Book Review – Nutribullet Soup Recipe Book by Stephanie Shaw

Nutribullet Soup Recipe Book:  Low Carb Nutribullet Soup Recipes for Weight Loss, Detox, Anti-Aging & So Much More! (Recipes for a Healthy Life) (Volume 3) by Stephanie Shaw is an unusual cookbook. It’s not only about soup, or health, or nutrition (although it is about all of those things), but it is specifically about how to create delicious, healthy soups using a Nutribullet blender.

In the first two chapters of Shaw’s unique book, she lays out her case about how nutritious soups can be used for weight loss, detoxing and anti-aging. She also gives details about the health benefits of certain ingredients she uses throughout this cookbook. In the third chapter, she gives details about how to make these soups using a Nutribullet blender. These first three chapters are well researched and documented, as well as easy to understand. In the remaining seven chapters, Shaw breaks down recipes into health-affirming categories: Healthy Heart, Detoxification, Weight Loss, Healthy Skin, Energy Boost, Anti-Aging Effects and the use of Superfoods.

What I like most about Shaw’s recipes are 1) each is only for 2 servings, which means you won’t be wasting ingredients or making large pots of soup that could potentially go bad, but you could easily double or triple the ingredients for a larger family; 2) the ingredient lists are simple, usually everyday ingredients that one would have in their home; 3) there is a nutritional breakdown for each soup (calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein); and lastly, step by step explanation for making and processing the soup.

One needs to keep in mind that since you will be using a Nutribullet blender, these will be blended soups. So nothing chunky here. This is good for two reasons, the soups can be easily drank for their health benefits, and can be used for young children and the elderly whose dental health may not be formed or up to par.

Before completing my review, I wanted to try some of the recipes. I decided to make the Carrot Squash Thyme Soup (page 16) for the Healthy Heart, the Cucumber Mint Soup (page 39) for Detoxification, the Fresh Asparagus Garden Soup (page 61) for Weight Loss, and the Minestrone Soup (page 97) for Energy Boost. All of these soups were easy to make, used easy to purchase ingredients and took little to no time to make. The results were delicious and refreshing.

I did an experiment on my own by freezing the Carrot Squash Thyme Soup and the Fresh Asparagus Garden Soup, just to see what would happen if I did make a larger batch and wanted to save the soups for a later time. I froze each soup for three days, unthawed them, and heated them up on the stovetop. While they still tasted fine, they did not have the same freshness as on the day of first making them. My suggestion is to only make what you will use that day to get the optimal freshness and health benefits of the soups.

For anyone who has or plans to buy a Nutribullet and wants great soup recipes, I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed with the quality information given here or the well-researched and presented recipes.

Note: I was given a free copy of this book by the author for a fair and honest review.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre(s): Cook book, Health & Nutrition, Nonfiction

To Purchase: Amazon

Book Review – Lace Bone Beast by N.L. Shompole

Lace Bone Beast: Poems & Other Fairytales for Wicked Girls by N.L. Shompole is one of the most profound and engrossing books of poetry that I have read since reading The Death Notebooks and Live or Die by Anne Sexton in college. I am constantly reminded of the Confessional Poets throughout Shompole’s book because her poetic style mimics those of Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell, although Shompole has her own distinctive style. The poems, prose poems called fairytales by Shompole and the meditations all are unusually haunting. Shompole uses various literary devices such as repetition, imagery that flows consistently throughout the series and metaphors that give cohesion from beginning to end of the book. Her themes include love, death, and survival, reminiscent of wisdom shared from one woman to another in life’s struggles.

One image that Shompole uses repeatedly in this collection is bones, an image that resonates with and has always fascinated me. So naturally, I was sucked into each and every poem, prose poem and meditation that involved it. Other images are birds, dreams, monsters and seasons. All of these create a cascade of stark emotions that feed the reader’s soul and touches one on deeper levels than you’d expect.

The theme of love in this collection is both romantic and tragic, revealing the beauty and monstrosity that love can bring into a person’s life. Death is used not only as an ending, but also as a beginning, the process of birth, life and death as natural progressions. And survival is a theme used not only as cautionary, but also as empowerment.

