The Paleo Cure: Eat Right for Your Genes, Body Type, and Personal Health Needs -- Prevent and Reverse Disease, Lose Weight Effortlessly, and Look and Feel Better than Ever

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I find all Chris Kresser's writings and talks very interesting (I just started to pay attention to him this last year), but I wasn't planning to buy his new book. Luckily, I was selected to receive an advance copy, and I am very glad that I got it.

First off, I am a sucker for someone with a personal inspirational story, and when I started reading the book, I learned that Chris Kresser has one. I am always impressed with someone who spends years trying to heal themselves, and winds up pursuing a career to pass on what was personally discovered to help others. Chris Kresser spent ten years beginning in his twenties trying to recover from a devastating illness that he contracted swimming in polluted sea waters. After consulting many mainstream medical specialists, as well as pursuing alternative health avenues, and finally, finally discovering a nutritional path that helped him, he then pursued studies in integrative medicine, and now has his own clinical practice.

Second, I love good writing. Chris Kresser is an excellent writer, and just seems so down-to-earth. What he says makes sense...good, common, sense. Like when he says that two patients with ulcerative colitis need two different diets - one with absolutely zero dairy and the other with fermented dairy - because one can't tolerate dairy, and the other is actually aided by eating yogurt or kefir. It is so logical that one should listen to one's own body to figure out what works best.

Third, I like people who challenge accepted ideas. When my first child was born, I was given the book How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor, and it had some ideas (like antibiotics are not a good treatment for every ear infection) that made sense, but were not accepted medical practice. I remember being yelled at by my daughter's pediatrician when I refused antibiotics one time...and now the latest medical findings corroborate my book's recommendations. Chris Kresser does the same thing with nutrition, but he also backs up his information with the latest medical findings (or lack thereof). There is plenty of conventional wisdom that is simply not accurate, or, as Chris Kresser puts it "Warning: Conventional Wisdom May Be Hazardous to Your Health." I think this book does a very good job of presenting controversial material with the scientific data needed to support his arguments. So hopefully, someone reading this book who is ready to debunk the "paleo diet" might find the information in this book compelling.

Okay, there is a lot of great information in this book, but what I was interested in testing were the recipes. I went straight to the Seven-Day Meal Plan and was sooooo happy to find seven different breakfast recipes. I am always on the lookout for variety in breakfast (especially when you eliminate stuff like pancakes and French toast) and this book has a nice variety: Baked Eggs en Cocotte Florentine-Style; Poached Eggs with Swiss Chard; Green Smoothie; Green Plantain Fritters with Sausage; Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs and Asparagus; Taro and Bacon Hash; Cauliflower-Stuffed Acorn Squash. They sound interesting and they are - quite delicious. The only reason I gave the book four-stars instead of five-stars is because I think the prep time on some of the recipes is just a bit too optimistic. Granted, I am not a quick cook, but Poached Eggs with Swiss Chard - really yummy - required five cups of chopped Swiss chard, with the stalks peeled, and a medium shallot peeled and finely chopped. The prep time was ten minutes! Heck, it takes me five minutes just to get all the ingredients out and set on the table. But I do want to emphasize that if you are a foodie, you will enjoy these recipes. I was also happy to learn that once I had mastered the incredible variety of recipes on this seven-day plan, I could go to Chris Kresser's website and access an additional three weeks of meal plans and recipes. There are even shopping lists for each week, which can simply be printed when needed - and I have a feeling I will find those incredibly handy.

This is a great reference book not just for food. I am enjoying all the lifestyle chapters - "Move Like Your Ancestors," "Sleep More Deeply," "Cultivate Pleasure and Connection," "Go Outside," "Get Serious About Play." I think a lot of people will enjoy reading this book.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

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This superlative novel explores the meaning of time, friendship, and personal fate with the use of a marvelous premise. In an ingenuous variation on reincarnation, Harry is reborn in life after life as himself. The start of each of his lives is identical to the his first. Innocent of this fact as an infant, Harry grows into his realization year by year until, at the age of seven, he is fully aware of his prior lives. In his second life, he becomes mad and kills himself in despair. But as the cycle continues, he adjust more and more to his fate. He grows to understand how to use his knowledge from the previous life to allow him leisure to explore the possibilities in his life.

