Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Winter Reads: Amish Christmas at North Star


Retail: $15.99; Pages: 400
Yes, I'm well aware that Christmas is officially over; though some of you might be wondering why I'm reviewing a Christmas title. To tell you the truth, I signed up to review Amish Christmas at North Star the week before Christmas, but it didn't dawn on me that Blogging for Books wouldn't be shipping it until after holidays. The book arrived in my mailbox right before the 1st of the year, which should explain everything.

Published by WaterBrook Press, Amish Christmas at North Star features four romantic novellas by five wonderful authors -  Cindy Woodsmall, Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark, Amanda Flower, and Kate Ganshert.

The first story is titled, Guiding Star, and is written by Katie Ganshert. It's centers on Noelle (Elle) McAllister, a young woman living in Iowa who gets some shocking news when the Englischer Chase Wellington steps into her life. He has been investigating a twenty-five-year-old mystery involving the disappearance of an Amish baby, and he believes that Elle is that baby.


Mourning Star is written by Amanda Flower and centers on Eden Hochstetler, who is just your typical Amish girl who happens to work at her parent's candy store. Her job is pretty much boring, well, that is until one of their best customers (Issac) is found dead, and Eden suspects foul play is at hand.

In the Stars is written by Cindy Woodsmall and centers on Kore Detweiler, a heartbroken man who plans on avoiding North Star at all costs. It seems that Savilla Beiler had ripped out his heart and stomped on it, so he doesn't want to go back home. Then the unexpected happens and Kore must return to North Star.

Blu-ray Review - Hitman: Agent 47



Rated R; 97 minutes

Now available on DVD & Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is action-flick Hitman: Agent 47 (ASIN: B016XOX3J6). Directed by Aleksander Bach, the film stars Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware and Zachary Quinto. Special Features on the Blu-ray includes: deleted scenes, The Hit Counter, Re-Imagining HITMAN, Ultimate Action: Staging The Fights, Hitman: Agent 47 Comic, Making of the Comic, Promotional Featurettes, Gallery, Poster Gallery and Theatrical Trailers.

Based on the popular video game franchise, Hitman: Agent 47 is the second film adaption (the 2007 flick starred Timothy Olyphant in the title role); though the new version is considered a reboot and completely ignores the original.

Hitman: Agent 47 is set in a world where there was a secret cloning program designed to create the perfect killing machine. These assassins are enhanced with the ability to kill without remorse. The scientist, Dr. Piotr Litvenko (played by Ciarán Hinds) who was in charge of the program disappeared without a trace.  For decades, his daughter Katia (played by Hannah Ware) has been searching for his whereabouts. Out of nowhere, she receives a warning from a man calling himself John Smith (played by Zachary Quinto) that Agent 47 (played by Rupert Friend) is coming to kill her.

Unfortunately, for Kaia, John Smith turns out to be Brian, a member of the Syndicate International, who will stop at nothing to track down her father. Kaia actually has similar clone abilities, leaving her a new target for the Syndicate. Her only hope of survival is to team up with Agent 47.

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Fitness & Coffee Sundays: Getting Ready for The Master's Hammer & Chisel


Instead of kicking off a brand new workout routine on January 1st, I'm starring it tomorrow (Jan. 4th), which is the beginning of the first full week of 2016. The workout program that I'll be starting is The Master's Hammer and Chisel (Beachbody) that will last for 8 weeks; with each workout running between 20 to 40 minutes. 

I purchased the basic package, which comes with 6 DVDs, featuring 13 different workouts (the 10-minute AB Hammer is featured on each DVD) and two bonus workouts, 21 Day Fit Extreme: Dirty 30 Extreme and Body Best: Best Total Body. Also, there is a bonus disc with a a 17-minute workout called The Master's Cardio. Additionally, there is 7 color-coded containers and a protein shaker.

You can't just jump into a program like this without some simple preparations.

Here are three tips:

Figure out your meal plans and go to the grocery store.

A healthy diet is one of the important factors into getting into shape, which was something I was lacking last year. I've already cut out the energy drinks (yes, they're horrible for your body) and replaced it my bad habit with celery (my favorite vegetable).

Make sure you have the right equipment.

The Master's Hammer and Chisel requires light to heavy dumbbells, so make sure you have several different sizes (or the adjustable kind), so you can switch to different weights during the workouts. There are some floor workouts, so if your floor isn't carpeted or if you don't have a thick rug, I would recommend getting a yoga/exercise mat.

Drink Water!

Yep, you'll need plenty of water handy while exercising. I recommend getting a 16 to 20 ounce water bottle.

Update: While my original post was written on Sunday morning, I had forgotten to publish it until today. 



