who frequently finds myself baffled in social situations, I looked forward to reading Social Q’s. I had high expectations of finding some common sense advice on how to navigate my way though awkward situations more gracefully. This book did not disappoint. I have even found occasions to put the book’s advice into practice since I read it, which is the highest praise I can offer an advice book.

I enjoyed the quirky sense of fun that permeates Social Q’s, making it a delight to turn each page. I eagerly read on to discover the next situation, the next snafu, and the next bit of wisdom. I loved that the author presented “rules” with each set of situations providing a guide to handling similar situations, as I tend to think logically and prefer clear rules to fuzzy judgment calls. In fact, I took pleasure in this book from cover to cover, I rare event for me.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Check out Philip Galanes’ website to learn more

Sara Drake has been an avid reader since a young age. She has both a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and a Master’s in History.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Simon & Schuster. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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