Charge UP: How your body works. Why you feel the way you do. What you can do about it. by Sherri Jacobs

Full review still needed. It's coming, I promise, but in the meantime, if you need help getting your health on track and are wanting to clean up your diet to be better for you, but not "go on a diet", this is a good place to start. I've worked with Sherri Jacobs for  4 years, (on and off for "tune ups" and refining things after the initial interactions) and her recommendations have made a remarkable difference in my life and health, not just in weight management, but in energy, stamina, sleep abilities, breathing, and other areas. Plus, I have yet to leave after seeing her without a smile on my face. We laugh a lot together, and work as health partners to scope out problems and plans. This book reflects many of the things we've covered in our time together, plus lots more, and puts options in your hands in clear language. Worth it.


(Available as e-book on Amazon, free if you have the Kindle Unlimited. )

Goodbye LiveJournal

This blog (and my one on dreamwidth) started when I moved my journal from live journal at the recommendation of my friend moem. Today, she posted this, which made a lot of sense to me. I really haven't been to LJ in years, and am already trying to reduce my social media interface. (For those who know me on other platforms, I still post, but you're not gonna see a lot of details from me, mostly pictures, or reminders that I'd love it, and you,  if you bought my book.)

Anyhow, here's one more picture, in fond farewell to LJ:

Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas by Brad Thomas Parsons

If it's any indication how good I thought this book was, I've been to my favorite liquor store 3 times while reading it and once since I finished. Bitters, herbals, and amaros, be they apéritif or digestif,
are my beverage of choice in the spirits world. What a lovely setting to explore recipes, lore, and information on a subject of which I am quite fond. Informative, clearly written, beautifully illustrated, and well organized, this book will be a delight to any cocktail enthusiast (except perhaps my husband, who was thinking of getting this for me for the holidays, and had to think of something else. But that was not a strike against the information in the book, more that Blogging for Books stole his thunder.)

Magic Academy Book One: The Fire Test by E.R. Ross

Sent to me by a friend, who met the author.

I'm not much of a gamer, but this book really brings the appeal to life. I can see that this would be appealing to teens both entering the fantasy/role-playing games, as well as fantasy literature. Magic, but not the obvious sorts, and a school for magicians that is decidedly un-Hogwarts. Characters are engaging, and I like that the female lead is dark-skinned, because my friend's daughter, who is decidedly non-Caucasian, used to say that fantasy depresses her because "all the chicks are white skinned and big boobed, or white skinned and athletic. I can't be a character because I'm dark and strong, but not big or athletic." She's now an amazing young woman, fighting for climate change and for LGBTQ rights at university in North Carolina. I'll tell her about this book so she can rejoice.

It's the first in a series. It would be interesting to see where the author takes it from here.

In Memoriam by Nathan Burgoine

I've been meaning to read some of this author's works since he was someone I enjoyed on the forums of BookCrossing back in the old days, and he has remained good friends with one of my dearest friends. This Kindle short read turned the "meaning to" into "I'm glad I finally did". A great premise and story line, with James, faced with a terrible diagnosis and a very short time to live, acknowledges the one regret in life he has about "the one that got away". I mean, who hasn't dreamed of the ultimate do-over? 

Good writing, plus a good plot, characterization, and pace mean I will be seeking out more of 'Nathan Burgoine's writing.

From the publisher:

With one diagnosis, editor James Daniels learns that he's literally running out of time. Looking at his life, he sees one regret: Andy, the one that got away. Andy was the first man that James ever loved, but Andy has been gone for years, and might not want to be found.

But as his cancer progresses and James starts to lose his grip on time and memory, it might just be that time and memory are losing their grip on James, too. 

It's the biggest and most important re-write of his life. Restoring love from nothing but memory might be possible, if the past isn't too far gone to fix.