Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.
Southeast Europe, circa 900 A.D.
Kurosh is in desperate circumstances: a single mistake could cost him and his family their lives. His father, Rayis Sikandar, is among the most respected of the nomadic warlords, but he is very ill. If the Rayis dies, Kurosh must lead the clan in his stead-assuming he can prove his strength and escape his rival’s schemes.
Oday, the privileged heir of nobility and only Christian in his clan, joins his servants for the annual cattle drive. However, when he wakes one morning, his mind is full of a strange and vivid dream, a dream that convinces him God has given him power to be a Healer.
When the two boys meet unexpectedly, underlying tensions within their clans rise to the surface, and both must decide what is worth sacrificing for. Indeed, both Oday and Kurosh are outcasts of sorts – Kurosh due to his “fits” and Oday due to his faith. But the two boys more have more in common than meets the eye…
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 are 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:
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!
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:
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.)
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.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.
It’s Christmastime in 1984 Dearborn, Michigan. High Schooler James Christie is attending a Christmas Eve party. Ex-San Francisco detective/ace private investigator Johnny Wong is also attending the party at the Christie mansion. It’s a good thing the detective is in attendance. Because when industrial magnate and family patriarch David Christie falls dead at said party shortly after changing his will, the hunt for the killer is on in this faith-flavored seasonal whodunit.
There’s also superstition. Strange things that go bump in the night. The Christie family curse. Missing pictures. The Third Army. Suicide. Microchips and Silicon Valley. A gold pen. An ancient pact.
This book moves well and is an interesting read. It’s packed with plenty of misdirections, red herrings, and clever clues. It’s a good effort. The cover art is terrif! But it’s not yet ready for prime time. Here’s why:
Kimber here. I bet you think Her Crankiness is… 100% cranky, right? So do I. (Don’t tell Mom, okay? Let’s just keep this our little secret.)
But every once in a while Mom surprises me. Not that I’m surprise-able. But …
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Mom and I read a trio of books recently that were … surprising. They were quite different from each other, too. Think dogs and cats. (Well, okay. Maybe not cats. But you get the picture.)
Anyway, the first book is a delightful Christian romance from Kim Vogel Sawyer. The second is a non-fiction “travel tome with a twist” from Joseph F. Smith, M.D. There’s also an historical fiction novel by Kristin Hannah.
All get an Official Thumbs Up from Her Crankiness. Here’s why (short version):
Know the feeling? You’re skipping merrily along. Loving a new book. Buried in an engaging, entertaining story with top-notch writing. You feel like you’re on a first-name basis with most of the characters. Would love joining them for a hot cuppa and a good chat. Or invite them over for dinner.
Then, all of a sudden, the book winds down. The story concludes. The characters resolve whatever they’re resolving. Or not.
But one way or another, the book ends.
You sigh. Because, why wouldn’t you? You’ve been carrying these characters around in your head for… hours. Days. Maybe weeks. Or more. You’re so invested in these characters and their lives that leaving them feels… sad. Like you’re saying goodbye to dear friends. And closing that last page?
Double sigh.
Because you wished it would never end.
And have you noticed? A good book always ends too soon. Always.
Mom distinctly recalls one of the first books that ever evoked this feeling. She was in the fourth grade. Or maybe it was the third? Like, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The book was Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds by Joy Adamson. True story of Elsa, an orphaned lion cub. Elsa was raised by humans who loved her enough to set her free.
Others (most are fiction. Non-fiction titles are noted with “NF.”):
1. Black Beauty – Anna Sewell
2. Where the Red Fern Grows – Wilson Rawls
3. Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie
4. The Silver Brumby – Elyne Mitchell
5. Through Gates of Splendor – Elisabeth Elliot (NF)
6. At Home in Mitford – Jan Karon
7. Because of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo
8. Island of the Blue Dolphins – Scott O’Dell
9. The Christmas Box – Richard Paul Evans
10. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
11. Les Miserables – Alexandre Dumas
12. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
13 & 14. Brighty of the Grand Canyon, King of the Wind – Marguerite Henry
15. A River Runs Through It – Norman Maclean
16. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
17. Waking the Dead – John Eldredge (NF)
18. Christy – Catherine Marshall
19. The Robe – Lloyd C. Douglas
20. Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
21. Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up – Cathay Reta (NF)
22. A Year in Paradise – Floyd Schmoe (NF)
23. The Applause of Heaven – Max Lucado
24. Walking Home: Common Sense and Other Misadventures on the Pacific Crest Trail – Rick Rogers (NF)
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.
“I’m awake! I’m awake!” harketh Her Momness.
“With your eyes closed? Snoring to beat the band?” says I, Kimber the Magnificent. Well, can’t say I blame Mom. Cuz this short story collection is the next best thing to Sominex. Here’s why:
“What a kick in the passport!” Mom hooted after finishing Karen Gershowitz’s Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderlust. “It’s fun and educational!” (She’s outside turning handsprings. Don’t tell anyone, okay?)
“But Mom,” says The Level-Headed One. “You say that about every travel book!”
Ever see someone try to stop hand-springing halfway through?
“I do not!” barks Mom.
Okay, fine. Whatevs, says I, Kimber the Magnificent. But tell me, Mom. What makes this book so splendiferous?
Pages & Paws 