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Prediabetic Cookbook and Meal Plans also for Beginners by Grace Wilson
Kindle version:
Someone I care for was diagnosed with pre-diabetes by his doctor yesterday and I've been trying to support him, initially by getting rid of all his sweets and chocolate and anything that obviously had sugar in it which he didn't like one bit lol I also adjusted our online grocery order to take out as much sugary stuff as possible. This morning I went online to try and find some cookbooks with meals that are suitable for pre-diabetics so I got this book on my Kindle Unlimited subscription. I've read 17% so far and it's been incredible! If it carries on like this, I'll be buying a copy for the patient too! The patient says that he considers me to be an intermediate to advanced beginner when it comes to making meals, so hopefully the recipes in this book will be suitable for me to make for him without being so advanced that it scares the small amount of confidence out of me. Keep reading this review and I'll update it the more I read. Just finished reading chapter 2 and it said about jogging for 32 minutes... think I'll encourage the patient to walk for a few minutes and gradually build up from there, so that it's not so daunting for him lol He hasn't jogged since I've been with him (25 years) but if I can find a way to motivate him to walk around the house for 10 minutes a day, that's more than he's doing atm, so surely that's better than nothing, right? Oooh! We're at the recipes now! There's a lot of fresh veggies... we haven't got a lot of spare room in the kitchen, so I'm wondering if we can use frozen instead? I can join the patient in the first days exercise 'cos it's what I do around the house to lose weight, so I'll see if I can use that exercise as a joint thing to motivate and encourage the patient... I doubt he'll want to do it outside, but I haven't been doing it outside either, so we can do it around the downstairs of our house and because we'll be doing it together, there's no time limit or embarrassment but will get the patient used to doing it very slowly. Day 2's exercises are useless 'cos we haven't got any of the equipment, so it'll be another walking day for us, I reckon. Day 3's recipe is useless 'cos the patient doesn't like most of the ingredients so it looks like day 3's meal will consist of tuna, cannellini beans, basil, garlic, tomato's and half an onion which he will already be frustrated with so I'll have to work even harder to motivate him to eat instead of ordering a take-away. Oh boy. The patient won't be able to get onto the floor to do the first step of the exercises on day 3 (I had to call an ambulance to get him off the kitchen floor when he fell asleep standing up - yep, totally serious) so the book has dropped to 4 stars after 31% He won't be able to do the second step either 'cos it involves getting onto the floor again, so in only two steps this book has already lost two stars! Step 3 involves having a knee on the ground, so I can see him wobbling off his feet and onto the floor with this step too, so another star is being removed and there's only one star left to remove before I stop reading and officially give up on this book that started off so incredibly well. There's a very slim chance that he might be able to do step 4, but that's only a quarter of the steps that the patient can semi-safely do for the entire day... not good at all. It's given 8 Yoga poses to do but no explanation of how to do any of them!!! The Homemade Granola recipe has just about saved the last star from wobbling off, but if it hadn't been on the very next page, the star would have fallen off with a big clunk. We're still at 2 stars, but only just unfortunately. The granola recipe seems easy enough, but I'll need to convert cups and farenheight into UK measurements first lol The trail mix recipe looks really quick and easy, so that's two recipes I've got from this book, just wish it had been more! Oh boy, at 51% the author wants the patient to "jog or even sprint" which there is no way he can do, considering right now he struggles to walk the 5 steps from the bathroom to the kitchen, so the final star is coming off unfortunately. The book started off so well but unfortunately quickly went downhill into potentially dangerous territory at half way through. I'll keep scrolling through to see if there are any other quick and easy recipes, but I won't be reading any more of the content unfortunately. Out of 172 pages, I only found 4 suitable recipes and 1 type of exercise (the walking) so it's a total waste of money if you buy the paperback or hardback as opposed to the Kindle Unlimited version.
"Nasty, Brutish, and Short" by Scott Hershovitz
Kindle:
I'm gonna start this review in the same way as my other recent books by saying that every book starts off with the maximum 5 stars and a hope that they will all still be stuck firmly in place by the time I finish reading it. I got the ARC of this book straight from the publisher via Net Galley. I've always been interested in philosophy and I'm qualified to work with children so I know how pure their thoughts are and also how they ask questions that are hard to answer at times. It's almost my bed time so I'm intending on reading one chapter tonight and hopefully finish the book and this review tomorrow. The first section is already blowing my mind with the 5-year-old author asking "what is red?". I've had that question a few times in my working life and it looks like I'm not the only one. I'm loving the first 1% of the book... I just hope it doesn't send my head so deep that I can't sleep is all lol I'm up to 2% now but my body is telling me that it's time for bed so I'm guessing I'll have mind-exploding dreams tonight, but I can't wait to get stuck back into it tomorrow! It's now the next day and after approximately 3 hours I'm at the end of the first part and at 5% of the way through. Can I make a suggestion? You prepare for a looong first few pages by grabbing yourself a drink and couple of snacks before you start 'cos you won't want to stop when you've got started. The mug of peach tea I made myself immediately before I started reading is now barely tepid and I've only had 2 mouthfuls of it and read 2%. The percents are whizzing by considerably faster now that I'm past the introduction now. Gonna go and make myself another hot drink to try and unache my neck. I'm up to 22% now, so I think it's about time, don't you? lol I've guzzled the majority of my mug of peach tea now, and my neck is feeling slightly better, so I'm gonna aim to read up to at least 25%. If you have an interest in any kind of philosophy and you want to read other people's thoughts on it to expand your knowledge, then I definitely recommend you get this book... it's opened my eyes and made me look at my own thoughts and reasons and critically question them - the addition of the author's sons' thoughts to gently introduce or explain new ideas is fantastic and each of those stars are still very well deserved. Well that's told me then! My Kindle has just run out of juice so I think that's its way of enforcing my need for a break for a few hours to process what I've read over the last 26-ish hours. I just hope I can remember where I had read up to when I start reading again tomorrow. So far though, this is a must-read book for everyone with an interest in philosophy and a soft spot for the innocent (but often unknowingly deep) questions of little kids. I've reached the start of "Part II" now, so that seems like a good place to stop for the night. Back for the third days reading, but considering I didn't start reading until the evening on the first day, let's not count that as a day of reading 'cos it wasn't a full one. I'm up to 40% now and I've yet to find a reason to knock off a single star. I got an copy for free in advance of publication from the publisher and I've just checked the release price (1st May 2022 at 10.47am) and it's an absolute steal at only £17.60 for the hardcover version and £10.99 for the Kindle version, for such a hefty tome (359 pages) that's incredible value for money and the quality makes it even better value for money! This book should be snapped up by anyone with any interest whatsoever in philosophy or parenting (or both) - the author has even caused me to raise a smile or even chuckle to myself on a few occasions, which is pretty much unheard of for me! Another drinking chocolate sees me up to part III and 47% of the way through... I still maintain that this is a truly fantastic book and those five stars still being firmly in place at almost half way through, is all the proof I need that it's well worth the money and I'm really hoping that they will all still be firmly in place by the time I finish this book. Up to 60% now and my drinking chocolate is barely tepid again, so I've just drunk three quarters in one go... it takes something absolutely incredible to make me forget to consume chocolate and this book has done that twice so far today - I wish I could give it six stars out of five for that reason alone ;-) Gonna read section 10 and hopefully finish it before I have my lunch, then settle in for another absolutely incredible reading session afterwards. I really am loving and apprectiating this book so much. Just had my lunch and I'm gonna settle back to read more of this truly incredible book now... I can't wait to see what question it raises next and I've already opened the discussion about one of the questions the book has asked on my blog - I can't recommend this book highly enough right now! Oh dear, the first star is coming off after the author has used three characters in two well-known computer games - I really hate doing this 'cos it's still a five star book but my sense of fairness to other books that I've reviewed and knocked a star off for exactly the same reason, means that the star is flopping sadly to the ground. Oh. My. Gosh. I've just finished the book (the last 20% was acknowledgements and reference material the author has used throughout the book. I read the acknowledgements but skipped through the references). I stand by what I thought two days ago (almost to the minute) - it's provided ways to open up more questions and thoughts and reflections which will expand my mind in ways that it hasn't been able to before I read this book. I so so wanted this to be a 5 star book but the copyright/trademark thing made my sense of fair play win 'cos I've knocked a star off other books for the same reason. A must-read for everyone with any kind of interest in philosophy at all, especially if you enjoy the pure questioning of younger children. Get this book and be prepared for your mind to be blown.
