The Sacred Blood by Micheal Byrnes. © 2009 HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780061781988. eBook. Suspense/Thriller. 279 pages. $10.19 US [ Purchase ] Source: Books on Board purchase.

Synopsis: When American geneticist Charlotte Hennesey examined what she believed were the bones of Jesus, the Vatican tried to stop word of her discovery from spreading. Now, her proof has vanished.

But the bones were just the beginning. In her tests, Charlotte discovers that the DNA extracted from the bones contains miraculous powers. Dying from cancer, the determined scientist uses herself as a human guinea pig to astonishing results. When she injects herself with this miracle DNA, the bone cancer that is slowly killing her doesn’t just go into remission, it vanishes completely. It seems the DNA has the ability to repair damaged genes, to heal the sick, to cure incurable diseases. And much to her surprise, Charlotte discovers that now she possesses these very powers. Read the rest of this entry »

Complexion Perfection!: Your Ultimate Guide to Beautiful Skin by Hollywood’s Leading Skin Health Expert by Kate Somerville. © 2010 Hay House. ISBN 9781401924621. Hardback. Health/Skin Care. 384 pages. $24.95 US. [ Pre-order ] Source: eARC from publisher

As a sufferer of chronic stress and acne rosacea, I jumped at the chance to read this book. At the moment, I am using a topical antibiotic for my rosacea (metronidazole), but I want a way to treat my skin without having to resort to a harsh chemical.

This book does a great job of explaining what outside of ourselves affects our skin, how our skin is made up and how it functions, the connection between our skin and our emotions, and takes us through a list of the common ingredients used in skin care products and what exactly they are for.

This is not just someone giving you a Cosmo version of healthy skin, Somerville gets into the science of skin care in such a way that the reader is not overwhelmed. It’s extremely easy to understand. Read the rest of this entry »

The Silver Cord by Erik Stevens. © 2005 Tate Publishing. ISBN 1933290129. Paperback. Christian Science Fiction. 202 pages. $16.95 US. [ Purchase ] Source: review copy from publisher

While the premise of a story about the fight of Good versus Evil on an angelic plane sounds, if not promising, at least interesting, unfortunately The Silver Cord falls short. True, Stevens does deliver on the action promised, and as the author’s blurb states, his military background must have provided considerable background knowledge. However, beyond the intriguing premise, I struggled to connect with the book and maintain focus.

While the characters tried to remain consistent, they felt somewhat overdone, perhaps in the style of a screenplay where attributes have to be played up in order for the audience to pick up on them. Characters are the backbone of a story, and without a believable protagonist, the reader has the impossible job of crafting her own story grip to maintain interest. Certain aspects of the characters were overdeveloped by excessive adjectives, metaphors, and similes, but other facets were thrown suddenly into the reader’s face. Although Kent McVay and his wife were supposed to be Christians, there was nothing in their interactions or characters that would lead me to this conclusion until it was bluntly stated. Read the rest of this entry »

Kitty Raises Hell (Kitty Norville, Book #6) by Carrie Vaughn. © 2009 Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9780446199544. Paperback. Paranormal/Thriller. 322 pages. $6.99 US. [ Purchase ] Source: Half.com purchase

Synopsis: When we last saw celeb werewolf Kitty Norville, she had been confronted by an enigmatic word—Tiamat—burned into the door of her beloved restaurant and pack hangout, New Moon. It was then she learned that the gauche cliché of “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is nothing more than a lie. But the brand on the door was only the beginning. Soon, danger and murder surround Kitty’s life and she is faced with an even bigger evil that forces her own view of the supernatural to broaden.

Yet, when a mysterious vampire rolls into town claiming he has the power to save her and her pack, can Kitty fully trust him? Throw in an unexpected reminder of days gone by, and you have yourself a massive mix of marvelous mayhem that could only come from best-selling author, Carrie Vaughn. Read the rest of this entry »

The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner. © 2000 Riverhead. ISBN 157322152X. Hardback. Non-fiction. 240 pages. $21.95 US. [ Purchase ] Source: local library

As an amateur writer who has long fancied a career in editing, this book naturally piqued my interest. In chapters that first detail different types of writers and then move to varying perspectives on the process of publishing, Lerner takes the writer by the hand and on a tour through the miry maze of publication.

Lerner begins with the starting point of any piece of writing: its author. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterizations, sometimes perhaps caricatures, of different ways the need to write manifests itself. There are different types of writers, and while we all might not fit tidily into one box, the observations are accurate. Read the rest of this entry »

The Sacred Bones by Micheal Byrnes © 2007 Simon & Schuster Ltd. ISBN 9781847370112. Paperback. Mystery/Thriller. 448 pages. $7.99 US [ Purchase ] Source: Amazon purchase.

Synopsis: At the crossroads of Christian, Islamic, and Jewish faiths, an ancient artifact is stolen from a long-hidden vault located directly beneath Jerusalem’s Temple Mount . . .

With the violent theft leaving thirteen Israeli soldiers and policemen dead, and the Palestinians up in arms over the desecration of sacred grounds, the tension between the two groups is dangerously high. Jerusalem is a stick of dynamite and the fuse has been lit. . . .

Across the Mediterranean in Italy, American forensic scientist Charlotte Hennesey has been hired by the Vatican to examine the contents of a newly discovered archeological treasure: a two-thousand-year-old ossuary containing the bones of an unidentified, crucified man—the first complete skeleton of a crucifixion victim ever found. Together with Italian anthropologist Giovanni Bersei, Charlotte makes startling forensic and genetic discoveries that lead her to wonder—could these be the bones of Jesus Christ? Read the rest of this entry »

The January graphic novels mini-challenge has officially come to a close and what a fantastic month it was! I had so much fun seeing such timeless classics turned into cutting edge graphic novels. Thanks so much to everyone who participated. This was my first ever hosted challenge and I really feel it was a success. Hope everyone had as much fun as I did! And again, a big thanks to everyone who participated!!

Here’s the wrap-up stats:

# of participants: 17 (based on the Mister Linky)
# of reviews shared: 14 (see below)

Reviews:

• I read A Tale of Two Cities, Beowulf & Crime and Punishment
• Chris @ Book-a-rama read Jane Eyre
• Helen @ Helen’s Book Blog read Metamorphosis
• Becky @ Becky’s Book Reviews read War of the Worlds and various other Sci-Fi classics
• Amanda @ ZenLeaf read Crime & Punishment
• Jenny @Jenny’s Books read P. Craig Russell’s adaptations of Oscar Wilde’s fairy tales
• Gnoe @ Graasland read the Dutch classic The Evenings
• Sarah @ Dangerously Cold Tea read Hamlet
• Nymeth @ Things Means A Lot read Nevermore
• Debi @ My Simple Life read Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation
• John at The Book Mine Set read Kidnapped
• Kathrin @ Cozy Murders read Death on Nile
• Natalie @ This Purple Crayon read Fahrenheit 451
• Karen @ Gig Harbor High School Library read Treasure Island