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Monday, May 28, 2012

Cancer's Cause, Cancer's Cure by Morton Walker

Cancer's Cause, Cancer's Cure: The Truth about Cancer, Its Causes, Cures, and Prevention

Interesting read about the possible causes of cancer and the holistic cures. Research by Mirko Beljanski have helped thousands and thousands of cancer patients live years past their expectancy.

While the book has tons of research information, it is not in scientific language but words and sentances I understood. Plus, the herbal medicine was easy to understand as well.

I really appreciated the back stories and case studies leading up to this remarkable work. My brother-in-law has incurable colon cancer. No doctor could help him and he was told radiation and chemo wouldn't stop or take away the cancer. He visited a holistic doctor who put him on a diet and the cancer has stopped spreading. He feels good and looks so much better. While my brother-in-law hasn't had any contact with the work and herbal regimen of Mirko Beljanski, he has gone the holistic approach and I've see a major improvement in him.

I also believe there are many good, healthy, whole approaches to treating cancer. It's good for the patient and family to get all sides of the story and even think outside the box on treatment. 

Good, well-written and educational book.

  4 STARS

Thursday, May 24, 2012

2012 Book Bloggers Cookbook

Great books, bloggers, and recipes meet in this second volume of a fresh and unique cookbook that helps you experience books, not just read them. This year's volume features even more tasty reads, recipes and book bloggers.

Books were selected from the author’s book review blog and paired with delectable recipes like “Caramel Crack” from Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi, "Everliving Soup" from Brodi Ashton's Everneath, and "Jagged Ham" from Elana Johnson's Possession.
Mouthwatering photos complement every recipe.



The 2012 Book Blogger’s Cookbook includes a foreword by David Farland, award winning, New York Times Bestselling author, and showcases more than one hundred reviews with links to book review blogs and author websites.


Whether you're a food lover, an avid reader or a book blogger, there’s something for you in The 2011 Book Blogger’s Cookbook.


I enjoyed reading this book all the way through. 
I've added some new books to my TBR list because of this book. Plus, the recipes look super yummy! I want to try the Rootbeer Cookies first
THANKS to Christy Dorrity who put it all together. 
Oh! And one of my reviews is in the cookbook with Glopified Muffins. :)

4 1/2 STARS

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Surrender by Elana Johnson

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque....


Fist line:
"Someone is always watching."

Dude! I love Elana! And her writing. And she is a master promoter/marketer/genius.
Let's get down to it.
Elana has introduced us to new characters in SURRENDER.  Raine and Gunner are struggling with the rules they are forced to live by. Their matched is picked as well as their jobs, food, how much they sleep and what their free time entails. I know I would be one of those people brainwashed into total submission because I have a bit of a problem with people telling me what to do. For that reason alone I could relate to some of the characters.
Something that kinda bugged me was all the trouble Gunner was getting into and no EOs (police) stopped. Nor did the bigwigs who were watching and monitoring him. It was almost unbelievable to me that one of the bigwigs was helping him get out of trouble. I guess I needed him to earn his goals a little more. Poor Raine sure did!


Rating: PG 15
L: Sprinkled throughout
S: No. Kissing.
V: Anger issues

Liked:
New characters
More insight into Freedom
Another cliffhanger

Disliked:
The father/director!
Another cliffhanger
Have to wait for the next one

4 STARS

Friday, May 18, 2012

Book Blogger Cookbook! And Contest!

The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook is a community project from some of the blogosphere's best book bloggers in a simple, easy to read format.  The cookbook combines a love of reading and dining to help you find books you'll devour and recipes you can't put down.

You’ll love The Book Blogger’s Cookbook because…

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook has 50 different book reviewers from every corner of the blogosphere.  It bridges the gap between author and reader—putting you in touch with book reviewers who can separate the 5 star books from the mediocre.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook showcases great reads and provides an interactive experience with links to author and book reviewer websites. The cookbook is created for those who like to experience what they read long after they’ve closed the book.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook tells why each recipe complements its companion book.  Recipes and books combine to make the reading experience satisfying and entertaining.

