Happiness is a Smoking Gun by Alaine Allister

This is H in my list of A-Z of Fiction Titles.

Happiness is a Smoking Gun is a cosy murder mystery about a woman called Clarissa who decides to start her own newspaper and her first story will be solving the murder of the town mayor.

The Blurb says:

Out of work reporter Clarissa Spencer is being stalked by a stray cat. She can’t cook to save her life, her garden is an overgrown mess and her chocolate chip cookie addiction is out of control. Then to top it all off, she gets struck by lightning!

Clarissa thinks she has it bad - until she learns the town mayor has been shot to death and his widow has been falsely accused of killing him. Okay, so it could be worse...

Clarissa makes it her mission to expose the true killer before her arch nemesis - an infuriatingly handsome reporter from the city newspaper - can. Unfortunately, solving a murder is easier said than done...especially with the lunacy in Clarissa's life!

This wasn't a bad book and story, however (as you can see by the front cover [and which I didn't see when choosing the book on my kindle]) there is a witchiness about the book.  Now, you know if you have read my other reviews, I don't mind a bit of paranormal or supernatural, but in this book it just seemed unnecessary, and her new powers didn't actually help her solve the crime either.  I'm guessing, because this is the first book in a series, it will be a bigger part of the plot in future books, however, for me, I don't feel inclined to read the rest.

A good book to while away a few hours, and (unusually for me), I didn't predict who the killer was going to be.

 

Weekly Update

Today: 93.8kg
Last Week: 94.4kg
Weekly Difference: 0.6kg loss
Starting: 94.2kg
Total Difference: 0.4kg loss

Going in the right direction this week!

This week has been busy again - when is it not - but I did manage to find some time for myself.  I finished one book, and read two more (that were a 2-book series) over the weekend that had me gripped.  I hadn't planned to stay up reading, but all of a sudden the book had finished and it was 2am this morning...

General HE stuff is still on going.  I chaired the meeting last week that I was worried about and it went well, so I won't be so nervous next time.  'Normal' helping people continues as it does every day.  And I said I would do some videos about Engineering for British Science week.  The organiser has started asking for info and resource lists etc, so has given me a kick up the backside to actually get around to doing them.  I've done my intro video, and planned what I'll say for the other 3 vids, and now I just need to get all the resources together and actually film them.  I also said I'd do a brief worskheet of the theory, so I need to put a few questions together about them too.  But I've started, and that's the main thing.

DD1 had her Spring school report today, and that was really good.

And DD2 made this cake at the weekend, so both girls are doing well.

Genesis Code by Eliza Green

Genesis Code is G in my series of A-Z of Fiction Titles. It's a story that focusses on 3 different locations: Earth, Exilon 5 and beneath the surface of Exilon 5.

The blurb says:

Investigator Bill Taggart will stop at nothing to find his missing wife. But standing between him and the truth is a secretive alien species on a distant planet. When his government pushes him to observe the species ahead of plans to relocate Earth’s population, Bill veers off course and straight into the path of one alien.

The surprising confrontation forces Bill to question whether the investigation into the savage species is needed. But when official government intel disagrees with the cold hard facts, he worries there might be another reason for the relocation plans.

A snap government order leaves the investigator in limbo and facing off against a new enemy that is more dangerous than the first. Worse, this enemy appears to live close to home.

A devastating set of plans is soon revealed that will destroy the lives on two worlds. And Bill is caught in the middle. Can he stop chasing ghosts long enough to save humanity from the real enemy?

I really enjoyed this book, and the next in the series is already on my wishlist.  It is set in the future when pollution on Earth has got so bad, that the human race has no choice but to relocate.  After searching the skies, Exilon 5 is a planet that would be perfect after a bit of terraforming.  Unfortunately, there is already a species that lives there, who are then forced underground.  The Indigenes want to know why people have taken over their planet and what they can do to stop themselves being wiped out.

Forgotten by Don and Stephanie Prichard

 

This book is F in my A-Z of Fiction Titles.  

What I found most interesting in this book, is that a helluva lot happens in quick succession, and yet it doesn't feel rushed.  Similarly, there are periods when time moves on, and it doesn't feel like the authors had ran out of things to say so jumped to the next bit of action.  It's very well written.

Forgotten starts with Eve waking up in a hospital, having been in some kind of accident. Outside waking for her are Jake, Betty and Crystal, who survived a whole year with Eve on a jungle island.  Jake then gets taken to one side and informed that Eve has been arrested for murder.  It's not long, however, before the tables have turned and it is Jake that gets imprisoned and the only person who can save him has lost her memory of the entire year.

The Blurb says:

It’s frightening to lose your memory. Even scarier is to forget what’s at stake.

Federal prosecutor Eve Eriksson disappears under mysterious circumstances and shows up a year later in a coma. What happened, and where has she been? She can’t remember, and her life is in jeopardy. Four people are hunting her down. Three claim to have been stranded on an island with her. The fourth is her old nemesis, Chicago drug lord Danny Romero, who still wants her dead.

Jake Chalmers is shocked to discover his fiancé is a federal prosecutor. Why did she hide this from him on the island, and who is going to such great lengths to prevent their reunion? If she doesn’t regain her memory, he’ll be thrown into prison for murder.

I really liked this book, and couldn't put it down.  There is such a lot going on (and it spans several years), but as I said before, it does not feel rushed, rather the passage of time is natural.  The topics within this book include survival, murder, human trafficking, spies, revenge, justice, forgiveness, love and probably more too.  It is packed. 

Definitely one to read if you have a few hours spare!

Ember by Jessica Sorensen

This is book E in my A-Z of Fiction Titles.  I have read Jessica Sorensen before, and this book was no disappointment.  (In case you are confused by the naming of these books, they are all aimed at teens/young adults, but Ember is the cleaner version, whereas Ember X is the more adult version.)

The blurb says:

What if you knew when someone was going to die?

For seventeen-year-old Ember, life is death. With a simple touch, she knows when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person who knows her secret is her best friend Raven.

Then she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous, mysterious, and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. So when he pushes into her life, she doesn’t mind.

But when unexplained deaths start to haunt her town, Ember starts questioning why she can’t sense Asher's death and what he may be hiding.

This is a teen book.  It is set in a school and some of the characters are not as complex as they could be, but it is still really enjoyable.  I read the whole book last night (staying up much later than I intended) and would allow my daughters to read this.  It is dark (as you should expect when talking about death) and there are brief mentions of mental health issues (that in a book for adults, I would have expected to be explored more deeply), but overall it's a good read and I have added the next in the series to my wishlist. 

 

Red White and Blues by Rysa Walker

This is the sequel to the prequel series of the Chronos Books.  I read and reviewed Now, Then and Every When last September, and loved the book so much that I pre-ordered the next in the Chronos Origins series.  It was finally finished and delivered to my Kindle, so I just had to read it, even though it's not part of my A-Z challenge.

This book is as good as the first!

The blurb says:

The United States’ past is hijacked in a time-warping adventure of future interdimensional, high-risk games by the bestselling author of the CHRONOS series.

History is turned inside out when off-world travelers challenge Tyson Reyes and Madi Grace to a real-life game of Temporal Dilemma. Three rounds from the opponents and Hitler takes Europe, Pearl Harbor never happens, a fascist cloud hangs over the postwar United States, and CHRONOS itself is erased from existence.

Now Tyson, Madi, and a team of seasoned players must make their moves—in 1930s New York. Jazz and the blues waft from Village clubs. The World’s Fair draws assassins. Madison Square Garden hosts Nazis. And the Manhattan Project never gets off the ground.

Tyson and Madi have only three days to undo the strategy that changed the tides of war and the fate of the world. A surprise survivor from CHRONOS could be their best hope for flipping the timeline. If he’s on their side. But can they risk trusting him when the past, the future, and the lives of millions hang in the balance?

I really don't want to say too much about this book, for fear of giving away spoilers, but it is mind-bending, and incredibly well-written.  If you haven't read the first book, read that first, just so you can jump right into this one without too much hesitancy.  I have not yet read any of the Chronos Files series, but have added them to my wishlist, as I know once I start reading them, I won't be able to put them down.

 

The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett

 

I had never read any Terry Pratchett before I met my husband, and have since read all (I think?) of the Discworld novels.

The blurb says:

DOM SALABOS HAD A LOT OF ADVANTAGES

As heir to a huge fortune, he had an excellent robot servant (with Man-Friday subcircuitry), a planet (the First Syrian Bank) as godfather, a security chief who even ran checks on himself, and on Dom's home world even death was not always fatal.

Why, then, in an age when prediction was a science, was his future in doubt?

When I saw this book in my family's shared Kindle library, I thought it was another Discworld novel, but it is not.  It is set in a world when Probability is considered a science, but, should never be used, so is viewed almost as a religion.  There is space travel between worlds, and definite interplay between people of differing religions and races.

