Gooseberry Patch Christmas: Book 5 (Gooseberry Patch Christmas (Hardcover))

Rating:
Summary: Not One of Their Best
Review: I love the first four of these books and have them all, given them for gifts, etc. But, this one for some reason just looks like it was thrown together at the last minute without any thought whatsoever to the designs, crafts, or the recipes. Some of the recipes are repeats from older Christmas cookbooks which I already have and the crafts, well, they're just boring and very basic. The recipes are not that good and normally, they're just incredible. I have to say that I'm extremely disappointed in this book and wish that I had bought the paperback for this one. Even the design layout of the book in general is just boring. There isn't much in the way of color in this one and it is just lacking all the way around. I know that really isn't that important, but when you're trying to do crafts and recipes, I think photos are pretty important. Better try again Gooseberry!

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite Up to Par
Review: I'm a big fan of Gooseberry patch series, and received my copy in the mail with baited breath. Christmas Book 5 was not as good as others in the series. Why? Mostly because I found some of the crafts rather boring and drab, and nothing anyone might actually want to make... Also, there weren't quite as many recipes, and the ones which were included were mostly desserts. While I like desserts, I think there should be a fair mix of entrees and other snacks included to round out a compilation. Overall, an average book. Not quite up to par, and nothing I see myself using using for anything other than shelf weight to round out my collection.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the others
Review: I'm not sure if GP is losing steam, (running out of ideas) but this book seems tired in comparison to some of the others. There are some nice crafts here, how to's are included for the usual snowmen, homemade cards, garlands, cookie bowls, etc. Some of this stuff is done is variations in other GP books. A few pages on bulb arrangements are here, but they're well, simple. Gift bagging is in here, remember the -turn a brown bag into a reindeer gift bag-? That's in here too. Goodies such as Candy Bar Cake, Merry Berry Syrup, Fruitcake Cookies, Coconut Brownie Mix, are offered. There is a section for kids to make gift mixes, and it is nicely done. Wild rice Soup, Roast Turkey and something called Comfort Soup, a canned soup & broccoli creation are in here too. I wouldn't call this book a disappointment but it lacks the "punch" (I swear that's not supposed to be a pun) that the other books have. The graphics and layout are wonderful as always.