Shompole reminds the readers to hold onto their dreams, to be cautious with their heart, to protect their bodies and yet, to be softened by life’s tragedies, not to be hardened by them. Monsters are real, love can sting, and yet life is also like the changing seasons, sometimes harsh and sometimes a breath of fresh air.

Shompole opens the book with these words:

Here is emptiness. Here is a mouth after a recent excavation, black with soot, devoid of kisses. Here are hands, trembling against the soft ache of morning, here are eyes, wet, wide, half-full of sky and loneliness. Here is belly, back, femur, spine, ragged and smooth all at once, all at once. Here are dreams, ink black and speckled, lost behind the eyes. Here is a muted elegy, crow’s feet feathered over the eyes like lace. Here are the last strains of a dirge, wild, discordant, free. – The Lacemaker

And closes it with these:

Remember,
everything that matters
comes slowly, the teeth
the bravery, the strength
the softness

– Meditations for the Soft-Hearted

Everything in between will leave you just as awed and breathless.

Lace Bone Beast is a beautiful collection of poetry, prose poetry and meditations that leaves me in awe. I’ve devoured it cover to cover twice since receiving a digital copy for review. I am so impressed that I had to own a book copy for my personal collection. I not only highly recommend this collection, I insist, that if you are a collector of poetry, this is one book you will definitely want in your collection.

Note: I was given a free copy of Lace Bone Beast for an honest review.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre(s): Abstract Poetry

To Purchase: Amazon

Book Review – Boogerman’s House by Dax Varley

Boogerman’s House by Dax Varley is a ghost story plus. The old farmhouse has a bad reputation and as such, it acts as the main character in this novella, a place of murder and suicide. There are three prior occurrences – a murdered family by the hands of the father and his suicide after, the death/suicide of two sisters, and finally, the suicide of a famous horror writer who hangs himself in the barn. Three teenagers – Will, Ryan, and Teagan – set off to the house to spend the night gathering information for an article they plan to write for their school paper. One of the teens has an alternative agenda. Will they survive the night? Or will Boogerman’s House claim three more lives?

Although this novella can be a quick read, it does not mean that Varley denies the reader of well-developed characters. The house, Will, Ryan, and Teagan all come to life before your eyes with their own distinctive personalities and the ghosts will definitely scare you. The setting, a notorious haunted house, is so well-described that at times it left shivers down my spine. And the plot is well thought-out and followed through until the very last line (which will also leave chills!).

I love the ease of the storytelling in this novella. Varley doesn’t mince words. There are very few suspenseful build-ups. Instead, she mostly ops for the real-life gotchas, which put the readers right there with each of the characters in the moment of their attacks. I also enjoyed how the author, using both the personal and the impersonal, allowed the house to get inside the heads of the characters. If you love a good ghost story, then this is the story for you.

Notes: This novella has been renamed – Nightmare House. I received a copy of the originally titled novella from Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre(s): Horror/Young Adult/Paranormal

To Purchase: (Under new title) Amazon

Book Review – Kill Someone by Luke Smitherd

Kill Someone by Luke Smitherd is an intense, psychological thriller. Smitherd introduces us to Chris, a 20-something black man who lives with his parents, has a dead-end job in a call center and friends he doesn’t have anything in common with. On one fateful early morning, Chris, home alone as his parents are away, is awakened by a knock at the door. Upon answering it, his life changes forever. The Man in White and Klaus enter his home, tell him a fantastical tale and then gives him a choice – kill someone or some sisters, who’ve been kidnapped, will die slow, torturous deaths. This Process, as the Man in White calls it, appears to be some sick, twisted game thought up by some wealthy man for mere amusement. Many have already participated in it and many more will after Chris. Chris has a decision to make – play the game and save those girls or walk away and do nothing, resulting in their deaths.

Smitherd’s tale takes you on a wild ride, keeps your heart pumping, your breathing rapid as you go through the pain and torture that Chris must endure to save those girls. The story is told as a journal that Chris writes after the events have ended. As such, there is a lot of backstory told mixed with present moments.

These characters – Chris, the Man in White and Klaus – are well-detailed, full and rich. You cheer for Chris’ success, learn to cringingly admire Klaus, and desperately hate all that the Man in White stands for. Smitherd also has an excellent grasp of setting, creating detailed locations to work his plot around. And that plot, from beginning to end, has twists that will frustrate and empower you as a reader. It is the final twist at the end of the book though that will leave unanswerable questions in your mind – If this had been you, given the choices that Chris had been given, what would you have done? What would you do next? How do you want your story to end?

As with all of Smitherd’s books, you are always left curious. His work is edgy, outside the box and definitely worth reading. I highly recommend Kill Someone for thrill-seekers who like that psychological edge.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Psychological Thriller

To Purchase: Amazon

 

Book Review – Social Engineer by Ian Sutherland

Social Engineer by Ian Sutherland is a novella and an introduction to the white hat hacking world of Brody Taylor. Taylor is a social engineer who hacks into companies’ systems in order to find flaws that can be manipulated by black hat hackers. He then teaches these companies how to plug up the holes in their security systems. This is how Taylor normally operates; however, he meets Mel via an internet dating site and his focus changes. Mel is an animal rights activist and the next company that Taylor will hack uses animals in their testings. What is Taylor’s true motivation and how does it affect his job and the relationship with Mel?

Sutherland has created a unique story here which is told in a disjointed timeline from the recent past to the present, switching back and forth. Along the way, the reader learns how Taylor hacks HTL, a pharmaceutical company, his relationship with Mel and her friends, and his motivations. Although this is an introduction novella, Sutherland creates believable, well-crafted characters, a plot that keeps you guessing until the last sentence, and an interesting concept that makes you want to read more about this character, Brody Taylor.

I’ve read some critics who’ve said that the back and forth timeline of this story confused them. I didn’t have the same difficulty. I actually enjoyed this aspect of the novella as it gave me a chance to really get to know Brody Taylor more. There was also criticism that the ending was unsatisfactory, but that didn’t bother me either, especially since I know there are other books in this series. I found this an enjoyable, thrilling read and highly recommend it for anyone interested in thrillers and hacking.

Note: I was given a free copy of this novella by the author for an honest and fair review.

Rating: 5 Star

Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Technothriller

To Purchase: Amazon 

Book Review – Miramar Bay by Davis Bunn

Miramar Bay by Davis Bunn is a contemporary romance novel set in the coastal town of Miramar Bay in California. Bunn introduces us to Connor Larkin, a character actor who runs away to Miramar Bay to get away from a life he no longer wants – the fast lifestyle of Hollywood and a fiancee he doesn’t wish to marry. Once he gets to Miramar Bay, Connor hides his true identity and takes a waiter’s job at a local restaurant called Castaway’s owned by Sylvia Cassick, who also came to Miramar Bay years earlier with her father and decided to stay and make a life for herself there. Miramar Bay is a place of second chances and throughout this novel, Bunn reveals a cast of characters who’ve all been given second chances there – Rick, Marcela, and Estelle, Sylvia’s long estranged mother. From their first meeting, Connor and Sylvia embark on a relationship that blossoms, wilts and blossoms anew. Sylvia learns of Connor’s deception and then is accused of funneling drugs through her restaurant. And as Sylvia’s life begins to spiral out of control, Connor’s comes into focus. Can he, Estelle and the other people in Sylvia’s life save Sylvia and redeem themselves in Sylvia’s eyes in the process?

I don’t normally read romances, but there were two things about this book that peaked my interest – one, the title, Miramar Bay. Many years ago, I read a book titled Beachcombing at Miramar by Richard Bode and I have been fascinated by this place ever since. I don’t even know if Bode’s Miramar is the same as Bunn’s Miramar, but it didn’t matter. It was the Miramar of my dreams. Second, one of the critics had likened Bunn’s work to that of Nicholas Sparks and I am a fan of his work. I figured if Bunn’s book was half as good as a Sparks’ books, then I would definitely enjoy it. I have not been disappointed at all. I don’t like overly mushy romance stories and thankfully, this one is not that kind of romance at all. It is a whispering of romance, a remembrance of how beautiful falling in love can be, a craving for another’s soul, the tragedy of broken hearts and the joy of renewed love.

