Easy Green Living by Reneé Loux - Live Green, Be Happy

Pros: Chock-a-block full of useful information

Cons: None

 

The Bottom Line: Need a quality book on how to live green? This is it. And yes; it's printed on recycled paper.

 

I'd considered looking into a few green-related books here and there, but never took the next step and bought any.  So when I got to pick this one up for free, my first thought was, "Sweet."

 

At the time I'd never been into the whole "live green" thing.  Yes, I recycle.  Yes, I try not to drive too much if I can help it.  Yes, I turn off everything I own when I'm not using it to conserve energy.  I do plenty of things that are considered green, and wanted to do more but didn't because either I didn't know how to where to start, or because it just costs more (let's face it, organic food is more expensive than non-organic food).  Renée Loux's Easy Green Living is a great place to start on gathering information on ways you might make changes, even if they are just baby steps.  Every little bit helps.

 

It's a nice thick book, and at almost 400 pages it can seem a bit daunting to any first timer, but trust me, it's easy as pie to handle.  This is because Loux doesn't get into technobabble or long-winded lectures or complicated text.  Instead, her writing is very conversational, upbeat, and almost like chatting with a good friend.  She'll end a sentence about a particularly nasty chemical with "Yucky!" or throw in a "Yay!" for good products.  It's fun writing is what it is, and though most of the pages have text in two columns, reading it is nice and speedy.  You'll be surprised at how fast you zing through this book.

 

Renée Loux has all the right credentials to be writing this book.  Flip to the back and you'll see a huge list of all her references, which range from tidbits from reputable websites to scientific research papers.  She's the host of Fine Living's It's Easy Being Green, and has been living green herself for many years.

 

Here's a quick contents list and rundown so you know what you'll be getting in this book:

 

Chapter 1: Green Living Is Easy ~ A short semi-introduction featuring green living tidbits, benefits, and tips.

 

Chapter 2: Green Cleaning Basics ~ All about cleaning using green methods; no harsh chemicals necessary.

 

Chapter 3: 5 Steps to a Green Kitchen ~ From appliances to a few extra kitchen cleaning tips, this covers the entire kitchen.

 

Chapter 4: 4 Steps to a Spic-and-Span Green Bathroom ~ A few more bathroom specific cleaning tips as well as how to save water, find green bathroom-related paper, and eco-friendly towels and such.

 

Chapter 5: Natural Beauty: The Simple 7 ~ Everything beauty related; makeup, shampoo, and yes ladies, even feminine products can be green.

 

Chapter 6: 6 Steps to Eco-Fresh Laundry ~ Products that are greener than what you're using now and methods to save energy, whether it means washing less or buying new machines.

 

Chapter 7: 4 Corners of a Green Bedroom ~ Ways to green your bedroom, mostly dealing with products such as mattresses, linens, and all the materials bedding is and can be made of.

 

Chapter 8: Energy-Efficient Lightbulbs: Save Energy and Money ~ A brief chapter about lightbulbs and how much switching to those wacky twisty ones can save you.

 

Chapter 9: Sustainable Ecological Home Furnishings and Materials ~ From floors to paint, there are green alternatives and this chapter has those in spades.

 

While this book doesn't tell you how about the benefits of installing solar panels or the evils of eating meat (which, by the way, I do, so I'm not knocking non-vegetarians), that's perfectly fine.  This book is more of an inside-the-home green guide.  Similar to the way you could take a feng-shui book and go room by room making changes to better the chi flow, you could take this book and go room by room, making changes to make it greener.

 

Each chapter is just full of useful information.  I mean oodles of it.  In each one, you'll find lists of chemicals to avoid, such as in makeup, cleaners, or even paint.  It'll make you look a lot closer at these products in the future and their labels and warnings.  For example, I was reading this book while at my sister's house helping her paint.  By that time I was in the paint-related area of the book and went to look at the paint cans, which most of us avoid doing or just don't bother to do.  And sure enough (and disturbingly enough), there were all those gross chemicals Loux discussed, as well as a warning that "This product contains a chemical known in the state of California to cause cancer."  Now I know that most of us think of California as a bit more overzealous in the green living thing than the rest of the states, but that still made me less than excited.  What's more, it makes you wonder if California claims such a thing, why no one is doing anything to prove or disprove that statement - or why that paint company apparently has no issues listing that warning on their cans.  Ew.

 

While it is a bit disturbing to read about all these potentially nasty chemicals in so many things (and many of these chemicals, though used, are actually still under scrutiny by plenty of scientists) and how they're able to get through because there's just no regulation on makeup or cleaning supplies or mattresses, Loux does make sure to offer readers plenty of healthy green alternatives.  Each section has multiple "Green Thumb Guide" spots that recommend a number of companies that produce eco-friendly items.  And I don't just mean a general overview of stuff - I mean specifics.  Deodorants, pillows, paint thinners, toilet cleaners, dish soap, facial moisturizer, trash bags, and a whole list of other goodies.

 

The Green Thumb Guides are all really handy because Loux mentions what the company makes, where you can buy their stuff, and how their products are made (organic, natural - yes there's a difference - some preservatives, a few chemicals, recycled packaging, etc.).  I've used her lists several times in my quest to find quality products to replace things I've been using.  So far it includes shampoo, hand soap, drain cleaner, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener, and dish soap.  Thus far I've only purchased a handful of small things such as a shampoo by Avalon Organics, and because of this book, I ended up getting some samples of Method's Sea Mineral Hand Wash as well as come coupons I intend to use soon.

 

This book really does get you excited to go green because it shows you the options you never knew existed.  The idea of buying a kapok pillow is almost like a small dream of mine now, after so many lame polyester/cotton-filled pillows that smoosh and go bleh after a year or two (or less).  I'd love to own a natural latex mattress because it would be so much softer and not be on a mattress made with materials that firefighters dub "solid gasoline" and then treated with a ton of fire retardant chemicals.  I've already discovered the benefits and differences of my shampoo and the hand wash and have been very surprised.  Not that they clean well, but because of the difference in the clean feeling.

 

Loux also offers up plenty of home recipes, mostly for cleaning, though there are a few beauty treatments thrown in, and the ingredients are all probably already in your kitchen cabinets (vinegar, baking soda, and so forth).  You'll discover that oxygen bleach is, in fact, awesome (yep, that OxyClean stuff actually is for real).  And you'll glean all sorts of tidbits like how much energy we would save if just 100 people switched to "this" green product, or how much money you would save if you turned down your water heater temperature or used less water when washing clothes.

 

I intend to keep this book around for a long time and take a peek in it every time I want to get something green or how I might wash my windows without using stupid streaky glass cleaner (vinegar + castile soap + water and wipe with a newspaper!  Essential oils optional!).  I'm glad to have this book because not only am I significantly wiser on the whole green living thing, but now I know how to find out how old a toilet is, what plastics I can actually recycle, how much mercury really is in those twisty bulbs (NOT a lot, by the way), and all sorts of other things.

 

If you're thinking of greening your home, this book is a great place to start. You can chip away at the little things and work your way up from there.  It's easy, affordable, and this book will tell you everything you need to know about how to do it.

 

NT

 

**I'd like to add that a few weeks after posting this review on Epinions.com, I purchased a latex pillow (thanks to this book, as I never knew they existed) and it is awesome. I have since replaced my old mattress with a latex one as well and it is equally fabulous.

Notes from the playlist: "All Souls Night" by Loreena McKennitt

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku – Making the Impossible Possible (Almost)

Pros: Utterly fascinating and mind-boggling (i.e. wow!)

Cons: Occasionally mind-boggling (i.e. huh?) and subject matter is probably not for everyone

The Bottom Line: Centuries ago, the world was flat. Decades ago, the atom was the smallest bit of matter. Currently, concepts like time travel aren't possible...or are they?

I fist found this book while walking past a display at work where I spotted a book with the Doctor Who Police Box on the cover. The TARDIS was in the process of zipping through a wormhole with lines and equations around it. The title read Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku. Oh really? I read the inside cover, which described a book full of exactly what the title promised. I made a note to read it in the future.

Well the future is now or, I suppose, was. And I'll tell you, it really was a fascinating read. That's the best word I can come up with to describe it because it was fascinating. Engrossing, though sometimes mind-boggling beyond the point of "Oh wow" into the realm of "I have no idea what he's talking about."

Michio Kaku is no stranger to the beast that is physics. He was entranced by the science fiction adventures he saw on television as a child, a good thing because in high school he constructed a massive machine to create dark matter. He currently writes books on the subject of physics while working on the string theory--or a theory of everything. (and no, apparently the answer isn't 42).

The idea behind the book is extremely simple. We've all heard about the possibilities of time travel, faster than light travel, cloaks of invisibility, telepathy, and other science fiction-like phenomenons, but most of the time we chuckle and think none of those (among others) are possible. Sure, our scientists are smart, but they have yet to make the imaginations of science fiction writers a reality. Kaku seeks to show readers how some of these ideas may actually be possible. He uses the laws of physics and brings up possibilities for the seemingly impossible. As long as the concepts do not break any laws of physics, then hey, they may very well be in our future, be that future decades, centuries, or even millennia and beyond.

Kaku divides all the "impossibilities" into different classes based upon how possible they actually are, as well as how likely and soon we might develop such technologies in the future. The table of contents gives you perfect insight into the subjects Kaku discusses:

Class I Impossibilities

1. Force Fields

2. Invisibility

3. Phasers and Death Stars

4. Teleportation

5. Telepathy

6. Psychokinesis

7. Robots

8. Extraterrestrials and UFOs

9. Starships

10. Antimatter and Anti-universes

Class II Impossibilities

11. Faster Than Light

12. Time Travel

13. Parallel Universes

Class III Impossibilities

14. Perpetual Motion Machines

15. Precognition

Yeah, I know, you would have thought something like Time Travel would be stuck in a Class III impossibility, but using the laws of physics, Kaku manages to explain how it really could be possible, some of which have been utilized in television shows and science fiction books. In fact, all of these ideas have been involved in science fiction, and the ironic part is that many of these creative thoughts used to be thought ridiculous by tried and true scientists. As Agent K said in Men in Black, "Just imagine what we'll 'know' next."

It's a very cool book. Kaku does what he can to bring examples and concepts down to the level of an every day person to understand. He uses visual examples to help the reader visualize, and of course, brings in examples from popular science fiction films and books to demonstrate points and concepts. For the most part, I knew what was going on and understood how something could potentially work using atoms and computer chips and matter in space. Kaku explains things very well and even gives the reader a healthy tidbit of history and those associated with bits of highly important physics theories and equations, which are rather essential to understanding how we can go from point A (say, Newton's theory of gravity) to point B (opening up wormholes and skipping through them). Of course there were times when even I (who found all variable equations in math more fun than actual numbers) sat there on pause, trying to wrap my head around a paragraph or sentence. There were moments when I thought, "I don't know what he's saying, but it sounds like it could make sense," amid particles inside atoms and how complex equations can work (or fail in some cases). However, those times were few and overall I read each chapter with relish, wondering at the possibilities that Kaku posited and just how cool it would be if we figured out something like starships or force fields.

As a science fiction writer myself, this made the book just that much cooler. I ate this stuff up, wondering how I might incorporate some of Kaku's ideas into my work, if only by a vague mention. The difficulty in creating something like a wormhole made me laugh and wonder how one critiquer of my work could question a completely possible concept and not another, nearly impossible one. If you're a science fiction writer, read this and love it. If you're a science fiction reader, read this and love it. If you like physics and the "impossible," go for it. Even if you're none of the above, I honestly don't see why you couldn't at least get something interesting out of this book.

I even read the Preface, something I don't do often (if ever), but Kaku tells you a bit of his past and lets you know the kind of person he is and how he's able to write about such things (plenty of research involved, to be sure). Kaku's writing style is rather informal, very accessible, and makes you feel like you're talking to someone genuinely interested in both his work and getting others to understand it and be interested in it as well. He might mention something and I would pause, zooming off into my own little world in my head and wondering about the future, the mystery it holds, how small we really are, or the awesome power a Type III Civilization would command. All this, as opposed to the stiff professor who doles out hard facts and ignores whether or not you understand or care about them. He even makes a clever little quip here and there that had me smiling or chuckling.

 

There's nothing negative to say about this book...at all. I can only recommend it to you and hope that by chapter 1 you'll be as interested as I was and continue reading. I often stick it on the B&N Employee Recommendation display and one I made sure to add to my own collection.

Notes from the playlist: "Angels" by Within Temptation

Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter by Jessica Sims - Werebears and Werewolves? I'm In.

Pros: Sara and Ramsey make a cute couple.

Cons: Ugh.  Why are wolves always a-holes?

The Bottom Line: Aside from my aversion to the description of pack behavior, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

As much as I railed on Beauty Dates the Beast, I was still really intrigued about the next book, Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter.  Why?  Because I wanted to see if the protagonist’s sister, Sara, would actually meet up with some friendly werewolves, and if she and Ramsey would hook up.  That and the little teaser at the end made it seem possible for those to work.

In a nutshell, Sara didn’t even know werewolves existed until an abusive boyfriend bit her up and changed her.  She’s been having a horrid time ever since, not having any guidance on how to shift and afraid of being found out by other shifters – primarily werewolves.  But it’s happened, so now the only thing to do in order to stay away from them is to pretend to be another shifter’s mate.  And that shifter happens to be Ramsey – a werebear.  Makes perfect sense, right?

I loved the interaction between Sara and Ramsey.  The tension between them was very well done with some pretty strong reasons that they shouldn’t or couldn’t come together in reality, and that once the ruse was over, they would go their separate ways.  That made it all the more tasty when certain steamy moments appeared.  I also just really loved Ramsey.  He’s not your typical suave guy that appears in romance books, but instead the strong silent type that does his thing until the right button is pushed.  And extra points for being a werebear.  I have never seen that before and it’s a cool change.  Especially since I’m bored with werecougars and werepanthers always being the sexy, love you forever types. Wild cats are loners, fyi.

Which sort of brings me to the irritation I have with the wolf pack.  I really hoped that Sara would meet some nice ones, but ultimately those hopes were dashed.  While I’m able to suspend my disbelief *just* enough to accept that humans that shift into werewolves are probably going to run by their own rules and humans can be jackasses, it still drives me absolutely up the wall that there are no real wolf rules involved anytime someone writes about werewolves that are in a pack, aside from the inclusion of an alpha. (By the way, there’s a female and male alpha in a wolf pack – everyone seems to neglect this.  At least here the author acknowledges that the alpha’s mate died.)  Once again wolves get the short end of the stick and that makes me nuts.  I could lay out so many reasons why the pack dynamic didn’t work for me, but that’s a dissertation in itself. Suffice to say that people are jerks and they’re royally screwing up whatever wolf they have in them.  Granted, I shouldn’t be whining about supernatural creatures, but if you’re going to shift into an actual wolf and have wolf tendencies rather than into a half-man, half-wolf rage monster, then you might as well inject the rest of the reality into it.

Aside from the fact that I’m bringing up real world animal social behavior (because I’m like that), I had a great time reading this book.  I wanted to read it so much that when I finally saw it at work I snatched I up, set it aside, and bought it at the end of my shift. Then I was up until 2am reading it.  I liked how Sara finally took charge at the end and though I could have seen a different and almost more satisfying ending, it still gives you the happily ever after that you want, and isn’t that what matters?  Besides, maybe the pair I’m thinking of will end up in a future book...

It's a lot of fun so if you're looking for some supernatural romance goodness, this is a good place to be.  There will be another book in this series, but I don't know if I'm going to read it because the focus shifts back to were-cougars and I've never been all that interested in them.  Maybe because I'm not a cat person?

Notes from the playlist: "Peponi (Paradise)" by The Piano Guys

Currently Re-Reading

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Naturally.  Although my copy doesn't look anything like the new movie cover version.  My copy is leatherbound, as referenced in the original recommendation post.  Of course, how could I not read The Hobbit again with the movie coming out?  The first time I ever encountered this story was when my father read it to me when I was six.  I was transfixed by that story.  Action!  Adventure!  Singing!  Elves!  Dwaves!  Dragons!  And of course, Hobbitses precious! Everything listed in the Princess Bride, actually, except for the true love part, but that's okay.  And of all the elements of the story that have managed to slip my mind over the years, the Riddle Game between Bilbo and Gollum has forever remained there.  I know all the answers to the riddles, although I must say that my very favorite riddle somehow managed to get left out of the movie.  But that's all right.  Honestly, even if you've never read fantasy before, this is a great place to start.  Just ask my mother.  She'd never bothered with fantasy in her life until my father introduced her to The Hobbit.  Now she enjoys it along with the rest of us. And you don't have to be at any age to start - the book was originally written for kids by Tolkien.  It's simply grown from there, and that seems to have worked out for the best.

Notes from the playlist: "Concerning Hobbits" by Howard Shore (but only because I don't have The Hobbit soundtrack yet!)

Recommended for Thrills and Excitement

 Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

I'm surprised to see I haven't recommended this yet.  Especially since I actually enjoyed this book more than what Dan Brown is most known for, The Da Vinci Code.  It's more action packed page by page and has a lot more at stake.  Robert Langdon is needed to help track down prominent Cardinals that have been kidnapped and are due to be exterminated by the Illuminati, an organization that was long since thought to be gone.  Making matters worse is a bomb unlike anyone has ever seen - and it's hidden somewhere in Vatican City.  No pressure, right?  It's one of those books that's hard to put down, and there are plenty of clues and unique things to follow along as you read and attempt to guess what's going on and what's going to happen next (good luck).  In fact, I've been meaning to pick this up again and give it another read.

 Notes from the playlist: "Imagine the Fire" by Hans Zimmer

The Book of the Night by Pearl North - My Brain is Pudding

Pros: Talk about world building! It's wild world building in a microcosm!
Cons: Only that Haly got the short end of the stick here.

The Bottom Line: If you haven't read the first two books recently, then you really ought to do that first and then brace yourself for this last one.

Holy cow, where to start. I really should have reviewed this book while it was still super-fresh in my mind. But I’ll see if I can still do it justice. If you have not already read Pearl North’s first two books in this trilogy (Libyrinth and The Boy From Ilysies), then you need to go about doing that.

Queen Thela has Endymion’s Rose, a pen that gives her the power to unmake the world and craft a reality to her liking. She has kidnappedPoas well, and it may be that only he can keep her from using the pen. Meanwhile, Haly does everything she can to keep the inhabitants of the Libyrinth from starving, and that means traveling to a city that is no longer what she thought it was. It is there that she will discover the legendary Book of the Night, and the truth in its pages, as well as the truth of her world and everyone in it.

So that’s only a super tiny snippet of the fractal that is this book. Honestly, this one could easily have ended up in the adult section for a myriad of reasons. This book somehow manages to make it beyond imagination to stuff that I never expected, nor would I have ever expected even if given years and years to try. This book starts off simply enough, with a small quest to go on and the hope of finding some food – and then it just spins off into this bizarre story of a future so far ahead I think only The Doctor (for us Dr. Who fans) would understand and be able to manage it. It’s like swimming around in a pool and then deciding to go off into the deep end – only to realize that once you’ve reached the deep end you’re not in the pool anymore, but swimming in the middle of the ocean.

And I mean all of that in a good way.

Each character is trying to accomplish a goal, whether it’s just to get home, find food, or survive, and the stakes keep getting higher and higher as the pages turn. Clauda is back with her Wing and I’m surprised that some of the things she saw didn’t scramble her brain like an egg. It was nice to see her and Selene finally work things out. The dynamic between Queen Thela andPowas undeniably interesting. He and Clauda took the brunt of the book on their shoulders while Haly seemed mostly in the background despite some of the things she found. In the end, I was disappointed that Haly felt more like a side character than a main protagonist. I had thought the story would return to her, but in the end she kind of got screwed the most which was a bit bummy.

This book has elements of The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor, Fushigi Yuugi, (and I know you pulled a Wash!), and all sorts of stuff that will make your brain twist in ways you weren’t sure were possible. It’s a book that will demand at least one repeat read – preferably with the first two books being reread first.

NT

Review originally posted on Epinions.com

How about an interview with the author?  Visit my other blog to find out all about Pearl North!

Notes from the playlist: "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons

Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby - Call of the Wild in Miniature

Pros: This. Book. Is. So. Cute.
Cons: None.

The Bottom Line: This is especially great for families that own – you guessed it – wiener dogs.

I never thought I would be the kind of person who would own a wiener dog. A dachshund. The kind of little dog you can dress up as a hotdog, banana, and other oblong shaped items. But my dad wanted one and, long story short, he’s pretty much my dog now. My sister makes fun of him and calls him a mosquito.

But moving along. While at work at the bookstore (where else?), I found this nugget of joy. And now that I’m the owner of a wiener dog and I have always loved wolves, I thought this might be a funny story. It was indeed.

Wiener Dog lives with Granny. He’s got a sweater, chew toys, his own drinking bowl, and everything he could want. But he wants something more these days. And when he sees and hears a wolf howling on television one day, he thinks he knows just what he needs. Wiener Dog hitches a ride to the national park nearby where he meets up with some new friends and becomes Weiner Wolf! But it’s not long before he realizes that there’s a lot more to being Wiener Wolf than he thought – and he might not be ready for some of it!

Jeff Crosby did both the story and the illustrations, and he wins on both of them. The story is really cute and even unexpected in some places. The end is great because it really does tell readers a little something about what dogs need. The illustrations are really rich in color and have excellent detail when Crosby needed them to. They can be goofy or just downright pretty, and I’m pretty sure Crosby owns a few wiener dogs of his own because just looking at the cover – yup, my dog’s ears flap all goofy like that too.

It’s a book that kids will have fun reading or being read to. They’re sure to giggle at Wiener Dog’s antics and they’ll love his name. It’s more fun to say than “dachshund” when you’re a kid, right? This will be especially delightful for kids whose families own wiener dogs.

NT

Originally posted at Epinions.com

  Notes from the playlist: "Gold" by Owl City

Purchased for My Shelf

 Mammals of Colorado by Stan Tekiela

I bought Birds of Colorado for my trip to the Rocky Mountains.  There I spotted all sorts of little (and big) birdies and had such a great time checking them off like a live scavenger hunt that I decided it might be fun to add even more things to the mix.  Stan Tekiela not only does bird guides, but also flowers, trees, fish, and mammals.  Since I found animals to be the most fun to see, while in Estes Park I popped into Macdonald Book Shop and nabbed a copy.  Yeah, I know - I work at B&N and I could have waited until I got back in order to get my discount (I am cheap, after all), I like playing in little bookstores and I like to support them.  Besides, I didn't want to wait until I came home, lest I forget some of the critters I saw.  Some of them need to be looked at right away if you want to get them right the first time anyway.  There's even a checklist in the back of this one just like the birding one, so I started checking off animals right away.  I marked them even if I hadn't seen them on this particular trip, since a Colorado sighting is a Colorado sighting.  Like the 14 bighorn sheep that came down the same hiking path my father and I were heading up one year.  Out of the 130 creatures in the book, I was able to mark off 18.  Not too bad if you ask me - especially when some of them go strolling through your campsite on a regular basis.

So if you ever find yourself in Estes Park and looking for something to read, be sure to pop into Macdonald Book Shop.  It's as cozy as can be and perfect for a little mountain town...hmm...I wonder if they're in need of any extra help for the rest of the year...and the year after that....and the year after that...

Notes from the playlist: "The Man Who Never Lied" by Maroon 5

Purchased for My Shelf

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Indeed, if you follow this blog this title may sound familiar to you.  I recommended this book two years ago.  Since then I've often thought about reading it again.  When a gift card fell into my lap I decided to add it to my little bundle of purchases because this is the kind of book I can see myself reading multiple times - and that is one of my top criteria for purchasing a book.  Scalzi is a skilled writer who can spin an interesting tale that will draw reactions from the reader - whether those reactions are laughter or worry for the characters.  You should pick this one up if you love a good science fiction book.  Indeed, I'm awaiting my chance to snag his newest book, Redshirts because it looks like a great deal of fun.  And if it's anything like Scalzi's other works, then I'm sure I'm in for a good time.

Notes from the playlist: "Tick Tock" by Hans Zimmer

Purchased for My Shelf

Birds of Colorado by Stan Tekiela

I'm going to Colorado this summer - again.  I try to go there every year because I love it.  I wish I lived there.  In fact, ever since we moved away when I was 6, I've been looking for ways to get back there and live there permanently and happily.  Until then, a yearly trip to go hiking or just kick back and car camp have worked as a replenishing dose to get me back on track for the rest of the year.  Last year after spotting a rather large bird on the ground - not a turkey, not a pheasant, what is it? - and grabbing a copy of this little book at the local book store to take a peek, this year I decided I ought to have my own copy.  (It was a female dusky grouse, by the way)  My mother and I have bought these books for the various places we've lived ever since discovering them.  We had one for Illinois.  Pennsylvania.  Our current copy is for Missouri.  Now I have the Colorado one.  These books are excellent for people who aren't serious birders and just need something as a fun and quick identification system.  They're all by the same author as well, and this man knows his stuff.  The books are small, work by a color coding system (aka - what color is your bird?), and give you the kind of tidbits of information you might be interested in once you realize, "Oh, I just saw a green-tailed towhee.  Cool."  Can't wait to get out there with this!

Notes from the playlist: "Love in a Mystery" by Ludovico Einaudi

*Won!* for My Shelf

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin


That's right.  I won this bad boy.  I haven't started it yet because I've only just finished A Feast for Crows and want to take my time.  After all, A Feast for Crows came out in 2005 and this nugget of gold wasn't released until just last year.  Add to that the two other books Martin is working on and a bookseller has plenty of time on her hands, ya know?  But how did I win such an awesome book in all it's hardcover glory, you may ask?  If you're a regular on this blog, you may remember the Book Club books I included here every month during 2011.  The host of the club, know to the online world as Calico Reaction (I knew her in graduate school), awarded points during the course of the year for reading, participation, etc.  Those with the highest point totals won books.  I managed to come in at second place and won myself a choice of a hardcover book.

It took me a while to decide because I'm a very, very picky book buyer.  If I see something, I'll try to get it at the library first.  If I buy it, it's because I know I'll read it over and over again.  Hardcovers are particularly rare in my collection.  A book has to strike me in just the right way in order for me to want to buy it in that format.  So far, if you don't include hardcovers that were only avaialble in that format (like the Intellectual Devotionals), books that have made it to my shelf include the Harry Potter series, extremely fancy (re: expensive) copies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and both of Michio Kaku's books - Physics of the Future and Physics of the Impossible.

So finally after asking about 6 of my fellow booksellers for ideas (and none of you were much help by the way, haha), I finally settled with this book because it does look pretty awesome in hardcover and let's face it, while hauling around a giant tome is kind of annoying, trying to read a book this fat in mass market form is worrisome because trying to keep it open enough to read means paranoia about breaking the spine.

I very much look forward to opening this up and thank Calico Reaction for her generosity in prizes (because honestly, even on sale, this book is by no means cheap - at least not to me anyway).  To the rest of you I say head on over to her blog and see what she's got to offer.  Her book reviews are excellent - as are the occasional movie/TV mentions - and she's also got another book club going on so if you're looking for something good to read and this little blog o'mine isn't doing it for you, dive in over there and see what strikes your fancy!

Purchased for My Shelf

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

Actually not so much purchased for myself so much as received as a gift for my shelf. And no, not as a gag gift. I've been curious about this book ever since I first saw it, oh, years ago. Since Bruce Campbell showed up as a slightly more serious act in Burn Notice, my favorite show since I-don't-know-when, I've been even more eager to read it. Bruce has had an interesting life, I'm sure, and he's a hilarious guy - not that I know him personally or anything. But you'd have to be a certain kind of ridiculous to willingly go into movies that are so, well, ridiculous that everyone loves you for them. If you don't know who this guy is, that's okay. He's a bit of a cult classic himself (I recommend starting with Army of Darkness and going from there). My father and I will watch absolutely horrendous movies if he's in them. I look forward to cracking this open and finding out what's behind the man who can get women into bed by saying, "Gimme some sugar baby." I don't doubt that I will be, at times, cracking up as well.


Notes from the playlist: "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects

Recommended for Fairy Tale Folk

Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Edition)

I adore Grimm's Fairy Tales. I guess it's because I'm such a sucker for fun fantasy. These are all the original tales - where the princes don't always kiss the beautiful maidens to wake them up, where witches die in horrible ways, and you learn everything that wasn't in the Disney movies. Hee. It's actually very interesting to see all the differences. I like this book not only for the stories, but also for the ideas. As a writer of fantasy, I've begun to look for some of my favorite tales and discover how to work them into new ways. Yay! Even better, for every Grimm's Fairy Tale in one really good-looking book, it's a great price. I own a bunch of these leatherbound editions. I'm happy I have the one I do (the cover is different and to be honest, I like mine better). But if you love fairy tales and want all the originals in one awesome book, this is the way to go!

Notes from the playlist: "Crescendolls" by Daft Punk

Purchased for My Shelf

Listography by Lisa Nola

Not so much a book to read as a book to play with (sort of like Wreck This Journal). It's a simple premise - each page has a different question or subject you can make a list about. Yep, that's it. But it's fun to think of things for hypothetical situations - "What occupations would you like to try?" - to things that will bring back memories - "List bands you've seen live." - and things that will make you think - "List the ways you've changed since your teens." You can also make a few lists of your own at the back, and at the front you can look through the entire list of, well, potential lists. It's a fun thing to do that will show people a little bit of yourself (if you're keen on sharing). So have a good time!

Notes from the playlist: "Captain Jack's Theme" by Ben Foster

Purchased for My Shelf

Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku

A few years ago I spotted Physics of the Impossible, got all googly-eyed, and promptly bought it. So when I saw Michio Kaku had a brand new book with more science goodies inside, I once again got all googly-eyed and knew I had to have it. Full of all sorts of cool science (a lot of which is actually in the developmental stage - nifty!), you may have times where you sit and think, "huh?" but hey, it's bound to happen. It happened in Physics of the Impossible too. Some of this stuff is a bit out beyond my comphrehension, whereas other I have to exercise my already wild imagination. If you like science fiction as well as science fact, then this is your type of book.

Notes from the playlist: "Stripped" by Shiny Toy Guns

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - Mmm, Brains...And Love

Pros: Unique ideas, solid voice, I loved R
Cons: Nothing

The Bottom Line: Isaac Marion goes back to the supernatural aspect of zombies and takes it to a new and unique level. Bravo!

I don't know what it was that started the whole zombie renewal. It's hard not to notice when you work at a bookstore. Maybe that's just the natural progression of the supernatural world. Vampires. Werewolves. Fairies. Then zombies. I'd read books before that featured a zombie here and there, but I'd never read a zombie book. You know, all zombie, all the time. When I saw this advance reading copy in the breakroom, I chuckled and opened it up the first page. I kept reading. Then I hoped no one else intended to take it home and read it because by then I wanted to.

R doesn't remember his name. It's hard to remember things when you're a zombie. You groan, you stagger, and you occasionally eat people. Brains are the best part because when you eat a brain, you get a glimpse at what it was like to be alive again. But when R eats the brain of Perry Kelvin, something much stronger happens. So strong, he does something no other zombie does; he protects something precious to Perry - a living girl. Julie. From then on, they form a bizarre friendship that may, somehow, change everything everyone thinks they know about zombies.

