Book Review: "Quick Tips for Busy Families" by Jay Payleitner

Quick Tips for Busy Families: Sneaky Strategies for Raising Great Kids by Jay Payleitner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mr. Payleitner writes with a fun and engaging style that is as effective at keeping his readers turning the pages as the short, quick, and straightforward ‘strategies’ (instead of ‘chapters’) are.

I am not married, and so therefore do not have children of my own. However, I work at a school and consider my students ‘my kids’ to a large extent. I chose this book hoping to use it as a reference and aid in discovering how to better help, serve, and deal with my students’ issues and needs. Some of the tips and advice are obviously more applicable to home life and/or ones’ own children. But much of the material can also be adapted to be useful in settings and situations like my own, for adults simply wanting to be a blessing to children they spend a generous amount of time with – baby sitters, grandparents, day care workers, Sunday School teachers, school staff, etc.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books for my honest review.

Book Review: "Wings of the Wind" by Connilyn Cossette

Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Once again, Mrs. Cossette delivers a fascinating story. Good descriptions, fast-moving scenes, and believable characters make this another thoroughly engaging book.

The author’s imagination is displayed in vivid detail through her creative writing, though the convincing evidence of thorough research is probably the most valuable point in ‘selling’ her work.

That having been said, there were a couple of negatives for me. One was the graphic and disturbing nature of some of the events described. I recognize that this period of history in this area of the world was extremely dark and demonic. However, there were scenes that it seemed could have been a little less graphically descriptive, but still gotten the point across. The second was the interweaving of some of the fictitious characters’ lives with those of actual Biblical/historical figures. This, I suppose, is just a personal preference, but there seemed to be an excessive amount of liberty taken in how the imaginary and the real people were related.

Overall, I enjoyed the second book in this set better, but, if you are interested in Biblical history, or (like me) enjoy romances between husbands and wives, this was a story worth reading.

I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.