Pretty much everyone has heard of The Berenstain Bears, as the popular picture book franchise was first debuted back in the early 1960s by the late Stan & Jan Berenstain. With over 300 titles in print, along with several spinoffs (Chapter Big Books, etc.), the franchise has sold over 260 million copies in 23 languages. There have been two animated series based on the books.  After the death of the authors, their son Mike Berenstain took over writing and illustrating of the newest installments, which have now taken in Christian themes.

I'm sure many of my blog readers recall me stating that I'm against smoking cigarettes as it can cause which lots of health problems; though I have nothing against using e-Cigs, e-Vapors or even cigars. Yes, there is still an ongoing debate about e-Cigs and e-Vapors being harmful to smokers, but using them is a better alternative than smoking regular tobacco cigarettes.

Though smoking cigars daily can give you the same health problems that cigarettes can, there is nothing wrong with smoking the occasional cigar, like on a special occasion (birth, anniversary, wedding, graduation, holidays, etc.). Some people even collect cigars and cigar boxes.

Cigar originated from the Spanish word cigarro. Christopher Columbus and his crewmen encountered an early form of a cigar (rolled bundle of dried & fermented tobacco leaf) while visiting Taínos, an island of Cub. Eventually, other European and Spanish sailors began rolling tobacco in a cigar-style form. The cigar quickly became popular all around the world and it still is today.

A View To A Nerd
Nerds Saving The World Series, Book Two
by Chris Redding
Publisher: Chris Redding Author LLC
Pub. Date: January 26, 2015
ASIN: B00SU0LVFA
Pages: 254
Buy Link: Amazon

Book Blurb:

Waking up next to a dead guy can ruin your whole day. When a wise-cracking interior decorator wants to put her past behind her, the dead body of the mayor’s son makes her realize that won’t happen too easily. A conservative former computer geek for the FBI is holding on too tightly to his past. His wife died under suspicious circumstances and he believes the decorator has the information to solve the case. Unfortunately for him, she isn’t speaking until a series of events convinces her she needs protection especially when her biggest secret threatens to destroy both of their lives. This was originally published as A View to a Kilt.

Review:

It's been a busy month already and I almost forgot about reviewing A View To A Nerd until it somehow popped into my mind yesterday morning. I quickly read the book in the afternoon, so I can have this review all setup for today.

Witches in fiction now seem to be the least written about. The paranormal genre has been flooded with the now more popular shape-shifters and vampires but I still prefer to write about the fantastic characters that can do any variety of magic.

When I started writing about witches I didn’t want to do the typical ‘slightly’ evil witch. My witches are otherwise normal every day people with a little something extra. In my story Twice Cursed Maddy is a hereditary witch from an entire community of magic wielding characters, complete with a school and ruling council. My present works in progress, the Ancestor’s Enchantment Trilogy is also about witches, although this time I have the good witch vs. bad witch plot line.

Although I’ve added a few new twists to it … I’d tell you but then it would ruin all the little tid bits.

I've been wearing eyeglasses since I was in the sixth-grade. My prescription hasn't changed that much in recent years, but the pair of frames I have been wearing is starting to show a bit of age. Eyeglasses can be a bit of expensive, so I have been delaying buying a new pair.

Luckily for me, I was sent a pair of eyeglasses to review from GlassesShop.com, a website where you can purchase cheap glasses. Since the website first launched in 2004, the company has delivered over a million pairs of eyeglasses as well as sunglasses. The company's main goal is to provide high quality glasses that are affordable. All prescription eyeglasses frames and sunglasses come have a 90-day quality guarantee.

While I was aware you could buy eyeglasses online, I never even considered ordering me a new pair online until I received an opportunity to review a pair from GlassesShop.com. There are currently 285 different frame types for men on the website, so it took me a few hours to decide on which frame I wanted. Eventually, I decided on the Tarrant Black Eyeglasses, which retails at $99.99, but can be purchased on GlassesShop.com for only $19.99! Each frame purchase comes with an additional $129 free bonus, which includes single vision lenses, a protective case, anti-scratch coating and a microfiber cleaning cloth!

The Legend Of Korra - Book Four: Balance
Studio: Nickelodeon
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Retail: $19.99
ASIN: B00QT4VGN6
Running Time: 297 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD today from Nickelodeon is The Legend Of Korra  - Book Four: Balance, featuring all 13 episodes from the final season. Bonus Features include 4 audio commentaries by the creators, cast & crew, Kuvira vs. Prince Wu and Republic City Hustle: Part 1.

Created by Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko, The Legend Of Korra is set 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The world has been separated into four different nations - the northern and southern Water Tribes, the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. Few people from each tribe have the ability to bend each tribe's element (water, earth, fire & air), but only one can blend all four - the Avatar, Korra (from the Southern Water Tribe), the successor of Avatar Aang.

Despite critical acclaim for the series, the ratings started to decline during the third season, resulting in Nickelodeon airing the remaining episodes on their website. Book Four: Balance (the fourth season) aired on Nick.com last fall and takes place three years after season three. The season focuses on an injured Korra as she begins a journey of self-discovery and survival.

The episodes on the two-disc set are:

A Heart's Disguise
Journey of the Heart, book 1
by Colleen Coble
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0529103413
Pages: 102 pages
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1b01Z1h
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/ccoble

Review:

Being released to bookstores today is the western-romance A Heart's Disguise by Colleen Coble. The novella is book one in the 6-part Journey of the Heart, in which each a new installment will be released monthly.

Over the last few years, Colleen Coble has become one of my favorite authors, so naturally I was excited to review A Heart''s Disguise. The Journey of the Heart series was the author's first series, originally titled Where Leads the Heart and Plains of Promise. The idea for the book was inspired by a trip she took to Wyoming, where she visited the place where her late brother, Randy, had lived. After finishing the books, it took her six years to find a publisher for it.

A Heart's Disguise is set in Washbash, Indiana in 1865 and centers on a young woman Sara Montgomery, whom lost her mother at an early age and became a second mother to her younger brother, Joel. Her father's health is declining fast and he wishes that she would marry Ben Croftner. Though she still loves her ex, Rand Campbell, who supposedly died at Andersonville, Sara agrees to marry Ben as she thinks he would make a good husband and a decent father-figure for Joel.

Out of the blue, Rand Campbell rides into town. Except for a limp, he has full recovered from his wounds and he is looking forward to reuniting with his parents, brothers and of course the love of his life - Sara.