Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Third Quarter 2015

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Third Quarter 2015

This has been another good quarter. 34 books read not counting what I reread with the children. I have been reading with the kids almost every night before bed and helping them develop reading habits. There have been a few great reads this quarter both in fiction and a lot of great reads in non- fictions books. So here they are The top ten books of the third quarter 2015!

Fiction:
1. I Am Margaret - Corinna Turner - Book 1       
2. The Three Most Wanted -Corina Turner - I Am Margaret Book 2 
3. Mythmaker - Marianne de Pierres - Peacemaker #2
4. Redacted
5. Need - Joelle Charbonneau
6. Secondhand Souls - Christopher Moore
7. The Warden-Watch - A.R. Horvath
8. The Book With No Pictures - B.J. Novak
9. Press Here - Herve Tullett
10 Tales from Shadowhunter Academy - Cassandra Clare, 
 #4 Nothing But Shadows with Sarah Rees Brennan
 #6 Pale Kings and Princes with and Robin Wasserman
 #7 Bitter of Tongue with Sarah Rees Brennan 

Non-Fiction:
1. 99 Perseverance Success Stories: Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life - Michal Stawicki
2. Beyond Engagement - Brady G. Wilson
3. Simplify Your Pursuit of Success: Six Simple Steps to Success Book 1 - Michal Stawicki
4. Know Yourself Like Your Success Depends on It: Six Simple Steps to Success Book 2 - Michal Stawicki
5. Redacted
6. The Miracles of Rebound Exercise - Albert E. Carter
7. Man Flow Diet - Dean Pohlman
8. Illustrated Hits for health and Strength for Busy People - Adrian Peter Schmidt
9. Redacted

Relates Posts: 
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Reading Goals for 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2010
Top 10 Fiction Books 4th Quarter 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2010 - Recap
Top 10 Fiction Books 2010
Top 10 Picture Books of 2010
Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2010
Top 10 Graphic Novels for 2010
Top Ten Reading Goals For 2011 
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals for 2011 Update 
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2011 
Top Ten Fictions Books 4th Quarter 2011
Top Ten Fiction Books 2011
Top Ten Reading Goals 2011 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 3rd Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books  4th Quarter 2012
Top Ten Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2012
Top Ten Reading Goals 2012 - Recap
Top Ten Reading Goals 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 1st Quarter 2013
Top 10 Fiction Books 2nd Quarter 2013
Top 10 Books Second Half 2013
Top Ten Fiction Books 2013
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2013 
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2014
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2014
Top Ten Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2014
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2015
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2015
Top Ten Fiction Books 2015
Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2015
Top Ten Books First Quarter 2016  

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Statistics Books Read By Year:
119 - 2015 - January-September
130 - 2014 
88 -  2013
176 - 2012 
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

Mythmaker - Marianne de Pierres - Peacemaker #2

Mythmaker 
Peacemaker #2
Marianne de Pierres 
Angry Robot
ISBN 9780857664204
ASIN B00PEOHQBS

I was waiting months and months for Advance Reader's Copies of this book to come out. That is one of the big problems with getting review copies it is that much longer until the next book in a series publishes. I kept checking again and again to see if Angry Robot had review copies available. When it finally showed up boy oh boy was I excited. I could not wait to see what Virgin Jackson and Nate Sixkiller would get up to next. I was not disappointed.

These books read like a cross between old Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns fused with Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert or Alfred Bester. It is an awesome mix of western, soft science fiction and a strong bent to religious studies or spiritual realities. The three authors mentioned above all among my all time favourites going back to when I was just a teen gorging on any book I could get my hands on, and comparing de Pierres to them is among the highest praise I can give.  

This book continues almost immediately after book 1 - Peacemaker. Virgin is still stuck between a rock and a hard place. She has been black mailed by her mother to work for a government organization; the CJIC. Her mother that she did not even know was alive. She still has a murder charge hanging over her head and a cop that does not want to seem to let it go. And it seems that with every day her life and responsibilities get more and more complicated. With such problems as a bounty on her head, an escalation in Mythos sightings and discovering her mostly estranged brother is somehow involved with this whole situation is not making Virgin's life any easier. And for someone who would prefer to spend most of her time alone on her horse patrolling the preserve she is spending far more time with way more people then she really wants to. 

