Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

The 4-Hour Workweek
by Tim Ferris

“Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.”

I’d heard of this book a lot but never read it.  I wasn’t that impressed.  It focuses on making your job mobile so you can do it anywhere.  I’m a vet.  I can’t tell my clients that I’m in Madrid this week so if you need me just call my cell phone.

Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1) by Jim Butcher

“In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies–elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal–fifteen-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos–when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies– Tavi’s simple courage will turn the tides of war.”

This is the beginning of a fantasy series by the author of the Dresden Files.  The story starts with no background into the world so it takes a while to figure out what is going on.  It was slow for the first 100 pages so I don’t know if I would have stuck with it if not for my love of the author’s other books.  After that it picked up and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books.

The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong

“My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don’t even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens. Yet the home isn’t what it seems. Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.”

This is the first book in a YA series set in the same world as her Women of the Otherworld books.  The teens in the books aren’t aware that there are others like them in the world so are easily convinced that they are insane.  When they start to use their powers to fight back and try to escape they realize that their issues aren’t just mental illnesses.  This was a good book and I want to read the rest.

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

“Zach Barrows is an ambitious young White House staffer whose career takes an unexpected turn when he’s partnered with Nathaniel Cade, a secret agent sworn to protect the president. But Cade is no ordinary civil servant. Bound by a special blood oath, Cade has spent more than 140 years in service to the president, battling nightmares before they can break into the daylight world of the American dream.

Immediately Zach and Cade receive their first joint assignment: one that uncovers a shadowy government conspiracy and a plot to attack the Unites States with a gruesome new biological weapon. Zach soon learns that the world is far stranger, and far more dangerous, than he ever imagined . . . and that his partner is the least of his problems.”

I’d heard a lot about this book.  A vampire is bound to the presidents of the United States.  They use him as a weapon against the supernatural.  It was a good political/supernatural thriller.

Robin Takes 5: 500 Recipes, 5 Ingredients or Less, 500 Calories or Less, for 5 Nights/Week at 5:00 PM
by Robin Miller

“Imagine quickly preparing delicious meals for yourself, your friends, and your family with just 5 fabulous ingredients. Does it get any better? Absolutely, with Robin Takes 5. The book features 500 recipes and each dish is a mouthwatering 500 calories or less. Two-color recipe text complements full-color photography inserts. In addition, helpful icons note ideal recipes for holidays and entertaining as well as recipes with less than 500 mg of sodium. That’s not all–nutritional information is given for each recipe.”

I got this book from NetGalley.  I’m very jaded about cookbooks.  I’m a picky vegetarian trying to cut out most processed food and eat healthy meals.  Most cookbooks are heavily meat based with complicated dishes that are fun to make occasionally but aren’t practical for everyday.  I was intrigued by the description of fast meals with limited ingredients but didn’t hold out much hope for anything that appealed to me.

This book amazed me.  There are three meat chapters but the rest of the book is mainly vegetarian.  I started in the soup chapter and read page after page of recipes that I can’t wait to make.  There is a chapter on pizzas with great flavor combinations.  There are recipes for creative salads and side dishes and desserts.  Even the meat chapters have ideas that can be adapted to vegetarian diets.

The recipes have limited ingredients (the title says 5 but a lot of the time there are 6) but have ideas for other flavors you can add in if you want.  The cooking times vary from 10 minutes to an hour with ideas of working ahead on the longer recipes.

I can’t wait to start working my way through this book.