Surprise at Yorktown: A Book Review

 Hi guys! I am ashamed really that I haven't written a blog post since February. WHATTTTTT? It seems so surreal. But seriously. My life is like a hyper kid who has an endless supply of sweets--the crazy never stops. My typical week means I'm rarely home, and when I am I'm usually saddled with homework. The reason I'm writing this now is because I'm stuck at college as one of my classes was canceled but I have another later. Hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently since I've finished this semester's math load and the boatload of homework it came with. But today's post is actually a review. Fun fact: I wrote most of this review weeks ago but didn't post it because I had something else to post on the day I was planning on posting it. But enjoy! :D *I received this book through Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review.*

 I've done so many young adult and adult book reviews that I figured it was time to give a middle grade, or younger book a try. So here is the first in my younger book reviews!

 The book is Surprise at Yorktown by Marianne Hering. It's part of the Imagination Station book series. It happens to be the 15th in the series, but I don't think that affected it for me at all.

 The book follows cousins Patrick and Beth as they travel in the Imagination Station, an invention that takes them to different places and times in history in each book. In this story they travel to Yorktown during the revolutionary war and soon get caught up with the British. Oops! Adventures happen and they get to witness some pretty amazing historical events. Patrick's dream is to meet George Washington, but if he gets to meet him, it may not happen in the way he planned.

 This book was really cute. When I was younger I would have loved this book to pieces. I was always into the time travel kind of stuff, and I loved historical adventures involving kids from my time, so it would have fit right onto my shelf. As is, I still enjoyed it. It was a simple read, the length of a few chapters of what might be an adult counterpart.

 I think this book would be educational for kids to learn about less focused on aspects of the Revolutionary War, and just the war in general. As the book is short, it is filled with adventure, and there isn't a quiet moment, something a child would appreciate.

 I think this is a great book for kids and families and I'll probably save it for my niece and nephew, and perhaps I'll still have it when I have kids. (I'm a book hoarder.)

If you'd like to purchase it, you can find it on Amazon and other sources. 

Enjoy!

~ A rambling author

Freebie Friday!

 Hey guys! Just getting on to let you know about a nice little freebie!

 Sarah Holman's Waltz in the Waves is free on Kindle today! Check it out here!

~ a rambling author

Rain in December

 Hi everyone! I'm very excited to share about my friend Emily Rachelle Russel's new poetry book titled Rain in December!

 Emily has given me the honor of being among a group of bloggers revealing the cover and some tidbits about the book. So without further ado, here is the cover!

Ahhh! Isn't it just lovely! I love the simple and elegant look of the flowers and I think the font is perfect.

Here's a sample poem. 

Star-crossed lovers

I'll reach to the stars 

I'll reach to the moon

 I'll reach through the galaxy far

 To find you, my dearest,

 My darling, my love, 

And be in the place where you are.

Rain in December releases on March 31 and will be available on Kindle and paperback. If you would like to pre-order, you can find it here. 

 While waiting for it to release, why not check out Emily's website?

 Thanks for reading!

~ a rambling author

Garcinia Cambogia: A Product Review

 Okay, I seriously need to write something about the New Year. It's just been moving so fast that I haven't been able to slow with it. But alas, it will have to wait a bit longer.


 Today I'm reviewing BioGanix Pure Garcinia Cambogia Ultra 80% HCA. Carcinia Cambogia comes from a fruit and is a natural fat burner. It helps suppress appetite and boosts your metabolism (I need that.)

 Some of the benefits BioGanix advertizes are

• Feeling less hungry (because you often feel hungry and tend to overeat.)
• Drop inches around waist.
• Block fat production/reduce excess fat.
• Enhanced serotonin for mood/memory.
• Etc. 

There are also no side affects. Now I'm not a big fanatic for any pills that magically melt the fat away, but I decided to try a bunch of different versions of this pill. This was the first one to actually do anything for me. I took it for over two weeks, and lost a few pounds. Not a substantial amount, but enough that I'm not dissatisfied. I'm thinking four or five pounds. The company was also super nice so that's a plus.

 Knowing the health benefits and that this one actually worked to a point if I want to purchase some in the future it might be this one. It comes with 180 capsules too. You can buy it here.

~ a rambling author

Colon Cleanse: A Product Review

 Okay, so you might say a colon cleanse is a weird thing to review. And you'd be right. But it's also a pretty important thing for people to do every so often.

 So I'm reviewing this colon cleanse from Good Stuff/Holistic Solution.

 For some reason when I took this I only took one a day. I probably should have taken more. The official product description says that this is made from all natural ingredients and can clean lots of stored up junk from your body to leave you feeling great afterward.

 From the dose I took it seemed to work okay. I really should have taken more, but I do think it worked pretty well for me, and I'll probably take it again in a few months because it's just a smart thing to do. The packaging was pretty good, and it was a nice a product.

It's a good idea to do an annual cleanse, so you can buy the product here if you would like to do one.

~ a rambling author

Both of Me: A Book Review

 Hi peoples! I shall have an official 2014 look back soon, but tonight I have a book review. Both of Me, by Jonathan Friesen.

Back cover: It was supposed to be just another flight, another escape into a foreign place where she could forget her past, forget her attachments. Until Clara found herself seated next to an alluring boy named Elias Phinn—a boy who seems to know secrets she has barely been able to admit to herself for years.

When her carry-on bag is accidentally switched with Elias’s identical pack, Clara uses the luggage tag to track down her things. At that address she discovers there is not one Elias Phinn, but two: the odd, paranoid, artistic, and often angry Elias she met on the plane, who lives in an imaginary world of his own making called Salem; and the kind, sweet, and soon irresistible Elias who greets her at the door, and who has no recollection of ever meeting Clara at all. As she learns of Elias’s dissociative identity disorder, and finds herself quickly entangled in both of Elias’s lives, Clara makes a decision that could change all of them forever. She is going to find out what the Salem Elias knows about her past, and how, even if it means playing along with his otherworldly quest. And she is going to find a way to keep the gentle Elias she’s beginning to love from ever disappearing again.

~

This book. It's the sort of book that is so filled with hope but at the same time with despair. The whole time you are rooting for the characters but feel in the pit of your stomach that something might turn out wrong. I liked it. I hated it. And I must review it.

Since I always seem to follow this formula (though 2015 may be the year to change that) I shall start with the characters of the story. Clara was so lost, and wild, and so many other things at times. I felt bad for her really. She was a wandering soul seeking an anchor and filled with bitterness against past wrongs. She was a good character though, even through her bad. She was real.

 Elias was awesome. I seriously loved him. Both of him. Well, most of the time. One Elias was so sweet and uncertain and the other was focused but adorable in his own way. Elias really jumped off the pages and made this story. He was my favorite. There was so much to learn about him. There was good and there certainly was bad. And there was sad. He was a wonderful character.

 There were lots of other crazy drop ins. Like a girl who robs toll booths (well, gets the operator to allow them free passage) and a boy who explores secret tunnels without his parents knowledge. The characters in this story were so diverse and interesting, there was also something crazy happening that made you wonder if it were real or just a piece of someone's imagination.

Now, the plot and everything else. This story was beautiful in a sad sort of way. Two people searching for a place that probably doesn't exist, but at the same time searching for their pasts. I enjoyed every adventure, every rabbit trail down to the final conclusion that was full of shock, wonderment, and fantastic writing.

And that was my biggest issue. I /hated/ the ending. I bawled like crazy and made my brothers wonder if they should read it. But in a way I did hate it. Perhaps that is a strong word, but in my current state of feeling it is the most accurate. I should say instead that I was unsatisfied with the ending. There was so much more that could be said, so much more to happen. I needed more of a solid end. But I think maybe that was the author's intention all along. To break our hearts with secrets and endings and to make us cry. It's a good book. A solid four stars.

~ a rambling author

 

Oleavine Facial Moisturizer: A Product Review

So, I meant to post this on my fashion blog, but accidentally signed up to review it here. Whoops. Anyway, if you're a girl (or maybe even a guy,) you might be interested in this product. Face moisturizer! Whoot!

When your a teen, or a young woman, or anyone really, face it... You need moisturizer of some kind. If you don't use it your face gets all dry and it's just bad. That's how it is for me anyway. I've tried several generic brands of moisturizers, but it is so hard to find a good kind for your skin. Often you stuck with a thick or slimy substance that goes on thick and just doesn't feel great at all.

 Enter Oleavine.

 When I had the opportunity to review this, I quickly snatched it up in my quest for the perfect moisturizer. I had been unsatisfied by competitors, and hoped that this would have something special.

 The product description says it is made from organic and natural ingredients. That is the first good sign for me. Anything natural makes me happy in this crazy chemical laden world. It also has anti-aging and rejuvenating ingredients. Apparently it was also made without heat. I guess a lot of companies use heat in the process, but it somehow damages the product.

 So here's my review. Firstly, I love the bottle. It's so cute and feminine. I really love butterflies. They are such beautiful creatures, and delicate pink butterflies flutter along the bottom of this graceful bottle.When you want to use the moisturizer, you simply twist the silver top, and a little dispenser pops up (see photo at right.) With a little pump you can get some moisturizer. You only need the smallest amount--less than a dime--and it will go over your entire face.

 This stuff smells great. I can't really describe the scent. It's pleasant and fresh smelling and a bit like earl grey tea. It just has a nice scent. Like I mentioned, it spreads easily over your face. One thing I love is that it goes on light. After I apply it my skin doesn't feel coated or heavy. I can't even tell it's there and my skin feels great. After using this for a while my skin was better than it had been for a while.

 Basically, I love this stuff. I hope I can buy more of it when I run out. It's the first moisturizer I've actually been satisfied with and that is awesome. It might seem a bit pricy at about $20, but since you only need a little bit at a time and it's such great quality, I think it's worth it. So it looks cute, smells lovely, and works great. What more can you ask for?

 Visit Oleavine here, and you can purchase this product here.

~ a rambling author