TSS - Sunday Shorts

A few shorter reviews for your enjoyment. =)









The Liberation Diet by Kevin Brown and Annette Presley

published 2008
240 pages

Synopsis from Amazon:

Truly life-changing, The Liberation Diet by Kevin Brown and Annette Presley shatters myths to bring a commonsense approach to eating—and living. Exposing the half-truths and outright lies taught by conventional nutritional wisdom, the program reveals why modern diets fail and shows how The Liberation Diet is the answer to America’s weight problem. With a bold and candid wit, this must-read tells it like it is with a balance of knowledge and experience to teach a clear message about diet truth and error while promoting a lifestyle of real-food nutrition coupled with simple exercise. With chapter titles such as Lipid Profiling, The Stealth Additive, Milk Matters, and The Cow and the Tiger, the co-authors brilliantly script a simple plan to lose weight and keep it off for life. With thought provoking discussions on food additives, fats, carbohydrates, calories, water, salt, and more, readers will look at how they eat, why they eat, and what they eat in a whole new way.

My thoughts:

Well, this was an interesting book. I think much of the information presented was important, but was a bit turned off by the often sensationalistic approach used by the authors. I think the idea of fewer processed food, eating food as close to the way nature made it as possible, etc. is good advice - it's the same idea as shopping only on the perimeter of the grocery store. But when I read things in the book like, "the pharmaceutical industry invented the drug Viagra for carbohydrate lovers to combat a low sex drive", it made me question a lot of their assertions. I think this book is a good idea, but wouldn't be able to recommend it based on the way that idea is presented.

Finished: 10/29/09
Source: the authors - thank you!
Rating: 4/10



Days of Blood and Fire by Katharine Kerr (Deverry series, book six)
published 1993
390 pages

Synopsis from publisher:

In the peaceful land of the Rhiddaer, Jahdo the ratcatcher's son stumbles upon a secret meeting between a city council man and a dangerous, mysterious woman. Suddenly the boy is tangled in a web of intrigue and black magic that drags him far from home. In the company of a blind bard, Jahdo must travel to Deverry to unravel the evil that binds him. But there the boy is caught up in dangers far greater than he has ever known. Two powerful sorcerers--one human, the other elven--are battling to save the country from a goddess gone mad. Their strongest ally is the mercenary soldier Rhodry Maelwaedd, a berserker bound to both women by fate and magic . . . and to the dragon upon whom all their live may depend.

My thoughts:

Yep, I still love this series, even with the introduction of (gasp!) a dragon. In this installment, Kerr takes a break from her adventures in the past lives of her characters, and offers up an entire novel set in the present life of Jill and Rhodry. While I always enjoy learning about their part, there is just something so compelling about these two characters, and I very much enjoyed staying in their lives for this entire novel. She also opens up more of her world, giving us a glimpse of the home of the dwarves, as well as two entirely new groups of people, which can only be setting the stage for more drama. This is an excellent series based on Celtic mythology, and I highly recommend it.

Finished: 11/26/09
Source: Forest Avenue Library
Rating: 8/10


Isis by Douglas Clegg
published 2009
113 pages

Synopsis from publisher:

If you lost someone you loved, what would you pay to bring them back from the dead?

Old Marsh, the gardener at Belerion Hall, warned the Villiers girl about the old ruins along the seacliffs. “Never go in, miss. Never say a prayer at its door. If you are angry, do not seek revenge by the Laughing Maiden stone, or at the threshold of the Tombs. There be those who listen for oaths and vows…. What may be said in innocence and ire becomes flesh and blood in such places.”

She was born Iris Catherine Villiers. She became Isis.

From childhood until her sixteenth year, Iris Villiers wandered the stone-hedged gardens and the steep cliffs along the coast of Cornwall near her ancestral home. Surrounded by the stern judgments of her grandfather—the Gray Minister—and the taunts of her cruel governess, Iris finds solace in her beloved older brother who has always protected her. But when a tragic accident occurs from the ledge of an open window, Iris discovers that she possesses the ability to speak to the dead...

Be careful what you wish for.

My thoughts:

This would be a perfect choice for someone participating in next years RIP challenge - this short novella packs a lot of punch. Clegg gets the atmosphere just right, and the illustrations by Glen Chadbourne are gorgeous and haunting. Apparently, this story is part of Clegg's larger Harrow House series, and has made me want to seek those novels out. I'm not usually a horror fan, but this author has won me over. Spooky and heartbreaking.

Finished: 11/29/09
Source: Forest Avenue Library
Rating: 8/10