lauriereadslohf's reviews
1518 reviews

Though I may not have the willpower to give up milk, fish, cheese and ice cream (say it isn't so!) cold-turkey I am definitely going to aim towards a bean, grain, fruit & veggie diet and am starting to research vegetarian & vegan lifestyles. This book is a real eye opener and I'm very glad I had the chance to read it.

The scariest part about this book for me was the possible US epidemic of Mad Cow and the fact that this book made so much sense that I want to scream out these facts to the world. Lyman, a former cattle rancher turned vegan activist, goes into graphic detail about practices kept well hidden from the unsuspecting public. It's a tough read but an important one.

I haven't read this series in order (read #1 & #2 and then skipped around) and this book seems to fall somewhere midway through the series. Despite that I'm not too terribly confused. Eve Dallas is a police officer somewhere in the future where things aren't all that different from today. She is beautiful but very haunted, still somewhat emotionally stunted and married to a hunky rich guy named Rourke. In this story she is investigating a case where a family man has been horribly dismembered and the killer seems to be playing a game and leaving Eve clues. After digging around a little Eve realizes the victim has ties to her husband (who has a shady past). More people, all tied to Rourke, are murdered, secrets are revealed, McNab makes his first appearance and we learn more about Rourke's past. A solid entry in this reliable series.

The influences here are obvious. Laurell K. Hamilton, Rachel Caine, Kim Harrison, Charmed, Buffy, Angel . . . The result though is tepid because only the superficial bits of these influences have rubbed off and then been regurgitated out into this novel.

It's about three sisters all half human, half fey. We have a witch, a vampire and a werecat. This story is about the witch named Camille. She has really big boobies (double D's if you must know), long lustrous raven hair and a face and body that all the men die for. She likes MAC makeup (hey, I thought even the most inept of the faerie could produce a glamour spell -- but what do I know?), sexy shoes, Victoria's secret undies and sex with hot men. This is our heroine a woman we can all surely identify with, eh?

Camille, it is explained, is an inept witch because she's a half-breed but for some reason she, along with her sisters, work for some sort of covert between the worlds organization. Or something. I'll be honest, my mind started drifting early on here. The info. dumps were what did me in. I felt like I had been dropped plop into the middle of a series and I really hate that. Even more-so when I know this is book #1 of the series.

Apparently, one of their friends has been murdered and a demon has possibly breached the portal (yikes, we better get on this Scoobs!) and they must find 6 seals before a demon named "Badass Luke" (honestly, I did not make that up) or Armageddon will spread hellfire and damnation on all the realm (ok, I may have made part of that up). But instead of rushing out and trying to stop the big baddie straightaway Camille laments that she hasn't had sex in soooo very long and daydreams about her ex-lover who was oh-so-sexy but oh-so-bad for her. Gag me. Will I continue? Probably, I'm quite the glutton for punishment.

Later: Well, I finished it. It didn't get any better, only more convoluted and silly. There was more sex but even that was boring. Ah well, they can't all be winners.

One day fifteen year old Michael is on his way home from school when he becomes violently ill. A 36 year old woman named Hanna spots his distress, cleans him up and walks him home. Michael lands in bed with hepatitis for several weeks and when he recovers his mom asks him to personally thank Hannah for her kindness. And boy does she ever . . .

The two become bed-mates for a time and she enjoys listening to Michael read to her. Michael fancies himself a little in love with Hanna despite her odd, aloof behavior. He also struggles with keeping the affair a secret and behaving like a normal teenager. The affair comes to an end when Hanna spots Michael swimming with friends and doesn't acknowledge her. Hanna then disappears.

Years later Michael is a law student sitting in a courtroom and learns that Hanna is on trial for murder and that she spent time as a concentration camp guard for the Nazi's. As the trial continues Michael realizes he knows a secret that can significantly reduce her sentence. But it's a secret that Hanna has kept to herself entire life and he's unsure if he should speak out when she refuses to defend herself.