Bunn’s writing is casual, sensual, and effortless as he weaves a powerful story of loss, regret, friendships and love. The characters are rich, inviting and so well-developed. You cannot help but fall in love with them. The settings are beautifully written. You can place yourself there, sitting and watching the sunrises or strolling about the lovely town of Miramar Bay and eating at Castaway’s. The plot is well thought out. From the moment you begin reading this novel, you know something spectacular will happen. Second chances, renewed interests in old dreams, and community support are all highlighted in this gorgeous story. For anyone, like me, who enjoys romantic stories without all of the mush and sex, then this novel is definitely for you.

Note: I won an Advanced Reader’s Edition of this book on Goodreads Giveaways for an honest review. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Genre Fiction

To Purchase: Amazon (pre-order, release date March 28, 2017 – Kindle and Hardcover)

 

Short Story Review – A Cerberus Jaw by Lee A. Jackson

A Cerberus Jaw by Lee A. Jackson is a 13-page (7,460 words) Fantasy short story. Jackson introduces the reader to Clay, a man who lives his life via order and routine. He must walk the same path each day to meet Elsa (his wife) at Mrs. Quinn’s Tea Room and perform a shaving ritual each day. Along that path, he encounters a dog that he has named Cerberus who quickly becomes Clay’s nemesis. A fear of this beast grows, but because of his need for order and routine, Clay forces himself to pass the corner house where this dog is fenced in instead of crossing the street to avoid it. Everything changes after the Coffee Bang. Instead of order, Clay’s grief causes his life to spiral into chaos. During his shaving ritual one morning after the Coffee Bang, Clay discovers a black strip along his jaw – a black, sucking hole that confuses, fascinates and consumes him.

Jackson tells this story in the present with flashbacks to the moment of the Coffee Bang. This weaving of the past and the present allows the reader to witness the breakdown of reality in Clay’s life. It also creates suspense. Just what is this Coffee Bang and what does it have to do with the black hole in Clay’s jaw?

Jackson is a clever storyteller, one who slowly builds upon the story by dropping small hints along the way that entices and encourages the reader to keep reading to the very end. His characters are well-developed, the settings are masterfully descriptive, and the scenes of the Coffee Bang are rich in details. What I enjoy most about this story is the way Jackson uses Cerberus as a metaphor for fear, loss and grief throughout the entire story.

Rating: 5 Stars

Genre: Fantasy

To Purchase: Smashwords

Lee A. Jackson’s Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

 

Book Review – Splinterlands by John Feffer

Splinterlands by John Feffer is a dystopian novel set in 2050. Julian West is writing a report updating events of the world since his book Splinterlands was published in 2020 before the Great Undoing, the global collapse of economies around the world. Julian, sick and old, visits his children Aurora, Gordon and Benjamin via virtual reality. He witnesses the damage to the world he had predicted in his book, the careless lack of empathy from those who’d profited off of the world’s demise, and his younger son’s battle for what he believes in. Finally, he visits his ex-wife who lives in a commune and attempts to draw her into a rejuvenation project until he realizes it has all been a ruse – the report and the reason for the treatment.

What I love about this novel is that not only do you get to see this dystopian world through West’s eyes, but there is also an unnamed editor who leaves footnotes in West’s report that clues you in on different aspects of West’s life and those around him. It is a clever writing technique.

Feffer’s book is a reminder of what can and is happening in the world today. Globally, we are on a precipice of decline. The upper 1% keeps getting wealthier and the lower 99% has little hope. His novel is an all too real, bleak glimpse into our own future.

Rating: 5 Stars

Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian

To Purchase: Amazon

Book Review – Firefly Haven by Aaron Gritsch

Firefly Haven by Aaron Gritsch is a series of tales within a tale, told by various characters and a narrator. The main plot involves a set of friends who enjoy hunting down hauntings and other paranormal events, and a family whose life has taken a series of bad turns. The friends and this family converge at a park called Firefly Haven, an idyllic location where things go horribly wrong.

