Tyndale; 420 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Who hasn't heard of Ben-Hur before?

I recall trying to watch the 1959 classic starring Charlton Heston when I was teenager, but I found it to be boring. I believe I actually fell asleep while watching it. I was well aware that the film was based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ by Lee Wallace, however I never attempted to read it as I thought it would be just as boring as the movie.

If you aren't already aware of it, the remake of Beh-Hur is arriving in theaters today starring Jack Huston in the title role. Despite the obvious CGI overload from the trailers, the movie looks like it might be mildly entertaining.

To tie-in with the remake's release, Tyndale Fiction has recently released a new version of Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, which has been rewritten by Carol Wallace, the great-great granddaughter of Lee Wallace.

The novel centers on Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman who is betrayed by a childhood friend, Messala. He is falsely accused of attempting to kill a Roman governor and  is sentenced to five years on a Roman slave ship. Eventually, he would seek his revenge by entering in the huge chariot race against Messala.

Crooked Lane; $25.99; 304 pages; Amazon

I had first heard about the Anna Carlisle's debut novel a few months ago when I saw it in a Doubleday Book Club flyer (Yes, this club is still around!). I was intrigued by the cover art from the get-go, but after reading the blurb, I knew I wanted to review the book.

Dark Road Home centers Virginia "Gin" Sullivan, a medical examiner who gets a shocking call from her old high school boyfriend, Jake, informing her that the body of her younger sister, Lily, was found in the woods buried inside a cooler.

Lily had gone missing in 1998. While there several suspects (including Jake), nobody was ever connected to her disappearance.

Gin quickly packs her bags and travels back to her hometown of Trumbull to be with her parents. Of course she has another agenda up her sleeve, she wants to lend her medical skills to help the local authorities find the killer.

Several twists and turns occur, along with another murder, which leads Gin to unravel a startling dark secret from her family's past.

Harvest House; 224 pages; $12.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Though I do like all animals, I am more of a cat lover than a dog lover. Nevertheless, I went ahead and signed up to review Fetching Sweetness by Dana Mentink through the Litfuse Publicity. Honestly, I wasn't very intrigued by the cover art, but after reading the blurb, I did become interested in reading it.

Fetching Sweetness, book 2 in the Love Unleashed series, centers on Stephanie Pink, a literary agent who has been sent to a small town in California to pick up Agnes Wharton's new manuscript. Agnes had written the bestselling novel "Sea Comes Knocking" over fifteen years ago, and the agency had promised to handle her next book, which is where Stephanie comes into the picture.

What she thought would be a quick trip to get the manuscript, becomes a huge hassle. As soon as she arrives, Agnes's canine companion, Sweetness, escapes for the woman's home at the trailer campgrounds, and of course Stephanie has accepted the task of  retrieving the dog.

After spending more time than she wanted to there, Stephanie is still looking forward to reading the manuscript. Unfortunately, there is a little catch - Agnes needs her help in taking Sweetness back home to Eagle Cliff, Washington. Since Agnes has lost her driver license, so they must ask her neighbor, Rhett, to drive them there.

NOT RATED; 460 minutes; $14.98; Amazon

Lionsgate Home Entertainment is not just releasing one Power Rangers DVD set this week, but they are actually releasing two!

Arriving on DVD today is Power Rangers Megaforce: The Complete Season (you can read my review here) and Power Rangers Super Megaforce: The Complete Season. Both sets are 5-discs and come with a Digital Ultraviolet code.

Super Megaforce is the second season of the "Megaforce" series, but technically it is the 21st season of the Power Rangers franchise.

The first episode (Super Megaforce) picks up directly where the first season ended. Robo Knight has vanished, and Prince Vekar invades Earth with his alien armada. To save humanity, the Megaforce Rangers must use their new Morphers and special keys that will allow them to use the powers, weapons and zords of every past Power Ranger.

Everything leads to the Megaforce season (series) finale, "The Legendary Battle," where several of the past Rangers (actors) return for cameos. The fifth disc on the set features the original version of the episode and the extended movie version.

• Super Megaforce
• Earth Fights Back
• Blue Saber Saga
• A Lion's Alliance

• Samurai Surprise
• Spirit of the Tiger
• Silver Lining
• Silver Lining, Part 2

• Power of Six
• The Perfect Storm
• Love Is in the Air
• United As One
• The Grass Is Always Greener...or Bluer

• In the Driver's Seat
• All Hail Prince Vekar
• Vrak Is Back, Part 1
• Vrak Is Back, Part 2
• Emperor Mavro

• Extended Movie Edition
• Bonus Feature:
• Power Rangers: A Legacy Featurette

Have you ever had a nootropic drink?

A nootropic drink helps to enhance your memory, concentration, learning abilities and focus.

Nootropics can be found in lemon balm, grape seed extract, St. John's wort, caffeine and green tea. These drinks normally contain theanine, B group vitamins, iodine, magnesium and taurine.

Unlike energy drinks that are full of sugar, nootropic drinks are low in calories and are normally sugar free. It's meant to give you a brain boost not an energy boost.

Recently, I was sent a 4.65oz container of NoChill: Nootropic Drink Mix (Mojo Punch) to test out and review. Retailing for $39.99 on Amazon.com, each #NoChill container has 30 servings (scoops) with 0 calories.

The ingredients per serving are:

• Vitamin B6 - 10mg
• Vitamin B12 - 100mcg
• Sodium - 20mg
• BrainMojo Blend - 2.98g
• Creatine Monohydrate
• Acetyl L-Carnitine
• L-Tyrosine
• L-Theanine
• Caffeine
• Vinpocetine

NOT Rated; 460 minutes; $14.98; Amazon

Arriving this Tuesday on DVD and Digital from Lionsgate on Tuesday August 16th is Saban's Power Rangers Megaforce: The Complete Season, featuring 20 episodes on a 5-disc set.

Power Rangers Megaforce debuted on Nickelodeon in 2013 as the 20th Anniversary season for the franchise. Though shot in New Zealand, the series was set in Angel Grove, California (the same setting for the original Mighty Morphin seasons).

The 20th season centered on a supernatural wizard named Gosei and his robotic assistant Tensou recruiting five teenagers (Troy, Gia, Noah, Emma, and Jake) to become the Power Rangers Megaforce; giving them powers, weapons and zords to protect Earth from an alien invasion lead by the Warstar Empire. Later in the season, the Rangers team up with a Robo Knight, a robot created by Gosei, to defend Earth.


The episodes on the 5-disc set are:

• Mega Mission
• He Blasted Me with Science
• Going Viral
• Stranger Ranger

• United We Stand
• Harmony and Dizchord
• Who's Crying Now?
• Robo Knight

• Prince Takes Knight
• Man and Machine
• Ultra Power
• Last Laugh

• Dream Snatcher
• Gosei Ultimate
• The Human Factor
• Rico the Robot

• Staying on Track
• The Human Condition
• The Messenger
• End Game

• "Power Rangers Morph Through 20 Years" Video
• Character Gallery
• Zord Gallery
• Digital Ultraviolet

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!

Do any of your book club members have a blog? Do you compare notes if they do?

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: 

 I'm not currently in a book club, so the answer is "no."