"Are You Love Smart or Love Stupid?" By Rachel Sims
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Hardcover:
I wanna start off this review the same way as I have done all my recent book reviews, by saying that it'll start off with the full 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will all still be in place by the time I finish reading. I also wanna say that I consider myself to be very love stupid, not just in my marriage but in my friendships too. I realise this book was written for romantic relationships, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to put it to good use in my friendships too. Lets get started, shall we? I first found out about this book via NetGalley, but when I saw that it was available on Kindle Unlimited too, I decided to go with that 'cos I haven't used my subscription for a little while and I'm hoping that Amazon will still pay the author for this download. The previous 6 reviewers have all given it 5 stars, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to award it the full 5 too. It's only 145 pages long, so I might even be able to get it read and reviewed before I head to bed tonight, but if not, it'll give me something to get stuck straight into tomorrow morning with fresh eyes. Oh dear. It's been good reading so far but the use of all those big brand names, potentially without permission is already knocking off the first star due to my sense of fair play 'cos that's what I've done with other books, no matter how good they are otherwise. At only 7% we're already down to 4 stars :-( There has been ample usage of big brand names but I've read 15% of the book since my last paragraph in this review, which means that I've been so engrossed in the words that I've totally forgotten to give you my opinion on it! Another 10% read without even glancing at this review document... where has this book been for the last 25 years?! The quote by "Anonymous" at 39% of the way through is sooo me! lol OK, I'm up to chapter 5 and my bed is calling me so I'm gonna bookmark the page and hopefully remember to keep reading and reviewing tomorrow. It's been a fantastic book so far though! Morning all. I've done it again... I've read 16 pages this morning before I even remembered to write more of this review. A definite must-read by all those in a romantic relationship of any kind. This is an incredible book whose author is making me re-evaluate my relationship with my hubby. We need to go on dates again, rather than bicker about whose turn it is to make breakfast and do the washing up ;-) Oooh! Finances are a tricky one but the author has handled it well so far and I'm glad that they are talking about the sticky points as well as the disagreements in this book. Still a very well-deserved 4 stars. Just finished reading the book and wowsers, it has really opened my mind to certain aspects of my marriage... I'm not totally to blame for everything and neither is my husband. We need to be open and honest with each other and talk more instead of jumping down each others throats each time we disagree about something. Thank you to the author for writing this book and for opening my mind and heart... it's a must-read for everyone in a relationship, no matter if you've been together for 5 weeks or 50 years!
"Double Booked" by Lily LindonKindle: Hardback: Paperback:
I'll start this review off the way I've started all my other recent book reviews, by saying that this book is starting off with all 5 stars stuck firmly in place and that I'm hopeful that they will all still be there by the time I finish reading. Let's get going ;-) Right from the first page of the first chapter, I'm hooked. This already squeals "gimme the full 5 stars!" at me. If the rest of the book is like the first page and there is no trademark infringement (my usual reason for knocking a star off an otherwise 5 star book) it'll be a five star book in my eyes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Oh dear, the first star is looking wobbly 'cos of the authors use of a TV series and two characters within it. Apparently the programme isn't airing any more, so the star is hanging on for dear life, but it's not as solid as it was at the start of this review unfortunately. What an awesome first chapter! I'll have to remember "Pumpernickle" for use with my friends too lol OMGosh! I'm up to chapter 5 already! Those 4 chapters were incredible... what and awesome debut by this author! The brand names are popping up occasionally for things that are still current, so the fifth star is finally wobbling off at the end of chapter 8 - my sense of fair play has finally won again. Wow. The end of chapter 10 was intense... I'm liking this book more and more as I turn each page! These jokes are so painful they are right up my street lol It's good to see my humour in a book for a change... makes me feel more complete and understood at last! My hubby groaned at the pirate joke but that's just our different senses of humour clashing heads again is all lol OMG! I'm seeing me (via my star sign) written in this book too... I thought it was just my disability that made me so reliant on my calendar, but seemingly not! I wonder what I'll learn or even chuckle at next?! Time to hit the hay for the night now, but this is a great book so far and I've got up to chapter 16 which seems to be a good place to stop and I'll start again in the morning. Mornin', afternoon and approaching evening... this book has totally dragged me in yet again! This is the first time I've stopped reading all day other than to have my lunch and it's luring me back in even now. This is a must-read for everyone! And again... I'm very nearly at the end of the book and haven't written anything for 2 hours lol If you want to read a good LGBTQIAF that is spot on pretty much throughout, then you need to read this book! Wow. What an intense chapter. There were hints throughtout the book but didn't expect it to happen like that! I'm in tears now. It takes a truly incredible book to do that. My vision and glasses went so blurry with tears at one point that I had to sob my heart out without them on and the tears are still streaming down my cheeks and plopping onto my thighs. Just finished the book and it was truly incredible. I wasn't expecting the epilogue, but it is beautifully written and the perfect ending to the book.