Glopified Muffins  
If janitorial supplies can be magical, then why can’t muffins? In Janitors, by Tyler Whitesides, Spencer stumbles into a secret janitor/warlock lair where various mops and tools are "glopified" into magical objects. Using these objects, Spencer and his friends help defend their school against the creatures and warlocks who would lull the students into passive oblivion. After you "glopify" these muffins in your own kitchen, the batter can be magically kept in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.   1 (20 ounce) box raisin and bran cereal 1 cup olive or canola oil 2 cups sugar 4 eggs, beaten 1 quart buttermilk 5 cups flour 5 teaspoons baking soda  2 teaspoons salt   Mix all ingredients together. Store in a covered container in the fridge overnight before cooking. Do not stir the batter. Use a cookie scoop to portion into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

 Book launch and Contest
During the first week of the book launch, The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook will be available for a reduced price of .99 cents.  Please spread the word.
Every person who comments on one of the blogs during the tour will be entered to win a grand prize: a copy of every book featured in The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook (22 in all, over $200 value).

About the author:

Christy Dorrity loves to read about cooking and cook about reading. She was taught early to have a discriminating taste for both books and food. Christy grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming. She taught elementary school and lives in the mountains with her husband Devon and their five young children. When Christy's not reading or writing, she's probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.

www.christydorrity.com

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder #3)

In the end, all that's left is an echo...
Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye....


First line:
"Violet strained, searching for the sensation through the suffocating blackness."

I thought since the title said "last" that it meant it was the last book. Not! Well, I think it's not the last book because of the way it ended.
I like the new characters. I like Rafe and the tension between him and Vi. I also like his vulnerability.
The serial killer chapters are excellent in a creepy way.

Rating: PG 14
V: Main character gets beat up; serial killer chapters showing his thinking
L: Yes. Mostly one character.
S:  Kissing. Tension

4 STARS

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

VARIANT by Robison Wells


Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.
Now he's trapped in a school that's surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.
Where breaking the rules equals death.
But when Benson stumbles upon the school's real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape--his only real hope for survival--may be impossible.


First Line:
"This isn't one of those scare-you-straight schools, is it?" I asked Ms. Vaughn, as we passed through the heavy chain-link gate.

I had a hard time getting into this story, mostly because didn't connect with the characters at all. The main character was so focused on one goal at the beginning that it started to drive me crazy. But then something happened to the girl he liked and that's when I got hooked but that wasn't until page 209.
This story is Lord of the Flies meets Maze Runner meets--I can't tell you the rest because that is the twist!



Liked:
The twist
The story idea
Actually liked the cliffhanger!

Disliked:
Not getting hooked until late
First book in a series (you know how I feel about reading trilogies. I usually don't unless all three books are out. I make exception for writers I know. Or writers of friends I know. Or...never mind).

Rating: PG 13
V: Some; one particular beating was hard to read but not graphic
L: None!
S: None!

3 1/2 STARS

Friday, May 11, 2012

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson is finding his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any normal friends. But things don't stay quiet for long.

Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders that protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia. Only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name: The Bermuda Triangle.

Together with his friends, Percy must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family, one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.


First line:
"My nightmare started like this."

I'm really enjoying this series. Funny, fast-paced, well-written, entertaining and educational.
Great book to read out loud to the kids.
Good, clean middle-grade book that will appeal to all ages.


Rating: G
V: Fighting, gods and mortals
L: No
S: No

5 STARS

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Claim To Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Former child star Lindsay Scott has the ability to hear what anyone is saying about her, at any time, anywhere in the world. But when a tabloid story puts her back in the spotlight, Lindsay is forced to leave the protective quiet of her home and confront the voices outside.

First line:
"I was suppose to be doing my algebra homework that night."

 Lindsay can hear...everything.
That is the premise of the book. I didn't find out until quite a ways into the book what that meant. 
While I enjoyed the writing, I felt I was left hanging. This book could have been double in length with all the character arcs that weren't developed or a plot line suddenly closing. Lindsay had no motivations, no danger, no goals to propel her forward. Unless you count a brief talk with an old lady neighbor or at the very end where a creepy man comes into town and Lindsay's afraid he's a stalker but he turn out to be someone totally different.
Lindsay does come to realize she has kept her 'talent' pushed down and away from her when all the time she had the ability to expand it and use it for good.


