a wild ride.

In Karen Chance’s October 1^st installment of the Cassie Palmer series, Tempt the Stars, Cassie’s life is as stressful as ever.

Tempt the Stars picks up a week after Pritkin saves Cassie by giving her energy to live; resulting in Pritkin being taken by his demon father and essentially losing his freedom. Ever since Cassie's coronation, where she officially became Pythia, she's had to deal with all kinds of super naturals knocking on her door; always wanting something from her because she is now the world’s chief seer. In this story Cassie drops everything in hopes to get Pritkin back.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about that means you haven’t read the series and you probably should.

1960’s north carolina.

Diane Chamberlain is a kick ass author, this is not new information. Her latest novel Necessary Lies deviates from her usual style, but it’s still just as enjoyable as the rest.

Jane Forrester, newly married and recently graduated from Woman's College in Greensboro with a degree in sociology, is hired on as a caseworker for the Department of Public Welfare in Raleigh circa 1960’s. One of the families Jane is responsible for is the Hart family. The grandmother, suffering with diabetes and arthritis, is raising her two teenage granddaughters, Ivy and Mary Ella. Jane becomes much too emotionally involved with this family (especially Ivy) to do the work of a caseworker in this time period. She spends much of the story fighting for Ivy’s rights to grow up and have her own family one day, rather than be sterilized like the government demands, while her marriage is jeopardized by her douchey husband. Necessary Lies is a tragic story spotlighting the underprivileged in a way that breaks your heart, but ends in a way that lifts you up again.

one for the catholics.

Freelance Catholic writer Emily Stimpson explains her book These Beautiful Bones: An Everyday Theology of the Body best in a recent interview with National Review:

 “Theology of the body” refers to a series of meditations given by John Paul II during his papacy. It answers some of the most pervasive and fundamental questions that all men and women across time have asked: Who am I? For what purpose do I exist? What does it mean to love? How am I to live?”

 

 

Stimpson goes on to explain that you don’t have to be a theologian to care about these questions, or to appreciate her book. These Beautiful Bones takes the idea of theology to a new level when describing how it touches upon every aspect of human life. It’s basically a guide for all Catholics on how to live every day. So if you’re Catholic, you’re looking to live a more faith-based life, and you don’t really know where to start…Stimpson has you covered.

one magical season.

I was super excited to show Manfriend the millisecond I received Unbeatable: Notre Dame’s 1988 Championship and the Last Great College Football Season by Jerry Barca because it upped my coolness factor by a million. Manfriend went to Notre Dame (HIGH SCHOOL) in our town, and still feels quite fighting and Irish, with dreams of attending an actual college game someday.  Wait in line dude.

Anyway, we both really enjoyed Barca’s depiction of the famous season, especially on its 25^th anniversary. Although Manfriend seemed to know everything about the coach and the players already, it was interesting for me to read and learn about coach Holtz and how he restored a team of misfits to win such an esteemed championship and bring one of the greatest programs in history back to its former glory. Barca has created an excellent sports novel and everyone likes a good resurrection story.

live forever? like in fame?

Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD gives us quite the intro in his latest biomedical research reference, The Ageless Generation: How Advances in Biomedicine Will Transform the Global Economy.

"We have begun to crack the code of life with breakthroughs in genetics and regenerative medicine that allow us to grow new organs and tissues.” Making it clear that what was unthinkable only a decade ago is now in the realm of possibility. Discovering why we age, and possibly stopping it? Don’t get too excited. The prospect of living longer is pretty fantastic; however, Zhavoronkov also reminds us that there are consequences within the advances in medicine that slow the aging process. If biomedicine is a topic of interest for you, The Ageless Generation is an excellent resource.

the chinese afterlife.

Another gifted storyteller has graced the literary world with the debut novel The Ghost Bride. Protagonist, Li Lan, an attractive young Chinese maiden, whose mother is deceased and father was an heavy opium smoker, allowing the family finances to drain away to nothing, has been made quite the offer. Her father was approached by a wealthy family whose son, Lim Tian Ching, has died, leaving him a ghost. The family wants Li Lan to marry this deceased son, becoming a ghost bride. Although it would not be a physical marriage, she would be treated as a daughter-in-law by these merchants, her family’s bills paid and everything. Lan has no desire to marry a dead guy, but she begins dreaming about meeting him, and the rest of the novel turns into a ghost story beautifully written by author Yangsze Choo.

for the wannabe health nuts who still need options.

Many of you are considering switching over to a plant-based or more plant-based diet. There are a ton of books you can currently find in bookstores to use as a resource, but no need to research because I already found the best one.

My Beef with Meat: The Healthiest Argument for Eating a Plant-Strong Diet by Rip Esselstyn has received rave reviews as a resource that is well-researched and includes recent nutritional information and recipes (there’s pizza!) into 36 very short chapters. It’s a no brainer that eating plant-based is a healthier option for humans, what I enjoyed was the 140 recipes that include way more than just veggie soup. It was really the guacamole, hummus and spinach artichoke dip that caught my eye. This book has the potential to change your life, sounds crazy, but it’s true.