Saturday, January 2, 2016

Strange Girl by Christopher Pike


Pub. Date: Nov. 17, 2015; 432 pages
I escorted her to the windows and if I’d been forced to critique my stride I’d have to say I looked like an extra on The Walking Dead. I was definitely taking time finding my cool gear. But eventually I began to calm down and by the time we’d waited in line and it was our turn to order I was feeling pretty good about myself. Why not? I’d just met Aja and already I was taking her to lunch. Not bad for a few minutes’ work. I’d decided to pay for whatever she ordered to show what a gentleman I was. (excerpt from Chapter 1)

Some of my readers might recall me talking about my love for "Point Horror" books from the late '80s and early '90s. Besides from R.L. Stine, my other favorite author from that era was Christopher Pike, the bestselling author of the Thirst series (The Last Vampire 1-9).

Mr. Pike's newest novel, Strange Girl (ISBN: 978-1481450584), was released to paperback last November (published by Simon Pulse). I wasn't aware about the book until I heard about the book blog tour for it, and of course I eagerly signed up to review it.

Strange Girl centers on Fred Allen, a seventeen-year-old wannabe rock-star. Despite his good looks, he isn't exactly popular with the girls his age; though he did have one girlfriend, Nicole Greer, but she broke his heart. The only other girl in his life is best friend, Shelly Wilson, who plays the keyboard in their band (Half Life) as well as serving as their manager. While he's well aware that Shelly has had a crush on him for years, she is nothing but a friend to him.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Book Blogger Hop: January 1st - 7th

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

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 Alyssa @ The Duchess of Fiction!

What is your most anticipated books of the year?

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: 

End of the Watch
Book 3 in The Bill Hodges Trilogy
by Stephen King
Release Date: June 7, 2016





Linky List:

Go Sport-it Fitness Push Up Bars Review


  
If you're planning on doing your fitness training at home with a workout DVD/Blu-ray program, then you need to double check that you have the correct exercise equipment for it.

Many of the 90-minute programs recommend some sort of push up bar. You might be wondering why you can't just use your hands for the Push Ups? Well, there are so many reps in these programs that your best off using a Push Up bar so you won't injure your wrist.

Yes, these are the same Push Ups that we always dreaded during JH gym class, but there's no reason why we should hate this simple exercise as adults. Push Ups can easily help you tone muscles in your arms, back and chest, as well as strengthen your core.

A few days ago, I received the Go Sport-it Fitness Push Up Bars to test out and review. It retails for $24.99, but can currently be purchased on Amazon for $19.99.

I'll be starting Beachbody's Master's Hammer and Chisel on January 4th, so I was already looking into getting a new pair of Push Up bars right before I was sent the Go Sport-it Fitness Push Up Bars, which I received at a discounted price in exchange for unbiased thoughts.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Winter Reads: Comic Books Galore!


In my attempt to get caught up on reviews before the end of the year (Yes, I know 2016 is just a few days away!), today I'm featuring five comic books that were published between 2014-2015.


Vampirella Southern Gothic
 by Jose Luis


Book Description: Vampirella, the beautiful and bloodthirsty heroine, travels to Mississippi to help an old flame solve the mystery of his murdered fiancee... a woman who appears to have died thirty-seven times before.

Burdened by a mystical wound that will not heal, can Vampi hack through racist demons, evade corrupt lawmen, and solve this strange Southern mystery... or will the man she once loved sacrifice his soul to get the answers instead?

Final Thoughts: Similar to other comic book characters, Vampirella has received several makeovers since her debut in 1969. Here, Diamond Book Distributors have rebooted the character once again, where Vampirella travels to the south to help solve a few mysteries. By the cover one would think this was a straight up horror story, but actually there is quite a bit of humor throughout each tale. The illustrations are nicely done, adding a bit more fun to the stories. Overall, I enjoyed the new Vampirella and I recommend it to others.


The Crow: Pestilence
by Drew Moss


Book Description: A young boxer, Salvador, refuses to take a fall, but has no problem taking a vicious drug gang’s pay-off. When they take their lethal revenge on Salvador and his family, he returns as THE CROW, in search of vengeance… and forgiveness.

Final Thoughts: I'm a huge fan of the 1994 film version of The Crow featuring the late Brandon Lee. I've never been interested in reading the original comic books, though I did read one paperback tie-in when I was a teenager.

The Crow: Pestilence tells the story of a brand new character, Salvador, a boxer who is killed and is resurrected as The Crow to seek revenge.

While the overall revenge plot is a little stale, the dark illustrations make up for it. In the end, it wasn't a bad read.

Rocky & Bullwinkle
by Roger Langridge


Book Description: They’re finally here! Welcome Bullwinkle the Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel back to comics in these four great tales, "The Psychic Sidekick," “The Washed-Up Wizard," “First Moose on the Moon,” and “The Burger Monster.”

Plus, four back-up stories featuring everybody's favorite mountie, Dudley Do-Right.