The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine review

So as my first post back into blogging, I'm taking us down an unfamiliar road. You see, I've been hiding a secret. I am one of those coupon people. Not like the tv show, but I have managed to slash my grocery budget & nix spending in other areas too thanks in part to the Money Saving Mom. What started as a simple blog has blossomed over the years into a thriving website with more than just coupons & good deals. Even better is that the mom herself, Crystal Paine, has been able to write a book based on her knowledge.

This wonderful non-fiction, how-to guide is one of the most user-friendly books I have read in quite a while. Leaning on principles taught in many money saving systems, Crystal quickly & efficiently outlines what you need to do in order to get yourself back on track financially. What's so wonderful about the book is its all-encompassing nature. Crystal doesn't just fling numbers & formulas at you, she helps you understand how each aspect of your life (from your time management to your tidiness) affects your finances & how to regain control.

My favorite part of the book though are the worksheets. Crystal has featured her worksheets on her website for quite some time, and while some of them are a bit daunting in their detail, I think they are the most thorough & logical worksheets I have seen. They cover several key aspects for successful management. Not only are the worksheets great, but Crystal is such a natural cheerleader. Throughout the whole book she is doling out tips & tricks & offering encouragement. She knows that the subject matter she is tackling is sensitive & difficult for many people to work on, so she allows you to goof up & jump right back in.

While it might be too late to get this book for yourself or a loved one for Christmas (hard to believe that sneaked up on me) I would definitely keep this in mind for birthdays or any special occasion. It's great for busy moms & even for stressed college students. I think the sooner in life one can get their hands on this book the better. I hope you enjoy it & be sure to check out MoneySavingMom.com!

The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine review

Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Apollo Landings by Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Jay Barbree, & Neil Armstrong review

July 20, 1969. Eight years after President John F. Kennedy promised America that the newly formed NASA would land a man on the moon, the crew of Apollo 11 touched down on the Sea of Tranquillity in triumph. Moon Shot is the never-before-told story of the courage, dedication and teamwork that made the journey possible - an intense human drama of the sacrifices and risks asked of a small but remarkable group of astronauts who put their lives on the line as they led the way to the lunar landscape 25 years ago.

Alan Shephard and Deke Slayton were perfectly placed to tell this inside story. Members of the original Mercury Seven team, they were part of America's pioneering space programme from the beginning, participating as astronauts and as key members of the astronaut office. Set against the backdrop of a race between two superpowers competing to establish dominance as the world's technological and scientific leader, Moon Shot takes us back to days of discovery and achievement, revealing the men behind the heroes, and the success, bitter disappointments and even tragedy that shaped the world of those who risked everything to tackle the unknown.

From Goodreads

I know I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I was surprised at how easy a read this book turned out to be! Some of you know that I have a degree in French, but did you also know that my other major was in International Studies? It's true! While I mostly studied history rather than politics, I did have to take a few poli sci courses & believe it or not we actually discussed the Apollo missions' importance in relation to our nation's place in the world.

This book gives an in-depth, personal account of the Apollo missions' history & process from the inside out. These men risked everything (especially their lives) to make history & I think that is what says so much about us as a people. These men were willing to do what no one had ever successfully done in order to further our knowledge of our own world, while facing the ultimate reality that they might not ever make it back.

What made the book so accessible for the layman (and particularly for those of us who weren't alive when this all went down originally) are the re-created conversations between the astronauts. While I highly doubt they said these exact things, they lend the reader a sense of belonging because you can more fully understand what is being discussed. We get to see inside a rarely discussed world that had such a serious impact on daily life in the 1960's.

I hope some of you will spare this book a few minutes. I don't mean you need to read the whole thing, but just a few pages or chapters should be enough to convince you of the importance of this time & these events in our nation's history.

Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Apollo Landings by Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Jay Barbree, & Neil Armstrong review

The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook by Christy Dorrity

While I don't normally review non-fiction works, this one is very special; and not just because I'm one of the 25 featured reviewers. :)

Christy Dorrity of Dearest Dreams put together an wonderful cookbook of recipes to go along with popular YA books. There are recipes to compliment Shiver, The False Princess, and Before I Fall just to name a few. We start off with the book jacket description, then move into the explanation of why the recipe goes with the book, the recipe itself, & then blurbs about the book from book bloggers. There is a total of 25 book bloggers featured, including some personal favorites like Parajunkee's View & Mundie Moms.

The recipes in this book are quite easy to follow & taste really yummy! While I do not prefer the book layout (there is A LOT of white space), it's a fun book. I really wish it was a hard copy that I could put on my cookbook shelf. The blogger's notes on the books are also quite eloquent & add a little something extra to the cookbook.

All in all, I had fun reading this one & diving into the recipes. My personal favorite is the Fablehaven -based Fairy Touched Calico Brownies. Something about mint & chocolate is so yummy! Be sure to check out the other stops on the 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook blog tour for your chance to win a Kindle or a copy of this awesome book! Don't forget to stop by the 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook official site either. All the pertinent information can be found there!

The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook by Christy Dorrity

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood

I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of non-fiction, but there are somethings that just beg to be read. When I heard about this book, and the non-profit that came out of this adventure, I was stunned and had to read it. I braced myself for the most boring, textbook-like reading that I was choosing to inflict upon myself. To my surprise, it was quite the opposite.

John Wood was a successful executive at Microsoft in the late 1990's (Director of Business Development for the Greater China Region). He had money, power, and success. Yet he found himself unfulfilled. John decided to take himself on a soul-searching vacation, but he definitely wasn't prepared for what he found.

In the Nepalese Himalayas, John discovered that he could combine his savvy corporate skills that had been honed by Microsoft and his compassion for the starved-for-books children he met on his trek. This book is the story of how he changed from a corporate executive to the head of one of the largest-growing non-profits in the nation, Room-to-Read.

It was fascinating to read about how John found the ability to create Room-to-Read. It was a long journey, with many complications, but he was dedicated to bringing these children the books and education that they so desperately wanted. The program started out small with just a few boxes of books sent to already existing schools and has evolved into a program that sends tens of thousands of donated books to schools & has even started building libraries and schools in countries like Sri Lanka, Laos, and Zambia.

This year Room-to-Read celebrates its "Year of Tens" 10 years, 10,000 libraries, 1,000 schools, and 10,000 girls educated. Head on over to the Room-to-Read website to check out how much they've grown and read up on all that they've done. The book was a great way to gain exposure and I'm sure we'll be seeing much more out of this wonderful organization.

Personal Note (PN): I fell so much in love with this organization that for my wedding, as favors, I made bookmarks to inform my guests that we would be making a donation in their honor to Room-to-Read. It was awesome!

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood