Fun book with fresh and new ideas.

By TT reviewer Amy L. Turpin [full review on our website]

Marese is a brilliant scholar whose only goal in life is to be accepted into a remote Academy where millions aspire to enter, but only a few are allowed. What she does not know is that all is not what it seems, and sex always has a means to an end.

Nona and Nadya are sisters who are trying only to survive a cruel, darkened futuristic Earth. Enslaved within the sex trade, Nadya has embraced her life while Nona is repulsed by it, even as her body accepts it. Her only hope for the life she has always dreamed of is to escape Earth and make her own way.

Conformity is a must. Sexual preference is controlled in mind and body. Problem is, sometimes the treatment can be the problem. Dayla has a membership and the treatment she receives is anything but conventional.

Nikki lives by putting her body on display. But the day to day routine isn't enough for her, until she unexpectedly meets two men who seem like strangers but are alarmingly familiar. Could she have at last found all she has been looking for? Has her life finally changed?

From the steamy jungles of distant planets to the dark alleys of a futuristic Earth, sensual beings explore new realms of sensuality. This collection of short stories encompasses many different aspects of the Science Fiction genre and entwines it with erotica. These are but a few of the fantastical tales the reader will find in this sensual thriller. These stories contain graphic imagery and are not for the sensitive reader.

Synopsis When Sophie Peters was hired as nanny to Nick and Abby Dorset's children, her fantasies were fueled by the love her employers shared. Sophie wanted that same caring, trusting kind of love, but was wasn't likely to find it with Michael Harris. Michael, a seattle pilot, never passed the Dorset home without stopping to visit his niece and nephew-and to try a well-practiced line or some romantic ploy on Sophie. She was secretly attracted to his intoxicating sensuality, but she wouldn't give him the slightest inclination, until Michael tosses away his bag of ticks and tried a new approach-honesty.

Having enjoyed the Mckeon Brothers stories so much, I was excited to find this anthology of sorts. Finally we get to find out if Sal and Dori ever make it happen. But the story has a few interseting twists and some angst. that at times seemed to be a bit over done.

Dori finds she must come to terms with who and what she is to make a new start. Part of the plan includes divorcing her husband who left her at the alter, for another woman. But now two years later the problems keep mounting when she needs his help when she finds a baby in her back seat with a note saying the bio mothers no longer can care for him, oh yeah the baby come with $11,572 as well. Although both Sal and Dori join together to take care of Max, will it be enough to bring them together and keep them that way?

Not a fan of overbearing Latin men, I was especially pleased to find I really liked Sal. A great hero for our Dori if only she would quit whinning, but in true Mckeon fashion she rises to the occasion leaving the reader satisfied as well as the entire Mckeon clan.

For those who have read the other McKeon brothers books this is a must read, allyour favorites are back. And you get a backlist Stella Cameron story in the bargain, for the price of a single title. Not bad and a great read!!

McFarlane's book is quite good on the topic it covers. It avoids essentializing or questing after gay identity in a politically-motivated way (although this too has led to worthwhile criticism), and remains skeptical and interested in the ways that the figure of the sodomite is constructed as a political and moral trope that captures many other "transgressions" beyond that it claims to name. Particularly relevant and enlightening are his readings of Smollet and Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure.

If you are tired of low/no carb diets and and still want to lose weight say hooray for this book and starchblockers. The book has some helpful info in it but mostly it serves to motivate you to get started. The effect of taking the starchblockers seems to be:
1 you don't absorb the calories from the starchy food we all eat and love
2 you seem to crave these foods less and be satisfied with normal size porions. This may also be because you take the starchblockers with a large glass of water before you eat so they probably fill you up some.
3 the starchblockers ameliorate adverse reactions to carbs especially bloating and gas.
4. The guilt goes away because you can eat what you like without toturing yourself about it. So food becomes just food, not the enemy or the unattainable pleasure.
Of course taking the starchblockers is not a oppotunity to just sit around and eat whole loaves of Wonder Bread. The author encourages exercise and balanced eating. And again without a high protein/fat low carb emphasis or any super special meal preparations. Eating in restaurants and packing your sandwhich for lunch once again become doable and fun.
I have taken them and they really work. Of course not as dramatcally as they are advertised to but they do work. And that is the good news. The other news is that you have to keep taking them with every starchy meal. I think 3 or 4 times a day for any supplement of this sort is a bit much. You can choose to eat non starch meals (veggies, fruit protein etc) or low starch meals and that way moderate the amount of the starch blockers that you take if you share these concerns.
But that is the only down side I have discovered.
And yay for being able to eat, happily, and enjoy popcorn and mased potatoes again and still lose weight!

...The book describes a progrom that explains how you can eat carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread and potatoes and lose weight. You lose the weight by taking a starchblocker. This calorie neutralizing substance called Phase 2 binds with the enzymes that digest starch. So when you take it with your meals most starch passes through your system without releasing calories. Phase 2 is made from white kidney beans and is very safe with no side effects aside from minor bloating or gas for some people.

The authors outline a 3 step program. You redistribute your calories so you eat more starchy foods so you will neutralize some of those calories. You learn to take emotional control of your eating and you burn body fat by exercising.