This is a story with some heavy moral dilemma's but it's ultimately a story of regret of wasted lives. It's a quick read but not one, I think, I will easily forget.

This cookbook is highly recommended for anyone looking to eliminate animal products from their diet without sacrificing tasty treats.

So far I've made the basic chocolate, basic vanilla, black forest and peanut butter cupcakes and they were all delicious. Just don't mix them up too much of the center falls. The author explains this in the technique section of the book but it's an error I continue to make.

Mary DiNunzio is an attorney who is dismayed when former mean girl Trish walks into her office and demands her help. Apparently her boyfriend (who just so happens to be Mary's former love) has become abusive and she fears for her life and has nowhere to turn. Mary makes a few suggestions but Trish refuses police intervention because her boyfriend is in the mob and will kill her. What she expects Mary to do then escapes me . . . but she stomps out of Mary's office in a huff and soon after disappears. Now everyone from Mary's neighborhood is ticked off at her because "she didn't do anything" and Mary is forced into spending time with Trish's friends who tormented her as a teen and have grown into annoying women who cause Mary no end of trouble.

Mysteries aren't my favorite genre but this one was peopled with well written characters who were interesting if not always likable (lots of shallow, self-centered women in this book). There was a little humor, a little romance and enough twists and turns and secrets to hold my attention.

Published in late 2008 this book was written just when the fallout from the economic crises was beginning to hit the average American schlub. As of November 2009 things only seem to be getting worse as each day passes. Unemployment is much higher than the #'s quoted in her book and every day more businesses are closing up shop.

This book was written as a guide to help people deal with the devastation of the changed economy. It's written in a question and answer format.

Most of these financial guru's stress socking money away (ha ha) and taking on a second job but what they don't seem to realize is that many of us are already doing so and are just squeaking by with nothing left over because of pay cuts and increased taxes. Sometimes I feel these millionaire financial guru's are a bit out of touch with hardworking and still struggling folks. Put more money into a 401K or a college fund? Sure, when money starts raining from the sky . . .

Many of the questions in the book pertain to FICO scores and mention ways to improve it if it happens to fall under 720. Unfortunately, due to devious doings by credit card companies who are closing accounts and slashing credit lines many innocent people have fallen under 720 even when they've done nothing wrong. I think the author wastes too much time worrying about the FICO score which is only useful if you're going to borrow more money (though I've heard some potential employers check them for new hires which seems like an invasion of privacy to me). She does stress paying off credit cards, which I agree is something that everyone should do, but if everyone stopped using them as a crutch and paid with cash they would be forced to live within their means and wouldn't have to worry about the whims of the almighty & secret FICO gods.

She stresses you absolutely must have 8 months worth of expenses in a savings account or you are doing wrong by your family. This may be sound advice but it's unrealistic for many people and is hurtful to those doing all they can just to keep food on the table. She bangs you over the head with this comment numerous times and again it brought home the fact that this woman has no clue about what it takes to raise a young family on less wages than one made a decade ago.

She goes into a lot of detail about stocks and bonds, saving for retirement and for college. It seems like good info IF you have money to invest but as we're still in "getting by" mode I'll have to keep it in mind for the future.

This book details life inside a NY animal shelter. The writer starts out as a somewhat naive pet lover who visits the shelter to purchase a pet for her child. She's so taken with the place and the plight of the animals that she begins to volunteer her time. As she spends more time inside the shelter, she begins to understand all of their rules, procedures and the distrust the employees have towards potential adopters, those who surrender their pets and most people in general. It's a gripping and very realistic account of what happens inside the shelter and tells so many stories of helpless animals and thoughtless people. It also shows the good side of daily shelter life; placing a pet into a loving home, saving animals from abuse and neglect, giving an unwanted pet a second chance through training, love and attention. I thought it did a decent job of showing both sides of the story though sadly it is a reality that the story is often a sad one. The next to final chapter details euthanasia and is difficult to read but important to do so. I wish every pet owner would be required to read this book before buying, adopting or taking in a pet.