Review of The Skinnytaste Cookbook by Gina Homolka

Released September 30, 2014

Synopsis: Gina Homolka is America’s most trusted home cook when it comes to easy, flavorful recipes that are miraculously low-calorie and made from all-natural, easy-to-find ingredients. Her blog, Skinnytaste is the number one go-to site for slimmed down recipes that you’d swear are anything but. It only takes one look to see why people go crazy for Gina’s food: cheesy, creamy Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli with only 420 calories per serving, breakfast dishes like Make-Ahead Western Omelet "Muffins" that truly fill you up until lunchtime, and sweets such as Double Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies that are low in sugar and butter-free but still totally indulgent.
 
The Skinnytaste Cookbook features 150 amazing recipes: 125 all-new dishes and 25 must-have favorites. As a busy mother of two, Gina started Skinnytaste when she wanted to lose a few pounds herself. She turned to Weight Watchers for help and liked the program but struggled to find enough tempting recipes to help her stay on track. Instead, she started “skinny-fying” her favorite meals so that she could eat happily while losing weight.
 
With 100 stunning photographs and detailed nutritional information for every recipe, The Skinnytaste Cookbook is an incredible resource of fulfilling, joy-inducing meals that every home cook will love.

Review: I was so very excited to get this book for review. This recipe blog is my favorite, my go-to for weekly dinners. I've been following the progress of this book on her site and couldn't wait to get my hands on it! The cover is beautiful as is the under cover (the photos actually printed on the book.)

It really is beautiful. Nice quality hardcover cookbook with color photos for most (not all) of the recipes. This was really the only thing I was disappointed in- I prefer to have pictures in my cookbooks and would have loved this even more if each recipe had its' own photo. 

As on the website, each recipe states how many servings the ingredients make as well as a full set of nutritional information including calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, fiber, protein, sugars, and sodium. The recipes are easy to follow and don't have a ton of steps so anyone can follow along.  The book is broke into categories, i.e. Skinny-licious Soups & Chilis, Skinny Bites, Lean Meat Dishes, Skinny Sweet Tooth.

Highly, highly recommend this book for anyone that needs to cook meals!

*This book was provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for my review.

Review: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Published February 5th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

Review: This book takes place in an alternative, steam-punky Victorian era. It was a bit much for me. We were just thrown into this world with little to no explanation or description of what was going on. Sopronia's family is done dealing with her exploring and curiosity and send her off to finishing school. But this finishing school isn't typical, they also teach espionage. Dun dun dun....

Something that really bothered me about this book is that once Sophronia was at school, she really changed and without much time or effort. Yes, she does break the rules, climbs around and goes into the engine room. But gone is her curiosity, her taking apart things to make them worse. It was almost like 2 different characters, and neither one really got deeply developed. 

I felt so lost throughout this story, like I had missed some background information or skipped portions of the book. But I hadn't. I didn't feel like there was a plot for most of this book.

All in all, a so-so 2.5-3 star read. I will read the sequel because on goodreads, the sequel has higher ratings than this story.

*I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Family Inheritance by Terri Ann Leidich

Published October 1st 2014 by BQB Publishing

Synopsis: Called to the bedside of their dying mother, three sisters reluctantly return to their childhood home in northern Minnesota. What should be a reunion of love and warmth is tainted by the ghosts of their childhood; their parents' farm is a place of painful memories. With their mother in a coma, Helene leaves behind a shell of a marriage in Atlanta---her country club lifestyle not at all what it seems. Alice has finally fled an abusive husband but is afraid her failing courage will put her children in danger. Waking up beside yet another stranger, Suzanne can no longer deny how an alcohol addiction may destroy everything she's worked for---an addiction that barely masks the terrible wounds on her soul. They may have escaped the farm, but Helene, Alice, and Suzanne find they are still perpetuating a cycle of pain, abuse, alcoholism, anger, fear, and bitterness. Seeing themselves through each other's eyes, the sisters are forced to confront their demons. Will they be able to tread through the wreckage of the past to create lives filled with hope, love, and triumph?

Review: I loved, loved LOVED this book!! I couldn't put it down. The characters and situations were so very real, very raw, and extremely relatable. Three sisters who had a not so great upbringing, who all left home as quickly as possible and never looked back. Who are forced together when their mother falls ill.

Helene looks like she has the perfect life- a rich husband, a smart kid, a big house with a maid. But when you really look at her life, it's not as great as it looks like on the surface. Alice is heavy, in an abusive marriage with 2 kids, who has no job and whose family does not respect her in the least. She is able to leave, but is she able to pull life together to make it for her kids? Suzanne suffers from alcoholism- will it ruin her entire life or can she overcome it and her childhood and make herself a better woman?

The plot is likable, the characters are lovable, the situations are real. The dialogue is funny, thoughtful, and completely sister-like. Not that I would know from experience, but the banter is real and at times comical. They were always trying to one up each other, even when it came to who's life sucked the most. It was so nice to see their relationships changing, evolving, and them figuring out who they were and what they mean to each other.

I highly highly recommend this book to anyone, especially fans of chick lit!!!

*I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. 

Review: Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

Published August 26th 2014 by Schwartz & Wade

Synopsis: How can twelve-year-old Gabriel find his missing father, who seems to have vanished without a trace? With the help of Paladin—a young raven with whom he has a magical bond that enables them to become one creature—he flies to the foreboding land of Aviopolis, where he must face a series of difficult challenges and unanswerable riddles that could lead to his father... or to his death.

Review: This was a book that I almost put down before I hit the halfway point. It seemed like two stories happening at the same time but had nothing to do with one another. I was getting confused an annoyed. What does a talking raven have to do with a walking desk? And why does no one think that either thing is weird?! But I am so so SO glad that I kept reading along. Because once the connection between the two ideas was made, this story got good. 

This is a middle-grade mystery/fantasy novel that is based upon riddles. Ravens love riddles. In order for a raven to trust another raven, they have to first solve a riddle. Lucky for Paladin, Gabriel is a world class riddle solver. He can also talk to ravens and more (but those would be spoilers so I won't go any further!) 

Though this story did have a good plot, the characters really made it for me. You have Gabriel, a boy whose father has been missing for years. Pamela, a 12 year old girl with an annoyingly controlling mother who makes her practice the violin 3 hours/night. Abby, the girl across the street whose shoes never match and hair is always crazy. Last but not least you have Somes, who has the saddest story of all throughout this book. He starts off as a bully but finds a way into your heart once you know more about him and his life. 

I would definitely have loved this book in about 4th-6th grade. Pick it up, read it with your kids, recommend it to teachers to have in their classrooms!

*I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin

Published September 23, 2014 by EgmontUSA

Synopsis: The Bourne Identity meets Divergent in this heart-pounding debut.

Sixteen-year-old Sarah has a rare chance at a new life. Or so the doctors tell her. She’s been undergoing a cutting-edge procedure that will render her a tabula rasa—a blank slate. Memory by memory her troubled past is being taken away.

But when her final surgery is interrupted and a team of elite soldiers invades the isolated hospital under cover of a massive blizzard, her fresh start could be her end. 

Navigating familiar halls that have become a dangerous maze with the help of a teen computer hacker who's trying to bring the hospital down for his own reasons, Sarah starts to piece together who she is and why someone would want her erased. And she won’t be silenced again.

A high-stakes thriller featuring a non-stop race for survival and a smart heroine who will risk everything, Tabula Rasa is, in short, unforgettable.

Review:  This book was really like Divergent (I've never seen the Bourne Identity...I know, I know.) High action, large men with guns, a raging blizzard, a creepy hospital, and a love interest all rolled into one story makes for a fairly good story.

Sarah is a strong female lead. Sure, she has many vulnerabilities. Mostly because of her Tabula Rasa treatments; how can she be rock solid when she doesn't know who she is or where she came from? She relearns her history through little flashbacks of memory, which I really found to be a great piece to this story. Her interactions with Thomas (the computer hacker) were fresh and at times comical and other times emotional. 

The plot was original- a secret hospital performing brain wiping? Then one night soldiers invade and from there, this is a twisting, turning plot. Some of the twists were so unexpected!! It was nice to read such an original idea and think that it would make a cool sci-fi novel if they focused more on the background and procedure. 

I would recommend this book for any fans of Divergent, as well as any dystopian and/or sci-fi novel fans!

*I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Published September 9. 2014
Broadway Books

Synopsis: Years ago, the city of Bulikov wielded the powers of the Gods to conquer the world. But after its divine protectors were mysteriously killed, the conqueror has become the conquered; the city's proud history has been erased and censored, progress has left it behind, and it is just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power. Into this musty, backward city steps Shara Divani. Officially, the quiet mousy woman is just another lowly diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors. Unofficially, Shara is one of her country's most accomplished spymasters-dispatched to investigate the brutal murder of a seemingly harmless historian. As Shara pursues the mystery through the ever-shifting physical and political geography of the city, she begins to suspect that the beings who once protected Bulikov may not be as dead as they seem-and that her own abilities might be touched by the divine as well.

Review: This book was totally outside of my comfort zone. Epic fantasy is not a genre that I pick up very often. In fact, I don't know if I have ever picked it up. When looking on Blogging for Books, this cover was beautiful and the synopsis seemed intriguing so I decided to give it a go.

Right off the bat, there are a bunch of names in this book that I cannot pronounce. This also makes it difficult to keep all the characters straight. What made it even more difficult in this instance was the fact that half the 'characters' in this book were long ago Gods that all had different powers. Woah was I lost for a bit. But the more I read, the easier it was to remember who was who. 

The main characters, especially Shara and Sigrud, were very strong characters. Sigrud was probably my favorite of them all; in my head I pictured him as a heroic Hagrid. They had solid dialogue, and really had different personalities and language to keep the plot going. 

Now, I had never read anything by Robert Jackson Bennett. But man, can he write!! The creation of this world (as well as a few parallel ones), the cast of characters, the mystery, the magic...it takes a strong author to create a scene quite like the one in this novel.  The descriptions were vivid, the characters strong, the situations imaginative and fluid. The last half of this story grabbed me and held on tight, I read the last 200 pages in one sitting!