"Isaac and the Egg" by Bobby PalmerKindle: Hardback:
Let's start this review in the same way that I've started reviewing every book for a little while now - by saying that it's gonna start off with the full 5 stars and I'm always hopeful that it'll end with them all still in place when I reach the end of the book. It's also my very first ebook on my new e-reader that arrived around 3 hours ago, so this book will be a test of that too. Let's get started on the reading and reviewing: Straight away I'm thrown straight into the action and I'm gripping my new e-reader, already hoping that the character will change his mind! At only 3% a star is already coming off, just like the majority of other books I've read for potential trademark issues... it's been a fantastic first 3% but this author has already made my sense of fair-play kick into action - I've knocked a star off other fantastic books for using famous names potentially without permission, so the first star is, unfortunately, coming off this book already too. I'm now at 8% and there hasn't been any sign of a new chapter (although, come to think of it, it didn't start off with a chapter number or title or anything like that either so maybe there aren't properly defined chapters in this book??) and I've stopped reading at an emboldened part that seems as good a place as any to stop. I'm enjoying this book so far, but what on earth is the egg and why is Isaac feeling so low that he's suicidal and seemingly unable to function at his place (BTDT myself)? I'm up to chapter THREE now apparently, but the previous two chapters weren't signalled at all. I'm discovering more about the egg though and dare I say it, but I'm starting to care about Isaac and especially the egg now. I think I also understand now, why the biscuit tin is so important to Isaac... no spoilers though ;-) Another sign of a good book is me letting a hot drink go almost stone cold lol Wow. The third chapter was incredibly intense and another drink has gone tepid, but I can't stop reading now! The author is really in their stride now and this is an incredible book that is well worth a read... I've even raised a small smile in a few places which is pretty much unheard of! Wow. Another powerful chapter and I'm on the verge of welling up with tears now. Egg and Isaac need each other and I know why now. No spoilers again, but I'm thinking that the rest of the book is gonna be even more powerful than it has been so far. I'm 59% of the way through it now and my drink has gone stone cold yet again. It's a good job I like cold coffee innit? lol Just finished reading this absolutely incredible debut and if it hadn't been for the usage of those trademarks it would have been a very solid 5 stars. A definite must-read.
"Grown Ups" by Marian Keyes
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Hardback:
If you've read any other book reviews by me recently, you'll know that I start them all off in the same way, by saying that every book starts off with the full 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that they will still be firmly in place by the time I close the back cover. This book is no different. I've only just started reading and the first page shows the family tree, which is a good idea but the text is just way too tiny to read on my Kindle Paperwhite so the first star is already wobbly and I haven't even started yet!! Oooooh! Other than the family tree thing, I'm now hooked on this book from the first page. I've got myself a fresh hot drink but I'm semi-confidently predicting that it'll be tepid at best before I drink it... that's a sign of a good book for me! Yep, judging by the pretty-much non-existant warmth left in my hot drink, this is gonna totally make me lose the rest of the day in this book. Still a definite 5 stars from me. I've got a new hot drink and half a packet of biscuits to get through for my lunch... how much will I get through in this next chapter I wonder? My day is definitely gonna go on hold until bedtime tonight I reckon. Oh dear. The first page of chapter 2 has raised my sense of fair play, just like with all the other books I've read and reviewed. The use of those brand names potentially without permission means that the first star is dropping off. Will that be the only one after such an incredible first chapter? I'm absolutely devouring this book - I'm up to chapter 3 and my drink that was too hot to drink at the start of chapter 2 is now barely above tepid again. I've devoured the seven biscuits though. Seriously, in the first two chapters of this book I'm totally hooked on it and it's a must-read for any adult who is into gentle womens fiction. I'm getting confused with all these characters - who are the main characters in the story and why are there so many other secondary characters who seem to just be - names on a page at the moment? OMG! This book is just too good... I'm now up to chapter 9 and it's a 5 star book in my eyes, if only it hadn't been for the use of those brand names, potentially without permission, which my sense of fair play meant knocking off the star. If you can overlook that then this is definitely a full five stars! This book is getting better and better. I've done nothing but read since I first bought this book so maybe I should put it away for a while to re-engage with real life? I'm up to chapter 36 so I think I've done well with the reading today... I've