Hungry

Hungry: Lessons Learned on the Journey from Fat to Thin by Allen Zadoff
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

"From the time I was a young boy, I loved to eat"

I love stories of real life - especially ones that have someone overcoming struggles.

I have struggled my whole life with weight, so I was excited to read this story.

While I did enjoy the way it started off, it just became sort of monotonous after awhile.

Allen has SERIOUS struggles with food, learning that he has a eating compulsion. I can understand that. Some people don't believe that food can be an addiction - I totally believe it. Just as drugs or alcohol, it can have that same sort of compulsion behind it. Allen's was so severe that it ruled his life, causing him to sneak, lie to people, change his lifestyle so he could eat whatever he wanted to in the confines of his home.

That held my interest... I could appreciate his struggle....

But we get into the second and third part of the book & he was telling how he changed it...

& it was like 50% of the book was just saying "This isn't a diet book'... ok, I didn't think it would be... & "Just stop eating the things that trigger the addiction for you"... well, that takes a genius.

It would have been so much better if he took those last sections of the book & talked about how he felt once he made the change - how his life changed - pictures of his progress - more of an autobiography, instead of turning into a sort of 'self help' book that really didn't offer any self help.

It was a short book - I started it around noon - had it finished by 7pm - & that was just picking at it for those hours. So I don't feel like I wasted anything by reading it... but definitely not my favorite read.



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Dream Robbers

Dream Robbers by RC Scott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(this book was sent to me by the Author in exchange for a fair review)

We get transformed to the world of elves, dwarves, fairies, even a leprechaun or two... we're not in the world we know.

The village of elves are on a mission to see why the Stream of Dreams has dried up. Its effecting everyone. Without dreams, it makes everyone grumpy, sad, not able to become their full selves. 12 brave elves set out on an adventure.

We get to see the different elves, a snow elf, a forest elf, a lightening elf... & my favorite, the twins, which are the smallest & sky elves.

You are transported to another world - for sure.

Its very much in the lines of Lord of the Rings... creatures that have unique names, visuals of lands that only a mind can hold. My only fault is that some of the story got long in each chapter. Also, with all the names, not being names we're familiar with ourselves, I had to write down everyone's name, what they were, special things about each one... it was a little time consuming to grasp for a bit. I would have loved if there were like 6 elves :)

I did love some of the messages in the story though. Like the Elf Creed : Do good whenever you can & always, as you can, strive to correct your faults.
Such good points throughout

I love subtle messages... everyone has a gift- if you use it wisely, it is enough.

this is a good read for everyone... I think anyone that loves sci-fi would really love this. I think little ones would like it too, with the only downfall being again, some of the chapters were quite lengthy.

I did enjoy it though. Now, to get back to the real world. (I'll be looking at moss & birds & clouds differently now)

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Stressed Less Living

Stressed-Less Living: Finding God's Peace in Your Chaotic World by Tracie Miles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Do you ever feel like life has you by the jugular, choking out your every breath"

So that's the first line of the book... & from right there I was like, "ME ME ME" raising my hand.

I'm so good at being stressed. You could sorta call me a professional if you will. Is there a good salary for that? Because I'd be RICH!

This book was perfect for me in reminding me exactly what I already know - but like to push aside.

That my focus should not be on circumstances, but on the One who can do something beyond circumstances.

The book goes a little deeper with each chapter being a different focus area.
Starting off letting us know what Stress actually DOES to a body. Hey - I'm a fan of Dr. Oz - I know what it can do... it ain't pretty.

Then it leads us into being ready to put God back in charge...
One of my favorite chapters was "Overcoming your Giants"... I just love the story of David knocking down a giant that everyone is afraid of... that right there could be the story of my life against fear. Always there taunting...
Then we learn what 'weapons' we need to put stress out of our lives with God in charge.
& I went high light crazy at the end with the chapter "The Reset Button"... the main points on how to help ourselves get prepared to start over again with God... because we know that stress keeps coming & we have to keep resetting ourselves instead of giving into the craziness of it all.