It took me ages to read this book.  There is a lot going on and it is confusing as it seems to jump about a bit, with not logic or transition between different scenes.  Once I got my head around what was happening, the book was more enjoyable, but it is still not at the same level as any of the Discworld books.

Trim Healthy Mama Plan by Barrett and Allison

 

Trim Healthy Mama Plan was recommended to me from a friend, and we read it simultaneously, but not together. Despite meeting up fortnightly to discuss the book, we've discovered that this method didn't really work for us, so we have now gone back to reading a set number of chapters each week of a book, and meeting up weekly rather than fortnightly.

The blurb says:

Forget the Fad Diets, Join the Food Freedom Movement!

Counting calories is out. All the food groups are in. Becoming trim and healthy doesn't have to be difficult or painstaking anymore. After trying almost every fad diet out there, Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett, creators of the Trim Healthy Mama movement, took matters into their own hands. Through trial and error and much research, they created the Trim Healthy Mama Plan, the breakthrough lifestyle program to help readers of all ages and stages get healthy, slim down and keep off the weight once and for all.

Based on the authors' successful self-published book, this simplified, improved, practical plan shows readers a unique way to lose weight and get healthy by eliminating sugar, and still eating hearty, delicious food. The biblically-sound and highly effective eating approach centers on Satisfying meals (which include more fats and protein) and Energizing meals (which include more carbs and protein), as they are the key to success.

Scrumptious whole, unprocessed foods, including fats, blood sugar friendly grains, proteins, fruits, and vegetables, are eaten in a way that boosts metabolism, yet still fits into anyone's hectic lifestyle. It's family friendly and effective for pregnant and nursing mothers, pre or post- menopausal women, and also those without weight or health issues--even men and growing children.

The book includes menu plans, a list of key super foods to eat on plan, time-saving tips, and pantry stocking and lifestyle advice to help readers successfully reach their goals.

Join the Trim Healthy Mama movement and along with thousands of others, and discover the groundbreaking, easy-does-it, and delicious way to eat for health and weight loss.

From the blurb, we thought this eating plan would dovetail nicely with the 2B Mindset book, You Can Drop It! and the fact they were writing from a Christian point of view is an added bonus.

The essence of this book is that there are two types of meals (S meals which are fat-based, and E means which are carb-based) which your body digests and processes differently.  To stop your body going into a rut or being overloads, you need to mix up these types of foods whilst ensuring a long enough gap between meals/snacks to that your body is being fuelled only by either S or E foods at that sitting.

It is worth noting at this point, that I only had the plan and not the accompanying cookbook.  The book regularly says about recipes that are in the cookbook, or that they can easily be found online (such as on pinterest) for free.  There are a few recipes written within this book, but it is more the theory side of things.

The theory seems sound (to an uneducated person like me), however, when you look at the recipes, there seems to be much need to buy specialist foods.  Rather than sugar, you need stevia, and not only one kind of stevia, but differing blends depending on whether the use it to be very sweet or medium sweet.  Apparently these mixtures are detailed in the cookbook, or you can buy the premixed versions direct from https://trimhealthymama.com/.  Not only sweeteners, they also recommend you buy specific flour blends, collagen, gelatin, glucomannam, whey powder, lecithin, dietary fibre, nutritional yeast, and a host of other oils and flavours to be used in your cooking.  I do believe them when they say this is all natural and good for you, however, I'd rather eat whole foods that provide this or that (even if it's deemed as "less healthy") rather than have a kitchen that is stocked like a Chemistry lab.

So, this diet or eating lifestyle isn't for me.  There are plenty of stories online about how this is amazing and it has worked for them, so if this review hasn't put you off, then it may be worth trying it.

The Daily Message by Eugene H Peterson

 

The Daily Message is a Bible-in-a-Year using The Message version.  I have not read much of The Message version before, but I do like it's simplicity to understand.  It may not be the most accurate in terms of specific words used from the original language, however this translation means the Gospel is more accessible as it gets the meaning across.

The other thing I particularly liked about this book, was that every 7th day was a rest day for reflection on the previous week - for me, this was a catch-up day, so even if I fell behind slightly, I knew that by the start of the next week I would be all caught up.