The premise is used to perfection by this mystery author who has used this pseudonym. The thought of encountering past failed loves and challenges to infinity is definitely daunting. Harry learns he is an Ouroboran, one of a community of people around the world born into this condition. Many belong to the Cronos Club who endeavor to save young members the tedium of having to live the hostage fate of adolescence without power to affect their own lives. In addition, the issue arises as to how much to effect their worlds. Here we encounter the problem of time travel, how much dare you change the world without fatal intrusion?

Much of this book concerns his efforts to enrich the fate he has been dealt. He is part of the minority who remembers everything. Knowing he will be reborn, he takes risks for knowledge, and well, for thrills. He learns fine arts, military process, the span of his years from different perspectives. He falls in love and is able to consider a future reenactment. The possibilities immediately enmesh the reader .

Another central premise is that of quantum theory. "Between us and the events unfolding of the future, there is an almost infinite range of possibilities and permutations." If each change causes a separate world with new outcomes to be created, why take action? This belief leads many of his peers to a sort of malaise. Harry has tried to stop a serial killer. He has pondered changing the events leading to war, but he is not convinced of the his efficacy or his wisdom. In his eleventh life, a voice conveyed through the ages comes to him that the world will end and it is he who must prevent it.

These string of events could easily become a muck of confusion with a less skilled writer. Claire North, however has written the deeply complex with clear narrative and literary references. The reader is always able to follow the paradoxes inherent in this book. I find the layers of meaning to be breathtaking in their revelations. Her prose is wry and lucid. It has provoked me in thought long after the last page, and that is my highest praise.
Additional Questions

The Last Policeman: A Novel (Last Policeman Trilogy)

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Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?)


In six months, the scientists announce, an asteroid is going to hit the earth and end life as we know it. That's the premise for this clever, enthralling novel.

Knowing that death will arrive in six months has lots of people simply walking off their jobs. Heading out to enjoy whatever hours remain or fulfill a Bucket List of places to see.

Not Palace, however, the main character, who has always wanted to be a police detective and now has his chance.

Concord, New Hampshire has become a 'hanger town". People who chose suicide rather than endure what may be a horrific death after the asteroid hits. One of these hangers is Peter Zell, who apparently commits suicide at McDonald's.

But Palace refuses to accept Zell's death as yet another suicide. Instead, he starts investigating. Zell, it turns out, seems to have been a rather likable fellow, a quiet nerd who worked for an insurance company, alphabetized his cereal and had few friends.

Everyone, including the medical examiner, agrees that Zell is a suicide. The fact is: no one else seems to care. About anything much, in fact, now that the end is so near.

What really draws you into the book is the way the author spins out the background of what happens when everyone knows death will come in six months. For example, the government has frozen the prices for restaurants. So why would anyone bother to show up and make the food and serve it? The $1,000 tips.

People respond to the looming catastrophe by "doing all sorts of things, for motives that can be difficult or impossible to divine clearly. In recent months the world has seen episodes of cannibalism, of ecstatic orgies; outpourings of charity and good works; attempted socialist revolutions and attempted religious revolutions; mass psychoses ...People are building rocket ships, people are building tree houses, people are taking multiple wives, people are shooting indiscriminately" (pp 114-5) in public places.

In a world that is soon to end, in a world in which there seems no real point to anything anymore, why should Palace take what time he has left to try and find out what happened Zell?

The facts lead Palace to the reason for Zell's death. Also there is a second mystery involving a relative of Palace's, one that might spin out through the next book in this series.

This is a clever mystery, with a satisfying conclusion. Best of all, it appears to be the first in a trilogy.

Cold City: A Repairman Jack Novel

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"Cold City" is the first of 3 'prequels' to the RJ series that will fill in the gaps between the teen-aged Jack described in the "Secret History" YA trilogy (published concomitantly with the last few RJ novels), and the fully formed Repairman Jack who we first meet in "The Tomb" (originally published in 1984).

FPW consistently avowed throughout the late 2000s that he was not going to beat Jack to death by writing an unlimited number of RJ novels and that he was going to end the critically and, no doubt, financially successful series after (what turned out to be) 15 novels, merging it the Adversary Cycle ending with Nightworld. FPW was adamant that there would be no more "Secret History of the World" novels set after the end of the (wonderfully revised in 2012) Nightworld.

But fans (and no doubt his publishers) clamored for more, and so FPW acceded to the demand, while still keeping his promise that there would be nothing more of the "Secret History of the World" after Nightworld, by pledging to write a trilogy that will show us Jack's "missing" years. In Cold City we are intoduced to a 21 year old Jack, new to NYC, basically friendless, on his own, and off the grid. We see his first encounters with stalwarts-to-be Julio (he actually can speak perfect, unaccented English), Abe (he apparently always had a thing for Entennmann's and a weight problem) and some perhaps unexpected others. Jack has his first experience with personal firearms, and is involved in some serious violence along the way as he becomes a cigarette smuggler, narrowly misses the assassination of Meyer Kahane, and tangles with Muslim jihadist sex slavers and the Mafia, which are all somehow related. What fun!

Jack is preternaturally bright and resourceful for a 21 year old from a hick town in New Jersey, and manages to get himself into and out of some pretty hairy situations. As a 21 year old, Jack seems a little less able to handle rough situations without resorting to extreme mayhem than when he is fully grown, but this simply adds to the realism of the development of character that long-time fans know will come to eschew violence for more subtle fixes except when absolutely necessary as an adult.

There is almost none of the Adversary/Otherness cosmic drama here, although some of the baddies are members of the Septimus Order and their goal of promoting chaos is mentioned several times, and there are a few brief references to "the One", but no further description or context for the the latter is given. There is some horrific human violence, much of it perpetrated by Jack entering one of his "black fogs" of anger that will become better explained in later novels. But mostly this is just great, FPW writing, filling us in on the parts of the early Jack that we will come to love and be addicted to in later novels. My hat is off to FPW, for another splendid RJ adventure that is certain to become a best-seller for already addicted RJ fans. I should add that this also a great place to start, probably the very best, even if you have never read any of the subsequent novels, and especially if you are a fan of good versus evil, moral ambiguity, guns, libertarian philosophy, and fat old Jewish gunsellers with a penchant for bagels and lox and Entennmann's pastry.

Very Highly Recommended.

J.M. Tepper

Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

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I have been moving toward a full paleo eating style for the past year and a half and I literally own every "paleo" cookbook available on Amazon. I wish I had this cookbook when I was just getting started. It is the very best of my whole collection -- and that is saying something because I really enjoy a couple of the others. Well Fed is absolutely chock full of deliciousness. Every recipe WORKS. It turns out as described and wows my family. I am doing a "cookup" right now to stock my fridge and pantry for a week of healthy eating -- something I originally learned from John Berardi over at [...] -- and the ideas in this book are going to take my weekend cooking ritual to an even higher level of healthiness and diversity.

I have never before cooked every recipe in a cookbook. I am committing that I will be making every single recipe in this book before the end of 2012. Yes - it is that good. In fact, I have never reviewed any of the many books I have purchased from Amazon, but this author deserves a shout out. Her writing style is authentic and engaging, and the information she shares is fresh and useful (did I mention fun and edgy as well?). I will be buying multiple copies today so I can gift them to some very lucky people. Thank you for your hard work in putting this lovely book together, Melissa Joulwan. You are a kitchen goddess.

Sand Omnibus

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Sand has a very different feel to Wool. It's a much grittier (sorry!) affair in many ways reversing the dynamic. We now have an open environment and a totally disorganised and essentially lawless society where characters fend for themselves, one dusty day at a time. It has a much more adult feel dealing with sexual themes and gory comeuppances and is littered with more swear words than a Tourettes convention but this fits perfectly with the world Howey has once again expertly built and while it may not be as intricate and detailed a world as that of the Silos it certainly feels much more grounded in reality for some reason. Not too much is explained about the technology, giving it an almost steampunk feel, we just know it looks cool and it works but we don't really need to know how.

The beauty of Sand however is in the writing. There is a true emotion throughout as we see a disengaged family struggle to reunite only to risk being torn apart again by the forces working against them. The characters are subtly introduced and expertly enhanced at key points, not only building on their personalities and history but also keeping the plot flowing steadily. The vivid, contrasting imagery can shift from beauty to ugliness in an instant and back again seamlessly and there are some moments of - and I do not say this lightly- sheer brilliance in Howey's prose and for all it's rough and tumble, Sand has some well-placed and genuinely tender moments which at times can cleverly disarm the reader temporarily, leaving them totally unprepared for the next fiendish plot twist.

But fear not, this ain't no sandy Seventh Heaven. Sand is a highly-charged, action-filled, thrill-a-minute, ass-kicking, jawbreaking blockbuster and makes no apologies for it. The panic and claustrophobia of the dives is portrayed perfectly and the tension is retained every single time a character dives into the unforgiving sand even if just for a moment, knowing the slightest error of judgement means instant death. This savage world leaves no prisoners and Danger brashly loiters around every dune and street corner. It's a world where it's much easier to look away than help and sadly this is already starting to mirror today's society, but as our characters prove, the most exceptional of circumstances can yield the most unexpected response from some people.

If there was ever any doubt about Hugh Howey's longevity as a writer, Sand is proof that there can be none. Consistency is hard enough for a writer to achieve, constant and sustained improvement is another thing entirely.

Now I know it's only January, but I think I've already found my Book of 2014.

Slaughterhouse-Five

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Slaughter House Five deserves its reputation of being a piece of great American literature. The book follows a young man, Billy Pilgrim through his life. Billy believes aliens, tralfamadorians to be exact, have abducted him. We assume that it's through these aliens that he learns to time travel, a skill he frequently uses. In the book Pilgrim bounces around time to all the various portions of his life, many times returning to World War II where he was captured, taken prisoner, and held in slaughterhouse five in Dresden, Germany. He seems to be defined by this moment in his life as he frequently returns there. If you know anything about Vonnegut, you know that he too was held in Dresden, Germany when the city was firebombed. This is the major setup for this antiwar novel as Dresden was home to over 100,000 persons while at the same time Dresden didn't have any industry lending itself to the war effort. Obviously you wander, "Then why was this city bombed? What advantage came from killing well over 100,000 thousand civilians?"
One of the major themes of the book is fate. The prayer of serenity appears twice in the book stating that we need to change the things we can and be wise enough to know which things we cannot change. Also the Tralfamadorians speak of fate. They say they know how the universe is going to end, but they do nothing to stop it. Vonnegut seems to say that yes, war is one of those things we cannot avoid, but we need to change the things we can about it, like the atrocious bombing of Dresden.
Overall, the book's message is clear, and Vonnegut delivers his message in a very accessible way. The story of Billy Pilgrim is enjoyable to read, and contains more than dry philosophy that some antiwar novels are filled with.

The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat

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I'm a big supporter of the Paleo diet concept and the idea that we need to eat the traditional foods our genes need to be healthy.

This book claims to be the last word in explaining what our ancestors ate, and to not be just another book full of fads, but it is seriously flawed. The author seems to be trying to merge information on what the caveman diet consisted of with as many modern food fads as possible. He is particularly ignorant about healthy fats and oils.

The book is also not very convincing in the way it explains the scientific basis for the Paleo diet.

I disagree with the authors very-low salt stance and would advise them to read about unrefined sea salt and the work of Dr Brownstein on the many myths about salt and low-salt diet scaremongering, and the cholesterol scaremongering as well. The author has also been grossly misinformed about saturated fats. You should probably ignore what the author says about fats and oils in this book, as most of it is just plain wrong.

Liquid vegetable oils did not exist in paleolithic times and cooking with flax oil is very unhealthy! Saturated fats are also an important part of a healthy diet, and eating eggs does NOT raise your cholesterol levels. The 'very high' cholesterol levels mentioned in the book of 208 are also not high at all, and well within the healthy range of 200 - 240 according to lipid expert Mary Enig PhD.

The healthiest oils to cook with are ghee (unless you're 100% dairy free), lard, tallow, coconut and palm oils and olive oil. Oils should never be heated to very high temperatures such as in deep frying. These are the traditional fats to cook with, not flax oil!

The book is also very inconsistent and vague when it comes to talking about supplements. The recommendation given for vitamin C is very low and only the alpha tocopherol form of vitamin E is recommended rather than a supplement containing all 8 forms. Vitamin C is a genuine exception to the 'too good to be true' rule. Vitamin C is the way nature designed us to deal with stress and disease, as can be seen when we look at animals that still produce their own vitamin C in their livers. Vitamin C helps diseases of all varieties as well as all oxidative stress and is one of the safest substances you can ingest, even at very high doses. It is also not a good idea to take only a few supplements in larger doses as this creates imbalances, and a general basic supplementation regime is a much healthier option.

