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evaseyler's reviews
544 reviews

On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 by Laura Ingalls Wilder

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2.0

A tad on the dull side in the body of the book. I agree with some other reviewers that the truly interesting parts are the beginning and ending written by Rose. However, while Laura's journal isn't that exciting, it is interesting to get a snippet of what daily life was like for them including
current prices of land and food.
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

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5.0

I honestly wasn't expecting to like this one much, not being a huge fan of animal stories... although I liked the illustrated Herriot stories for children when I was little (Moses the kitten, etc.) HOWEVER... it was the best book I've read in a long time. Herriot is a masterful storyteller, concise, entertaining, and touching. The shortness of the chapters made it easy to drop the book to take care of something and then pick it up again after a bit.

But the suspense. drove. me. mad. I'm sure he did it on purpose, but WAS IT REALLY NECESSARY to make me WAIT 20,000 chapters between each Encounter-with-Helen? Cruel. Just cruel.
Across China by Peter Jenkins

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4.0

I enjoyed the "Walk Across America" so much that I was sure I'd enjoy this book as well. It dragged a bit in the early chapters - I think there could have been less "how-do-I-tell-Barbara" and more jumping right into it. Once the travelogue started I was hooked. I know so little about China/Tibet and it was really, really fascinating to me.

Of course, I cringed in annoyance when he asked some of the Tibetan folks how they had their babies with no hospitals close by. Um. Yeah. Seriously, dude? But aside from that, it was grand.
Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1 by Ellen Gould White

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5.0

This was a really interesting peek into the history of our people, with a lot of thought-provoking passages.
Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost

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5.0

This was an excellent book and in it I saw myself in various ways. Do I collect boxes of newspapers? Maybe not. But I could really relate to the one lady who looked at her mess, got overwhelmed not knowing where to start, and gave up without trying. Personal relation aside, I really enjoyed the sheer variety of case studies presented in this book. Moving on.
The Pacific Crest Trail by William R. Gray

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3.0

Typical National Geographic book: lots of pictures (which I loved), text fairly well-written but still a bit tedious to read all at once. After reading "A Walk in the Woods" I was interested in learning more about our own trail. We passed one of the access points thereto in our recent snow hunt, and both of us thought it would be fun later this year if possible to walk part of the trail.
Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey

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4.0

I've never read this book despite having grown up with "Blueberries for Sal" and "One Morning in Maine" and a plethora of McCloskey's other books. I really enjoyed the different art in this one as well as seeing the familiar (albeit unidentified in the text) family of Mom and Dad and an older Sal and Jane.
The Full Plate Diet: Slim Down, Look Great, Be Healthy! by Teresa Sherard, Stuart A. Seale, Diana Fleming

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3.0

This book is beautifully, cleanly laid out with eye-popping photography and quite good information about food and practical, accessible ideas of how to incorporate a plant-based diet into daily life.

Considering that it's supposed to be based on the Adventist health message, however, I was a little perturbed at the overall casual "meat and dairy is okay" attitude. They didn't promote the use of meat and dairy but neither did they really talk about good reasons to avoid it except for a very brief blurb at the end of the book. The basic premise is "eat more fibre" (which, in a plant-based diet, you will get a lot of), but it seemed a bit too simplistic. Or maybe I'm just sceptical.
Maine by Deborah Kent

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2.0

Not the most interesting book I've ever read. Had nice pictures.