Food Network star and New York Times bestselling author Melissa d'Arabian proves that healthy eating at home is easy, achievable, and affordable.

Everyone wants to feel good about what they are eating, serving guests, and feeding their families, but most of us don't do our weekly shopping at pricey specialty stores-- we do it at the local supermarket and we don't want it to break the bank. In her second book, Melissa demystifies the task of preparing nutritious and delicious food by showing exactly how you can make your grocery store work for you. She offers helpful strategies for shopping, cooking, and entertaining, as well as meal blueprints and nutritional information throughout. This book will make you confident about the food you're buying, preparing, and eating. Delicious recipes like Almond Waffles with Raspberry-Basil Sauce, Kale and White Bean Caesar Salad in a Jar, Slow-Roasted Tomato Spaghettini, Flatiron Steaks with Quick Cauliflower Kimchi, and Flourless Fudgy Dream Cookies have something for every type of eater at every meal of the day. No matter your favorite flavors or dietary needs, cooking on a budget is empowering-- and now you can learn how to make every bite count. If cooking at home is the key to healthy living, Supermarket Healthy is the only tool you'll need.

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Cookbooks....one of my first loves that has stuck with me to this day. I have so many cookbooks that there's a six foot tall bookshelf in my kitchen that's full of them. I can't see to resist them. Now that the boys are getting older and interested in nutrition and let's face it, I just need to focus more on my health, this is one book that I couldn't pass up and I'm so glad that I didn't! Melissa's book is not only full of delicious looking recipes, but it also has tips and tricks and some seriously beautiful food photography that just makes me want to create a meal plan and get myself off to the grocery store! Anything that can help me cook healthier meals on a budget that my teenage boys will eat without asking me, "What the heck are you trying to feed us now?" is a winner in my book!




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"The Three Little Horses and the Big Bully Donkey" is a tale (based on the "Three Little Pigs"), about three little horse brothers who suddenly lose their house that is destroyed by a fire. The young horses are totally alone and thrust into the reality of having to depend on themselves and each other against a bully donkey, who wanders the forest wrecking homes and bullying the other animals. This warm-hearted tale promotes strong values and has a fun premise. Written and humorously illustrated in vivid color throughout by Liana-Melissa Allen, the story is a proven winner for reading aloud to children.



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This book was a super fun updated version of The Three Little Pigs. What can I say? The illustrations were fantastic, the story had a much happier ending and it's perfect to be read to children or read by middle elementary age kids. I loved that the story gave multiple chances to be used as a teaching tool (fire safety, the benefit of doing things right the first time, etc). This is going to be another book that goes into the future little brother pile for the boys. We're down to only about 7 weeks before he's due to join their family and we're having fun finding the perfect books for them to share with him.


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In her riotous debut novel, which was awarded the 2014 bronze IPPY for Regional Southern Fiction, Melanie Denman probes the silent sacrifices of motherhood with unflinching honesty and warmhearted amusement. Set in the Bible Belt of Deep East Texas, Visiting the Sins is a darkly funny story about mothers and daughters, naked ambition, elusive redemption, and all the torment it's possible to inflict in the name of family.

Down through the decades, the lofty social aspirations of the feisty but perennially dissatisfied Wheeler women - Pokey, the love-starved, pistol-packing matriarch; Rebanelle, the frosty former beauty queen turned church organist; and Curtis Jean, the backsliding gospel singer - are exceeded only by their unfortunate taste in men and a seemingly boundless capacity for holding grudges. A legacy of feuding and scandal lurches from one generation to the next with tragic consequences that threaten to destroy everything the Wheeler women have sacrificed their souls to build.

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There's nothing like family and nothing like an author who can make their characters come alive for the reader. This book has both. Throughout this book I was reminded of the times I'd sit around the table and listen to the family stories that my grandmother would tell. No matter how many times I'd heard them, they never grew old for me. Just like those times, this book made me laugh and it made me shake my head in wonder as each of the ladies told their part. I honestly can't think of a negative when it comes to this book. I will warn you that Pokey can be a bit on the bold side with her language, so this book may not be for a younger reader, but it's nothing that a more mature reader can't handle.

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As much as I love book reviewing, I get super excited when I have the opportunity to check out something new that doesn't involve books! In this case, Purex Insiders sent me some new hand soap from Dial!

