Book Review: The Frog In The Tree

frogtreeThe Frog In The Tree is about an outcast frog who has been living in a tree.  He thought that others would pick on him because he was different so he instead chose to stay in the tree.  The tree tells him that he should go off and see all there is to see, but he doesn’t want to.  Then he meets a bird who wants to see where he is from and learn about love.  He saved the bird and realizes he is a hero and that he should be at home where he belongs.  When he gets home his family is so happy to see him and they were missing him and loving him the whole time he was gone.  This book is written all in rhyme which is always impressive!

A cute children’s book with some fun illustrations and a great lesson on how your family loves you no matter how different you may think you are!

I received an e-copy in exchange for this honest review.

About the Book

Reminiscent of The Wind in the Willows, The Frog in the Tree is a journey of discovery for both a frog and a baby crow who help each other overcome their fears and doubts. It is a tale of friendship and bravery and finally a family’s love at the end.

Beautifully illustrated, the lilting storyline will carry the reader from beginning to end in a joyous melody of sight and sound.

Book Review: Ollie the Orca

ollieOllie The Orca is about a dolphin named Bubba who finds Ollie stuck in a net. They call on Sammy the Seagull to help free Ollie.  The lesson of the book is to always bring a buddy if you are going on an adventure!

This is a great children’s book with beautiful illustrations. I love dolphins and orcas so I particularly enjoyed this one 🙂

I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

About the Book

Grade 1-2 Reading Level

Bubba is out on one of his undersea adventures when he finds a frightened Orca trapped by a fishing net! In this attention gripping yet comical tale, Bubba works with his buddy Sammy the Seagull to free Ollie. Come along and join Bubba the Bottlenose dolphin as he makes a new buddy while sharing a day they won’t soon forget.

Book Review: Go Down Hard

godownhardGo Down Hard is about Nob Brown an ex-cop who is now a writer trying to make ends meet and pay spousal support to his ex-wife so he doesn’t lose his house. With the 20 year anniversary of Lana Strain, a popular musician who was murdered and the case never solved, coming up, Nob’s best friend Gloria gives him the files to the case and tells him to have them back to her in a week. Nob pitches a story to Playboy and is told they’ll give him $3,000 if he writes it without figuring out who the killer was and $20,000 if he can figure out who the killer was.

Nob is on the case and ends up meeting Lana’s daughter Ginger and asking her about the case and is then introduced to Ginger and her sister Sophia’s father Billy. As Nob begins to try and unravel the story to who kills Lana, things get tense. Ginger ends up dead – a murder that seems to be set up to look like a suicide. Suspects seem to be coming out of the woodwork and things are getting more and more dangerous. Will Nob end up figuring out who did it before they get him too?

I am sure that my synopsis of this book doesn’t do it justice. It is a long book, 77 chapters, and it took me about 4 days to read, but I didn’t really want to put it down (but I HAD to). There are a lot of characters but it’s not too hard to follow along to see who is good and who is bad (most of the time) and you can’t help but root for Nob to solve this murder – not only because he’s getting close to figuring it out but also because he seems like a good guy and he needs the payout!

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

About the book
Nob Brown is a divorced, disillusioned thirty-something ex-cop turned bottom-feeding tabloid writer. His best friend and occasional lover, Gloria Lopes, is an LAPD detective who needs an Excel spreadsheet to chart her sex life. When Gloria slips Nob the confidential file on the unsolved twenty-year-old murder of a legendary rock-and-roll goddess, Nob hopes to solve the crime and propel himself out of the tabloids and into a lucrative book deal. But he pokes into the wrong holes and unearths rotting secrets that give rise to fresh corpses. As the cold case comes to a fast boil, Nob is forced to battle for his own survival.

Book Review: The Doctor Is In

doctorThe Doctor Is In is an autobiography by Dr. Ruth, most well known for being a sex therapist, but many probably don’t know about the rest of her life. I know I didn’t. This book tells her story on love, life and joie de vivre (translation: joy of life).  The book begins with her family being taken away to concentration camps during the Holocaust, where they ended up being killed.  Ruth (who at that point was known as Karola) ended up taking a bus with many other children to an orphanage.  When she got a bit older, she was trained as a sniper and was actually quite good at it – she mentioned that her skill impressed her grandson when they go to fairs because although those games are often supposed to be rigged, she excels at them and can win lots of prizes!