This story seems to have both a fast and a slow pace. Part of it is the back and forth between extreme action and trying to figure things out. We get to know both Virgin and Nate better and have an even greater appreciation for them and what motivates them. They are very well written characters. The pace of the story is great and when you hit the end you are desperate for more. So hopefully there will be at least a third book of not more in the series.

This was an awesome read and I highly recommend the series, but unlike some series this one should really be read in order. One of my top reads of 2015 out of the 113 books read by the writing of this review.

Books by Marianne de Pierres:
Peacemaker series:
Peacemaker
Mythmaker 

Parrish Plessis series:
Nylon Angel
Code Noir
Crash Deluxe

Sentients of Orion series:
Dark Space
Chaos Space
Mirror Space
Transformation Space

Burn Bright YA series:
Burn Bright
Angel Arias
Shine Light

Other books:
Glitter Rose 
Serious Sas and Messy Megda

Books as Marianne Delacourt:
Sharp Shooter
Sharp Turn
Stage Fright

 

The Scorpion Rules - Erin Bow - Prisoners of Peace #1

The Scorpion Rules
Prisoners of Peace #1
Erin Bow
Margaret K. McElderry Books an imprint of
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 9781481442718

I have enjoyed all of the Erin Bow books that I have read but this one completely blew me away. It is amazing. Of the 112 books I have read since the beginning of the year it is the best. It has left a lasting imprint. I found myself for days after reading the book thinking about it. When I read it I was unaware that it was a first book in a series and desperately wanted to know what would happen next.

Set in the future when climate change has ravished the planet, and control of resources is of utmost importance. The UN and most of the world's weapons are under the control of an AI - Talis. In order to mitigate major wars for there to be personal consequences of going to war the ancient practice of Hostage exchange. The children of rulers are sequestered in Precepture's in isolated around the globe. There they are taught history, philosophy, sciences and everyday could be their last if their nation goes to war.

This is the story of Greta who was been in the Precepture since she was 8, and for 10 years has been the ideal student and hostage. And Elian Palnik who has just arrived and is as rebellious and headstrong as Greta is passive and submissive. But something sparks between the two as Greta witnesses Elian's arrival in chains. Both of them interact extensively with The Abbott a human who uploaded to his current form as another AI and leader of their school. And of course Talis, you will never forget Talis he is sassy, smart, sarcastic and very passionate. He will do what it takes to keep as many humans alive as possible even wiping out nations. He might be a little crazy but he gets the job done.

This story has incredible characters. You will find that the twists and turns in the story get you thinking and wondering. It will leave its mark on you as it does all the children of peace. As I stated it is one of the best books I have read this year and I am desperate to read more of the story. But it stand very strong on its own. Give it a chance and likely you will be hooked.

Extremely well done!

Books By Erin Bow:
Plain Kate
Sorrow's Knot

Prisoners of Peace:
The Scorpion Rules 
The Swan Riders

As Erin Noteboom:
Ghost Maps: Poems for Carl Hruska
Seal up the Thunder
The Mongoose Diaries

Updated 2016-04-13

This post has been redacted because of personal conviction. I would appreciate if you say a prayer for me. 

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. 
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. 
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, 
O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, 
thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, 
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. 
Amen.

Brightest Orange Juice

Brightest Orange Juice

Mostly orange stuff. Good taste.!

Ingredients:
5 Carrots
1 Sweet Potato
2 Tomatoes
Large piece of Ginger
1 Lemon pealed
1 Lime pealed
1/4 Pineapple

Directions:
Wash all and juice. Nice flavor will be a regular for me! But the taste is very subtle. I have done variations with adding sea salt and pepper or turmeric provide some nice variations.

I will continue to post new recipes from time to time on Saturday as I experiment with Smoothie and Juice recipes. And I collect mine and favourites from around the web you can find them shared here in a OneNote notebook, there are subsections for Juices, Smoothies, Gluten Free Options and Other. 