just been so absorbed into the Irish world that literally everything else around me has become unimportant in relation to this book. I'll start reading again tomorrow - I'm at 35% of the way through and I've just been so absorbed into the world of the characters that nothing else has mattered. Mornin' all. I'm up to chapter 41 now and my first drink of the day has already gone cold... maybe I should stick to water until I've finished reading? Just finished chapter 43 and I've just read about how the relationship first started between 3 of the characters and why it started the way it did. Woah, woah, woah! Why have the chapters suddenly turned to "Three Months Later"? This is getting confusing now! Ah right, the next page is the continuation of chapters, which is a relief lol We seem to be getting to a heart-wrenching bit of the book... I hope it doesn't make me cry like baby, but if it does, that's another sign of an extraordinary book 'cos it so rarely happens. This is definitely a must-read book... I've already let 2 hot drinks go stone cold this morning, so I've resorted back to a glass of water until lunchtime. If/when you buy this book (and I sooo reckon you should) you'll need to set aside at least 3 days to do nothing but read... I've eaten one meal and a packet of crisps in the last 29 hours 'cos I've been so engrossed in this book! Peggy reminds me of one of the medical bods I saw when I first got ill - he made me feel like I was making it all up instead of ill though lol I'm relieved that Cara seems to be seeing Peggy differently to that though. I'm at 68% and it's now lunchtime! The book has given me a glimpse into Italian weddings - are they always so public with confetti being handed out to whoever happens to be there, whether they know the bride and groom personally or not? Up to 75% now and the book is really helping me to cope with the nausea. If you want a great holiday read then you need to buy and read this book! Just hit 78% and I'm gonna stop reading now... it's definitely a three day book of full-time reading but sooo worth it. I love this book and it's been sooo worth the money - if you're looking for a feel-good read that relaxes you and makes your days slip away then you need to get your hands on this book. Just finished and... wow! What an absolutely incredible book. Had me hooked from the first page and I feel like a different person now. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say "life-changing" but it's given me a way to get out of my head and life for the last 3 days. You *have* to get this book... just don't expect to be able to drink a hot drink while you're reading it 'cos it'll go cold as you're so absorbed into the novel. Thank you for such an incredible book, Marian Keyes.
"To Be A Trans Man" by Ezra Woodger
Paperback:
If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll know I start all of 'em off by saying that all the books I read start off with all 5 stars stuck firmly in place and that I'm always hopeful that they are still solidly there at the end of the book. Same goes for this book. I have a few trans friends who I hope feel like I'm an ally to them but I'm always eager to learn new things and expand my level of understanding of what they go through each day of their lives, so I'm hoping that this book will give me a glimpse into what they go through and how I can be a better friend to them. Ooh! There's a few suggested reading titles on the first page, so that's a great way to start! I'm up to the bit where the conversations start, so that seems like a good opportunity to finish reading for the day, take my pills and head off to bed for the night. I'm already proud of Ezra for putting himself out there into the big, wide, sometimes cruel world like this - that takes guts and I'm so proud of him. This book is great. I dunno where the last hour and a half has gone, but this book is really opening my eyes to the struggles that trans-masculine people go through that I'd never even thought aout before! I didn't even realise that some trans people are transphobic around those who wear make-up and aren't trans-female! I'm 20% of the way through and it's already opening my eyes to the struggles that people who are trans go through! I'm inspired to transform how I look based purely on what I've just read. The trans man who the author is talking to atm was wearing all black all the time which made them feel really low, but when they changed their clothes to brighter, more fun colours, it lifted their mood so I'm gonna start slowly injecting more colour into my wardrobe too, instead of my usual grey's black's and navy's. Thank you for inspiring me, K! What an intense first quarter of the book! I'm learning so much and it's dawning on me just how much I might have been hurting or even offending my trans friends! It's never been intentional, but K has opened my eyes up to just how offensive I could have been at times that I thought I was being supportive! I'm so so sorry to all those who I've hurt and I'll try better from now on, but I need you to tell me when I've put my foot in it too! Just finished reading this truly fantastic book and as I hoped yesterday afternoon when I started reading it, all 5 stars are stuck firmly in place. There is nothing negative that I found in the whole book and it's sooo worth the money!
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out of 5