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Fiction Book Review for ‘Plagued: The Mid-America Zombie Half-Breed Experiment’ by Better Hero Army

7/31/2015

Fiction Book Review for ‘Plagued: The Mid-America Zombie Half-Breed Experiment’ by Better Hero Army

I absolutely loved the story plot of this book. Zombie stories are hard to do since there are so many of them. It can be hard to find a new twist. This book, however, found a new twist and it was an enjoyable read. I love the idea of a half-breed zombie. The idea of being able to neutralize the zombies was an especially fun new twist to zombies. By neutralizing their bite the humans are able to use them as slave labor. This book follows a boy, Tom, on his search for his sister who he is pretty sure got bitten and turned into a zombie. All in all, for anyone who is into zombies, this is a fun read as long as you can deal with a few typos.

Disclaimer: I was given a free ebook copy of this book to read in exchange for doing a review.

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Children's Picture Book Review for 'Amelie Gets Busy' by Agatha Rodi

7/30/2015

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In this charming picture book, Amelie spends a day at the village farm and is impressed by all that she sees. The animals trees, the garden, and the food is impressive to her. The love between her and her grandmother is evident throughout this book. The illustrations are nicely done. Good read!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the ebook in exchange for reviewing this book.

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Nonfiction Book Review for ‘Brew Better Beer’ by Emma Christensen, published by Ten Speed Press

7/29/2015

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This book is awesome! The instructions are easy to understand, probably even for someone who doesn’t brew beer. I do, however, and I found this book wonderful! I love the glossary of terms in the back. The recipes look absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try some of them out. The common problems, easy solutions at the back is a valuable resource. I have all the supplies already that are mentioned in the equipment list. The pictures are very nicely done. All in all, 5 stars all the way! I can’t wait to recommend this one to friends.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for providing a review.

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Nonfiction Book Review for “The Doctor on Demand Diet’ by Dr. Melina Jampolis

7/29/2015

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“A companion to the highly popular Doctor on Demand tele-medicine app, "The Doctor on Demand Diet" leads readers through a series of steps that allow them to personalize their own successful weight-loss plan.” So anyone buying this book, be sure to get the app as well! This book is set to be published on November 10, 2015, so be looking for it!

Not everyone can afford to hire a dietician to customize a diet plan that is right for them, and not all diets are a one-size-fits all approach for everyone when it comes to weight loss. I have seen in my own counseling practice many patients struggling with weight loss and diet who have tried the fad diets that become popular and still cannot lose weight. Weight loss and physical health is a problem for a lot of people and it is sad to see them struggling. I love to see something like this which is customized to each person. I feel this book will help a lot of people achieve their goals. The plans are realistic and are set up to be a long-term change and not just a quick weight loss strategy. Recipes are included in the back of the book.

Disclaimer: I received a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for giving a review.

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Nonfiction Cookbook Review for ‘Tips and Recipes: Great Grilling and Hot Sauces’ by Ralf Nowak

7/29/2015

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Nonfiction Cookbook Review for ‘Tips and Recipes: Great Grilling and Hot Sauces’ by Ralf Nowak

The author states in the opening of the book that he was approached by a publisher and asked to do a book based on his years of experience as a chef preparing his own hot sauces and recipes. The knowledge of the author is evident throughout this book. He gives very detailed and informative instructions, discusses the types of chilis, and even gives a degree of difficulty for each recipe, which I find extremely considerate and valuable. This book contains information and recipes on how to make different hot sauces, salsa, bar-be-que rubs and marinades, and more. The pictures are very nice and professional. Overall, I give this one 5 stars. Anyone who likes to cook, especially to grill, would find this book a must-have addition to their cookbooks.

Disclaimer: I was given a free ebook download of this book in exchange for doing a review.

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Fiction Sci-fi/Erotica Book Review for ‘The Future of Sex’

7/29/2015

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Fiction Sci-fi/Erotica Book Review for ‘The Future of Sex’

I loved the science fiction futuristic setting of this book. I find the writing style similar to that of some of Piers Anthony’s erotica.

In this book, Chloe applies for a job with the company called O as what would translate into our time as a high priced call girl. This is a futuristic setting in which sex has been mainstreamed, normalized, and legalized, and in fact Chloe’s mother was a worker in the sex industry. The position that Chloe is applying for is aiming higher than anyone thought she might qualify for.

While she is interviewing for the job, the walls are clear and sex workers can be seen having sex in full view of everyone. Nobody in this age and time has a reaction to it at all because sex has been so normalized and mainstreamed that they are desensitized to images that would shock someone in an earlier time. Chloe does better than anyone would have imagined in her interviews, and the sex scenes are written very well, including futuristic sex toys that perform marvelously.

This book is part 2 of a three part series, and I did not read the first book. The only drawback I saw to this one is the way it ended. The book is very short and I have a feeling all three parts could be put together to make one whole book. This one might have had a more enjoyable ending if it had stopped after she progresses through the interview process, before she finds the device in her hotel room. The ending was rather a start of a completely new story and it just left it hanging.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for giving a review of this book.

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Children’s Book Review for Coco and the Little Black Dress by Annemarie Van Haeringen

7/27/2015

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Delightful! Simplistic drawings that do a great job illustrating the story, and words appropriate for the age group yet are able to tell the story in an encouraging way. This story of Coco Chanel shows an orphan, often hungry and poor, and her rise to the top. Through her own ingenuity, intelligence, and desire to have a better life, her story unfolds in this book in a way that is empowering to anyone who might have a desire to do better with their life than the cards they were dealt. Instead of using her humble circumstances as an excuse to not do anything with her life, she did something with her life despite her circumstances. This is a lesson that will help a lot of people have the courage to overcome and make something of themselves as well.

