Andrew Smith's Blog

Book, Music, and Movie Reviews

Born to Shine: Do Good; Find Your Joy, and Build a Life You Love by Kendra Scott Book Review

 



In Born to Shine, Kendra Scott shared tips she learned in business and how we can all shine. In the book, she revealed her personal story about how she built her 20-year jewelry business. It began as a hobby with only $500. Then it has grown to a business worth more than a billion dollars. She shared her struggled she experienced and how she even made a few wrong decisions along the way. She never finished college and admitted to crying into her mashed potatoes about how much she hated the atmosphere of college life. This turned into her father deciding to invest $20,000 into her business idea at the time. She wanted to open up a hat business. She quickly learned that renting a spot at the mall would bring new challenges. Her step-dad was also dying from cancer around this time. She had a dream of also helping her step-dad by funding cancer research. She opened up about watching him slowly pass away and how this affected her. One of the hardest lessons, she learned first about being an entrepreneurship that you can’t be it in for the money. She revealed how there is high failure of businesses surviving to the ten-year mark. In the book, she shared a little about her marriage ending in a divorce but didn’t go into heavily all the details. She also touched on how her own parents’ divorce changed her. But also helped her to become the woman she is today. 

 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book containing helpful business lessons and ideas to help us in following our own purpose in life. I loved the teachings she shared that she learned in business. One of these touched on hiring the wrong person and how this can negatively impact everyone. She had to fire one person who was bringing down the whole office because of her unwillingly to change and how this can in turn be a very expensive mistake. I also loved the message of yellow-colored glasses and how we need to have a vision and to sit down and write out where we want to live, what our day to life looks like, who we are, how we can help bring this vision to pass, and much more. I believe this was a really powerful concept and will assist readers into following their vision and following their dreams. I also liked how she shared that her mother gave her advice about how critical it is to have a connection with someone else and make it more than trying to close out the transaction. I connected with her personal story about bullying and how we must remember that someone else opinion of us doesn’t need to become our opinion of ourselves. I also appreciated how she included a special reading guide filled with questions at the end of the book. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Born-Shine-Good-Find-Build/dp/1546002324/


Wreck the Halls Written by Melinda Rathjen and Illustrated by Gareth Williams Book Review

 



Wreck the Halls is a Christmas book about how wreakers are wonderful at helping us to get ready for the Christmas season. They can assist in string the lights and adding the ornaments to the trees Cranes help put the star on top of the giant Christmas trees. Trains like to make a whistle noise. But wreckers can help pull Santa cookies and milk if needed. They are excellent in pulling the massive Christmas gifts. 


 

 

I would recommend this children’s book to boys aged 1-6 and some girls may even enjoy reading about how special wreckers are. I loved the uniqueness of wreckers and how they can help get Christmas ready. This was a cool approach in keeping little boys engaged in a Christmas story. I liked how it also enclosed stories about police cars, race cars, boats, buses and much more and how they each help make Christmas happen. But wreckers make the big difference. This one reminded a little of Cars and Larry the Cable Guy. 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords/Worthy Kids for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Wreck-Halls-Melinda-Lee-Rathjen/dp/154600226X/

The World’s Longest Sock Written and Illustrated by Juliann Law Book Review






The World’s Longest Sock is a story about a fierce competition between Nana Nina and Chuck. Nina loved kitting and she made socks for our whole family and opened up her own sock business. One day, she was determined to win the award for the world’s longest sock. Chuck sees the news coverage and wants to win the award and take the crown away from her. They battle it out in order to prove that they can win. It gets off control and they both have health issues from trying to outdo the other person. But there can only be one real winner.



 

 

I would recommend this touching book to children aged 3-7. It’s a very exciting competition between Nina and Chuck and it leaves children wondering who will end up winning the award for knitting the world’s longest sock. I personally loved how they acted a manly lumberjack type of character for Chuck and how this would go against the typical stereotype of man knitting for fun. I thought this was a unique touch for the book to display that anyone is free to live their life however they choose and had a great message. I loved the designs in this book and how colorful each one of them are.

 

 

 


"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords/Worthy Kids for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:



 https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Longest-Sock-Juliann-Law/dp/1546002588/

Joy to the World: Veggie Tales by Pamela Kennedy Book Review

 



Joy to the World is a new adventure featuring the Veggie Tales. They were preparing for a Christmas show. The peas sang a song about the Christmas star. Larry played a Christmas carol on his special made gingerbread guitar. Junior and Bob performed a neat act together of dancing and juggling candy canes. Next, they all performed together the story about the Savior’s birth and how shepherds come to witness this incredible event. At the end, they all sung Joy to the World as a group and told others about how Jesus provides us with true joy. 

 



 

I would recommend this wonderful book to any child aged 2-6. I thought this book contained a lot of imagination and silly characters doing fun things to keep children laughing and engaged. I liked the fun guitar solo and juggling scenes and you can hear this book playing out like a Veggie Tales movie. I loved how in the end they covered the Christmas story and told about the story of Jesus and they all come together to worship the Lord with the song Joy to the World. 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords/Worthy Kids for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

https://www.amazon.com/VeggieTales-Joy-World-Pamela-Kennedy/dp/1546002855





The Story of Christmas written by Patricia A. Pingry Book Review







The Story of Christmas is a book about the story of the Nativity scene. It explained to kids how we are giving gifts because we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday and showing love to others. The true meaning of Christmas is found in the journey to a town called Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary were traveling and had no place to stay. They slept in the hay with cows and donkeys and had baby Jesus there. Shepherds and wise men were told by angels about baby Jesus being born and they travelled to pay their respects and to honor Him. 






 

 

I would recommend this awesome children’s book to anyone aged 1-6. I loved how it discussed the true meaning of Christmas and how we really celebrate. It’s a great introduction book for little kids on learning about the Messiah being born and coming to change the world. I loved the bedtime night colors they used in the book to make it more like a bedtime story. 





"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords/Worthy Kids for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Story-Christmas-Patricia-Pingry/dp/1546002332/

Uprising: The Epic Battle for the Most Fatherless Generation in History by Kris Vallotton Book Review


In Uprising, Kris Vallotton explored the role of a father and how we are seeing a big dilemma in the absent role of fathers. We are currently experiencing the negative side effects in our generation and half of our kids are being born out of wedlock without an active role of a father. He shared how we are living in a feminized society and a part of it is mothers are having to raise them alone without any father present. There are some women who are offended and have toxic attitudes towards men in general. This has led to gender confusion and men aren’t being taught how to protect, provide, and promote. There are also changes in our school system such as the use of pronouns and how normally it is to have two mothers and two daddies. In California, it is now illegal to withdraw your children from these core classes. The book also looked at toxic masculinity and how fatherless homes are more prone to become rapists, violence, suicide, homeless, and much more. 



 

 

He explained the Malachi mandate and how the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed for over 141 years. The Jews tried to rebuilt it for over 94 years and they have been unable to accomplish this task. Nehemiah was able to in 52 days. He would make families work on the walls near their house and they would take turns building the walls and protecting the workers from outsiders. He compares this story to how we need to rebuilt the walls that are broken down in our generation and bring restoration to our world. 




 

 

I would recommend this magnificent book to anyone who is wanting to learn more about what we can do about our fatherless generation and how we can change it. I thought this book was one of the best books I have read on fatherless and how it taught us how we can actively participate in leading the uprising that needs to happen. I loved the concept of “The Peter Pan Syndrome” and how this is referred to men acting like a child who are refusing to grow up. This story is a very powerful illustration about how boys tend to stay in their own self-centerless and they stay stuck in Neverland. I also appreciated how open he was in sharing his own personal story about losing his father at age 3 from a drowning accident and he was only 24 years old at the time. He was very open about how this changed him at young age. I also enjoyed the suggest he has on leaving behind a legacy for the next generation. They put $50 a month in a savings account for each grandchild to invest in their future. I thought this was a wonderful idea to bless people for the future. Will you join the battle? 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Uprising-Battle-Fatherless-Generation-History/dp/0800762738