She ended up getting a job at Planned Parenthood and thought it was crazy that they talked about sex all day.  Little did she know that would end up guiding her career!  This is a biography on Ruth’s life not a self-help book.   It is great reading about Ruth’s life – all 4 foot 7 of her!  The book ends with some questions from the audience.

Certainly a fascinating and interesting read and it’s nice to read about how she still tries to live a life filled with joi de vivre despite all that she has been put up against in her life.

I received a free e-copy in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

America’s best-loved therapist, Dr. Ruth, is known for her wise counsel on all matter of the heart. Here she shares private stories from her past and her present and her insights into living life to the fullest, at any age.

Everyone knows Dr. Ruth as the most famous and trusted sex therapist, but few people know she narrowly escaped death from the Holocaust, was raised in an orphanage in Switzerland, or that she was a sniper during Israel’s War of Independence. After years spent as a student in Paris, Dr. Ruth came to America dreaming of a new life though never expecting the dramatic turns that would take place. And at the age of eighty-seven, she is as spirited as ever.

Through intimate and funny stories, Dr. Ruth sheds light on how she’s learned to live a life filled with joie de vivre. And she shows readers how they too can learn to deal with tragedy and loss, challenges and success, all while nourishing an intellectual and emotional spark, and, above all, having fun! Hilarious, inspiring, and profound, The Doctor Is In will change the way you think about life and love, in all their limitless possibilities.

Product Review: OZ Naturals Sunscreen

If you’ve followed this blog, you probably know I struggle with getting sun burned all. the. time. So I am always looking for new sunscreen to try out.  Most recently I tried Oz Naturals Anti-Aging Sun Shield SPF 30.

It is made from a 100% natural formula. Fortified with carrot and green tea for antioxidant protection and blended with other skin-loving botanicals and vitamins. Thisnon-irritating / hypoallergenic sunscreen is perfect for every skin type and gentle enough for children. This luxurious, photo-stable formula offers excellent protection from the harmful elements of the sun, while simultaneously moisturizing and nourishing the skin. Natural sunscreens Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide give stable protection against both UVA and UVB rays and helps protect the skin from sun burn and damage.

The sunscreen goes on smooth and while initially I thought it might be greasy after it was applied, it was not at all once it was all rubbed in. It almost made my arms feel dry! There was also some white residue left over on my arms but I think that was because I squeezed way too much out of the bottle! Way more than what I actually needed to cover my arms.  The sunscreen also has little to no scent which is great because a lot of times you end up smelling like a coconut or just something gross.

I received a free bottle of sun screen in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

Throwback Thursday: Tyler Hilton 2/9/05

05-02-09

Headliner: Tyler Hilton
Opener(s): None
Cost: $0

Setlist:

Pink and Black
When It Comes
Glad
The Letter Song
Kiss On Me

Recap:

Kiss 95.7 put this show on and it was at the mall in Meriden, CT.  I went with one of my friends from college, Ashley. I managed to record the performance on video and take pictures at the same time (I’m still not sure how).  We weren’t allowed photos with Tyler so Ashley took one of my standing near him while he signed my CD.  😉  I’m pretty sure the CD I was having him sign was the CD inside the promo CD I had him sign the summer before when he opened for Hanson.

Where Are They Now

Tyler still comes through on tour sometimes. He is engaged to Megan Park from Secret Life of the American Teenager fame. He is also on the show Exant which should be coming back to TV very soon!

 

NKOTB 6/12/15

Friday night, NKOTB brought “The Main Event” tour to Mohegan Sun.  At first I wasn’t sure that I was going to attend, but then found a pretty nice single ticket so I decided I might as well.   Opening the show were Nelly and TLC.  Before the show Mohegan Sun presented the guys with a star on the Mohegan Sun Walk Of Fame since they have had 9 consecutive sell out shows there.  (I think I was at 7 of them?)