The book also claims 'protein can't be overeaten' which is just not true as excessive protein intake stresses the liver. When fat intake is more reasonable one would probably not overeat protein, but with a lower fat intake this could easily happen surely - you have to eat something. Far healthier than a very high protein eating plan is a high fat, moderate protein and low carb eating plan as described in the books on traditional eating listed below. Our ancestors ate a lot of fat and a lot of it was saturated. Saturated fat offers many benefits to the body.

The author is also wrong about the 'calories in, calories out' theory of weight loss. As the book 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' by Gary Taubes explains:

1. The 'calories in, calories out' mantra is a myth

2. 'A calorie is a calorie is a calorie' is a myth

3. The 'just eat less and do more exercise to lose weight' message seems to be logical but is actually wrong and unhelpful

4. Overweight and obese people often eat no more calories, or even less, than their thinner counterparts

5. Low calorie diets also reduce the amount of nutrients in the diet

6. Dietary fat, including saturated fat, is not a cause of obesity. Refined and easily digestible carbs causing high insulin levels cause obesity.

The book 'Know Your Fats' by lipid expert Mary Enig PhD explains the facts about fats and oils and why the saturated fat = heart disease hypothesis is wrong. See also books such as Ignore the awkward! How the cholesterol myths are kept alive.

The book 'The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health and boundless energy (Primal Blueprint Series) is a far better book on the Paleolithic diet. Even better is Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life - this is a real 5 star health and diet book.

The book 'Deep Nutrition' offers a far more well researched and credible discussion of traditional foods and how they affect our genes. This book provides a wealth of fascinating and compelling information that is not available for free online. This book and 'Know Your Fats' and 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' are essential reading.

The Paleo approach generally is very solid, but not as it is interpreted in this book. This book contains an okay quality 3 star version of the diet - far better than the standard diet full of refined foods and grains but missing out lots of good information as well. This is not the last word on diet, but a book which is quite faddish in its approach overall.

Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E. (HFME) and Health, Healing & Hummingbirds (HHH)

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

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This book explains in clear terms the role exercise plays in our mental processes. Moving our muscles produces proteins that play roles in our highest thought processes. Ratey says, "thinking is the internalization of movement." He illustrates this with the story of the sea squirt that hatches with a rudimentary spinal cord and 300 brain cells. It has only hours to find a spot of coral on which to put down roots or die. When it does put down roots, it eats its brain. According to Ratey only a moving animal needs a brain.

He begins with the value exercise has for the learning process in high school students: improved academic performance, alertness, attention and motivation.

He cites studies that say we can alter our mental states by physically moving. He said depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. He then presents a chapter where depression is relieved in case studies by exercise.

Among the areas Ratey covers are: stress, depression, ADD, and aging. This book is a great motivator for exercise.

However, Ratey's work was preceded by Glenn Doman's. Doman advocated exercise for brain injured children in the 1950s when the only 'treatment' was to institutionalize them. He later started a `super babies' program. Both the educational and medical establishments attacked and marginalized Doman's work.

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume

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While the price of this book is steep, this is easily the best version of this book in print. The gilded pages and high-quality leather look, smell and feel wonderful. This is not the questionable quality leather used on previous versions, this is the real deal. More importantly, this version has, as J.R.R. recorded in letters, reproductions of the Book of Marzubul. These are the pages from the Dwarven book found in the Mines of Moria by Gandalf and the Fellowship. In the begining and ending of the book are also included maps that fold out to render Middle-earth for the reader, again as the author originally wanted.

This is the book that Tolkien dreamed of having published but couldn't due to the realities of post-WWII publishing costs and questions about a 400,000 word publication.

For me, there is an emtoional response to this book for two reasons. One, it is as fine or better than the book the author originally wished to have published and two, it is a beautiful piece of art all on its own, suitable for display. If you love books or love Tolkien or both, this is a must have and the centerpiece of any worthy collection.

(Some are commenting that the book isn't actually leather. Be sure to check your version as there are others available, but the information provided to me stated my copy was leather and if it is fake, it fooled me.)

First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2015 (First Aid USMLE)

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After going through the entire book, I can say three things about it: pictures, organization, and clarification. That said, the "content" area is not much any different than the 2014 edition. There are, however, few new drugs and pathologies added in subsequent organ systems (reason I bought it). This edition is all about new, colorful pictures and images in the neurology section on the eye are just too good. There is also particular material that was taken off in 2014 and now added in 2015 (i.e. Lac operon in biochemistry). I feel like the overall clarity, and the way this book is organized in terms of relating one page to another is done quite nicely in this edition.