Quick, intriguing read. 


Rating: PG
V: No
L: No
S: No


Liked: 
Being able to hear everything 
Safe houses
The writing


Disliked:
Ended too quickly without resolutions
Needed more plot?


2 1/2 STARS
 

Friday, May 4, 2012

Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl

It starts when Alexandria, a poor, plain goose girl, offers her own bread and water to a hungry old woman-who just happens to be a witch in disguise. Poof! Alexandria is suddenly heartstoppingly beautiful. Her hair rains down gold dust, and the tears she sheds turn to diamonds. Soon a prince and a king are fighting for her hand, and they've locked her in a tower to keep her "safe." How Alexandria wishes she was a goose girl again! Clearly the only thing to do is escape-which is when her problems really begin! Patrice Kindl's inimitable voice and craft make this take on the classic fairy tale extraordinary-and extraordinarily hilarious.

"A delightful, witty fairy-tale spoof.. . . Kindl's humor, the strong characterizations, and vibrant action give the story wings." (Booklist, starred review)


First line:
"The king killed my canary today."

What a great first line!
What a fun book to read! Full of fairy tale twists and characters. 
 Poor Alexandria became beautiful because of her god deed. Now the king of a neighboring kingdom seeks her hand in marriage as does the prince of her own kingdom. Her beauty helps as does the gold flakes that fall from her hair when she brushes it. Do these men really love her? Or her golden hair?
Alexandria is known as the Goose Girl because of the twelve geese she takes care of. And they take care of her. Rescuing, saving, protecting and hissing at their mistress is what those geese do well.
Goose Girl is told from Alexandria's humorous, biting voice. She only sees her side of the issues but soon grows up and cares about others. She's in a prisoner in a tower, is rescued, becomes a prisoner again, rescued again, imprisoned again...you get the gist.


Goose Girl is a great, fractured fairy tale that is a fun, twisting read.


Rated: G
V: Fairytale fighting
L: No
S: No


Liked:
Alexandria
The plot & twists


Disliked:
Sometimes the language got in the way of the story


4 STARS

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Defenders of the Covenant by Angie Lofthouse

Can Earth be Saved?

Hannah and her friends have been warned about the danger lurking outside of their secret refuge from the alien invaders who devastated Earth years before. The teenagers’ leaders
have raised them in the Latter-day Saint faith, teaching them to trust God, but when McKenzie and her rebellious boyfriend Jeremy decide to run away, Hannah and Derek follow, determined to bring their friends home.

Once outside, the four teens soon realize they cannot return to the refuge without endangering everyone there. Captured, enslaved, and separated, Hannah, Derek, and McKenzie
each learn the unique role they must play in liberating the earth. The friends must battle with android soldiers and attack vessels, and face their own inner struggles to overcome the invaders. After all, not even an alien invasion can stop the work of God.


First line:
"Hannah knelt beside her bed, curling her toes into the carpet."

First off, I have to say I was a little worried about the premise of this book. An alien story with religious ideals.
But I love Angie Lofthouse and would read anything of hers because she's a gifted artist. 
I was not disappointed.
Angie knows storytelling. She understands characters, plot, description, storyline, pacing etc etc. I had a hard time putting this book down. 
The story centers around four teenagers who leave the safety of their underground home and are abducted by the aliens that destroyed the Earth. Each character has a different mission to fulfill. But how can they when they are separated from each other and taken captive by 'The Great Ones'. I was distressed along with them. Then ecstatic when they were free for a moment and almost cried in frustration when they were in trouble again. 
Really couldn't figure out why the humans didn't gang up on the aliens! Seriously! But the special suits the aliens make the humans wear also provides pain when the aliens want to control their captured. Angie has all the bases covered when it comes to sci/fi and aliens.
Speaking of crying, there were many times a lump rose in my throat from joy and happiness. Not many writers can do that to me. Just sayin'. 

Good, quick, clean, exciting read! 


Rating: PG
V: Alien bullys
L: No
S: No

Liked:
Overall story
LDS aspects
Derek
Hannah

Disliked:
Angie making me almost cry
My book got wet & slightly ruined
The aliens. I wanted to fry them (you'll understand after you read this book).

4 1/2 STARS