It's Monday, so probably many of you are feeling a bit sluggish. Or maybe it's just me today. Nevertheless, the best way to give yourself a boost is by drinking a tasty protein shake.

You might recall me reviewing the Raw Meal: Chocolate Cacao (read my review here) earlier this year. Well, Garden of Life listened to their customers and tweaked the powder mix. It now has less protein (only 1g now), 15% more protein (20g per scoop) and is loaded with 45 Superfoods!

Garden of Life nicely sent me a sample 17.4oz container to test out and review a few months back, and as you can see, I'm finally getting around to reviewing it. Each container has about 14 scoops (servings), if you are wanting just a shake. If you want to use it as a meal replacement (2 scoops), then it would last only 7 days.

Just like other Garden of Life products, this is NON-GMO Verified (independent third party verification). There is no gluten and it's soy & dairy free. Also, there are no added sugars, artificial flavors or sweeteners.

Billy's Thoughts:

Join an all-star cast as they find fantasy, action, romance and adventure in the Emmy winning® The 10th Kingdom! Beyond the mortal world lies Nine Kingdoms where the fantastic land of fairy tales and magic are brought to life – and reinvented. The themes and ideas of folklore and mythology perform fully as the classic characters enter a vortex at the edge of the mortal world which leads them to The 10th Kingdom…Central Park!

This ten part mini-series tells the tale of Prince Wendell (Daniel Lapaine) and the evil queen (Dianne Wiest) who has doomed him to spend the rest of his life as a dog. In order to recapture the throne Prince Wendell travels through the portal to the mythical kingdom of Manhattan and finds two ordinary mortals Virginia (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and Tony (John Larroquette). Together they battle the evils of the parallel universe, and defend themselves from vile trolls, goblins and every fairy tale character imaginable! Stunning visual effects and a stellar cast create an epic adventure that will enchant audiences of all ages!

An all-star cast featuring a wealth of Emmy®, Oscar®, and Golden Globe®-wining and nominated talent including: John Larroquette (Boston Legal, The Practice), Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Nashville, Father of the Bride), Scott Cohen (Love and Other Drugs, Jacob’s Ladder), Ann-Margret (Bye Bye Birdie, Tommy), Rutger Hauer (Batman Begins, Sin City), Daniel Lapaine (Double Jeopardy), Camryn Manheim (The Practice), Ed O’Neill (Modern Family, Married with Children) and Dianne Wiest (Edward Scissorhands, Parenthood)!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews!

Which character in a book do you most likely see yourself? If none, who would you think would be your bff in real life?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

  

My Answer: 

 Since Christmas is just a few weeks away, I'm going to go with Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. I get a little grumpy around this time a year, especially if I miss my morning cup(s) of coffee. My bffs would be Koko and Yum Yum (Siamese cats) from the Cat Who series. The cats have a niche for solving mysteries, so they can figure out who stole my coffee.

A Thousand Shall Fall
by Andrea Boeshaar
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Pub. Date: November 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0825443817
Pages: 256
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1jbj37T
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/aboeshaar

Review:

I first became interested in the Civil War when I saw bits and pieces of the North and South miniseries during the mid 1980s when I was just a little kid (I believe I was 4 or 5 at the time). Since then, I've been a sucker for any film or book that is set during the Civil War, which explains why I was interested in reading the new novel A Thousand Shall Fall by Andrea Boeshaar.

Set in the fall of 1864, the novel centers on a Carrie Ann Bell, a strong-willed 19-year-old who must disguise herself as a Yankee solider in order to search for her runaway sister, Sarah Jane, near the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Unexpectedly, she falls into a skirmish near Front Royal and gets caught by the Union Army.

Luckily for her, she has an old childhood friend, Peyton Collier, who is now a colonel in the Union, and he quickly comes to her rescue. To find out, he's actually a Confederate spy and Carrie Ann must keep his secret in order to protect both of them. It isn't too long before the two start to fall for each other, but unfortunately the war might come between them.

Writers will tell you that switching from the kinetic real world to the unchatered blank page can cause a paralyzing shock. I find playing an electronic game heats up my word making and paragraph baking skills. A word game helps to focus on the writing task at hand, but other games that require focus on a smaller than life object also help. Games flip the cone of concentration from outward reality to the inward creative potential.

A great place to find unique games that you can play in the isolation of your writing environment can be purchased online from stores such as Hammacher Schlemmer, Brookstone, and Lord and Taylor. Standard games and gadgets are found at Kohls, Office Depot, and J.C. Penny's.

Two stores that are worth venturing into the real world to shop, especially around the holidays, are Macy's and Neiman Marcus. Macy's stores are alive with magic on every floor. Larger than life nutcracker soldiers and huge ornaments like ruby planets greet you at every landing. Golden garlands arch across the ceilings and there are often Christmas-themed performances. The window displays at Macy's offer up scenes that enchant even the most worried writer into concocting sugar plum sweet pages. Neiman Marcus transports the holiday shopper to the sky with their atrium soaring Christmas trees and upscale, diamond-studded, holiday window exhibits.

Product Description:

From executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett comes A.D. The Bible Continues the spectacular 12-part series that picks up where The Bible left off. This powerful spiritual journey begins with the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, chronicling the heroic acts and sacrifices of His early followers during the most tumultuous of times as they change the course of human history. Featuring an extraordinary international cast, thrilling action and astonishing visual effects, A.D. The Bible Continues is an epic story for the ages...and inspiring entertainment for everyone. 


Billy's Thoughts: