Bergers Book Reviews

Happy Hormones, Slim Belly

February 17, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Jorge Cruise
Publisher: Hay House Inc.
Genre: Diet / Health
ISBN: 978-1-4019-4329-5
Pages: 288
Price: $24.95

If you are a woman over 40, you might be facing uncontrollable carbohydrate cravings that throw any attempted diet plan right out the window. Jorge Cruise believes that these urges can be tamed following his Women’s Carb Cycling Plan. In this plan, carbs are severely restricted during some days, but allowed in moderation on others.

Using the logic from his The 100 diet program, he explains how Sugar Calories are to blame for weight gain. Under this modified plan, women are encouraged to limit these Sugar Calories to less than 100 per day, in order to lose weight. Weekly plans, recipes, and food lists are provided as tools in following the program.

While it’s certainly possible for some women to lose as much as 7 lbs in the first week, and 2 lbs/week thereafter, these bold claims on the cover of the book make me skeptical. Most diet plans recommend a safe and steady weight loss of 1-2 lbs per week. But on the plus side, the recipes included in this book don’t resemble traditional “diet” fare, and actually look yummy while also being healthy. I did not attempt to use this diet plan, so I’m not sure how reasonable or successful it would be, but there is nothing in it that looks dangerous to follow. If you’re struggling with binge carbohydrate eating, this program might be worth looking into.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies

February 15, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Howard Binkow
Illustrator: Susan F. Cornelison
Publisher: Thunderbolt Publishing
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-9715390-3-7
Pages: 32
Price: $15.00

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Howard B. Wigglebottom dreads going to school because of the horrible Snorton twins. They are mean to him and steal his lunch. So every day, he thinks about the best way to try to avoid their bullying, but nothing seems to work. All week, Howard hears a voice in his head telling him, “Be brave, be bold, a teacher must be told.” He doesn’t want to do this, because he’s afraid he’ll be called a tattletale and get in even more trouble. But one day Howard sees the Snortons being mean to each other, and finally realizes he needs to speak up.

When kids are being bullied, they often feel like there is nothing they can do. They believe the bullies who warn them not to tell anyone, and that they deserve to be treated poorly because of some weakness in themselves. Howard’s actions in simply trying to avoid the Snortons are very believable and real. But these attempts seldom work, and it’s only by speaking up that Howard can finally have peace in his life.

Howard B. Wiggletom Learns About Bullies is a great story for kids to learn how best to deal with bullies, and why trying to cope on their own simply won’t work. In addition to the story itself, there is a special section with guidelines for kids to refer back to if they’re dealing with a bully in their own lives. There are also some helpful suggestions for teachers to encourage kids to let them know about bullying.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

cats, children

Lazy Hero Cat and the Pirates

February 11, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Stanford Crow
Illustrator: Nancy S. Hemmingson
Publisher: Bliss Group Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-940021-06-5
Pages: 26
Price: $7.50

Buy it at Amazon

Bubastis “Bub” the cat is back (Lazy Hero Cat of Egypt) and this time he’s sunning himself on the bank of the Nile, enjoying a cozy catnap. When the river floods, he’s too lazy to notice he’s floating away. Pirates net his cat bed and bring him on board their ship to catch rats.

Bub just continues to snooze, so the pirates get angry and make him walk the plank. But Bub has no intention of doing anything but sleep. Luckily for the pirates, his laziness will pay off in ways they never expected.

Lazy Hero Cat and the Pirates is a delightfully humorous read. Kids will really enjoy this fun series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

creativity

The Trickster’s Hat

February 10, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Nick Bantock
Publisher: Perigree Trade
Genre: Art / Creativity
ISBN: 978-0-399-16502-3
Pages: 208
Price: $20.00

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

When our creativity seems to have deserted us and we feel like we’re making the same piece of art over and over again, it helps to have a fresh perspective. Exercises designed to pull us away from the rut we’re stuck in can point us in a new and exciting direction. Nick Bantock knows all about these ruts, and has provided us with a guide to getting unstuck.

The forty-nine exercises in this book provide unexplored territory for our creativity to run riot. Using magazines, paint, postage stamps, and other assorted collage materials, we’re encouraged to be haphazard in our approach and to think outside the box. Our intent is not to produce art, but we may be surprised by the results of our activities.

Although this book is written for all forms of creativity, those who specialize in the visual arts will probably find it most helpful. Other creative folks won’t have some of the materials on hand or a good understanding of the concepts presented, but may still enjoy dabbling in unfamiliar territory as a means of loosening blocks. The Trickster’s Hat is chock full of fun projects that will stimulate the creative urge and open us to new possibilities.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

romance

Transforming Pandora

February 8, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Carolyn Matthews
Publisher: Roundfire Books
Genre: Romance
ISBN: 978-1-78099-745-2
Pages: 356
Price: $22.95

Buy it at Amazon

Pandora is 51 and newly widowed. Unsure of where she wants to go in this new phase of life, she applies for a part-time job at the Cool Cake Boutique. Working with the flamboyant Olivier lifts her spirits and allows her the opportunity to re-open her own business, The Cedars. But as Pandora revisits the meditation practice she had abandoned before her marriage, she finds a surprise waiting for her.