Nelly was a big part of the reason why I did not want to go. I had no desire to see him.  His performance didn’t change my mind. I feel like the sound was also off for his set and it was hard to hear him. It seemed like no one else had any problems hearing though since when he held the mic out (which was a lot) everyone was ready with the next line.  His setlist seems like it was really long, but it is because he did not actually go through a full version of any of the songs.

TLC was up next. I never saw them before Left Eye passed away and I always feel a bit funny seeing them now.  They had tracks for most of her raps but it still just made me sad.  I loved their outfits and they had a lot of energy and played up the whole stage too which was great.  They also had everyone hold up their phones before Waterfalls for Left Eye and it looked really cool.

NKOTB put on a great show. They have so much fun on stage, joking around and play fighting with each other in the middle of the songs.  At one point Donnie saw a pregnant girl in the crowd and asked her when she was due. “Monday!” she said. “Monday!? Holy shit! Name it Donnie!” he said back before running back onstage.  For “Cover Girl” he also brought up a little girl on stage. I was at a bad angle to get a good photo of her face – but up on the screen she looked like this 😯  huge eyes and just in complete shock she was on stage. Too cute!

For “Tonight”, I thought I had a great spot. The security was all talking about “when they stand on boxes” and telling each other what they’d need to do to keep fans back.  A couple songs before,the box arrived just at the bottom of my section.  Someone else walked by and the girls nearby asked who was coming by us. It was Jordan.  Then the time came and Jordan walked off the stage and went to some random box 1 section over. He didn’t stay there very long and then headed back to the stage so he could get ready for his solo performance. I guess that’s what I get for being disappointed when I heard it was going to be Jordan.

 

Setlists under the cut

Read More

Book Review: The Force Equation


forceI have to say that I guess I should have looked into just what I was getting myself into when I chose to read this book. I thought it was going to have something to do with Star Wars but it was really more math, science and politics.  I don’t mind reading about math but this one just seemed to be a bit over the top to me.

I actually didn’t even finish this book because I tried multiple times to get into it and I just couldn’t do it – even when we lost all network connectivity at work one day and this was the only book I had handy.  It just was not my cup of tea, but maybe it will be yours.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book
It’s not happening long long ago and it’s not found in a galaxy far far away. But right here right now on planet Earth and also found for FREE in Audible.com http://TinyUrl.com/MovieStarWars

If you are a fan of the Star Wars movies, hopefully, it’t not because of the shoot-em-up aspect of the movies but because of the spiritual side of it. When Obi-Wan Kenobi first teaches Luke Skywalker about The Force he says – “It’s created by all living things and binds the universe together.” George Lucas was right in half of this sentence and wrong on the other. There is a force that binds the universe together and it was recently discovered by scientists using the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland and announced to the world as ‘The God Particle Field’ on July 4th, 2012 to very little fanfare even though it is the most important part of our universe because without it, nothing else can exist. Life can exist even without oxygen, water, food, sunshine, but nothing, not even including Life can exist without this newly discovered ‘Force’ because it is the smallest sub-atomic particles to stick together and this in turn allows the atoms to form, and it’s the atoms of all the elements that come together to form molecules – again due to the influence of ‘The Force’. Without the molecules in our brains, our hearts, our livers, our hands, eyes, nose, ears and toes, we would not be able to get very far or do very much, or even be.

But George Lucas was wrong when he put into Obi-Wan’s words that this force is created by all living things. Of course, this is nonsense on its face. No living creatures, not snails, nor giraffes, nor lions, or tigers, or bears and not even human beings are capable of creating a force that is holding the universe together. If we could we would be GODS. And in fact what Obi-wan tells Luke on this half of his instructions is actually the opposite of the Truth. The Force that binds the universe together could only be created by God. But, he’s right if you changed one word – ‘BY’ to ‘FOR’. God would obviously only have the purpose of creating such a Force ‘FOR’ all living things – us. Without us – there really isn’t any reason to bind the universe together and therefore the recent discovery of The Force – among other things – proves that God exists.