So should you buy the 2015 FA if you already have 2014?

Well, that depends on when you are planning to take your test. If you are planning on taking it within a month, have a lot of notes in the 2014 edition, or just don't feel like spending another 50 bucks or so then you should stick with 2014. If your exam is a couple of months away as in the summer of 2015, then I think you should get this edition and start making notes in it. So bottom line is that if you have 2014 and if you want to get the 2015 edition for new content solely then don't, stick with 2014 because the content overall is the same. I gave this took a 5 star because it has everything 2014 had (all errors fixed) and the additional few drugs/path info that are passed from past test takers (which is what we want right!!).

One con about the new 2015, at least for me right now is that the pages are very cheaply done again (why don't they get the pages like Goljan path??). I made few lines using a Pilot G-2 pen, and I could see the lines on the other side so you might not want to use a heavily inked pen. Also, the book I have, some of the texts in the tables are a bit blurry or out of focus (this may be just in my book) so watch out for that.

The Winter Sea

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First Sentence: It wasn't chance.

Bestselling author Carrie McClelland comes from France, where she is working on a book related to the 1708 attempted return of James Stewart to regain his throne. On the way to the christening of her friend and agent's baby, she takes a side road and is drawn to Slains Castle.

Deciding to move from France to Scotland, she rents a cottage near Slains and finds her connection to the old castle is closer even than her ancestor who once lived there.

This is not a gothic, time travel or a torrid romance. It is a flawlessly crafted novel set in two time periods with a romantic relationship in each. From the first page, I was immersed in the story. Kearsley's sense of place is evocative; I was with the characters in sight, sound and even smell.

Her characters became real to me. In the present day, Carrie is a wonderful protagonist; smart and independent, as is Sophie in the past. Surrounded by a strong group of supporting characters, I felt I could sit down and have a chat with any of them. The plot is so well done and flows beautifully between the two time periods.

Kearsley is an excellent writer. There is a lot of factual information in the story, but it is incorporated as part of the story and through dialogue; thus never taking you out of the story or causing you to question her facts. After the end of the story, she very clear about what liberties she did take, and those were few. The explanation used for the link from the present to the past was fascinating and one with which I was unfamiliar.

At the same time, there was nothing dry about this book; I did laugh, I did cry, at times, my heart beat a bit faster from suspense and romance and I absolutely loved the endings. Not normally one to do comparisons but I believe fans of Diana Gabaldon, and Mary Stewart, and others, would enjoy this book; not to mention Ms. Kearsley's existing fans. I wish her books were more frequent but, for another of Ms. Kearsley's books, I'm willing to wait.

Wastelands

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What is in a name? A title? Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse suggests that the anthology will cover stories directly dealing with various versions of the apocalypse, the end of the world. That is not quite what this Wastelands anthology is about, though. The original title Wastelands: Stories of Life After Apocalypse was a bit more apt in describing the content of this anthology. The stories collected here by editor John Joseph Adams are not about the apocalypse, but rather about life after apocalypse. The wastelands made of our world is not the primary point of any individual story, but rather the survival of the species told in small human stories. In that sense the majority of the stories here are filled with beauty and not just the desolation of the landscape.

What is most remarkable about Wastelands is just how varied stories about living after the destruction of civilization is. Take Octavia E. Butler's Hugo Award winning "Speech Sounds", a story where humanity has lost the power of speech and must find other ways to communicate and society has broken down. Telling the story from the perspective of a woman named Rye, Octavia Butler is able to really give the reader a sense of the terror a woman may feel in such a situation and the emptiness of that life, of the snap anger and body language required to get by, and the barest hint of hope. "Speech Sounds" has been anthologized before, but is a truly outstanding story.

The range of stories collected in Wastelands runs the gamut from "Bread and Bombs" by M. Rickert, a post 9/11 story with kids feeling the fear of their parents, to the future history of "Dark, Dark Are the Tunnels" by George R. R. Martin, a post nuclear holocaust story with the remants of humanity living deep under ground, or Paolo Bacigalupi's "The People of Sand and Slag" where humanity is barely recognizable and a dog reminds the survivors of what life must have been like before, and filled with sadness of the setting and situation. Bacigalupi's story is especially surprising to me because of how negatively I reacted to his story "Yellow Card Man", but "The People of Sand and Slag" is a heartbreaking, beautiful, and painful story.

