Karen's Book Nook

I was waiting for The Kind Diet by Alicia Siverstone to come in as a new book at my library and it was worth the wait.

About the book: Explore the difference of a plant-based diet and learn how eliminating harmful foods like meat, dairy, refined sugar and overprocessed  products can have on amazing benefits for your health, your appearance, and even the planet!  By enjoying an endless variety of deeply nourishing grains, vegetables, and other delectable whole foods– including irresisibly sweet treats you can eat every single day– you’ll say good-bye to dieting forever.  Inside, Alicia Silverstone shares the secrets to her radiant beauty and slim physique and proves that a plant-based diet is the most compassionately delicious way to save (and savor) the planet and transform yourself inside and out.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book and when I got to the recipes, I was literally sighing and my mouth was watering at the photos… I immediately decided to purchase it for my own so that I can make some of them. Of course, we all have our own personal comfort level with how committed we are to any lifestyle  and I doubt if I’ll ever give up coffee but I’m treating this as a cookbook and I look forward to trying as many recipes as I can.  There is also a companion website and community over at The Kind Life.

Rating 5/5

Counts towards: Library Challenge, 100 Book Challenge

I finally finished Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

About the book: Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s revolutionary diet is not about willpower, it is about knowledge. Eat to Live offers a healthy, effective, and scientifically proven Six-Week Plan for shedding a radical amount of weight quickly. The key to the program’s success is simple: health = nutrients: calories When the ratio of nutrients to calories in the food you eat is high, fat melts away. The more nutrient-dense food you consume, the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories and the less you will crave fat and high-calorie foods. Eat to Live will help you live longer, reduce your need for medications, and improve your overall health dramatically. It is a book that will change the way you want to eat. Most of all, though, Eat to Live will enable you to lose more weight than you ever thought possible.

My thoughts: Since I’m a vegetarian and “mostly vegan” anyway, I was anxious to read this book. I love his philosophy and hope that I can incorporate what I learned into my day to day living. Giving up caffeine will be tough as will losing my taste for junk food. I don’t eat tons of it but do love chips and sweets. Eating meals will be no problem it’s the snacking that always does me in!  Although this was a library book, I likely will purchase it because I like the recipes in it and would like to pick it up when I start to waver in my eating for health lifestyle.

Rating 5/5

Counts towards: Library Challenge, 100 Book Challenge

Having a husband with Celiac’s Disease, I’m always interested in books about living a Gluten Free lifestyle. I picked up The G Free Diet by Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

About the book:  Elizabeth Hasslebeck For years Elisabeth Hasselbeck couldn’t figure out what was making her sick. She asked doctors and consulted nutritionists but no one seemed to have any answers. It wasn’t until spending time in the Australian Outback living off the land on the grueling Survivor TV show that ironically her symptoms vanished. Returning home she pinpointed the food that made her sick — gluten the binding element in wheat. By simply eliminating it from her diet she was able to enjoy a completely normal healthy life. But that wasn’t all. Hasselbeck discovered the myriad benefits that anyone can enjoy from a gluten-free diet: from weight loss and increased energy to even the alleviation of the conditions of autism. In this all-inclusive book Hasselbeck shares her hard-earned wisdom on living life without gluten and loving it. She gives you everything you need to know to start living a gluten-free life from defining gluten – where to find it how to read food labels – to targeting gluten-free products creating G-Free shopping lists sharing recipes and managing G-Free living with family and friends.
My thoughts: Since we have been living this lifestyle for quite a few years now, the information about Celiacs and food was not new to me but good just the same. For someone new into the journey, the information is useful.  I personally was interested in her story of  discovery of her disease.  Also, because the G-Free person in my home is a male, I never paid much attention to Gluten in beauty products. In fact, I never realized that some cosmetics could contain gluten and should be avoided. There is also a chapter on eating G-Free for good health even if one does not have Celiacs.

Rating 4/5

Counts towards: Library Challenge, 100 Book Challenge,

My little purse book was The Power of No: How to Keep Blowhards and Bozos at Bay by Beth Wareham.  I read snippets here and there when I had a few moments.

About the book: The terrible yes years. You know them well: You’re suckered into working late and often, unflattering haircuts and poodle perms, back-fat-exposing blouses, too small jeans, treacherous friendships, and dudes who kiss like a Saint Bernard all because you couldn’t use that one little word that one little word with so much power N-O. More here.

My thoughts:  Much of this book was irrelevant to me because I’m not in the dating scene but I did get a few laughs from it. Her  writing style is “in your face” and she didn’t beat around the bush. It was a good little book to carry around and read in sections.  Since I feel that I have a good balance of commitment and being able to say No in my life, it wasn’t a “necessary” read for me but for some folks, it may be.

Rating 3/5

Counts towards: Library Challenge, 100 Book Challenge

Purse Book:  I Can’t Accept Not Trying, by Michael Jordan, on the Pursuit of Excellence.