From the product page : With a creamy sweet scent inspired by fresh cut sugar cane, this premium formula with gentle micro scrubbers cleanses deeply while moisturizing and smoothing skin.

My take: After I got over the excitement of having water back to my bathroom sink, I put this right on the counter to try out. Turns out that I love it. Usually the fact that soap smells tend to linger bothers me, but not with this one! The scent is so pleasant (and didn't set my allergies off!) that it wasn't a tough decision at all to decide that this is a soap that I'm going to be picking up more off for future use. It's not just the scent though, after using this soap, my hands felt clean and the skin was soft. I won't go so far as to say that this might be the perfect hand soap, but it is certainly in the running!



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In book two of the Realm Walkers Series, Cantor, Bixby, and Dukmee must band together to find the storied realm walker Chomountain after the devastating attack by the corrupt Realm Walkers Guild. But what they discover while traveling turns their mission upside down and they must now find a way to restore Chomountain.

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It took me a bit of time to get back into this series. It'd been so long since I'd read the first book that I needed to refresh my memory. While this book starts out slower than the first book, it didn't take long before I was drawn right back into the story. The characters are continuing to develop both emotionally and physically and yet they seem familiar and beloved. This series (yes, there's a third book coming!) is perfect for any fantasy lover and I'm going to seriously attempt to get my teenage boys to read it because I think that they would very much enjoy it. Paul mixes her faith in with an amazing story set in amazing places without it being pushy or in your face. Perfect for teenage boys who want to rebel against the very idea.



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You know that thing when you're in Walmart at noon before you discover you haven't brushed your teeth? Sarah Parshall Perry gets that. She also gets weird things showing up in her bed, her daughter asking for war paint, and her son crawling into a giant blue sock on Christmas morning. Mainly, she gets that conflicted feeling of finding her kids hanging out in the dogs' cages and happily realizing they have stopped getting into trouble for a minute.

According to Perry, "The hardest stuff is the quickest way to God," and readers get to watch the systematic destruction of her carefully planned life, laughing at her missteps, aching at her tragedies, and recognizing themselves along the way. A mother of three children, two of whom are on the autism spectrum, she has experienced plenty of ups and downs, but from the chaos of her "ordinary" life she pulls the universal truths of motherhood, addressing them with humor, poignancy, and a naked honesty that will make the reader think, "That sounds a lot like my crazy life. "Perry helps mothers realize they aren't alone, even if they've fallen off the straight and narrow of their intended path and are instead lying in the ditch next to it. Life's a mess. But as Perry reminds us, it's all for a purpose.

Perfect for mothers, this book will encourage, inspire, and enlighten.
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Let's face it. Motherhood is messy. We would all love to pretend that our homes our spotless, our children are always well behaved and dinner is always on the table right on time, but it's just not the case. Sarah shares her story of motherhood with tongue in cheek humor and a refreshing sense of transparency. While I don't have a child on the Autism scale, I do have a special needs kiddo and I remember the looks I would get in stores and such. Knowing that another parent has been there made me smile. Not everyone will relate to every part of this book, but if you're a mom, it's well worth the read!


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Science Fiction Series - Aoleon The Martian Girl Part 3 The Hollow Moon (Part 3 of 5)

Aoléon and Gilbert investigate the Luminon to try and uncover the plot to invade Earth to steal it’s milk cows. In the process, they discover a disturbing revelation about the Martian leader. After overhearing the Luminon discuss his plans to use sabotage to disrupt Mars’s galact supply, the duo races to try and to warn Aoléon’s father Deimos, who is a manager at the galactworks plant before the saboteur can act.

Meanwhile, Aoleon has to take her pilots exam, which would enable her to eventually join the Martian intergalactic explorational fleet. However, during the test-run, something goes horribly wrong. The two are put in a life threatening situation that only Bizwat, a Procyon commando, and Aoléon’s friend can save them from.

Gilbert finally gets his chance to learn to skyboard. However, things go horribly wrong and they are chased by the Royal Paladin guard.

Will they survive?

Join Aoleon and Gilbert in this exciting middle-grade scifi adventure story to Mars and beyond!

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I may be running out of words to describe just how fun and wonderful this series is. In part 3, Brent doesn't let the reader down but keeps the adventures coming. The pacing is still nice and quick so as not to lose the younger readers but the imagination is still top notch! The illustrations will still capture that same imagination and before you know it, you'll be eagerly looking for part four. Luckily for me, I already have it and it's time to get reading it!



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