Disclaimer: I received a free ebook copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for doing a book review.

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7 Secrets to an Awesome Marriage by Kim Kimberling, PhD, published by Zondervan

7/27/2015

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In this book Dr. Kimberling outlines his seven steps to an awesome marriage based on his years as a professional counselor. He is also a Christian leader, and this book combines both his Christian beliefs and professional training to help couples have an awesome marriage.

In the first step, STOP, the author discusses stopping the dysfunctional family patterns that most people come into a relationship with. He states that unless these patterns are identified and corrected, they will be repeated in every relationship a person has, so instead of leaving the relationship one should address these things in themselves and work on fixing them. Step two, START, discusses putting God first and your spouse second in your life. Step three is CONNECT which involves active listening and truly connecting with your partner. ENGAGE discusses choosing your battles and learning how to fight with each other in an appropriate and healthy way. Step five is BALANCE which discusses how to find the right balance between your marriage and all the other responsibilities in your life. MINGLE discusses sex inside the marriage and how to meet each other’s unique needs. Finally, FIGHT discusses fighting together to be on the same team rather than seeing each other as the enemy when life gets hard and things go wrong.

As a psychotherapist myself, I see the sound evidence based practice in the pages of this book. Anyone who can follow the advice in this book can and will have a better marriage. Of course reading a book isn’t a substitute for working with a trained therapist, but this gives readers a place to start. It is easy to read and understand and has examples from couples, which helps even more. In this day and age of selfishness and seeing only to one’s own needs, the contents of this book are much needed and will help couples get their priorities straight by putting God first and their spouse second. If both partners in a marriage can do that, they can’t lose!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 < http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Fiction Book Review for ‘Sin and Swoon’ by Tara Brown

7/27/2015

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Fiction Book Review for ‘Sin and Swoon’ by Tara Brown

In this book, book 2 of the Blood and Bone series, Jane Spears is tracking a serial murder and rapist by mind running into a victim’s mind to try to catch the perpetrator. In this particular mind run, someone has messed with the programming and she doesn’t get the answers she was looking for right away. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I won’t give away the ending or say more about the plot. The story also follows her romance with her fiancé and partner, Dash, who she discovers is from an extremely wealthy family. Their romance has a Cinderella feel to it because she was an orphan.

At first, to me, this book was hard to get into because it seemed to jump around so much that it was hard to follow. However, I have not read the first book in this series so perhaps if I had I would have known what was going on and wouldn’t have been lost at the beginning. Even with a slow start, this book was good as a stand-alone read and it was a book I couldn’t put down. I loved the work that Jane does as a mind runner. All in all I give this book a hearty thumbs up and can’t wait for the third in this series!

Disclaimer: I was given a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for giving it a review.

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Nonfiction Christian Book Review, “Spent Matches” by Roy Moran, Published by Thomas Nelson

7/22/2015

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As a psychotherapist and a life time churchgoer, I was pleased with this book from the beginning. Moran uses a story as an analogy for paradigm paralysis in the first chapter and states that “not even information that proved him wrong would change his mind. He was convinced of his conclusion, and the facts weren’t going to mess that up.” In both my Christian walk and my professional interaction with people I have seen this mindset many times.

In Spent Matches, Roy Moran challenges the thinking and mindset of many in churches today with a non-apologetic no-holds-barred style. Anyone who will argue that the sky is lime green even when confronted with the truth that it is blue will not like this book. Moran challenges the current practices of church evangelical strategies as ineffective and calls for change, knowing that many are so steeped in tradition and will fight to defend against any change, even change for the better. My experiences in most churches is the same; that many people go to church for their own comfort and tradition and are resistant to any change, even such silly things as having to sit on a different pew one Sunday because a visitor sat in “their” spot. In this book Roy Moran says it is time for a change and challenges the church to be open to a different way of doing things.

This book is going to be loved by anyone in church that feels dissatisfied and/or empty with the way things are, anyone who feels their church is missing the point, and anyone open to change. Moran has done his homework and backs up what he says with scripture. A must read for anyone in church, whether as a member or as a church leader.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 < http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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<<Previous

Fiction Book Review for ‘Plagued: The Mid-America Zombie Half-Breed Experiment’ by Better Hero Army

Children's Picture Book Review for 'Amelie Gets Busy' by Agatha Rodi

Nonfiction Book Review for ‘Brew Better Beer’ by Emma Christensen, published by Ten Speed Press

Nonfiction Book Review for “The Doctor on Demand Diet’ by Dr. Melina Jampolis

Nonfiction Cookbook Review for ‘Tips and Recipes: Great Grilling and Hot Sauces’ by Ralf Nowak

Fiction Sci-fi/Erotica Book Review for ‘The Future of Sex’

Children’s Book Review for Coco and the Little Black Dress by Annemarie Van Haeringen

7 Secrets to an Awesome Marriage by Kim Kimberling, PhD, published by Zondervan

Fiction Book Review for ‘Sin and Swoon’ by Tara Brown

Nonfiction Christian Book Review, “Spent Matches” by Roy Moran, Published by Thomas Nelson

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