Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie


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“Unbreakable”: Empowering Aging or Overhyped?

Unbreakable: A Woman’s Guide to Aging With Power

By Vonda Wright, MD

Genre: Nonfiction/Health

Pages (print): 231. Plus Three Appendices – Exercise Protocols, Dr. Vonda’s Dinner System and Favorite Unbreakable Recipes, Unbreakable Strategies for Managing Pain and Injury/. And References + and Index

Via: Library

This is one of those woo-hoo! books that everybody and their neighbor’s fluff ball is raving about. Like we care. In fact, we almost bought stock in No Doze to keep us awake plowing through this clunker. It’s one of the most over-hyped thing-a-mah-jigs we’ve ever read. Here’s why:

Read more: “Unbreakable”: Empowering Aging or Overhyped?

Written by an orthopedic surgeon and “longevity specialist” – whatever that means – this book claims it’s for all women wanting to live their best life long into their senior years. It’s especially helpful for postmenopausal women and offers “A 6-week program for lifelong strength and vitality.” It’s presented in three sections: 1) Preparing for Your Unbreakable Future; 2) Building Your Unbreakable Future; 3) Beyond Unbreakable. (Assessing Mitrochrondial Health. Kloto Levels. Exosomes and Placental Material. Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Plasamapheresis. About nine million different types of “therapies.” Zzzzzzzz.)

It’s dull as dirt.

It includes tons of medical and physiological info that gets pretty technical pretty fast. It offers 20 pages of healthy, nutritious recipes. Samples: Tuna and Zucchini Burgers. Balsamic Veggie and Beet Hummus Sandwich. Air Fryer Honey Mustard Salmon.

A big issue we had with this book is in Part Two: Building Your Unbreakable Future. The author uses an exercise acronym FACE. Flexibility/Mobility, Aerobic Activity, Carrying a Load and Equilibrium and Footspeed. Several of the exercises described are difficult to visualize and execute properly without illustrations. This section has none. Also, the author seems to assume that everyone has access to a gym, personal trainer, or physical therapist. Not.

The quantity, intensity and sheer volume of exercise sessions – sometimes 30 to 45 minutes with “10 minutes of light jogging or cycling” with “static stretching afterwards” – may be daunting to the point of overwhelming. Especially for beginners. For example, the “dynamic warm-up” is “ten simple movements” with multiple reps. These “should take you about 15 minutes.” That’s BEFORE and in addition to the session itself. The Day 1 Lower Body Workouts include 19 separate exercises, with about 10 reps and 4 sets of each. Kimber: Gag me with arugula!

Additionally, the author is big on jumping. As in, BIG jumps. As in, risk breaking your face or something else kinda jumps.

This book was a big disappointment. Our biggest beef? Unless you have an orthopedist or personal trainer in your hip pocket, Unbreakable isn’t particularly user-friendly. It feels clunky. With a boatload of technical mumbo-jumbo and doctor-ese that’s gonna make some readers run for the hills. Readability is also an issue.

Yea, verily. Nothing says ‘aging with power” like a book that cures insomnia by Chapter 2. Mom likes to think of it as the ultimate guide to napping with authority. So there!


Our Rating: 1.5

Recommended instead: Dr. Lisa Moore, DPT, and Brick House Bones. Check out her 90-minute online workshop: Journey to Fracture-Proof. And her You Tube channel. Less fear. More Strength.


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How to Conquer Your Summer Reading List

So there I was. Minding my own beeswax. Snoozing in the sun. With visions of Porterhouse steaks dancing in my head… What?

Well. Then She Who Must Be Obeyed asks me about summer reading plans. What do I look like, an oracle?

“C’mon, Kimmi. Time’s a-wastin’. We gotta get goin’ on our plan to conquer our summer reading list.”

Wait. We have a plan? Really? 

Cuz, hey. Mom and I? We’re pros at summer reading. Cramming our book bag with enough library books to choke a camel. Adding to our TBR pile till it resembles the leaning Tower of Pizza. (Mom: “That’s Pisa, Kimmi.” Kimber: “You eat what you want and I’ll eat what I want, okay?”

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The Kitty Litter Hall of Shame – or – Why You Do NOT Want to Test Us on THIS

– We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging to bring you this important news bulletin –

Her Crankiness is at again. Being all cranky. Refusing to share her chocolate. Again. (That’s actually a good thing if you’re a dog like me. We don’t do chocolate. It’s toxic for us dogs.)

RED ALERT!

Anyway, She Who Must Be Obeyed has an important announcement. It’s for authors. Author wannabes. Publicists. Blog tour coordinators. Publishers. Pretty much anyone who contacts us for a review.

Listen Up!

If you’re one of the above, kindly pay attention. Cuz this is for you. And we’re not gonna repeat ourselves, savvy? So I’d listen up ‘fize you. Here goes:

ATTENTION AUTHORS & REVIEW REQUESTORS!

As noted in our Rating System and Submission Guidelines, you are required to Like, Comment and Share a positive review.  If you are unable or unwilling to do so, THEN DON’T REQUEST A REVIEW.

Mom and I? We spend tons of time combing through review requests and deciding what we will or won’t accept. If a book is accepted, we may spend hours and hours reading it. And more time crafting a brilliant and pithy review.

Huge

It’s a huge investment of time and energy. We don’t charge any fees for reviews. We don’t get a cent for doing this. Not one penny. Our time and talent is free to you, authoroo. 

At Least

So THE LEAST YOU CAN DO is say “thanks” by Liking, Commenting and Sharing the Post Link for a positive review. This not only helps promote your book, it also boosts post visibility. So again:

Required

Liking, Commenting, and Sharing the Link to a positive review is a REQUIREMENT for anyone asking for a review. If you don’t do so within three days of post publication, we will remove the post.

DO NOT TEST US ON THIS. YOU WILL LOSE.

In fact, here are some recent-ish posts that have been removed because the author(s) failed to adhere to our Like, Comment, and Share requirement outlined above. Also known as The Kitty Litter Hall of Shame (you soooo don’t want to be here, savvy?):

If You Knew: An Unforgettable Journey Through Cancer, Choices, and Cosmic Possibilities

Beowoof: Fantasy With Fur Charms in ‘Farm Pond’

‘Molly and Potato’ is Tops!

‘King of Montreal’ A Breath Of Fresh Air

New Historical Fiction Reveals Lesser-Known Chapter of Southwest History

New Holocaust Novel Packs a Punch!

New YA Adventure Rocks – or – Scraps to the Rescue!

Reimagine Learning With ‘Open Education’

Children’s Science Series Sparks Curiosity

‘Twilight of Evil’: WWII Historical Fiction With a Twist

Downeyoshun: Coming of Age Tale a Mixed Bag? 

And ‘The River’ El Rio Runs Through It…

‘Searching for Lucky’ Heartwarming and Hilarious

Wolf Meets Whups in ‘Greed Beneath the Empire’

Psychological Thriller Has Potential


Don’t think we don’t notice. We do. Are we clear?

– We will now return you to our regularly scheduled blogging – 

You’re welcome.


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10 Fictional Places We’d Love to Visit This Summer

TSA lines moving at glacial speed? Travel package rivaling the national debt? Accommodations that make the Bates Motel look like an upgrade?

Let’s go!

Summer vacay is just around the corner. So pack your bags and set sail on the U.S.S. Mom and Kimster for some favorite fictional summer vacay locations. We’re talkin good food, good scenery, and good times. Based on books. (Accessories not included. Batteries sold separately.)

ALL ABOARD!

  • Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl). What could be more fun than all the free chocolate Mom could possibly chow down? ‘Sides. It’ll be a brand new year by the time she comes down from that sugar high.
  • The Emerald City (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L. Frank Baum). The sentries! The horse-drawn carriages! The green glasses! A yellow-brick road and a hot air balloon! Oh yeah!
  • Cair Paravel (The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis). Seeking magical, scenic, and epic adventure with talking animals and a Really Big Lion? All you have to do is walk through a wardrobe.
  • Neverland (Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie). Mom: Okay, Kimmi. Where’d ya stash my pixie dust?
  • Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane (Mary Poppins – P.L. Travers). What IS inside that carpet bag, anyway?
  • Rivendell (Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien): The ultimate “Calgon, take me away” retreat. Plush accommodations. Breathtaking natural beauty. Excellent elven wine and endless plates of food. Miles of hiking with a sweet furry face we all know and love. And no one will ask to see Mom’s passport.
  • The Shire (The Lord of the Rings again- J.R.R. Tolkien): If we’re not busy rescuing hunanity and saving the world, we’ll park here for a while. Chow down on six meals a day (but who’s counting?). Snooze and cruise while waiting for Gandalf to show up with the latest fireworks extravaganza.
  • Camelot (The Once and Future King – T.H. White). A king. A queen. A knight. A round table. And Morgan le Fey. What could possibly go wrong?
  • The Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie-the-Pooh – A A. Milne). Terminal cuteness with the world’s most loveable bear ‘of very little brain’ and his sweet forest friends. Who wouldn’t want to join Pooh for a friendly pot of honey?
  • Chew and Swallow (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs – Judi Barrett). A town where food falls out of the sky. All day. Every day. Kimber: Sign me up!

Where are you heading this summer? Let us know which fictional paradise you’re hoping to wake up in!



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7 Captivating Children’s Books for the Ultimate Summer Break

So Mom is skipping merrily around the house. Opening every window in sight. Crowing about sunshine and summer.

Who loves ya, baby?

So embarrassing.

But that got one of us thinking. What are some great children’s books set during the sunshine season? The kind that’ll keep kiddos engaged, turning pages and avoiding endless choruses of “I’m boooorred”? Cuz summer is prime reading time! And not just for us dinosaurs (Don’t tell Mom I said that, okay?).

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Paws, Patients, and Pure Grit Discovered in ‘So You Want To Be a Veterinarian’

Kimber the Magnificent here. With a true-life story. About Yours Truly. It’s real short. But it’s relevant to this review. So kindly keep you hair on, pal. Goes like this:

Awhile back Her Royal Momness looked out the window into the yard. She noticed I was limping. Mom ran outside like a shot from a cannon. Found my front paw was all bloody. No idea what happened or how. Just Too. Much. Blood. After recovering from her heart attack, Mom got the neighbor kid to help carry me into the house. Then we called Dr. Dan. He’s my doctor. We set a new land-speed record racing over to Dr, Dan’s place (don’t tell anyone, okay?). And Dr. Dan and his helpers took care of me. Bandage. Pain meds. Anti-biotic thingies. Observation. They even got me this little plastic bootie for my foot. To protect my bandage from getting wet. Mom had to tie it on my foot every time I had to go outside. So annoying. But it worked. And about a week and half later-ish, I was up and running and zooming all over creation, like usual! So yea, Dr. Dan!

Still with me? Good! I’m telling you this because I wanted to let you know that I was not scared at Dr. Dan’s place. That’s because I love Dr. Dan! He talks real soft and slow. I see him twice a year (that foot ouchie was a “seismic anamoly.” No idea what that means. It’s just what Mom said, okay?) At my usual check-ups, Dr. Dan says. “How’s my sweet girl today?” His face is all smiley and his voice is happy when he says that. I like Dr. Dan because Dr. Dan likes me! He also remembers I like the bacon-flavored treats best. Dr. Dan is one of my favorite-est hoomans in the whole world. (He’s not Mom. But, hey. Who is?)

So when Mom got a review request for this little’uns book about how they can be a veterinarian like my good buddy Dr. Dan, I said “Take it!” The world needs more Dr. Dans. I’ll let Mom fill you in on the rest:

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Kimber’s Guide to June Reading

Brilliant AND Beautiful!

Happy June 1!

No idea what that means, spake I, Kimber the Magnificent. But Mom is crowing about “Hoo-ray for June!” So “June” must be a good thing, right? Especially if “June” comes in Filet Mignon, medium-well, wrapped in bacon and all juicy and yummy and…

Wait. Where was I?

Oh yeah. June. And reading.

Well. Today you’re in for a treat, Cupcake. Cuz today I’m gonna give you a rundown on how this June reading thing works in my house. Like this:

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Why ‘The Colonel’s Revenge’ Will Make Your Mom Forget Dinner Time

The Colonel’s Revenge

A Mateus de Silva Adventure (Koehlerbooks, 2026)

By Jeffrey K. Schmoll

Genre: Fiction – Action/Adventure

Pages (Print): 252

Via: Author’s request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

So. You may want to break out your winter gear and an extra blankie for the newest action/adventure book by Jeffrey Schmoll. Cuz we’re talkin’ Edmond Dantes-esque revenge here as expert writing, pitch-perfect pacing and a lightning-fast plot race across pages and places like a runaway freight train in The Colonel’s Revenge.

Yeppers, this story has it all. Unusual settings: Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Friends lost on the battlefield. Diamonds, gems, treasure. A desperate fight for survival in a brutal, illegal gold mine. Losing a family. Finding a grandson. Love. Loyalty. Betrayal. Second chances. And enough high-octane adventure to send you into orbit. I’ll let Mom tell ya more. (Cuz, ya know. Mom. Insert eye roll here.)

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Let’s Lose “Happy” Memorial Day

Yo!

Kimber the Magnificent here. Giving you a little heads up. Cuz The ‘Ole Curmudgeon is being an old curmudgeon today. Again. Still. It has to do with this holiday thingy today. I’ll let TOC fill ya in:

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Ordinary People, Extraordinary Impact: How ‘Kindness Heroes’ Ignites Hope

You gonna eat that?

Kimber here. Saying you might want to stock up on tissue before tackling one of the best non-fiction books we’ve read all year. It’s Jackie Kurtz’s Kindness Heroes: Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things. Cuz we just finished it. And Mom is doing that sniffly, sparkly-eyed thing. Again. Cuz, ya know. Mom. (Insert eye roll here.)

We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

I’ll let Mom tell ya more:

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