I remember the days when zombie appearances were supernatural. Gradually, thanks to other books, video games, and a plethora of movies, zombies were the result of some virus gone wrong (or in some cases, right I guess). Ever since then, I've been in the grip of zombie condition = virus infection. Author Isaac Marion works to bring back that original supernatural power - a condition that we can't explain. In R's world, people don't remember what exactly made the zombies, and by the end, it's something else entirely anyway. I liked that. A lot. Zombies by virus are boring, but Marion creeps around and plucks out various ideas on how zombies might work, and whether or not the Dead can come back.

Because this is an ARC book, which means it's an uncorrected proof and therefore potentially unfinished, these might not be in the final copy, but I hope they are because I thought they added a really nice touch - images from Gray's Anatomy. No, not the stupid TV series. The book. Instead of zombie pictures, you get what we actually look like under the skin. The bone and muscle. It's zombie-like, yet not. Hard to explain why I liked it so much...it was just cool. It worked.

The relationship between R and Julie is interesting indeed, and one might thing initially Julie would be more freaked out than she is, but when you consider the world she's grown up in and what she's had to deal with, it worked for her. I liked R's voice and it was hard to put down this book. There are things that aren't explained, but they're the sort of things I'm okay about not knowing. I can see some people finishing this book and maybe giving it weird looks, but I'm glad this was my first zombie book. I had a good time.

Normally with ARCs, once I read them, I give them away or take them back to work. However, in this case, I can't bring myself to do either of those. I enjoyed this book and I want to keep it around. When it comes out in paperback, however, I intend to buy my own copy in order to support the author as well as own a copy that doesn't have "ARC" written all over it in permanent marker.

NT

Originally posted on Epinions.com

Notes from the playlist: "Skinny Love" by Birdy

Recommended for Mythical Creature Hunters

The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures by John and Caitlin Matthews

Yes indeed. As a writer, I like to have good, solid reference materials right on hand. I got tired of surfing the web and sifting through all the junk to find reliable information - yes, even on mythical creatures. So I turned to the one source I knew wouldn't let me down. Books. After checking out several, I decided that this book would be the best. After all, it's subtitle is: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. Jackpot. I wish it had some images, but hey, I can deal without them. This book gives descriptions of the creatures, their origin, and where they're often found in literature or various fables. It's a handy volume for all sorts of things, whether you just want to see what other culture believe in or you're looking for your next magical beast for your novel.

Notes from the playlist: "The Face" by RyanDan

Recommended for Collectors and Shakespearians

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Yes. I'm one of those people who decided to buy the entire works of William Shakespeare, sonnets, plays, and all. But why not? I love some of his plays - Julius Caesar is a personal favorite. And there are several I never had the chance to read and some English classes I took buchered them (I'd looked forward to reading MacBeth for the longest time, only to have it ruined). So I wanted the chance to read them and enjoy them on my own. Barnes & Noble offers this sweet leatherbound version for only $20 that I snatched up during a shopping spree one year. It's not abridged or otherwise messed with, but if you want footnotes and translations, you'll have to turn elsewhere. After all, this is all of Shakespeare's work - there's no room for anything extra.

It's also a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a bunch of single books - especially if you're in college (the only snag is those professors with their "preferred" books).


Notes from the playlist: "Like the Sun" by RyanDan

Purchased for My Shelf

The Elements by Theodore Gray

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe is the official title of this awesome book. Theodore Gray is a collector of elements and has put together this book with excellent pictures and information. That's right - Gray actually collects elements in their pure forms, from Argon to Zinc, Boron to Xenon. Bulbs of oxygen and chunks of germanium. When you were in chemistry class, the elements were never this fun (unless, of course, you were setting magnesium on fire or had a teacher cool enough to throw sodium into a lake). It's a nice hardcover book with pages done in black at about $35. The Barnes & Noble edition of this book (which is what I have because after Christmas this baby went on sale - whoohoo!) contains a DVD with some neat goodies on it as well. Have kids that don't like chemistry? Show them this. Just want a really sweet compendium of the elements for reference or for fun like me? Here you go.


Notes from the playlist: "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Bublé

Recently Finished (and Recommended)

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Yes! The final installment of the Fever Series has arrived! Actually, it arrived back in January, and I actually finished it a week or so ago, but who cares? It's a great finish to the series. Though I personally felt some of it could easily be cut out to help speed the book along and Mac started to really annoy me at several instances, as a whole it's satisfying. It wraps up every loose end, and while one or two tiny things still hang out there, it's okay to let them go for now since they're not imperative to know. Even if you aren't interested in the series, go to your local bookstore and check out the cover simply because it's gorgeous. Once I finished the book and closed it, I stared at the cover before laughing. Now I know what it's meant to look like. Nice.

Check out the rest of the Fever Series:
Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever

Notes from the playlist: "Time" by Hans Zimmer