A Eye Opening Look Into the Life for Women in Afghanistan

I decided to step out of the box on my usual genre of books. The book I chose to read is called :The Underground Girls of Kabul".by Jenny Nordberg   I am not a big fan of reporter account based books.  But, I was pleasantly surprised on how quickly I became drawn into this book.

This book delves deep into the roles that women play in Afghanistan life after the reform for women programs are started by both Russia and the United States.  While Ms. Nordberg is interviewing Azita, one of Afghanistan's few female council members, she discovers a secret life that befalls some girls in the country.  

Even though women were now being educated in Afghanistan, still in Afghan culture it is said that a family without sons is very weak and the parents are basically shunned by their peers.  So, some of those like Azita who gave birth to no sons would dress and raise one of their daughters as a son in order to be viewed as a strong family.  After discovering that Azita's son Mehran is actually a girl, Nordberg tries to find out more about this gender bending process.  

I'm not going to spoil the exact details of the book, but I can say that the information that Nordberg finds out is definitely very interesting.  This book really gives the reader a good picture of the struggles of the women in Afghanistan, including the reason why some women choose to stay disguised as men after their adolescence.  I would recommend this bok to anyone with interest in the Middle East and its cultures.

If anyone is intereste din reading this book, it can be found here.

Book Review - The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn

Time to review yet another book that has been graciously provided to me by Blogging For Books.  The second book I chose to read is called The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn  by Lori Benton.  It is a Christian Romance novel.

After watching her stepfather murder her mother, Tamsen Littlejohn decides to run away to avoid a marriage set up by her stepfather.  Tamsen is aided by a man named Jesse Bird who was raised by Native Americans after his parents were murdered when he was just 3 years old.

With a pursuit by both Tamsen's stepfather and jilted admirer, the pair go into hiding along with Jesse's "father" Cade, and Tamsen is introduced to a way of life far from the life of luxury she has been accustomed to so far.  The two ended being tested and tried living together while still trying to keep their Christian values intact.

I am not going to spoil the ending for you.  But, I do have to say there are many twists and revelations regarding the pasts and true identities of many of the characters.

Let me first say that I do not usually read Christian Romance books, but I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and give something new a try.  I am glad that I did. This book reminded me of a few others that I read by Julie Garwood.   I often found myself sneaking a few minutes of reading here and there.  I was anxious to see what was going to happen next.

I enjoyed watching how the characters evolved throughout the book.  Tamsen who started off as a girl who was used to taking orders without question ended up becoming a strong self sufficient woman.  Jesse who was basically a nomad most of the year ended up realizing that life was much more than just long hunts, and that settling down was not necessarily a bad thing.

The incorporation of Native American life and actual historic events was a nice addition to the story line.  It introduced an array of supporting characters that added to the charm of this book.

All in all I really enjoyed this book.  It was well written and kept the reader interested the whole way through.  I do not remember the book dragging at any point while reading.  The cast of main and supporting characters fit well with the story.  There were serious parts and comedic parts as well as a lovely romance story, which made a nice change of pace throughout the story.  I would recommend it to readers who enjoy western/historic romance novels.

If you are interested in reading this book, it can easily be purchased from Amazon here.

Romance Novel With a Taste of HIstory

 

The book I am reviewing today is A Triple Knot by Emma Campion.  As a lover of history and romance novels I was intrigued to read this story featuring Joan  of Kent.  I am glad that I did. 

Campion's portrayal of Joan as a strong female heroine, grabbed my attentIion right away.  A little reminiscent of another favorite authoress of mine...Jane Austen.  I loved watching Joan grow throughout this book, from a defiant child to a strong woman who took her future into her own hands. 

The romance between Thomas and Joan and their struggles to be with each other while being attacked from all sides kept me reading late into the night. 

The character of Ned and his obsession with Joan did also present many mysteries and betrayals keeping the the reader interested throughout.

This novel also had many interesting supporting characters such as Lucienne, Sir William, Philippa, Bella, Isabella and Efa that the reader could either grow to love or hate, often starting with one feeling and then changing to another. 

The only thing I really didn't care for was the ending.  It seems as if it ended too abruptly, leaving more than one question unanswered.

All in all, I think this book was very well written an kept the reader wanting more.  I easily got caught up in the story through all of its twists and turns.  I am anxious to read more from Emma Campion in the future.

 If you are interested in reading this book, it can be purchased on Amazon here.

REVIEW: Old Navy Tees

Old Navy gave me the opportunity to test out their tees through the Sample and Share program through Crowdtap.  Old Navy sent me a coupons for a friend and I to  for two t-shirts each.  After checking out th options, I chose to test out the Vintage Tees in Rebellion Red and Medium Gray.  These tees come in an array of solid colors as well as stripes.  They retail at $9.50. 

I wear tees a lot especially to work, so I was curious to see how these held up.  I wore them for two weeks in an array of different scenarios to really test how well they worked for my everyday life.  I've worn them to work, running errands, chasing around after the kids, cleaning, out to dinner and even to bed.  Below are the pros and cons of the Old Navy Vintage tees.

Pros:

• Tagless - These tees have  no annoying itchy tags.
• Lightweight - Even on the warm days I didn't feel as if my shirt was sticky or hot.
• Soft - Very soft cotton tees that make them comfortable to wear.
• True to size -  I hate going to stores where the size of the product is totally different from the general consensus of that particular size.
• No shrinkage - This product didn't shrink a bit even after half a dozen washes.
• V-neck - comfortable v-neck that isn't extremely low.
• Perfect length - my biggest pet peeves with shirts is that they are always too short.  This tee falls perfectly to the hip.

Cons:

• Too thin - The only bad thing  I have found with this tee is that it is a little too thin.  You can easily see through it if you are wearing a patterned or dark colored bra underneath.

In conclusion, I loved these tees and would definitely put them as one of my favorite brands to wear.  They are versatile and durable,  Definitely a great value and stylish too.

REVIEW: Woolite

The Woolite Company gave me a great opportunity to sample their product along with 9 of my friends through the Crowdtap website.  Each sample pack included a one load size sample of Woolite along with a coupon towards the purchase of a full size bottle of the product should I choose to purchase it.

I have used Woolite before on my delicate clothes, but Woolite claims that they can also prolong the life of your everyday wardrobe as well.  So I decided to test it on some of my favorite daily wear items (jeans, tees, tanks, etc,) 

I was surprised at how well the Woolite detergent worked even on my regular clothes.  The laundry came out looking just as good as when it went in,  The clothes were soft, clean and smelled good as well. 

All in all, I was satisfied with the outcome and would definitely purchase the product on a regular basis,

REVIEW: Cottonelle Clean Care Routine

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to test and review the Cottonelle Clean Care Routine through Crowdtap (for more info on Crowdtap see end of review).  In my sample pack was an 18 roll pack of Cottonelle Clean Care toilet paper and a tub of Cottonelle Fresh Care wipes as well as samples for two other people. 

The general idea of the Cottonelle Clean Care Routine is that by using their toilet paper along with the wet wipes, you will feel cleaner and fresher after using the bathroom.  So, I decided to put their products to the test. 

Let's start with the Cottonelle Clean Care toilet paper:

The toilet paper is thick and has ripples going through it.  It was very strong compared to some other brands.  It gets the job done, but it is not very soft.  It is rather rough compared to my usual toilet paper brand. I probably would not use this as one of my preferred brands of toilet paper.

Next on the the Cottonelle Fresh Care Wipes:

These little tubs conveniently fit on the back of the toilet.  The designs of the tub are quite stylish and add a little extra something to the decor.  Definitely not boring.

The wipes easily pull through the pop-up dispenser.  They are thick and have a decent smell to them.  The wipes definitely leave you with a fresh clean feeling afterwards.  Compared to other brands, they seem to hold up better.  I would purchase these on my own.  

I like the concept of using both a dry toilet paper as well as wet wipe as the whole Clean Care theory does make me feel a lot cleaner.  I would recommend giving the process a try.  Information regarding the Cottonelle Clean Care Routine can be found here.

Cottonelle Clean Care Routine

Informationon Crowdtap:

Crowdtap is a community in which you earn points to be redeemed for rewards by answering Quick Hits, joining Moderated Discussions, testing products and completing challenges regarding some of the top brand name companies. If you are interested in joining Crowdtap, click here to join.

Great Giveaway Going On!

There is a great giveaway going on for a Bugaboo Donkey double stroller over at the Baby Gizmo Company until midnight tonight!  So get over there and enter!!!!


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