Other standout stories in Wastelands include Cory Doctorow's "When Sysadmins Ruled the World", "Artie's Angels" by Catherine Wells, and most surprisingly, the anti-Rapture and anti-religion "Judgment Passed" by Jerry Oltion. A spacecrew who were away from Earth return to find that Christ had returned and the Rapture occurred. I had expected that Oltion's anti-Rapture theme would overwhelm the story, but Oltion was very thoughtful and the way he had the characters respond seemed reasonable and plausible.

There are stories in the Wastelands anthology which did not quite work. Gene Wolfe's "Mute" is about as inscrutable as one would expect and despite Neil Gaiman's insistence on Wolfe improving with re-reading, "Mute" fails to connect. "Still Life With Apocalypse" and "Episode Seven" both did not seem to tell a coherent story.

"Episode Seven" is notable because John Langan was inspired to write the story in response, partly, by Dave Bailey's "The End of the World As We Know It", a very different story of "post-apocalyptic" fiction. In this story the survivor has a passive response to the end of the world, drowning it in alcohol rather than fighting actively for survival. Outstanding story, one of the best in the anthology.

Also notable are Elizabeth Bear's driven "And the Deep Blue Sea" and Neal Barrett Jr's "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus".

The bottom line is that collectively the stories John Joseph Adams has put together here in Wastelands shows off the range of the post-apocalyptic sub-genre of fiction. Wastelands is an excellent anthology of short fiction and one that would easily fit on any collector's shelves. There are far more standout stories than there are misses, and even that is subjective.

Post-Apocalyptic fiction is a favorite sub-genre of mine, and getting the chance to see just how wide ranging the genre can be is a treat. As a bonus, Adams includes a bibliography at the end of the anthology of other prominent post-apocalyptic novels and short stories.

Reading copy provided courtesy of Night Shade Books.

#6 Chosen by the Vampire Kings: BBW Romance (Part 6: New Moon)

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I am part of the author’s ARC team so I was given this installment free for an honest review. I would have bought the book regardless and the price is only $0.99.
I fell in love with Charlene Hartnady’s writing after reader her Chosen by the Vampire Kings series. Since then, I am in the process of gobbling up her Demon Chaser Series. Chosen by the Vampire Kings is so entertaining, deep with emotion and just a hint of humor. Brant and Zane protect and love Tanya -- in their own way -- and shield her from all that would do her harm. These guys are so totally Alpha. I hope to see these characters appear in the authors other stories so we can see how they are doing. Hint….Hint.....
If you love paranormal romance with an urban fantasy feel, you should definitely check out the series Chosen by the Vampire Kings. The series is rife with all kinds of paranormal creatures that will get you hot and each one brings a wonderful dimension to the series that cannot be missed. The motivations of the characters change from book to book and I love it! Each book introduces characters that show you their stories and have you on edge waiting to see where the author will lead you next. Case and point, the author has already set the stage for Stephanie’s story in Stolen by the Alpha Wolf. I can’t wait to read this installment because Stephanie captured my heart in Chosen by the Vampire Kings like so many of the author’s characters. BTW – I am not one to give spoilers so know I really feel you will enjoy this author’s stories and will become a fan.

Outlander: A Novel (Outlander, Book 1)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR HEART TO A BOOK? Well, look no further. Diana Gabaldon has created the ultimate escape in Outlander. Don't let the 850 pages dissuade you. It's the fastest read you'll ever have.

The epic tale begins when Claire Randall, a young combat nurse in World War II, moves to Scotland with her beloved husband to reignite their marriage interrupted by the war. Hiking one day, Claire accidentally passes through the stones of an ancient stone circle and wakes up to find herself in 18th century Scotland. Lost, alone, and confused (yet determined), Claire's path crosses, and is inextricably linked to, a young Highland warrior... James Fraser. (The kind of man women want, and men want to BE.) The story that ensues would make Shakespeare proud-- danger, suspense, passion, betrayal, true love and tragedy. Gabaldon is a master storyteller. She shrouds her fantasy in just enough reality as to completely seduce her readers.