So much scripture to be inhaled in this...

I will say, there are some chapters that Tracie talks about her personal stress & struggles, & while its good to relate to someone else, the chapters tended to be a little long for me. I guess because it wasn't an exact stress I didn't have, I had a disconnect. But for someone being a mom, changing careers, they may have read every bit of it & was like "That's me"... the joy of a book being different for every reader.

Other then that - I loved the points, the scripture that was highlighted, the focus of the book.

Can't go wrong when you learn more about living a stress less life with God

".... you are worried & upset about many things, but only one thing is needed...." ~Luke 10:41b-42aNIV

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Bouquet Toss

Bouquet Toss by Melissa Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Daphne has a 'curse' of catching the bouquet at all the weddings. Does that mean anything?
She starts to wonder when she runs into her college boyfriend at a friend's wedding.
When they reconnect, she wonders if he will hurt her like he did so many years ago.

Mayson always had a hold of Daphne's heart, even through the years. So when he sees her again all these years, he's excited to get another chance to try & make things right.

This book had me on a roller coaster. At first, it just sort of got on my nerves with the insecurity Daphne had about Mayson. It was almost too whiney & repetitive on how he hurt her & how she could never trust him again.

But about half way in the book, the story takes a twist I didn't expect. I'm not going to give it away, but it actually made me more interested in the story.

We are introduced to Tanner Finely, who was a groomsmen in a past wedding Daphne was in - & how they reconnect
We meet Evan, a guy she meets one night & soon becomes great friends with. Can people really believe that a guy & a girl can have a friendship with nothing more involved?

And Daphne would be lost without her best friend Elise & her cousin, Morgan, who help her through all the things that life is throwing at her.

I did actually enjoy the book more then I thought I would in the end.
There was one chapter towards the end that I just didn't think needed to be there which pushed me back to the beginning of taking the story back down... but then we got to the last 2 chapters... & I smiled through the end.

See - a roller coaster.

A fun, light, easy read... nothing more, nothing less

*^

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Silver Lining Playbook

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After all the buzz about the movie during the award circuit this year, I didn't even know this originally started out as a book. I always love a book more then a movie, so I decided to read it before I get to see the movie version.

Its always funny though because you have the characters already with faces before you know who they are. Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany... Bradley Cooper as Pat Peoples... Robert DeNiro as Pat's dad. It was ok with me though... I actually thought those actors fit the parts very well.

The story is of Pat Peoples & his life after coming out of a mental institution - or 'the bad place' - & how his life is all about working out, making himself better, so he could have 'apart time' over & get back with his wife Nikki.

We're not sure what has happened between the two of them, with memories being suppressed & years lost ... but all Pat knows is he wants his wife back & will do whatever it takes. Even changing his body by extreme workouts & reading all the books Nikki taught in school.

Along the way, we have his family - his mother who is Pat's biggest protector, his brother Jake who is an ideal big brother... & his father, whose mood depends on the Eagle games.
Pat also gets surrounded by his friends & even his counselor, Cliff & is also introduced to Tiffany... another person who has had issues & has had a difficult life herself.

Its an interesting story - watching Pat remember what happened in his past to have him get to his breaking point. To see how differently everyone in his family reacts to Pat when he's home. To see the fallbacks he goes through. To learn more about what really happened with Pat & Nikki.

I was also so intrigued by Tiffany & her story. What was it that made her who she was. How she would just follow Pat running, never saying a word... how they would spend time together just doing nothing, no talking involved. And to know why she took the chance of doing something drastic in which she thought would help Pat.

I did enjoy the book - almost made me feel the mental struggles myself when Pat would repeat the same things over .... "being kind, not right" ... the Eagle's chants... the words he would use "bad place" "apart time"

I did also appreciate the heart of Pat though - the need to find miracles in life - the need to find those silver linings in every things that happen. To have that optimistic attitude. There is something to be said about that.

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