The blurb says:

The Daily Message is the perfect one-year reading Bible, allowing for both flexibility and time to let the readings soak into your heart and mind. Arranged into six readings per week, this simple, easy-to-do plan will revolutionize your daily quiet time with God. Features include:

• Discipleship Journal’s “Book-at-a-Time” reading plan
• Inspirational words from Psalms or Proverbs and thoughtful questions for deeper reflection
• Alternative reading plans that allow you to start any day of the year and read at your own pace

If you have considered trying to read through the Bible in a year, but thing the task is too mammoth or the language is too antiquated, then this is the book for you. 

The 7-Day Prayer Warrior Experience by Stormie Omartian

 

This was a free download that I got a few years ago, and though it took me some time to get around to it, I am glad that I read this book.  It is only short - a few pages to read each day for 7 days - but I found it helped me to focus back on God and on my prayer-life.

The blurb says:

The 7-Day Prayer Warrior Experience is a free eBook from bestselling author Stormie Omartian, developed using excerpts from Prayer Warrior and Prayer Warrior Prayer and Study Guide. Are you equipped for spiritual battle? Take the next seven days to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Join Stormie as she explains the pieces of armor, what they mean, and how they can help you be a prayer warrior in your spiritual battle. With devotional thoughts, suggested prayers, ways to dig deeper, and opportunities to connect with Stormie and a whole community of prayer warriors, The 7-Day Prayer Warrior Experience will empower you with the truth that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

What I liked about this book, is that to be a good warrior, we need good armour, so rather than focussing on the same quotes about the importance of prayer, this book goes through the armour of Christ from Ephesians and applies that to our prayer life.  At the end of each short chapter, there is a prayer and some suggestions for further reading, so you can go much deeper if you have more time.

I recommend this free book to all Christians.

Weekly Update

 (Ignoring that I seem to be doing them fortnightly atm.)

I weighed myself for the first time since December today and I was only* 94.2kg! (*only, compared to the weight I thought I was.) I am still reading The Diet Trap Solution, and have actually been doing the exercises.

I am also trying to be more mindful about what I am eating.  I am still keeping track of what I eat, but trying to remember to sit at the table and eat slowly.  (Not that I think there is anything wrong with eating not at a table, rather that I tend to do something else at the same time when I'm on the sofa, even if it's watching TV or playing on my phone whilst eating.)

Today I made miso and noodle soup for lunch, which was delicious.  I need to remind myself that taking an extra 5min to cook myself something proper, rather than just having toast and butter, is definitely worth it in terms of taste, calories and nutrition.

Recipe for 2 people (or 4 as starter):

• garlic clove
• shallot/onion
• ginger
• miso paste
• mirin
• tahini
• stock
• green veg
• 1 nest of rice noodles
• boiled egg

Blitz the first 6 ingredients together to form a paste.

Cook the paste for 2-3 min in a saucepan so it is fragrant but not burning.

Add the stock, green veg and noodles and cook for 5-10 min on a gentle simmer.

Dish up into bowls, and serve with a boiled egg on top.

Weekly Update

I have finally finished decorating my study!  Well, the big bits, anyway.  It is painted and has furniture, so though there are a few extra bits and pieces I'm waiting on, it is useable.  And I have been using it all morning, and it is fab!

I have been keeping up tracking my food and exercise. I'm still plowing through the chocolates that I was given for Christmas (I hope I have finished them now) so I've not been dieting as such, merely keeping a note of what I have been consuming.
I am not walking as much as I'd hope, either atm.  I really am quite busy during the day and when it's dark and dreary or wet I cba.  Hopefully the evenings will start to noticeably lighten soon, and that will change.

I have started (re)reading a new book - Diet Trap Solution by Beck and Beck.  I read it before a few years ago, and it's really good.  Very practical, so I need to actually find the time to do some of the exercises, rather than just reading them and moving on.

I have started doing some FutureLearn courses though.  These have been focussed on education, activism and my current course is all about propaganda and mythology.  I managed to do a few in a few days over the Christmas break, but now life is back to normal, I have set aside Monday afternoons to do a week's worth of study of one course (that's usually 2-6 hours, depending on the course).

I still have my book reviews to write, and I'm not reading at all enough compared to what I'd like.  The other half of my room now has a sofa bed in it, so I can hide away up here and read when I want.  The negative of my dog thinking I'm her mum is that she suffers with separation anxiety if she's away from me.  When I'm tutoring, I have her by my feet in this room (she's quieter that way) whereas right now, I have left her downstairs so I can try and build up her tolerance to me not being around ALL the time.  Working from home, I am around most the time, but I already have my own shadow, and I don't need another one, lol.

My Books of 2020

I had set myself the challenge on Goodreads to read 70 books this year, and I smashed that by reading over 80! 

Next year, however, I'm going to be setting myself the more modest target of 50 books.  The reason for that is because I'm actually reading less when we're in lockdown!  At the start of Lockdown 1, I was reading a lot - everything had stopped, I was advised to self isolate, and it was sunny, so I was sat in the garden reading lots.  Bliss!  However, I was then told that I shouldn't have been told to self isolate, worked started up again (albeit virtually) and when the girls' dance classes started up, the parents couldn't wait inside, so I was driving more frequently back and forth, rather than waiting in the carpark in the cold, and when we brought our puppy home, I was then using that time to take her for walks - so even less reading.

So, here is my completed list of all the books that I have read this year, with links to my reviews - I have tried to review the books without giving away any spoilers.

Keen-eyed people may note that the last few don't have working links as yet, and that's because I haven't published the reviews yet, but when I do, I'll update this page.

Fiction

• A Flair for Chardonnay by Deborah Garner
• Sons of Encouragement by Francine Rivers
• Assassin's Apprentice and Books 2&3 by Robin Hobb
• Rose of Prophesy by Hope Ann
• The Blade Heir by Daniel Adorno
• Gauntlet of Iniquity and Keep of Dragons by Daniel Adorno
• Broken Halo by Dayo Benson
• Saints and Sinners series Books 2 & 3 by Dayo Benson
• Black Virus and Black Rust by Bobby Adair
• The Magemother by Austin J Bailey
• Murder under Construction by Maddie Cochere
• Tomorrow's Guardian by Richard Denning
• The Lost Heir by E G Foley
• Truthbearer by Hans Erdman
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Following His Heart by Donna Fasano
• The Forbidden City by Alexander Grant
• Foreclosed by Traci Tyne Hilton
• Full Circle by Mona Ingram
• Sword Bearer by Teddy Jacobs
• Wind Rider by Teddy Jacobs
• The Grandfather Clock by Jonathan Kile
• Run, Hide, Fight and Hunt by Patti Larsen
• Country Heaven by Ava Miles
• If I didn't Care by Kait Nolan
• The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke
• Ties That Bind by Anne Patrick
• Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn
• The Royals of Dharia, books 2 and 3: Second Daughter and First Daughter
• Rise of the Dragons by Morgan Rice
• The Lanvin Murders by Angela M Sanders
• Incarnation by Jason Tesar
• Plague 99 by Jean Ure
• Stronger Than Magic by Melinda VanLone
• Now, Then and Every When by Rysa Walker
• On Her Own Two Wheels by Stacy Xavier
• Forged In Rage by Sean Young
• The Forever Man: Book 1: Pulse by Craig Zerf
• Trinity of the Truthbearer by Hans Erdman
• Red, Green, Blue and Wolfen by Hans Erdman
• After Days: Affliction or America Falls: Hell Week by Scott Medbury
• Begin Again by Kathryn Shay
• Chosen by D G Swank and the rest of the series

Non-Fiction

• Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar
• No More Diets by Sheila Granger
• The Unschooled Life by Lizi Gambell
• Damage Limitation by Roland Meighan
• Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst
• Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
• Toward a Liberalism by Richard Flathman
• You Can Drop It! by Ilana Muhlstein
• Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure
• Actually Factually by Guy Campbell
• Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy by Steve Mann
• The Ultimate Yorkiepoo Dog Manual by Hoopendale and Moore
• Trim Healthy Mama Plan by Barrett and Allison

Christian Inspirational

• Live Uncaged by Mary DeMuth
• The Fragrance of Crushed Violets by Cathy Bryant
• The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D. A. Carson
• Joyful by Toks Adebiyi
• God's Will for our Daily Lives by William J Luke
• A.S.K. God by Andrea G Williams
• The 7 Day Prayer Warrior Experience by Stormie Omartian
• The Daily Message by Eugene Peterson

So that's my list!  The formatting is a bit funny, but I thought 'sod that'.  The point of this post is to highlight the books, so I've left them large.  And yes, there are some books that fit into multiple categories, so I tried to put them in the most relevant one.

I don't have a favourite book of the year, but going through them all again now has reminded me of some pleasant memories.  I hope some of these titles call out to you, and you enjoy reading them as much as I have.

Weekly Update - End of Year

I hope you have all had a good Christmas, despite the difficulties of not seeing friends and family because of Covid.