From the jacket: In his own inspiring words, Michael Jordan, the most extraordinary athlete of our time, shares the rules he has lived and achieved by. Underlying his enormous accomplishments are a set of simple principles that provide the foundation for his entire life…

My thoughts: This was an little inspirational read. It’s more like a “words of wisdom” tidbit book.  I literally read it in minutes.  It’s a simple and straightforward guide to what makes him tick.

Rating 3/5

Finally getting to The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle on audio. It’s nice to listen while I take my early morning and evening walks around the lake. Perfect timing before my crazy-busy life starts when I get back.

About the book: To make the journey into The Power of Now we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. From the beginning of the first chapter we move rapidly into a significantly higher altitude where one breathes a lighter air, the air of the spiritual. Although the journey is challenging, Eckhart Tolle offers simple language and a question and answer format to guide us. The words themselves are the signposts.

I also started and completed James Patterson’s The 8th Confession yesterday but for some reason, Now Reading can’t find the book.

About the book:

Someone is killing the richest people in the city—and it’s the Women’s Murder Club’s scariest investigation ever.

APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING
At the party of the year, San Francisco’s most glamorous millionaires mingle…while someone is watching—waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city’s most celebrated couple. Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment, and it’s the perfect murder.

BUT THE TRUTH CAN BE DEADLY
While Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile killings, someone else is found brutally executed—a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless. His death nearly falls through the cracks, but reporter Cindy Thomas hears about it and soon discovers the victim may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.

LET THE CONFESSIONS BEGIN
As the hunt for two criminals tests the limits of the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and Lindsay’s partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Women’s Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: Will love destroy all that four friends have built? James Patterson serves up a double dose of speed-charged twists and shocking revelations. And remember, this is the only Murder Club episode of the year.

Also Reading Today: Swimsuit by James Patterson but it won’t link with Now Reading either.

About the book:

The scariest and most satisfying James Patterson novel since Kiss the Girls

THE BEACH…
A breathtakingly beautiful supermodel disappears from a swimsuit photo shoot at the most glamorous hotel in Hawaii. Only hours after she goes missing, Kim McDaniels’s parents receive a terrifying phone call. Fearing the worst, they board the first flight to Maui and begin the hunt for their daughter.

…WILL NEVER BE…
Ex-cop Ben Hawkins, now a reporter for the L.A. Times, gets the McDaniels assignment. The ineptitude of the local police force defies belief—Ben has to start his own investigation for Kim McDaniels to have a prayer. And for Ben to have the story of his life.

…THE SAME FOR YOU AGAIN.
All the while, the killer sets the stage for his next production. His audience expects the best—and they won’t be disappointed. Swimsuit is a heart-pounding story of fear and desire, transporting you to a place where beauty and murder collide and unspeakable horrors are hidden within paradise.

I’ve had this audio book, Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing by Andrew Weil, MD on my ipod for quite some time and started listening today.

About the book: A complete course of eight breathing exercises that Dr. Andrew Weil uses in his own life, and has prescribed to hundreds of patients over the past two decades. In plain language, Dr. Weil explains the secret of breathwork’s power over our health, and its remarkable ability to influence – and even reprogram – the nervous system. A practical introduction to this crucial aspect of self healing, presented by this bestselling author and influential physician.

My new audio book is The Host by Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Series. I’m just about to start it and I’m not sure if I’ll be as hooked as I was on Twilight but we’ll see. I have lots of yard work ahead of me and audio books fit the bill.

The Host (from her website)
Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown, $25.99 (640p) ISBN 978-0-316-06804-8 In this tantalizing SF thriller, planet-hopping parasites are inserting their silvery centipede selves into human brains, curing cancer, eliminating war and turning Earth into paradise. But some people want Earth back, warts and all, especially Melanie Stryder, who refuses to surrender, even after being captured in Chicago and becoming a host for a “soul” called Wanderer. The straightforward narrative… shines with romantic intrigue.

Searching for a quick audio book at the library the title caught my eye because I’ve seen it advertised as a movie. I had no idea it was an advice book and not a novel but  I started listening to he’s just not that into you by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo yesterday while working in the yard and it’s good anyway. (Not that I’m in the market for a man… don’t think my husband would appreciate that! hehe) It should be interesting to see how they’ve turned this into a movie.

From the jacket: He’s just not that into you– based on a popular episode of Sex in the City– educates otherwise smart women on how to tell when a guy just doesn’t like them enough, so they can stop wasting time making excuses for a dead-end relationship….

Since I’m a Prevention Magazine reader and the Flat Belly Diet by Liz Vaccareillo and Cynthia Sass is one of theirs, I figured I’d check it out and see what the hype is about. I’m not really  a “diet” type but I do like to read various diet and nutrition books.

From the Jacket: Sixty-seven percent of Americans say the belly is the body part they most want to change. Health-wise, belly fat is the most important kind to lose– because it’s the most deadly. Even small amounts of excess belly fat can significantly up your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain kinds of cancers.