The Secret Keeper
Home To Hickory Hollow
By Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: September 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764209802
Pages: 352

Review:

It's been ten years or more since I read my first Amish fiction novel by Beverly Lewis, but I have fallen behind on her last few series, but I have been trying to catch up on the Home To Hickory Hollow series. I'm glad to say I have finally gotten around to reading the fourth book in the series last week.

In The Secret Keeper, finds Jennifer Burns fed up with her modern lifestyle, so she decides to make a major change. She leaves everything behind and joins an Old Order Amish community of Hickory Hollow. An Amish couple, Samuel and Rebecca Lapp, have agreed to let the young woman live in their home and learn their way of life.

Of course there are many skeptics in Hickory Hollow, but Jennifer is determined to prove to everyone that she is serious about living as an Amish woman. She makes a few friends within the community, while others somewhat disapprove of an outsider in their mix.

The Amish lifestyle isn't as easy as what Jenifer thought it would be and she struggles with the everyday chores. As she gets more acquainted with the community, she finds herself keeping a secret, one she would rather not keep to herself.

Jesse James: The Life, Times, and Treacherous Death of the Most Infamous Outlaw of All Time
By: Frank Triplett
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Pub. Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1620873656
Pages: 432

Review:

Jesse James along with his brother Frank, the Younger Brothers and other bandits were the most famous outlaws post-Civil War, robbing banks and trains throughout Missouri and neighboring states. Jesse James was assassinated by a fellow gang member Robert Ford on April 3, 1882. A mining engineer and author, Frank Triplett, finished the first Jesse James biography seven weeks after Jesse James’s death.

This book had the longest title in American literature history - The Life, Times and Treacherous Death of Jesse James. The Only Correct and Authorized-Edition. Giving Full Particulars of Each and Every Dark and Desperate Deed in the Career of This Most Noted Outlaw of Any Time or Nation. The Facts and Incidents contained in this Volume, were dictated to Frank Triplett, by Mrs. Jesse James, Wife of Bandit, and Mrs. Zerelda Samuel, His Mother.

Frank Triplett wasn't exactly a fan of the Missouri governor Thomas T. Crittenden, as the governor had a hand in Jesse's death by putting out a $10,000 bounty on his head and conspiring with Robert Ford. 4,500 copies of the book were sold in 1882, but the governor had his agents collect the books and burn them. To this day only nine books survived.

Cinderella Goes To The Potty
By Justin Blaneyz (author, illustrator) & Benji Todd (illustrator)
Publisher: Inkliss
Pub. Date: August 21, 2013
ASIN: B00FKRIM4E
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/jblaney
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/qx7Hp 
 
Review:

Ever since the creator of Veronica Mars raised enough money to finance a feature film, the little site Kickstarter has boomed into the mainstream, where actors, producers, writers and everyday people are looking for backers for their projects.

Recently I signed up to review 1/16th of the full graphic novel Cinderella Goes To The Potty from Inkliss, which is part of the new genre called Isfits that uses analogy, graphics and illustrations to help inform children about how to help end sex trafficking.

Cinderella in this tale is forced to live inside a tower. She's been tracking the days by marking on the tower wall. She has been there for 999 nights and she has decided tonight is the night she is going to escape. She hears a man and woman carrying an axe walking up the stairs. One them asks, "Is she fat enough?"

She barely escapes their grasps and the man and woman are eaten by a potty tree. As Cinderella walks further from the tower, the more potty trees she encounters.

I basically read a sample of an upcoming graphic novel in an eBook form, which was a little difficult as the text can be sideways or upside down, forcing me to bend my neck looking at the computer. It would probably been better if I was reading it on my Kindle, as I could just turn the Kindle. At first glance at the title you would think the book would be about teaching children to use the potty, but not so much, as it is more of a Grimm tale that resembles a Tim Burton film. I wouldn't recommend it for young kids, but older kids would like the illustrations.

My original plans for the weekend was to do some more cleaning in preparation of Thanksgiving and to get a several posts/reviews written and scheduled, but it seems when you make plans everything goes wrong. I woke up with a severe sore throat on Friday, but I pushed through it and got a few things finished. My throat was better on Saturday, but I sneezed all day. I did manage to get the fish aquarium and the bird cage cleaned. Plus, I did rearranged my living room. Sunday I awoke to a stuffy nose, cold chills and a horrible cough. I slept most of the afternoon, but I did get to watch The Walking Dead and Witches of East End.


I couldn't sleep, so I made some herbal tea and popped a DVD of Power Rangers Dino Thunder (yes, I'm a geek) into the DVD player and laid in bed until I started to feel better. Since I still can't sleep, I'm typing this post on my new laptop while the Power Rangers are still playing. Yes, the show is silly and is technically meant for kids, but I've been in the mood for the franchise ever since I reviewed a few Power Ranger titles earlier this year. I watched the original series (secretly) when I was in the sixth grade and I continued to watch it until the end of In Space. I had bought the 8-12 seasons set and I received it in the mail last week, which I have never seen any of the episodes before, so everything is new to me. Actually, I'm watching it backward starting with season 12.

Dance Fit Extreme
4 DVD Fat-Blasting Workout Collection
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: September 10, 2013
Retail: $14.99
ASIN: B00E96AYUM
Running Time: 2hrs 1min
Rating: Not Rated

Review:

Many people will want to work off those unwanted holiday pounds in January and there is no better time than now to get ready for it. Mill Creek Entertainment recently released 4 fast-blasting workouts titled Dance Fit Extreme featuring Fit Dance Jam, Hip-Hop Unleashed, Let's Salsa Dance Workout and Tease Workout.

I wouldn't ever consider Fit Dance Jam as actually dancing as for me it is more of a light Tae Bo workout. It's mostly a kickboxing workout with bad camera angles, running at 29 minutes. It’s not the best workout in the world, but I would recommend it for beginners.

Let's Salsa Dance Workout is a 38 minute of twisting your hips and abs and contains very little dancing. The dance instructor doesn't exactly instruct anything. You won't learn how to dance, but you can work up a sweat. Plus, your abs will be sore the next morning.

Hip-Hop Unleashed is a poor version Shawn T's Hip Hop Abs. The dance instructor tries her best, but the other participants don't know how to follow direction. It's the best workout, but it can be fun.

My week has been filled with me cleaning the house, you know things you don't normally clean except for once a year near Thanksgiving, and of course I've been rearranging and reorganizing things, but I am beyond finished, probably won't be done until Thanksgiving. Plus, I'm trying my best to get all my reviews/posts written for next week and for the Holiday Gift Guide, though there are a few books I still need to read before I can write a review for them.

With a busy schedule I don't have time to get sick, but that is exactly what happened to me. I had a dry throat last night and today I have a severe sore throat, a slight cough, sinuses and a headache. I have a feeling I will be feeling even worse tomorrow, but I'm determined to clean out the fish aquarium, move the entertainment system to the left slightly, dust and a million other things I don't want to do, but I want things to look nice for Thanksgiving.

Plus, I have to go shopping at Walmart (again). Typically, I would rather go early in the mornings, as I don't care for large crowds, though I am planning on going to the Black Friday sale on Thursday night. My new electric razor is great, but I do want to get some disposable razors, as I don't always remember to charge the electric razor. I noticed the department stores have been getting in Shaving kits containing a razor, disposable blades and shaving cream. A few of the kits are cheap and others are a little out of my price range.