A great fantasy novel that may just prompt me to pick up more fantasy in the future!

*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

My first read-a-thon- it's over!!

The Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon is officially over...

I finished 2 books and got 23% of the way done with a third. I call that a success! And I won a door prize at Hour 24- woot!

End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Probably the last hour I participated, which was hour 15 I believe. I was tired, and knew I needed to get to sleep because my husband was going to be waking me up early!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Any of the books by Marcia Clark or Sue Grafton. High fantasy fans will probably like the first book I completed this year, City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? It was my first read-a-thon, so I think it went well!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The blog was prompted updated every hour, the cheerleaders were great. 
5. How many books did you read? I finished 2 that were partially read when the event started, and got 23% of the way through a 3rd.
6. What were the names of the books you read? City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin, Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen
7. Which book did you enjoy most? City of Stairs- I'm going to give fantasy another try because of this book!
8. Which did you enjoy least? Even though I'm not not enjoying it, I would say Gabriel Finley- it's middle grade so sometimes it's hard for me to really get into it. But I am liking it so far!
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? n/a
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I will definitely be participating again as a reader!! I just hope it falls on a day that I have completely free to devote to reading. 

Dewey's Read-A-Thon: Half-way point!

Hour 12! Halfway!! Woo!! To everyone still reading:

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now? Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin

2. How many books have you read so far? This is my 2nd book.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm going to pick up next!! I have a bunch of galleys to review so I'm trying to get through those.

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I'm very distractible so I have had plenty of interruptions. But I take them as my brain needing a little break so I let myself get distracted for a few minutes, then get back to reading.

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How content I am to spend the day on the couch with a book. Ok, so I really already knew I would be. But it feels great to actually do it!

Finished one book, onto the next!

Hour 9. One book down. I finished City of Stairs, which I gave 4 stars. Look for my review soon!

Next on my list...

I am currently 39% done with this e-galley from NetGalley. Its getting good and I would love to finish it!!! This book was released September 23, 2014. Here we go...!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Update #1

Good morning guys!!

The read-a-thon started 2 hours ago, but I'm getting a late start because who doesn't love sleeping in on a Saturday morning?!

I am half-way through City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, received from Blogging for Books for review. I've been reading this for weeks and would really love to finish it very soon, so I'm going to plug away on that for a bit.

Opening meme questions:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I am in the USA!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Winger by Andrew Smith

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I don't have much to choose from in the house- maybe some dried pineapple or pumpkin seeds.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a married physical therapist with 2 cats and a huge library!

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? Even though I don't have the full 24 hours to participate, I'm looking forward to completing at least 1 book.

My First Read-a-Thon

Hey there readers!! Ever since I started watching Booktube, I have been seeing people participating in Read-a-thons. Every time there is a read-a-thon, I have plans and cannot participate. However, I have decided that it is time to try it out! While I do not think I will be able to participate for the full 24 hours, I'm going to do what I can. I have so many ARCs to get through, this may be a great way to do it. 

Join me if you would like! The Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon is taking place on October 18, 2014. Everyone starts at the same time, so start times are time zone specific. You can see start times here. For more information and the official sign ups, check out the official website http://24hourreadathon.com/. 

Review: A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

Published September 30, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Synopsis: In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant, whole trees, and is set on a huge estate overlooking Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch Grandpa Samuel—who is flickering in and out of dementia—to a graduated living facility, sell off the house and property for development into “tract housing for millionaires,” divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.

But Trevor soon discovers there’s someone else living in Riddell House: a ghost with an agenda of his own. For while the land holds tremendous value, it is also burdened by the final wishes of the family patriarch, Elijah, who mandated it be allowed to return to untamed forestland as a penance for the millions of trees harvested over the decades by the Riddell Timber company. The ghost will not rest until Elijah’s wish is fulfilled, and Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future.

Review: How would I describe this book? A family drama, ghost story and historical fiction all rolled into one. The characters are rich and dramatic, the plot line interesting with twists and turns, lies and deception, mystery and emotion. I really liked the flow of this story, there was some repetition of themes and ideas but they were purposeful and helped to build the plot. This story was very different than anything I have read and that's a huge plus for me. 

What a smart 14 year old Trevor is! First off, he starts seeing ghosts and doesn't panic. Um, I am well past 14 and if I saw what he did, I would hid under the bed. Seriously. He pieces together so many different parts of a puzzle and comes to the real conclusion. But will anyone believe him? 

Serena really made me angry throughout this story. She is rude and crazy from the get go. And the way she treats Grandpa Samuel was really what made me the most angry. Probably because I work with the dementia population, but I had to skim over certain sections of her text because I was annoyed. This was all a part of her character that develops and makes more sense as the story goes on. 

All in all, I would recommend this read. This was my first Garth Stein book despite having The Art of Racing in the Rain on my bookshelf for a while now. Looking forward to my next Stein book!

* I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.