Revell; 336 pages; $14.99; Amazon

There's nothing better to do on a boring Thursday afternoon than to read a book, along with drinking a few cups of coffee.

What title did I read today?

Well, it's the third book in "The Bishop's Family" series, titled The Devoted. It's written by the award-winning & bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher.

Similar to the other two books (The Imposter, and The Quieting) in the series, The Devoted once again centers on the Stoltzfus family; though this time Ruthie Stolzfus is the main character, a young woman who is considering leaving her Amish heritage for the outside world. This is a romance story, so of course there is a love interest, Patrick Kelly, for Ruthie.

I'm not going to go any further into the actual plot as I don't want to spoil it for other readers.

Now available from Vesuvian Books is the paranormal thriller Blackwell, book one in the Magnus Blackwell Series, by Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor.


The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule for a Q&A about her newest novel.


When did you become interested in storytelling? 

From the time I was eight years old, I loved telling stories.

What was your first book/story published? 

To My Senses, Book 1 in The Nicci Beauvoir series was my first published book.

What inspired you to write Blackwell? 

I love ghost stories and it is one of my favorite genres, that this was a series with a ghost seeking redemption intrigued me.

What character in Blackwell is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Yeah, I know it's been awhile since I have posted a "Monday Morning Madness" post, so thought I would go ahead and at least write one post for 2017, but hopefully there will be more. Anyhow, my original plan was to review the Greens Super Food in this post, but I've changed my mind and I'll feature it as a "Late Night Fitness Review" later in the week.

I'll also be reviewing the Protein Energy Power, which I just received four sample flavors (Banana, Chocolate, Honey, Original) a few minutes ago in the mail. I'll try out one of them tomorrow after my workout.

Yes, I'm still working out, but it's not my New Year's Resolution. Actually, I started a new workout program (Core De Force) on Dec. 26th, so it doesn't count as a resolution. Actually, I don't have a resolution for this year, though I might attempt to stop procrastinating.

Core De Force is the new MMA-style core/cardio workout from Beachbody. I had purchased the basic program as an early Christmas present for myself. There's a lot of kicking and punching in it, which is just the kind of workout that I like. I won't record my weight again until after tomorrow's workout (Day 30, which is the last day of the program), but I believe I have lost around 4 or 5 pounds. It might not sound like a lot for month, but I have lost over two inches my waist.

Revell; 355 pages; $14.99; Amazon

While I have been a book lover ever since I could read my first word, I wasn't a fan of romance novels until I was in my early twenty's. I mostly read horror novels (Stephen King, Anne Rice, John Saul, etc.) during my teenager years. I read my very first Amish fiction title when I was in my 20's, and I've been a fan of the genre ever since.

Released last year from Revell is The Quieting, book two of the Bishop's Family series, by author Suzanne Woods Fisher. You might recall me reviewing the first book, "The Imposter," during my Holiday Gift Guide in 2015.

The sequel once again focuses on the Stolzfus family, though this time the man character is Abigail, a young who is sent to Stoney Ridge (the same setting in book one), where her grandmother, Mammi, wants her to find an eligible bachelor to marry. The only problem is that there aren't any single men available, except for Dane Glick, who is all wrong for her.

To kickoff my new review post "Late Night Fitness Review," I'm featuring the Protein & Energy protein powder supplement by Trusource; which I was sent two single-serve samples to review a few weeks ago.

The flavors that were sent to be were Vanilla Latte and Chocolate Mocha; each containing 15 grams of protein and 75mg of caffeine.

Yes, that might seem like a lot caffeine to some people, but for a coffee lover like myself, 75mg was no big deal to me. Actually, it's just the right amount to wake me up in the mornings, which is probably why the supplement is called Protein & Energy to begin with.

Total calories for each the samples is 90, with 20 calories of fat and 1g of sugar. The protein used in the mixes is from whey protein concentrate.

Besides from protein, the mixes contain the following vitamins:

Vitamin E
Thiamin
Riboflavin
Vitamin B6

Note: It does contain milk and soy.




What does the Protein & Energy samples taste like?

I kicked off the start of 2017 by brewing a nice cup of TAYST Coffee Roaster.

What is TAYST Coffee Roaster?

Well, this coffee brand is Eco-Friendly and 100% compostable. The pods/cups are compatible with KEURIG and NESPRESSO coffeemakers.

Each Purpod100™ has three layers: a lid, a ring, and a mesh. The lid is made from bio materials. The printing on the lid is made from water-based compostable ink. The ring is made from natural bean skins, and the mesh is made from renewable bio reins. Once composted in the ground, it will add nutrients into the soil.

Currently there are several different coffee flavors: