Book Review: Craft-a-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects

by: Sarah Goldschadt

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Make something new every day of the year! Craft-a-Day is your guide to simple fun handmade projects. It offers daily inspiration, along with fun weekly themes to kick-start your imagination. January brings Snowflake Week, February features Groundhog Week, and March offers Hexagon Week – there's truly something for everyone.

Author Sarah Goldschadt provides whimsical ideas for basic crafts that require no advanced skills or crazy crafting tools; these projects are as fun and easy to make as they are to admire. Complete with handy patterns and more than 400 photographs, Craft-a-Day challenges you to make something special, each and every day.

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I do love this book. It's full of cute and simple crafts that my boys and I adore and can't wait to get started on. I want to make all the felt ornaments for the Christmas tree, they want me to make all the felt stuffed animals for them. And CW wants me to do the paper sailboat cake for his birthday. Ivan chose diamonds.

Do you get what happened when that book arrived. They have both been through the whole thing at least twice. And they get mad when I sit down to look through it. She does a wonderful job breaking down each craft into steps, and they really are adorable. The first day, CW made the robot right out of the book, he traced her pattern on paper and finished it up with no help.

But I will say, the word unique is a stretch. Well they are set up in themes by week. So let's take the robot, there is a robot doll, a robot ornament, a robot magnet, a robot bookmark...you see my point. They are unique but it's not 365 different things. There are dolls, ornaments and some paper craft for every theme and each theme runs a week. Personally, I still love it but I also think it's misleading to make it sound like there are 365 totally unique projects.

So, should you get a copy? If you love crafts that are quick and cute, YES! And if you have kids, it's even better!

Book Review: Perfect Bait

by: Michael Fowlkes

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
A spellbinding thriller, as suspenseful as it is sensual.

The richly-textured settings of Seattle's commercial waterfront, San Diego's topless beaches and the breathtaking waters off Cabo San Lucas create the backdrop for a riveting story of love, romance and betrayal, as a young couple find themselves in a fight for their lives having been set up by the FBI as perfect bait.

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This one is tricky. At times it got on my nerves, but all in all it was pretty thrilling. I thought I knew what was going to happen from the summary, but I was taken by surprise and in the end I couldn't put it down.

What I didn't like was the storyline dragged and had elements that just didn't need to be included. Like in the beginning with his wife, I can see that. At the end she shows up, but I have no idea why. It's never addressed again. And all the people, conversations and work on the boat. Yes, very important to the character but it took years of this guys life to get to the story.

Then once it really got going, I didn't care for all the rape talk. Yes I get it, it happened. Didn't need nearly as much detail as the guy gave. And the perverts, are guys seriously like this? Because I want to go to an island of women if they are!

But once it gets into the main plot of the story it starts moving seriously fast and is full of energy. It really touched a nerve how alone they really are out on the open waters. When you have an emergency it's not like an ambulance can haul-ass over to you.

Oh and there was a dog...a cute dog. But this is not a cute tale. It's full of rough language, rough men, abused women, and plenty of murder.

Book Review: To Have and to Code

by: Debora Geary

Available at Amazon

Synopsis:
Nell Sullivan is fiery, easily distracted by cookies, and doomed to wear the peach monstrosity at her best friend’s wedding.

And she’s a witch.

Daniel Walker is a former baseball player turned bored hacker looking for a challenge. Hacking Nell's online gaming world is going to get him a lot more than he bargained for.

A prophecy says they will make babies together – but when it comes to the love life of a modern witch and a hacker, prophecy might not get a vote.

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I swear, Debora's books is like eating warm chocolate chip nutella cookies. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I always receive them when I really need them, too. It's always a great follow-up to anything dark. Even full of witches, they are full of so much light.

I love that we get a good look at Nell and Daniel, two central characters that don't get too much face time. They are parents of the sparkly triplet girls and the most powerful witchling to date.

This goes into how they meet and ultimately get hitched. And I'm not sorry about giving something away, this was written after we already know them as a couple. Still a wonderful story to read. Especially since Nell is such a powerful fire witch and Daniel is a muggle (hey do you like the cross reference?).

Run and grab this sweet witchy romance.