Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A walk to remember

 

I have this really bad habit of reading books after watching the movie. Usually the book is better than the movie. Sometimes its the opposite and other times, its a toss up. I can't say that either version is better than the other, but I will say that I enjoyed the movie much better than the book.

The book version is pretty much a flashback for Landon, the story narrator, who tells a story from when he was a teen in the 1950s. The movie version is contemporary to the viewer, but it really does make more sense being set in the 1950s. Though, it probably doesn't matter.

Landon, a teen with a tendency to get in trouble (less trouble in the 1950s version), falls for a preacher's daughter, Jamie. Jamie warns Landon not to fall for her, which he, of course, does. Jamie than reveals her illness, which causes Landon to reconsider is life choices. The story is rather typical for Nicholas Sparks.

The story moves along much better and more believably in the movie. I admit, the book bored me and tried my patience mostly because I already knew the story. I did skim it because the story pretty well follows what I had seen on screen with a few changes in the details. The movie moved me more than the book.

Book Rating: 3 stars - read the book, or see the movie, but no need to do both.
The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Skeleton Creek

 

Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman is a young adult series that I recently picked up at the library. The main character is a teen boy, Ryan, and is written in a journal style. Ryan and his friend Sarah become curious how their town Skeleton Creek received its name. That curiosity leads to an investigation of a tragedy at the local mining operation that had been shuttered many years ago.

The story has a lot of high drama between the pages that builds and then peters out pretty quick. The twist of the series is that Ryan and Sarah communicate mostly on the Internet with Sarah sharing videos of her discoveries and Ryan recording their findings in his journal. The videos can be viewed by the reader on the Internet too which makes the books interactive.

The books were entertaining, though I did get tired of the constant build up of suspense and quick resolution. The stories in the series end in a cliff hanger guaranteeing an eventual sequel. I did read the first three books in the series, which does eventually tie up a lot of the loose ends of the story but leaves enough interest for more books. My most favorite part of the story was the description of the librarian in the first book - it made me laugh out loud.

Book Rating: 3 stars - good for young teens.

I personally select books from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.

Monday, March 05, 2012

You the smart patient

 

At some point in time, you or someone you know will spend time in a hospital. You can do things to make the stay as trouble free as possible. This book by Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen provides that guidance.

Many of the suggested ideas in the book are pretty common sense. Just as an example, keep a list of medications in your wallet or on your phone. How many times have you gone to the doctor and the doctor doesn't even know what medications you are taking? This despite it being written on your chart every time you visit. If you are taken to the emergency room, the doctor usually can't wait to verify what it is you are taking either. If you have it handy, you can give yourself a big boost.

There are many helpful suggestions like this in the book to help make you a smarter patient. Some suggestions are down right impossible for the average patient. The doctors suggest quizzing the nurses to see if a surgeon is up to snuff. I can't imagine nurses spilling the beans to anyone that asks - that could get them in trouble. Though, if you have a relationship with a clinic, that might help. Other things, like calling your doctor on the phone are also impossible. I have never been able to speak with a doctor on the phone directly - there are several gates you have to get through like a secretary or a nurse where you have to leave a message and maybe one of those overworked individuals might call you back with an answer.

Despite some silly suggestions, there are many helpful ones. The book is worth a read for anyone trying to navigate health care.

 The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.

Friday, March 02, 2012

Yoga anatomy




Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff is a part of a series of books that examine human anatomy through movement. I picked up this book because I have taken some yoga classes. I wanted to know what things to be careful about and what yoga was doing for me.

Yoga is a pretty large topic, so this book only gives a brief overview of the major poses along with detailed illustrations. Key muscles are identified in the drawings. Most poses include a section of notes with some warnings on the potential harm that can occur if the pose is done incorrectly.

The book has fabulous illustrations, which sells the books by themselves. What information that is provided was interesting and helpful. There were a few descriptions that indicate a particular muscle that was then not identified in the illustration. I found this a bit frustrating. Also, the poses are shown at their most extreme, with a few exceptions in which alternate poses are added.

For me, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how to modify the poses so that I could minimize strain on the knees or how to build up to the complete pose, for example. For that, I think other resources will have to be found. This book is a helpful addition to anyone that has an interest in yoga, but should only be considered as one part of the subject.

The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.