Review:

I really like this. The story is cute and the illustrations add much to it. This is a story of compromise and sharing. We have an elephant under his umbrella in a rainy day. He meets many animals who all claim that his umbrella is theirs only to them it is not an umbrella. It is a boat, a flying machine, and more. Though the elephant disagrees he lets them escape the rain and stand under his umbrella. 

 

 

 

Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1472648/post

Drug Dealer, MD

Review:

I am going to start this review by offering some personal information. I am a recovering opiate addict with between six and seven years of sobriety. My own addiction started with a prescription for methadone forme a doctor who said, "Don't worry, it's not addictive." About a year later I found out I was pregnant and stopped taking them. My legs crawled, I had tremors, threw up everything that went in my stomach... I felt like I was dying. I went to the E.R. and the doctor told me it was food poisoning. After the hospital I went to fill a prescription for stomach medication. On the table was a pamphlet for addiction. On the cover was a picture of the same methadone I had been prescribed. That's how I figured out I was addicted to opiate pain killers. 

 

In this book the author explains how both doctors and patients have both contributed to the opiate addiction epidemic. This doesn't point fingers to cast blame, it conveys the circumstances that lead to what is now happening. There are also section that tell the stories of people who have lived as an addict. I found the information in this to be accurate to what I was already aware.of, and also learned some new things. It is impressive when I I learn something new about addiction, I have read and absorbed a lot of information concerning the topic. I am impressed with the way the author made sure to be respectful in the way she worded the content.

 

This is a good read for anyone. I seek people all the time making uneducated comments and forming opinions based on either bad information or stereotyping. I don't blame my addiction on anyone, but had certain contributing factors been removed, I am fairly positive that my life would have been different. It is nice to see things that I have thought and voiced in the past be supported and backed up.

 

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1472608/drug-dealer-md

Mindfulness

This is really nice. I love the matte finish pale blue cover. The light colored flowers on the front are a light silver that at times looks white and is reflective. Each page has a quote and most have a writing prompt. There is almost two pages worth of room to write your thoughts. There is a spot for the title and date of each entry.

 

Example:

 

"Restore your attention, or bring it to a new level, by dramatically slowing down whatever you're doing."

 

-Sharon Salzberg Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation

 

Try it! Pick an everyday activity (washing dishes, folding laundry, making coffee, etc.) and slow it down, paying attention to the physical details of the experience. What did you notice? What felt different? What happened in your mind?

 

I have really enjoyed writing in this. I haven't followed the order in which they are placed in the book, instead I pick the one I want to write about. Just taking the time to put your thoughts about whatever the prompt is helps your really take your mind off of things and decompress. When I finish I feel so much more at peace and not about to lose my mind. 

 

Before this I never even thought about using something like this, and never actually thought it would help with anxiety. From here on out I will continue to use this on days where I feel I need some time to disconnect myself from whatever life has thrown at me.

 

About the Author:

 

Catherine Price is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Slate, Salon, Men's Journal, Mother Jones, The Oprah Magazine, and Parade, among others. Her other books include VITAMANIA: How Vitamins Revolutionized The Way We Think About Food, a parody travel guide called 101 Places Not To See Before You Die, The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook: A Year in the Life of a Restaurant, and the bestselling Gratitude, A Journal.

 

Amazon US

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this in exchange for an honest review through Blogging for Books.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1469002/mindfulness

Dragonmark

Review:

I never thought I would rate one of Kenyon's books below three stars. While this wasn't horrible, it just wasn't what I expect from her. 

 

In all, or most, of the dark hunter books there has been great character development. I really felt as if the characters could have been real living people. Not this one. There was a lack of passion, personality, and individuality that this author normally aces in every book. The humor that these characters normally have was missing too.

 

The world that these books are set in is extremely complex. Kenyon normally conveys it in a way where it is expanding not just dumped all at once. There is a lot of world dumping in this. Some of it is told through dialogue, and not in a good way. It felt at times like the characters were reading from textbook or something. Does that make sense?

 

Parts of this confused me. There were characters that I either don't remember, or maybe new to the stories. 

 

I feel this was wrote to expand the amount of characters and create a way for this series to continue to grow. After as many books that there is, mid twenties I think, Kenyon is running out of ways for the stories to grow. I fear that the world I have grown to love is starting to take become something else. Hopefully there is good to come, but it will amaze me if it does. I miss the old dark hunters that patrolled the streets of New Orleans. The ones who fought the bad vampires. 

 

If you read this series I think this book is a crucial book that must be read in order to continue what is to come. Just be prepared to be confused. If I didn't see the cover, I would probably think this was fanfic. If this is a new series, this is not a good book to start with. Go to the beginning.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1466771/dragonmark

Reading progress update: I've read 10%.

How do people stop using substances once they have become addicted to them? The neuroscientist Roy Wise, who studies addiction in animals, says that the only way an addicted animal will stop using drugs is if the drug is no longer available, the animal is too physically exhausted to administer the drug, or the animal dies. 17 Humans are clearly different from animals, and complex psychological, social, and spiritual factors play a role in the decision to initiate as well as to stop using substances.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1465690/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-10

Reading progress update: I've read 5%.

Then this...

 

By 2010, for the first time in history, unintentional drug poisonings represented the leading cause of injury death in the United States, exceeding deaths due to motor vehicle accidents.

 

 

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1465688/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-5

Reading progress update: I've read 5%.

Prescribers wrote enough opioid painkiller prescriptions in 2012 to medicate every American adult around the clock for a month.

 

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1465675/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-5

Where the Wild Things Bite

Review:

I had fun reading this. Molly Harper's humorous paranormal romance are some of my favorite "comfort" reads. This one had the humor I expect, steamy romance, crazy vamps, funky shifters, and quirky humans. 

 

In this we have Anna and Finn. Finn is a shady con man, Anna works with old books about paranormal. She and Finn are on a plane that doesn't make it to its destination. They end trekking through a forest while being chased by a few normal people and some not so normal people. Anna is a germaphobe, so the setting isn't ideal for her. She is nervous about Finn putting her on the menu. Finn is fascinated by Anna.

 

Recommended to anyone who has followed this series. If you are a newbie to these books it may be better to start from the beginning, but I believe that this could be okay as a standalone. There are some cameo appearances from some previous characters. Some of the "fun" may be missed if you haven't read their books.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1462342/where-the-wild-things-bite

Tomorrow is my little man's eighth birthday. We are having a bonfire tonight, Forsberg golfing tomorrow, and then cake n ice cream.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1461476/post

Reading progress update: I've read 5%.

Was it beneath me to use possum tactics to avoid politely strained conversation?

 

good idea!

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1461462/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-5

Marked in Ink: A Tattoo Coloring Book by Megan Masscre

Review:

This has some really great designs to color. They are very unique. They, as the title suggests, are tattoo like in design. My favorite is a picture of a skeletal like bride and groom with the words "eternal love." I could see so many of the coloring pictures used as a tattoo design. 

This is of nice quality. It has just a little shy of 40 designs to color. My colored pencils, Prismacolor, work really well on the think paper. I imagine that this would work well with markers, gel pens, or whatever anyone would like to use. The pages are serrated and easily tear from the book for singular display. This also makes it nice so I can xerox a "practice copy" before making final decisions on color choices. The paper is bright white. The cover is gorgeous. The picture really pops and catches your eye. I also feel that I should applaud the use of a matte background for the cover choice. I really didn't imagine that it would ever even matter, but it makes it very easy to hold with no slipping like I get with so many other coloring books I have.

About the Author:

 

MEGAN MASSACRE is a tattoo artist, model, and reality TV star of TLC's NY Ink and tattoo cover-up series America's Worst Tattoos. Best known for her incredible attention to detail and vibrant use of color, Megan’s artwork has been exhibited at galleries both inside and outside of the tattoo world. Megan resides in New York, where she is a partner at Grit N Glory, the city's first rock ’n’ roll lifestyle boutique and tattoo studio. She enjoys traveling the world and hiking, and she is always aspiring to find that new, great challenge. This is her first adult coloring book.

 

Amazon US

 

I received a copy of this from Blogging for Books. I agreed to give an honest review.

 

 

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1461444/marked-in-ink-a-tattoo-coloring-book-by-megan-masscre

Review:

This is great for someone who had memories involving racetracks of the past in search of a bit of nostalgia. I especially liked the way this is set up. There is so much history and information in this. It is well written and the photographs used add so much. Great job. Highly recommend.

Original post: jessicafox.booklikes.com/post/1460469/post