The authors state that by taking the correct dose of the product Phase 2. you will negate about 50%-75% of the starch calories in a carbohydrate meal. If you eat carbohydrate rich meals and take the supplement several times per day you will negate those calories thus be eating less calories and lose weight... In one study, patients lost an average of 3.9% of total body weight or an average of 6.45 pounds over 30 days compared to those on a placebo who lost 3 quarters of a pound. Another study shows a weight loss of .5 to 1 pound per week using the starch blockers...The biggest qualm I had with the book is it is not consistent with other informations as to when to take the starch blockers. The book says right before a meal. At the website of the starch blocker the authors sell it says take 30 minutes before (yes the authors sell starch blockers). So exactly when to take it is unclear. And very important for someone to know to have success with the plan.
After checking with representatives from several different brands and getting a number of different answers I learned that in the study the supplement was taken 30 minutes before.

The authors also make a few errors in the text. They refer to 40% protein 30% fat 30% carbohydrate being a typical low carb diet..when the actual ratios are 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% fat. On p. 69 they refer to gymnema sylvestre as a sugar blocker that is not readily available. Gymnema Sylvestre is marketed not as a sugar blocker but as a way to make it so your taste buds don't taste the sweet so you don't enjoy it. It's still available at health food stores. They suggest you supplement with chromium but do not specify chromium picolinate or chromium polynicotinate. They also tell you not to take more that 6 capsules a day of starch blockers. Yet in examples given they neutralize the calories from 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. Starch blockers have to be taken near the meal to work. So this would have you taking more than 6 starch blockers per day. The authors also suggest you switch your calories to more starchy ones so you can then block them. But this does not teach healthy eating habits. Perhaps it is better to try to control your intake of the energy dense starcy carbs like potatoes and bread and use the blockers as an additional helpmate.

The authors email addresses are given at the back of the book and I emailed both of them. But unfortunately, neither returned my emails to answer my questions. Finally I emailed customer service where the Dr. Rosenblatt the author sells his product (starchstoppers are sold under a variety of brand names) and a super representative named Susan answered my questions.

Skepticism aside there are a lot of good points in the book. The authors discuss how for many folks starch blockers are very helpful in combating the intolerance to carbohydrates. Many folks bloat up when they eat carbs in reasonable amounts and the authors explain how the blockers can help with this.

The book details how to determine your calorie level based on your size and activity. It lists a lot of foods and their starch content so you can plan your own meals. It also rates foods based on how effective they would be on the starch blocker plan. "If a food contains a high amount of starch it is given a better grade" I did not find this list that useful. For example eggs are given a B but they dont have starch so I think the list is based more on what is healthy for you than the starch content of the item.

The book also includes a number of recipes from a French Chef including, hot crab sandwhich, chocolate hazelnut shortcake, chicken paprika, and a number of other tasty meals.

I often bloat when I eat small amounts of carbs and my stomach looks it. So I decided to try the starch blocker program. After just a few days on the program I felt less bloated (my imagination perhaps?) but have not lost any weight. However, it does take time. This is not a magic pill, its a helper. Thus it will be a while before I can clearly attest to the book or starchstoppers effectiveness. When I know for sure I will update this review. Meantime I have my fingers crossed and my starchblocker on hand!

I love every page of this book. I could not put it down. His characters and the places surrounding them are so vivid you can see them. His writing is excellent, great detail and suspence in each chapter. You cannot guess the end of this book unless you go to the last page. A great weekend read.

whenever you think you have figured out what is going to happen in this story...surprise...it doesn't work out that way. It is filled with action, lovestories, and suspense. Luke McCan is an everyday cowpoke whose life gets turn every which way as he tries to figure out his lot in life. As one meets McCan, his friends, and the love in his life, one can easily relate to the things that are happening to him. Once you have read Timbercreek, you MUST also read Fiddler and McCan. It is the second part of Luke McCan's story. I really enjoyed these two books and highly recommend them.

This is a great book which details the struggle that non-profit groups, individuals and countries undertook in order to ban landmines.

While it tells the story of the International Campaign To Ban Landmines who won a Nobel prize for their work, this book also chronicles the stories of other such as the landmines survivors whose needs were almost ignored by those trying to help them.

The other thing about this book that's interesting is that you can see the techniques these people used to pass a humanitarian law on the international level.

All in all a good read.

This book for young readers will also intrigue their parents and teachers. Though it is listed as being primarily for readers aged 4-8, I believe it is better suited for intellectually active readers between the ages of 8 and 14.

The Token Gift sets up an old legend, based on the origin of chess, but overlays a mathematical conundrum long used by math teachers who aim to give their students a glimpse of the mystery and magic of numbers.

The background of the narrative, with its historical information, is sumptuous. The illustrations, while a little too explicitly "ethnic" for my taste, add to the culturally rich tale, with original paintings in rich, jewel-like colours.

This story can be read on a variety of levels, and appreciated by adults and children alike. The mathematical charts are seen to fit comfortably into the story line, so the resulting learning is without tension. It is a book which includes a good story line, has a built-in puzzle which will intrigue those with a capacity for being astonished by numbers. There is a bit of a moral lesson embedded in the plot, which also describes a former time and a far-away place where ideas are flourishing. The Token Gift may be used by teachers, by thoughtful parents, and by young people who are intrigued by and hungry for new ways to look at mathematics, social studies, moral education and cross-cultural studies. It is truly educative. I hope that McKibbon will publish more stories of the same genre. There is a real need for books which intrigue and challenge young people.