I had a nice relaxing time with my family and new pup.  We opened presents, ate a late lunch, and relaxed altogether.

Since then, I've started decorating my new room.  As we finished DD1's room, she has now moved up into the attic, and my room has been emptied.  So, I've painted one wall today, and I hope to paint the other three walls tomorrow.  I can then start buying furniture for it.  The biggest thing to go in there is a sofa bed, which we already have, but it'll be moved upstairs and I've got a new cover to go on it, so it will match the rest of the room.

I do need to do my Self-Assessment for my tutoring work.  I've never left it this late before.  I said the same last year, when I finally did it in October.  I just hope that next year, I don't leave it another 3+ months after the date I complete it this year (since the deadline is 31st January!).

After the New Year, I'll start reading up on the Home Ed stuff again, and fighting both locally and nationally.  Having my own work room will help me stay organised.

I still have one book review to write up, and ideally, I'd like to finish 3 of the books that I am currently reading, and write up reviews of those.  I'll then go through the whole year to give a complete list of the 70+books I have read this year.  Next year, I think I will lower the number of books I plan to read to about 50.  Not to say that I don't think I could read that many again, but if I am getting involved in other things, perhaps studying more too, I simply won't have time to read as much as I have done recently.  I am not sitting in the dance studios any more (due to covid) and haven't even finished the MosaiCraft portrait I bought for myself to do over Lockdown1.  Again, this is because I'm not sat waiting much anymore.  On a Tuesday, when I am waiting for an hour and a half, it is dark at the moment, and I have the pup with me, so it wouldn't be wise to do anything as fiddly as MosaiCraft.

I would like to start focussing on getting healthy again in the new year.  I am very aware that I need to get on the waiting list to have my mastectomy before I'm 40 (so I have 18months), and to have the reconstruction I really do want, I need to lose weight.  I have discovered that surgeons differ by how much weight I'd have to lose, so to know for sure, I will need to actually meet with one.  My mental state has enjoyed not weighing myself every day recently, but my clothes are aware that my weight is creeping up, as I expected it would (not least because it always does when I'm not weighing myself).  I find myself wondering if I can incidentally lose weight by focussing on a different area of my health?  What if I simply record what I am eating and how much exercise I am doing?  If I can get past the shame of recording every bite, will just knowing that I will be writing it later, help me focus my thoughts on healthy foods and the impacts that it will have on my health?  Maybe, just maybe.  And when it gets warmer, I do want to take my pup jogging (she likes it when I run with her now, but it isn't as fun for me when I'm wrapped in a big coat, scarf and boots, lol).

So, that's my quick update and vague plans for next year.

I pray that you can enjoy this festive period, and that your 2021 is better than this year has been xxx

Chosen by D G Swank and the rest of the series

 I have read books by D G Swank before and I love her, so I was very excited to read Chosen. 

This book did not disappoint.  It follows the story of Emma and her son Jake who live a life on the run from mysterious armed men who are hunting to kill, and appear to get help from a stranger, Will.

The blurb says:

Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma’s never needed help before. And even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake’s proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn't know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will’s overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it's too late.

This book is supernatural/fantasy, but full of a mother's love for her son.  A mother who will do anything to protect him, even giving up her old life to live in hotels from a suitcase.  When I chose this book, it was based on the title alone, for my A to Z challenge, so I didn't know what it was going to be about in advance.  As I was reading through, I thought that the child, Jake, was the Chosen one, since he is the one with supernatural powers, but it turned out not to be the case.

I couldn't put this book down.  It is very well written and kept me wanting more.  So much so, that I had to find out what happened next, and next, and next.  Not only that, the kindle books have been updated to contain short stories, that give further information about each of the characters, so I had to read those too: Chosen, (short story Emergence), Hunted, (short story Homecoming), Sacrifice, (short story Middle Ground), and Redemption.

Very good, I highly recommend this series.

Weekly Update Y2w46

 I'm hoping things have turned a corner, and my weight is starting to go down again!

Clearly, going for at least one long walk a day is starting to help, as is starting to eat home cooked foods again. Now it's winter, I'm starting to make stews, soups and casseroles again, which I pack with vegetables.

I've actually been really busy this week.  I read a whole series of books, that I need to write a review for, as well as finishing a 7day prayer Bible Study.  We're starting to make progress at finishing the girls' bedrooms (well, DD1's, since DD2's was finished over the summer), which in turn means it hopefully won't be too much longer before my room gets done.  I'm really busy with tutoring, and am having to turn people away.  Once DD2 goes to school next year, I'll be able to take on more students.