What I love about this novel is the storytelling, especially the ghosts and other paranormal stories. I think switching around from tale to tale in the novel is well done. It gives the reader the sense that something sinister will happen, you just don’t know exactly when. I also enjoy the characteristics of the friends. They are well-defined and distinctive. I especially enjoy the dichotomy between Luci and Didi, who should have been unlikely friends as one is quite devious in nature (Luci) and the other a bit innocent and naive (Didi). With the family characters – Daniel, Jennifer, and Jessica – there is always that sense of foreboding with a touch of optimism. It too is an interesting contrast. Gritsch definitely nails plot, characterization and storytelling in this novel.

However, there are quite a few things wrong with this novel. It could use some serious professional editing. For instance, Gritsch’s constant misuse of ‘to’ that should be ‘too’. I thought this was a one-off, but it is instead a continual practice throughout the novel. Two other areas really distracted me – the overuse of the elliptical instead of proper punctuation and incorrect quote tags. I can forgive the elliptical being used in conversation because it can denote a pause, but this was not the case the majority of the time in the novel. It was used mostly within the narration of the story and far too often. The quote tags were badly constructed. Occasionally they were used correctly, but the majority of the time they weren’t. There was also a lot of odd wording for sentences, especially the constant use of ‘mainly due to the fact’ and ‘referring to the fact’. These are colloquialisms that would be okay if used in conversation, but they weren’t. They were used by the narrator and it was quite annoying. And finally, a few times, Gritsch changed verb tenses mid-sentence, or within the same paragraph.

All in all, this has the potential to be an amazing novel. The plot is exciting and intriguing. The characters are interesting. You want to know them and and discover what makes them do what they do. And the tales within this story really keep you on the edge of your seat. I would love to give this novel a high rating for those reasons alone, but sadly, I cannot. The novel really does need extreme editing and because of that, I just cannot give the high rating. Does this mean you shouldn’t read it? If you aren’t a literary snob like I am, then you will probably overlook most of the issues that I found and could enjoy the novel. The only things that may stop your enjoyment are the oddly worded sentences, but I could even be wrong there. All I can say is it isn’t the worst plotted novel I’ve ever read; however, it is one of the worst edited novels I’ve read so far.

Rating: 3 star

Genre: Horror/Ghost Tales

To Purchase: Amazon

Book Review – Lester’s Keeper by George Holm

Lester’s Keeper is an erotic horror short story told from the point of view of Lester – an egotistical, self-absorbed 25 year old. Lester rarely maintains relationships with women, discarding them often. He is about to do the same with his current girlfriend, Maggie. Only, he has one more thing he wishes for Maggie to do for him before he discards her. Lester wants to be a voyeur while Maggie has sex with another man. And he gets his chance when, through a friend of Maggie’s, he learns of an exclusive sex club. Lester’s excitement and enthusiasm gets thwarted as he soon realizes exactly what happens at this sex club. Sorry, I won’t give further details. You will have to read the short story to get all the gory, horror-filled details.

Holm did an excellent job with the characters in this story. Lester is as disgusting a character as one can create. You learn that he really is a dislikeable, narcissistic jerk through his actions, inner dialogue and the way he treats people. Maggie is quiet, demure and all too willing to go along with Lester’s plan. You’d never suspect what a schemer she turns out to be. And of course, Mrs. Knight is a dominating, impressive figure in the story.

Holm also has a way with descriptive language. He presents an unusual dichotomy between the beautiful, descriptive scenery of the drive to the club and their arrival, and the shocking, descriptive sex-ridden horror scenes. I came away from the story in awe of so much beauty and at the same time, such ugliness.

My only complaint with the story is that it needs a little technical revision. Sometimes Holm left off conversation quote tags, but this is such a minor thing and did not detract from the story.

Fair warning, there are descriptions of sex scenes in this story and some foul language. While these do not bother me, they may bother some readers.

Rating: 5 star

Genre(s): Erotica, Horror

To Purchase: Kobo (free) | Author’s Website (free) | Amazon