Of course the creator of Star Wars was making it up. He relied on lessons about Mythology from reading Joseph Campbell’s books about how down through the ages of civilization all cultures eventually arrive at the same conclusions about the universe and that there is a force that connects us all together through the various God figures that we construct as idols and worship, pray to and surround with all sorts of superstitions, dogma, rituals and even paraphernalia including masks, beads, wheels, robes, pointy hats, holy water and even holy places.

But today, in 2015, we have reached a point in our evolution where we no longer have to rely on age-old mythology, delusions, dogma and ritual. Luckily for the advancement of our species we can now rely on Science – Truth, or the best version of Truth that we can know from the process of testing all of our greatest hypotheses and then proving or dis-proving these theories based on the results of these tests or what we call experimental evidence. And all of the latest evidence derived from Astro-physics which studies the vast external expanse of Space/Time and from Particle Physics which studies the equally infinite expanse of inner Space/Time – we now know quite a bit more about the existence of God, where he or she lives, how he or she moves about the universe, how he or she creates and stores the greatest energies ever known and perhaps, from the publication of this new book and The Force Equation that is presented therein – we may even know how to put this Force to use in our own humble little lives.

Find out how this scientific equation may change your life.

F = tc3

Music Monday: Action Item Great Mission:LOVE

CDFox2rUsAAXknT

Coffee
Focus
Numbered Days
Way Back Home

After assuming that Action Item had fallen off the face of the earth… SURPRISE! Recently I woke up and saw that I had part 2 of their album Great Mission in my email inbox. The band had funded this album, which would be released in parts, through an indiegogo campaign and then seemed to disappear. They had said they’d be touring more with each of the parts, but I have not seen them in over a year because they just haven’t been touring and have been working on side projects, school, etc. Obviously I have no problem with them getting an education (you need something to fall back on if the band does not work out) but it was kind of crazy how we had heard nothing from anyone except for a few twitter rants from the drummer, Dan.

So anyway – this album showing up was a bit of a surprise. I’m not sure how they threw it together but it is a bit different than the first part which I liked much more and the direction that I thought their music was going in to.  The first track is completely instrumental which was weird, but considering I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of Brian’s singing… it was ok with me. (And the last time I saw them live their opening act was completely instrumental so I wonder if that’s where they got the idea?)

The album is available on iTunes if you’re interested… but I wouldn’t get too invested in the band because I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a breakup coming soon.

 

Book Review: All You Want To Know About The Bible in Pop Culture

popcultureThis was a really fun book. It takes a lot of different aspects of pop culture – music, movies, tv, etc and relates quotes and scenes to the bible. At the end of each section there are quizzes, most are bible related and then there was one of Duck Dynasty vs Keeping Up With The Kardashians. That one didn’t have an answer key and it said if you didn’t know the answers you’ve never watched the shows. Well, I didn’t know any of the answers lol

I think my favorite chapter was the first one – that compares all the super heroes with the bible and Jesus and even a section of why some super heroes were excluded from the book.

There are also additional sections throughout the book with added information. I ended up going back to read these after each chapter because it was easier to flow with the chapter text first and then read the supplemental material rather than try to read them as they appeared and lose my train of thought on the main area of the chapter.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

About the Book

Somehow, it’s hard to picture pop culture and Christianity going hand-in-hand, but maybe we simply aren’t looking at things the right way. All You Want to Know About the Bible in Pop Culture reveals places where readers may be surprised to find redeeming values and gospel messages in today’s movies, music, popular TV shows, and much more!

When you look closely, past the outrageous outfits and the antics of teen pop-sensations, it’s easy to see that from the big screen to the small screen and right down to the radio waves, God and His stories are still prevalent in pop culture today. There are movies and television shows that speak eternal truth, reality show families who represent believers well, even fictional Christians portrayed in a positive light. And if you listen closely, musicians are still conversing with God as the original songwriters of the Bible did. For the reader searching for meaning in media today, All You Want to Know About the Bible in Pop Culture is the perfect choice.

Features include:

  • Fun Bible-based facts and trivia questions
  • Examples of biblical messages from current TV shows, films, and pop songs
  • A casual and engaging resource
Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com