nom nom.

I haven’t converted fully to the paleo lifestyle, but I have been making a conscious effort to get that caveman style protein in my system. I just love hot fries too much. There are so many recipe books out there today that are making this lifestyle change super easy for everyone. However, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans by Michelle Tam and Henry Fong is the paleo treasure that EVERYONE has been waiting for. Half of the 100+ recipes are from Michelle’s bestselling cooking app, the other half are brand new to even her biggest fans!

Included is an introduction to paleo for the beginners out there. I especially enjoy the section full of condiments and ideas to quickly and easily boost the flavors of your meal, I currently use hot fries for that. I’ve had to go a little out of my comfort zone with some of these recipes, as I’m a pretty simple eater who doesn’t like mushrooms unlike these authors, but so far so good. The Vietnamese lettuce cups and the Asian Cauliflower Fried "Rice" are favorites in my house. Manfriend is obsessed with the cauliflower, I cook it right up in coconut oil and he loves me more after.

Nom Nom Paleo is a memoir, cookbook, health resource, comic strip, all rolled into one. You’ll love it.

how being a decent human being does lead to the big bucks.

Educator and author Zeynep Ton has exposed the myth that companies need to pay their employees the least amount legally possible to make their companies profitable. The strategy of paying employees less and expecting more has actually proven to harm businesses. In her book, The Good Jobs Strategy, Ton gives multiple examples of businesses that operate under the “good jobs strategy” for example, Costco and Trader Joes, and are extremely successful. There is also ten years of research to back up every single one of her claims and strategies. Southwest Airlines, ranked super high yearly says it best: "We take great care of our people, they take great care of our customers, and our customers take great care of our shareholders." Well that sounds easy enough.

The point is that a company CAN turn a profit while paying employees a living wage and treating them like valued members of the enterprise, from the stock room to the cashiers. Get a load of this, Walmart.

Win a FREE copy of The Good Jobs Strategy!

Contest Rules:

1. Follow this blog :)

2. E-mail your name and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com to enter!

3. Contest ends 2/19

  

well this is sure to terrify some of my girlfriends.

Tanya Selvaratnam’s The Big Lie is about the realities of trying to get and stay pregnant when you wait beyond your most fertile years. This is a concern for a lot of women today who are getting married later and later in life, thus starting their families even later. Although Tanya has done an excellent job with her medical research on the subject of a woman’s biological clock, it is her personal story of her own fertility issues after 37 that make this book a real resource to women who are struggling to conceive. And to remind younger women that they need to begin planning their futures earlier than they might think.

My only issue with The Big Lie is the examples of women who were unaware that they would have fertility issues after 30, when I consider that common knowledge. I have girlfriends who are 33, being told by their OBG-YN’s that they need to get pregnant soon or they’re going to be out of luck. Who are these doctors who are telling their 37-year-old patients that they “have time”? They should lose their licenses.

imaginative debut novel.

In John Dixon’s debut novel, Phoenix Island, our main character is a troubled teen named Carl Freeman. After his latest stunt that lands him into trouble, the judge offers 16-year-old orphaned Carl a chance to reform himself on Phoenix Island, a military style boot camp that is supposed to keep teens out of trouble until they turn 18. If he chooses the island, his record will be wiped clean, and as soon as he becomes a legal adult, he’s set to continue living his life. Sounds like a pretty good deal right? I mean, it’s the camp or jail.

Carl travels to the island determined stay out of trouble and be on his best behavior. Even when trying to be good, Carl still manages to piss off his drill sergeant, and realizes that he needs to watch his back. Because it doesn’t take long to discover that Phoenix Island is hiding something disturbing. They aren’t reforming troubled teenagers; they are actually training kids to become mercenaries and killers.

I can’t wait to bring in this rollercoaster ride for some of my hood rats at school.

Win a FREE copy of Phoenix Island!

Contest Rules:

1. Follow this blog :)

2. E-mail your name and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com to enter!

3. Contest ends 2/12

a memoir about finding your way.

When her only child leaves for college, author Lynn Darling considers this the perfect time to contemplate her past roles as a mother, widow, etc. and figure out her next step. In her memoir Out of the Woods, Darling shares her story as she begins this new life. First, she decides to move away from her Manhattan condo full-time into a cottage she had bought some years ago in a very remote part of Vermont. Her goal is to come to terms with growing older and finding new purpose that fits her current empty nest situation.

When she decided to live off the grid, she had craved solitude. Darling soon realized that it was much lonelier than she expected. To solve this she decided to get a puppy, which had its own set of difficulties. Darling also shares her struggles with making friends with her new neighbors, confidently walking in the woods, fighting cancer, gaining her sense of direction, and making peace with her choices. Something in this memoir is sure to reach out and grab you middle aged bunch.

an eye for hearts.

The ever so charming actress, Drew Barrymore who went from amateur photographer to pro over the last several years has come out with a small book of photographs titled Find it in Everything. Hearts are the main focus of this book, showing us that we can find love everywhere. In nature, on the street, in our homes, where we least expect it. Keep in mind that this isn’t an extremely sophisticated collection. However, it is artistic and very pleasing to the eye. You won’t be able to help looking at the world a little differently after viewing these 96 pages. 

If hearts are your thing, then this is the perfect photography book for your coffee table.

a philly area mystery.

Accused by Lisa Scottoline is part of the series featuring Rosato and Associates, an all-women law firm in Philadelphia. Mary DiNunzio has just been promoted to partner at the firm, cause for celebration in the office conference room. As the party is winding down, a potential client appears. Thirteen-year-old Allegra Garder, who is from an extremely prestigious family, wants to hire a law firm to investigate the real circumstances that surrounded the murder of her beloved, older sister Fiona. Although the murder happened six years ago, and appeared to be an open and shut case, Allegra's thirteenth birthday has given her some control of a trust fund, so she finally has the means to hire Rosato and Associates, but her parents fear she is obsessed by her sister's death and do everything they can to hinder the investigation.

On a sidebar, Mary’s hunky boyfriend Anthony has proposed, and with her promotion, and this crazy case that she can’t seem to turn down, has her feeling a bit overwhelmed. She’s got 99 problems and her man is definitely one. Accused is definitely a standalone novel for you newbies, and those who already love this series will not be disappointed.