And speaking of home education, my LA is being awful atm, so I'm having to organise, counteract and help coordinate the response to that, as how they are acting atm is totally unlawful. Grrr.

Begin Again by Kathryn Shay

We all like a bit of romance to banish the autumn/winter blues, and Kathryn Shay has succeeded in helping us live another life for a while.

Paulina Petrone runs a building company after the death of her husband  and brother-in-law a few years ago.  Her husband and his brother were twins, and had married Paulina and her twin Antonia.  After the tragic accident, Paulina and her sister leant on each other greatly, but both approached their grief in differing ways.

Paulina's latest contract is to build a Music Hall, which puts her in contact with the handsome architect Adam Armstrong.  As they both navigate dating people differing from themselves, as well as having to contend with Paulina's family, this is a typical love story with a happy ending. (Phew!)

The blurb reads:

BEGIN AGAIN tells the story of Paulina Ludzecky who, since her husband died three years ago, runs a contracting business with her twin, Antonia. She’s ready to dip her toes in romance, when she meets Adam Armstrong, the architect on the new music hall her company is building.

For Adam, opposites attract and he’s drawn to this no-nonsense, down-to-earth girl next door. She’s equally interested in him though he’s too different from her to settle down with. But alpha male Adam has other plans for Paulina and isn’t about to let her go, even when Paulina has trouble with committing to him. Sex, yes! Love, no! This second chance at love story will tug on your heartstrings.

I liked this book.  It follows the usual pattern for romances - a whirlwind romance followed by heart ache with it all working out in the end.  This is a light chick lit that really hits the spot.

A.S.K. God by Andrea G Williams

 

This book is only 52 pages long and the blurb says:

Have you ever felt like you don't have anything to offer the world? Has your mistakes, life experiences, or relationships distract you from going after your purpose? No fear my love, I am here to bring you some good news! God gives us all an assignment to do here no matter what. It is up to us to find out what God put on the inside and walk in that truth. When you walk in your God given purpose, you will discover a continuous overflow of abundance and real joy in your life.

In this book you will learn how to discover your calling, your gifts, and the purpose you never thought you had. You will learn how to use your gifts to serve others while setting up wealth streams. You will learn how to do what you love and still be in alignment with God's will. If you have a gnawing feeling in your belly that there is more to life than this, then you have landed at the right book. It is God's perfect will for you to answer the call, walk it out, and win!

I have to be honest and say I was disappointed in this book.  It doesn't say anything new, and I always worry when books talk about "wealth streams" - it's too much like Prosperity Gospel to me.  That is not to say I totally disliked the book - there are snippets of good things in here.  It is encouraging.  It does reinforce that we should Ask, Seek and Knock (hence the title) and we should look to be using our gifts and live authentically.  However, this book doesn't seem to suggest any more than this.  There is no deep discussion about gifts, nor how to practically apply them to life.  As I say this, I realise it is a short book, so it cannot cover everything, but for me, this book is lacking.

After Days: Affliction or America Falls: Hell Week by Scott Medbury

I read Affliction (After Days Book 1) as my A in my new A-Z challenge; however, when coming to write this review, I have discovered this series has been rebranded.  What was one book, Affliction, has now been split into two books in the America Falls series: Hell Week and On The Run, as such you can not read Affliction anymore, so I won't link to that.

This book is very timely and apt, though with some differences! It follows Isaac, a teenager, as he learns to adapt to the new world.  After a sudden outbreak of a deadly virus in Korea, the virus was contained before being discovered on American soil.  Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before it was obvious that the virus was a biological weapon, and only people of Chinese heritage or who hadn't finished growing (ie children) we safe from death - though arguably they may have a worse fate having survived.  Isaac meets other children on his travels, and becomes the natural leader of the group as they struggle to get to a safe haven in the Drake Mountains.

The blurb of Hell Week says:

Infection. Invasion. Chaos. A weaponized virus ravages the U.S. somehow leaving children and young adults unscathed. As hundreds of millions die, for those left, surviving the virus is only the beginning…

Isaac Race thought he'd found a new family and home. A new Life. He had, but it's all about to be snatched away. When an ambitious enemy launches a sneak attack on the USA, his peaceful life is shattered and Isaac, by his very nature a loner, must band together with a ragtag group of survivors to make their way to a sanctuary, three states away in the depths of a vicious east coast winter.

