Harry Potter And The Stone By J.K. Rowling

Since I let his brother review a book for me yesterday, my other nine year old wanted to review one of his own. He picked his current favorite Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Here is Miles's review-

Miles' Thoughts-

I Like This Story Because It Is A Nice Story To Read. My Favorite Chapter Is Chapter 1 (The Boy Who Lived).This Is The First Out Of Seven Of Harry Potter Books There Is. To Me This My Favorite Harry Potter Book. My Last Note Is That Thank You J.K. Rowling For Creating this Book.

Book & Beauty Cravebox Giveaway

A while back I reviewed the Book & Beauty Box and once again sang Cravebox's praises. It has definitely been one of my favorite boxes from them to date. Now, I am thrilled to offer you the opportunity to win one of these fabulous boxes! Enter via the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win The Book & Beauty Cravebox!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosting With Style by Beretta Fleur Review

I've always wanted to be one of those people who throws parties and backyard barbecues and other fun get togethers for friends in my home. I am decent at party planning, but maybe not creative as I could be. That's where Beretta Fleur comes in. She has a new book called Hosting With Style. Not only is it all about creating wonderful parties, but it also gives tips for efficient homemaking. While I didn't get to read the entire book, I was offered a glimpse inside and I like what I saw. There are recipes for homemade cleaners that every stay at home person should have in their arsenal  Not only do they save you tons of money, they are better for the environment and for you to be breathing in.

I was more excited for the party ideas. I love that the book includes recipes for everyone, including the most traditional meat eating kind of person all the way to gluten free vegan options. I really enjoyed the drink recipes and can't wait to try of few of them out. My absolute favorite section of the book that I read was the different idea for party themes. I found myself thinking, "yup, I definitely need to throw a party like that!" several different times!

You can explore Beretta Fleur's website, which is also full of great party ideas, recipes and tips. There are sections devoted to party menus and holidays, as well as other fun things like weddings & showers and even a section devoted to diy and crafts. And of course there are recipes galore. Anyone who likes to entertain in their home or even someone who just enjoys being crafty would love Beretta's website and her new book.

Connect with Beretta Fleur on Twitter
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Buy Hosting With Style at Lulu.com

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary sample copy of the book. I was not requried to render a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

Chloe's Vegan Desserts by Chloe Coscarelli Book Review

Before I even start this review, I need to mention that I am not vegan. I am working on hard on leaning more in that direction, but that has been difficult for me because of my love of cheese, but that doesn't have much to do with dessert does it? haha! So I thought "Well, I love dessert, I wonder if these recipes will be any good? I might as well give it a try!" And boy am I glad I did!

I have tried several recipes from this cookbook and they were all pretty knock your socks off amazing. And that is not just coming from me, my meat loving, kind of anti-vegan husband tried every recipe I created and thought they were awesome. He was especially impressed by the vegan brownie recipe! My favorite recipe I tried out of this book were for cupcakes with a sea salted caramel frosting. Those were so good, I decided I would send some to the Emergency Room for my husband's co-workers. They loved them! I bake for the ER quite often and one of my husband's good friends at work takes some home often for her 11 year old daughter. She said that these cupcakes were BY FAR her daughter's favorite dessert I have made. That says something about Chloe's talent as a vegan chef and about vegan baking in general. It is definitely possible to have delicious desserts without using dairy products or eggs. This recipe book is proof of that. 

Some other favorite recipes that we tried or are looking forward to trying are:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sourdough French Toast

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Lemon Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Chloe O's

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Mint Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Bollywood Cupcakes

...and many more. Honestly I could have pretty much listed out the entire book because I would try anything in it!

Another cool thing about this book is with a tiny tweaks to the recipes (which are noted at the end of the recipes) these can also be gluten free desserts. This is a huge win for people on a gluten free diet! This is probably my favorite recipe book I have had the pleasure of reviewing, traditional or vegan. Hands down, these are delicious recipes that even a person very skeptical of  the vegan diet will enjoy!

Chloe's Vegan Desserts comes out TOMORROW! You can still pre-order on Amazon.com and get this book for less than $13! That's a steal. I will definitely be ordering a copy to add to my cookbook collection. I may not be vegan (yet), but I know a good cook when I see one. This is the first cookbook of Chloe Coscarelli's that I have had the pleasure of looking in, but you can bet it won't be my last!

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Connect with Chloe Coscarelli on her website

Disclosure- I received a free advanced reader's e-copy of this above mentioned book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Kindle Giveaway!

Welcome to the book readers summer special edition Kindle giveaway!

Hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 and Baby Costcutters

Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display

The all-new Kindle - Lighter, smaller, faster

• 30% lighter, less than 6 ounces
• 18% smaller body, same 6" screen size - fits in your pocket
• Most advanced E Ink display, reads like paper
• Built in Wi-Fi - get books in 60 seconds
• Massive book selection, over 800,000 titles are $9.99 or less
• Borrow Kindle books from your public library

With the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, Kindle owners with Amazon Prime can read up to a book a month for free, including all 7 Harry Potter books.
Borrow Great Books for Free
Choose from over 145,000 books to borrow for free, including all 7 Harry Potter books in 5 languages, over 100 current and former New York Times Best Sellers, and thousands of Amazon exclusives. New titles are added daily.
No Waiting
Traditional libraries buy a certain number of copies of a specific title. If all of those are checked out, you have to get on a waiting list where the wait can be months for popular titles like Harry Potter. With the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, there are no limits on how many people can simultaneously borrow the same title - so you never have to wait in line for the book you want.
No Due Dates
Keep your borrowed book as long as you like. With Kindle Owners' Lending Library, there are no due dates or late fees.

There are almost always free Kindle books available on Amazon as well! You can even borrow books from your friends or lend them yours! Having a Kindle is a good deal for any avid reader!

Just Announced: New J.K. Rowling Novel

Harry Potter fans, get ready to get your countdown on! It was just announced that author J. K. Rowling will release her first book since the Harry Potter series on September  27th. The Casual Vacancy will be Rowlings first book in the adult fiction category.

Photo from LittleBrown.Co.UK

Little Brown Book Group, Rowling's publishing company, has released this plot summary for the book:

"When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"

It is described as a blackly comedy that is thought provoking and constantly surprising!

I will be counting down the days until September 27th! You can pre-order The Casual Vacancy now at Amazon.com