The time travel element as well as the romance, while unconventional for a "serious" historical novel, are handled brilliantly by Gabaldon. That said, this book is not for the faint of heart as the author tackles themes of a violent and sexual nature. However, the story is so realistic and beautifully told that it doesn't come off as a ploy to shock readers. Well-crafted and meticulously researched, Outlander is historical fiction at its finest... and so much fun! The hero and heroine come alive. You'll find yourself living and breathing in their world, anxiously devouring each chapter.

WARNING: have the next three books in the series handy. Once you turn the last page of Outlander, you won't want to return to the 21st century. I couldn't get to the bookstore fast enough. And, Gabaldon does not disappoint...

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I just want to put to rest some of the previous concerns about this being an outdated issue. I'm a doctoral student, so having the latest version of this manual is paramount to the success of my program. That being said, I researched whether or not I should purchase this manual from Amazon, and almost didn't given some of the past negative reviews. I went with my instincts, however, trusting that a major retailer like Amazon would always offer the latest printing of a given text.

Needless to say, I was right in doing so.

I ordered this book February 27, 2012, and according to the inside of my copy, this is the fifth printing (January 2011) of this book. Rest assured that if you order from Amazon, you're getting the latest copy of a terrific resource and at the best price available.

Book: five stars...a terrific resource for anyone writing in the APA style.
Amazon experience: five stars...don't worry guys, you're getting the most recent version.

I hope I have helped alleviate some of the concerns posted here. While getting the proper version of this book might've been a problem in the past, it is no longer an issue.

The Handmaid's Tale

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I have read "The Handmaid's Tale" a number of times, both in English original and in Croatian translation (a pretty good one). First time I read it, it was because I have found it in a library of a Women's Study Centre in Zagreb, Croatia, so I expected it to be "feminist literature", and was therefore a bit cautious about it, thinking it would be some kind of pamphlet for women's liberation. Of course, I did not know anything about Margaret Atwood back then. First thing this book taught me is that M. Atwood is, above all, a great author, and that "The Handmaid's Tale" is a piece of plain good literature.
The somewhat circular narrative centres around and is being told from the perspective of Offred, a woman living in Republic of Gilead, the dystopian, future theocracy established on the teritory of today's United States of America. Gilead's government is organized by a group of very specific religious fanatics, basing their theology on a couple of chapters from the Old Testament, specifically the story about Sarah, Abraham's wife, who could not bear children, and therefore had given Abraham her handmaid, Hagar, to concieve children with her. Also written in that chapter is God's command to Hagar to completely submit to her mistress, and Abraham's observation that Sarah is to do whatever she pleases with her handmaid.
That is the point from which the treatment of handmaids is derived in the Republic of Gilead. As the increasingly polluted land caused infertility withing majority of women, the fertile ones, especially those who have been either married to divorced men (theocracy of Gilead does not recognize divorce), or single, but not virgins, are taken as "handmaids" to be awarded to high ranking families without children.
Offred has been given to the family of The Commander, one of the highest ranking officials of Gilead, married to Serena Joy, a bitter and slightly desillusioned fanatic. Her narrative focuses on describing daily routines in their household, her experiences and her memories of a past, normal life, with a husband and a daughter.
Apart from political description of Gilead's ideology (which is given masterfully, without unneccessary and boring descriptions, yet with frightening details), the main value of this book lies in Offred's introspection. She is a person completely determined by her biological function as a woman and a child-bearer, completely deprived of any other individual merrits or rights. The way Offred deals with that is beautifully portrayed; sometimes in a flow that resembles free-association ("It's strange now, to think about having a job. Job. It's a funny word. It's a job for a man. Do a jobbie, they'd say to children, when they were being toilet-trained. Or of dogs: he did a job on the carpet...The Book of Job."), sometimes completely ripped-off of any emotions, yet almost physically hurtful with recognition and fear of it possibly coming true.
Granted, Margaret Atwood did write about a woman deprived of her rights in a male-dominated world here, but I don't believe it is a feminist pamphlet. It's a book about human condition, as any other good book; talking about what people are capable of doing, good or bad.
Another note. This, of course, is a speculative fiction, a dystopian one, like Huxley's "Brave New World" or Orwell's "1984". However, I have heard many people say that this one is the least probable one in terms of ever becoming a reality, and therefore fruitless in its message. To these people, I would recommend reading some news from Afghanistan, since Talibans took over.