Monday, January 31, 2011

Eight Mules from Monterey


Eight Mules from Monterey by Patricia Beatty is a charming story about a lady librarian and her two children. A widow and recent graduate of library school is given the job to set-up rural outposts or library branches in the rural hill country of California in 1916. The journey requires travel by mule over difficult terrain. Her two children accompany her on the trip. Along the way, the family encounters interesting and sometimes dangerous individuals.

The story is charming and doesn't take much time to read. Unfortunately neither the title or cover art is particularly enticing to the modern young adult reader. I'm not sure the story will interest many either. I liked the story, although there were a few word choices that made me pause. This story is written at for a younger teen and is fairly clean compared to a lot of the trash published today.

Book Rating: 3 stars

Friday, January 28, 2011

The PCOS Diet Plan


This is part 2 of a 2 part series of books I've read on how nutrition is used to treat various health conditions.

Hillary Wright is a registered dietitian who has treated many women with PCOS, aka poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. PCOS is a hormonal disorder that is characterized by weight gain, hair growth, insulin resistance, and especially cystic ovaries. This hormonal imbalance can lead to other very series health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and infertility.

In the PCOS Diet Plan, Wright thoroughly explains the syndrome without overloading the reader with too much information. She includes the latest research, theories, and treatment plans. She discusses the psychological aspects of the syndrome. She doesn't discount medical advice. In fact, she says that while a nutritional aspect is essential to treatment, there may be plenty of justification for medication. The best approach is to work with your doctor and a nutritionist to develop the best treatment plan.

Half of the book explains the diet, which is very similar to a diet for pre-diabetics or those with insulin resistance. There is a heavy emphasis on balancing out the type of foods and when it is eaten. Honestly, the diet seemed complicated. Figuring out the carbs vs. calories along with portion sizes would be overwhelming. My sympathies for those that have insulin resistance or diabetes.

I liked this book and think it could be helpful to those that suffer with PCOS.

Book Rating: 4 stars, for a diet, self-help book.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Reversing fibromyalgia by Dr. Joe M. Elrod


This is part 1 of a 2 part series of books I've read on how nutrition is used to treat various health conditions.

Dr. Joe M. Elrod wrote Reversing Fibromyalgia back in 1997 and so it is a bit dated. Still, I wanted to learn more about fibromyalgia and how nutrition could help. Unfortunately, Dr. Elrod adds other conditions into his topic such as chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, and weight management. These may be associated condtions, but by reading the cover the reader would assume Dr. Elrod had found a miracle cure for a lot of ailments.

There are other instances in which Dr. Elrod makes statements that made me pause and wonder about his credibility. One thing I agreed with was his statement about pharmaceutical drugs. He explained that medications have serious side effects which may make a problem worse or exceed the original problem to begin with.

Unfortunately, I found the book pretty lightweight. There was not very much discussion on fibromyalgia at all. He quickly reviewed some studies which suggested possible causes for the disease and quickly claimed he had validated the cause and come up with a cure. There was little evidence to prove that was actually the case. The rest of the book was Elrod's cure, including exercise, and psychological helps.

Not to be too hard on Elrod, but his nutrition suggestions are not that unusual. Many of his suggestions can be found in other books on nutrition. He focuses on the use of some herbal supplements that he has found to help manage fibromyalgia symptoms, though he doesn't exactly explain in depth how or why. The nutritional supplement information is repeated in the book at least 2 more times. His suggestion to reduce fat laden foods and to exercise more is something we could all benefit from. I found the positive-thinking suggestion rather boring, but it may be helpful to some.

It is possible that Dr. Elrod has helped many people find relief from their symptoms. I would be hard pressed to call it a cure, but focusing on better nutrition and exercise is a good thing for every one.

Book Rating: 2 stars, there are probably better books on the topic.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Saving Ceecee Honeycutt


Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is not an overly complicated. CeeCee Honeycutt comes from a trouble home. She is all but abandoned by her philandering father and left to live with her mentally ill mother. Her mother's erratic and self-destructive behavior escalates as CeeCee gets older. At the young age of 10-11 years old, CeeCee becomes the adult in the family and takes care of her mother. That is until her mother is killed in a traffic accident.

CeeCee is left to the care of strangers. CeeCee moves to a new town with her aunt that she barely knows. She starts life over learning to love and be cared for by adults. She is allowed to be a child for the first time in her life.

I liked this story because I've known many kids who have had to be the responsible "adults" in their family. I don't know what their lives must be really like with parents who can't or won't be parents. This book speaks to those who reach out to share a kind word to these kids.

Book Rating: 3.5 stars

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Lonely Polygamist


This book came highly recommended by a member of my community. He said it was laugh out funny. The title alone implies comedy. How could a polygamist be lonely?

I should have known better. I had tried to read another novel by Brady Udall, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, and didn't read very much of it. It was just unpleasant.

The Lonely Polygamist was not much different. I read the first 5 chapters and then simply looked up and asked myself why I was wasting my time. The story is about a polygamist man who is having an affair. Mind you he has 4 wives already. His actions lead to all kinds of complications to his already complicated life. Of course, I didn't read very far into the book, so I don't know what happens. I think the reason I gave up was the author has to explore the ugly side of each character. So typical of contemporary fiction authors. I hate getting dragged through the mud - so not worth my time or peace of mind.

Book Rating: 1 star

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Peter and the Starcatchers


I admit I had all kinds of doubts about reading this book. The story is co-written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and I really didn't know how they could successfully collaborate. Peter and the Starcatchers is an adaptation of Peter Pan by J. M. Barie. I haven't read the latter, so I can't compare the two. But I did like the Barry-Pearson story.

Barry-Pearson tell the story of Peter Pan's origins and how he came to live in Neverland. In this story there are two groups - Starcatchers versus The Others who both seek the power of star stuff* that falls to earth. Peter and his friends are orphans being sent to a distant island to be used as a slaves. They get caught up in the battle between the Starcatchers and The Others. Wendy and Peter join forces to protect the star stuff from pirates and The Others. Eventually, Peter and Wendy end up in Neverland in the midst of a battle between all the groups interested in gaining control of the star stuff.

The authors successfully capture pirate dialogue and reader expectations. The star stuff did seem a bit silly but it is just as plausible as an explanation for a Peter Pan who can fly as anything. The story was a fresh retelling of the classic and a very fun read.

Book rating: 4 stars

*I have to wonder if the authors were inspired by Babylon 5 when writing this story. This quote immediately popped into my head when I was reading the book.
"Then I will tell you a great secret, Captain. Perhaps the greatest of all time. The molecules of your body are the same molecules that make up this station and the nebula outside, that burn inside the stars themselves. We are starstuff, we are the universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out. As we have both learned, sometimes the universe requires a change of perspective."
Ambassador Delenn, A Distant Star

Monday, January 17, 2011

Servant of a Dark God


I suppose if you meet an author in person and buy their book, there is a certain amount of loyalty to finish reading it. I met John Brown at a library conference and I know he frequented the same Orson Scott Card forums I had. In other words, I sort of knew him before he became a published author. In any event, I did buy Servant of a Dark God and I do read his blog. It was only fitting that I actually read it.

The fantasy genre is not really my thing and I found the first several chapters difficult to read. Fantasy authors have a tendency to introduce a lot of characters and settings very quickly with the added difficulty of weird spellings for all of their proper nouns. In other words, there is a lot to keep track of and figure out. I had the same difficulty with this book. Brown's book didn't have a lot of weird spellings on his characters. Rather he had generic names for a few characters and I had equal trouble there.

All that aside, I stuck with it and I did end up liking it. I don't know that I can do proper justice to a description of the story. Suffice to say there is good vs. evil with a bit of magic thrown in. John Brown did leave you wanting more and he does have a sequel coming out soon. I am undecided if I want to read it. Not because I had trouble reading the first one but because I have so many other things I want to read instead.

Book rating: 3.5 stars