The Joy of Gardening - Taking Part in a Community Garden at Work

The Joy of Gardening 

Taking Part in a Community Garden at Work

This year I had the great enjoyment of taking part in a community garden at work. There is a large piece of property behind our building and for the last number of years a section of it has been prepared for community gardening. This year it was broken up into individual plots. Since I have been juicing so much this year I wanted to garden for juicing. Now I have not really done any gardening in over 25 years since moving out of my dad's house, and was both excited and nervous. My plot was 15'x6'. And I was a little over eager about how much I could plant. This was my plan:

My wishlist for seeds and seedlings that were provide by facilities at work were:

Red Beets
Golden Beets
Radish Various types
Lambs Quarter 
Kale
Black Kale
Vates Kale
Flat Parsley
Red Basil
Chard
Red Chard
Kohlrabi
Red Kohlrabi
Heirloom Carrots
Cilantro

The one's in red were what I actually ended up with and the final layout was:

After planting day it looked like this:

On numerous occasions my children went with me to weed and water. The water uses is collected on site from the roof system.  

I had a little unexpected travel and was away more than I had planned over the summer so weeds ended up overtaking my plot. But I got some great harvests. I got three harvests of this size and still have a little more to go. 

For the most part it went well. But none of my golden beets came up, and my heirloom carrots were not worth harvesting to date they remain very small and soft for some reason. Also the green Kohlrabi did not come up. I loved taking short breaks at work and going and pulling weeds and watering my garden. It was especially nice when thinking through problems to go outside, get some sunshine, get my hands dirty and usually I had new ideas by the time I came back in. And I love my hands having the smell of parsley or cilantro for the rest of the day.

Lessons learned. Next year do not be as aggressive. Only go with three rows planed. Also skip the golden beets and just plan the red. I ended up harvesting a lot of Lamb's quarter that was growing as 'weeds' unplanned through my plot and around the garden it is great in salads or smoothies and juices. Red kohlrabi is awesome much more flavour than green! And try and be more consistent with the weeding or lay down straw between the rows as others did.


All in all it was a great experience and again I am thankful to be at an employer who is so forward thinking. It was an awesome experience!

99 Perseverance Success Stories - Michal Stawicki and Jeannie Ingraham -Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life

99 Perseverance Success Stories: 
Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life
Michal Stawicki and
Jeannie Ingraham
ASIN B012ZMV3CO

This is the 6th book that I have read by Michal Stawicki this year. Each of them was well worth the cost of the book and the time spent. But this one might be the best yet. This is an amazing collection of stories. As you read some you may be familiar with, some may be new to you and some you might never encounter anywhere else. Stawicki and Ingraham have compiled a collection spanning the ages and from around the world. 

I have read through this collection twice now and know that from time to time I will pick it up and randomly pick a story for encouragement and motivation. I have recommended this book to a few friends who have already read it and love it. There is something for everyone and everyone can take something from almost all of the stories. 

Give this book a chance and the stories will surprise, encourage, motivate and challenge you to write your own success story. 

Books by Michal Stawicki:
The Art of Persistence: Stop Quitting, Ignore Shiny Objects and Climb Your Way to Success
A Personal Mission Statement: Your Road Map to Happiness
Trickle Down Mindset: The Missing Element In Your Personal Success
Slicing the Hype
99 Perseverance Success Stories: Encouragement for Success in Every Walk of Life
Power up Your Self-Talk: 6 Simple Habits to Stop Beating Yourself Up and Reclaim Your Life
99 Habit Success Stories

The Remarkable Power of Consistency

...

Six Simple Steps to Success
Simplify Your Pursuit of Success - Book 1
Know Yourself Like Your Success Depends on It - Book 2
Bulletproof Health and Fitness: Your Secret to High Achievement - Book 3
Making Business Connections That Count - Book 4
Directed by Purpose: How to Focus on Work That Matters, Ignore Distractions and Manage Your Attention over the Long Haul - Book 5

How to Change Your Life in 10 Minutes a Day Series:
The Fitness Expert Next Door - Book 1
Learn to Read with Great Speed! Only 10 minutes a day! - Book 2
Release Your Kid's Dormant Genius In Just 10 Minutes a Day: Parenting Your Smart Underachiever With Consistency and Love - Book 3
Master Your Time In 10 Minutes a Day: Time Management Tips for Anyone Struggling With Work-Life Balance  - Book 4
From Shy to Hi: Tame Social Anxiety, Meet New People, and Build Self-Confidence  - Book 5

Author Profile and Interview with Michal Stawicki