It won’t be easy, the invaders aren't the only dangers unleashed in a world suddenly turned upside down, and if they're going to survive, they'll need to be resourceful and ruthless and rely on others in a world where trust has been shattered.

I loved this book.  It is really gripping; I just hope that splitting it into two hasn't diluted it too much.  It has been written in a very clever way, in that it alludes to some horrific and gruesome things, but doesn't elaborate, so it is up to you what you imagine (and such, could be suitable for younger readers).  When I was looking for this book on Amazon, and initially couldn't find it, I was disappointed, as I would like to finish the rest of the series; so I am glad that the series is still there under an alternative name (even though I think there should be some reference to the change on at least Hell Week's write-up).
A good book.

Weekly Update Y2w43 & BodyGroove Workshop

 My weight has come down since last week - yey!  It hasn't been smooth sailing though, and my weight got even higher before it started to lower again.  And, where I'm alternating sleeping on the sofa, I keep forgetting to weigh myself, so that's why there are gaps in the graph.

I'm not giving up though.  

At the weekend, I did a 2-day Body Groove Workshop.  Back in June (I think), I was meant to be going to Birmingham for a face-to-face workshop with Misty Tripoli, but Coronavirus put paid to that. 
On each day over the weekend were 4 hours of Body Groove dancing, philosophy, meditation and life coaching, with women from all over the world. (Shout out to Bettina and Krista: I wish you both success and happiness in all you do.)

We were taught about the Seven Dimensions of Wellbeing: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Occupational and Environmental.  We were taught that in order to have joy in your life, you need to be authentically you in each of these areas, and we can work towards that in small steps to increase the joy in our lives. 

There was also a key quote that bears repeating:

"You need structures in place that are sufficient to your resistance to succeed."

This is a key thing for me.  You have seen in my attempts of losing weight the past couple of years that my resistance to succeed is strong! I am hoping that now I have a dog, I will be forced to take a daily walk, but this still hasn't happened so far - our puppy hates wearing a collar and a harness, and we've been advised by both the breeder and a dog trainer to go back a stage and generate positive associations with them first, before taking her out.  But, it's taking a long time.  She is now more than happy to sniff and eat treats off them (which she wasn't before), but still panics if we try and lay them on her (not even doing them up).  Unfortunately, there are times when I have to take her out of the house, so am forced to put them on her despite her distress. Back to the point, I haven't yet been going out for daily walks.  But, I have tried to minimise my resistance to going - I've bought myself new boots and a set of waterproofs (incl trousers) so I cannot use the rain as an excuse for not getting outside.

We also looked at ways to bring more playfulness into our lives, and what it is that we truly desire without attaching judgements to those thoughts.  We need to increase connections, both with other people, but also internally.  We need to analyse the judgements we make of ourselves and ask ourselves four key questions, based on The Work by Byron Katie (which I've not read yet, but have added to my wishlist):

1. Is it true?
2. Is it absolutely true?
3. Who do I become because of that thought?
4. In that same moment, who would I be if I couldn't think those thoughts?

I found this challenging because a lot of my judgements about myself are about my need and desire to lose weight.  I am fat - that is absolutely true.  I do need to lose weight - if I want to have DIEP reconstruction after a mastectomy, but if I didn't think I needed to lose weight, I could have reconstruction using implants.  If I didn't align my self worth to losing weight, would I be happier?  What if I didn't keep thinking back to when I was 28 and managed to lose 5 stone (thinking "I did it once, I should be able to do it again"), rather simply accepted this is me now? [For context, I'm back at the same weight I was before I started losing it last time.  'They' say you can't keep the weight off for 5 years, but that's exactly what I did do, before it all piling back on.]  
This is an area that I still need to work on.

It has, also, reignited ideas about becoming a facilitator of Body Groove.  One of my fears is that nobody would want to take part because I'm overweight myself, but others assured me that that shouldn't be an issue, because although Body Groove enables a healthy lifestyle, the purpose isn't to lose weight (though it may be a side effect).  Other fears are around being the centre of attention, and being willing to allow others to see me getting my groove on.  I get embarrassed and self conscious easily, so am I willing to put myself out there and show other people there's nothing to fear?  What if nobody turned up and I was just in a room in a dance studio by myself - I'd find that really embarrassing too!  And of course there are the costs involved, and the added difficulty of covid meaning no more than 15 people at a time, socially distanced apart - can you even groove on the spot?  I don't know.  Much to think about, that's for sure.