Over the course of this story, Pandora spends time reflecting on her memories going back to the very first time she met her husband, Mike. But there is so much more she needs to look at, and she explores all the most important events from her past. She’s aware that her past decisions have led her to where she is today, and now she needs to make a choice about how she wants to live the rest of her life. Pandora is lonely and still searching for love. But at her age, is it too late?

When a woman suddenly finds herself alone in midlife, she may be confused by conflicting thoughts and feelings. In this story, we see how Pandora is able to create her new life out of the ashes and move in the direction she truly wants to go. Well-written and engaging, Transforming Pandora is an enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian, memoir

Learning to Breathe Again

February 5, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Tammy Trent
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Memoir / Christian
ISBN: 0-8499-0954-6
Pages: 240
Price: $13.99

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Tammy Hill met Trent Lenderink when they were both fifteen. Although they went through the normal teenage and young adult turbulent years, they finally married. Life was good as Tammy followed her calling into the world of Christian music with Trent at her side. But God’s plans are often very different from our own, and Tammy never thought her world would come crashing down around her only eighteen years after meeting Trent.

Learning to Breathe Again is Tammy and Trent’s love story, detailing their relationship from its early years until Trent’s diving accident in Jamaica. She also shares her joys and struggles in the Christian music industry.

Tammy Trent is amazingly honest in this touching memoir. Putting her husband on a pedestal at times, she shares her own shortcomings and weaknesses in their relationship. But most of all, she shares her vulnerability, faith and deep love of God with us. I highly recommend Learning to Breathe Again.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Fishy World

February 3, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author & Illustrator: Carolyn Ortiz
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: Children
ISBN: 9781481225878
Pages: 24
Price: $8.50

Buy it at Amazon

Gabriel, the silver angelfish, believes there is something bigger than his fishy world. As he explores his surroundings, he talks endlessly with his friends about his thoughts on this subject.

Gabriel’s beliefs are confirmed when he comes face to face with the enormous kissing fish, as he does every day. And as a little girl looks up at the stars, she also believes, as Gabriel does, that there must be something bigger out there.

Fishy World is a gentle reminder to kids that something much bigger than we are is watching out for us. Although we don’t meet him directly in this story, it’s obvious that this is God. This cute story would be a great opening to bedtime discussions about God’s constant love and care.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

mystery

Capacity for Murder

January 31, 2014January 31, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Bernadette Pajer
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4642-0126-4
Pages: 250
Price: $24.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Professor Benjamin Bradshaw has been urgently summoned to the Healing Sands Sanitarium for an incident of electrical nature. The year is 1903, and electricity is still in its early years. When the request comes with an all-expenses-paid invitation for himself and his students to stay at the sanitarium, he agrees and packs up his class, along with his son, his associate, Henry, and Henry’s niece, Missouri.

Bradshaw is widowed, and has a fondness for Missouri that has developed over the first two books in this series. He is also well-known as an expert in solving homicide cases involving electricity.

When Bradshaw arrives at Healing Sands, he finds that the patients currently in treatment are unable to leave due to a death at the sanitarium. But was this a case of accidental death or was it murder? As Bradshaw investigates, he digs up information someone doesn’t want him to know, and risks his life in exposing the killer.

Capacity for Murder is well-written with an intriguing plot set at the turn of the 20th century. Historical information is nicely blended with a fast-paced story and a finely crafted mystery. This is the first book I’ve read in this series, but I look forward to seeing more of Professor Bradshaw.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, mystery

The Case of the Paranoid Panda

January 29, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Bruce F. Murphy
Illustrator: Christian Paniagua
Publisher: Bliss Group Books
Genre: Children / Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-940021-09-6
Pages: 120
Price: $10.00

Buy it at Amazon

Irwin LaLune, skunk detective, has just stopped into Suzie’s Diner for a quick bite, when he meets Larry, an excitable squirrel. Larry has just visited Roger the raccoon at the zoo, who told him the panda was acting strangely.

Irwin can’t pass up this unusual case, and proceeds to visit the panda, Ling Ming, who refuses to talk to him. Puzzled by this paranoid behavior, Irwin begins to question the other animals at the zoo, looking for clues. As the evidence mounts, things look very grim for Ling Ming.

The Case of the Paranoid Panda is one of the best mysteries for kids I’ve ever read. The plot is well-developed, the animal characters have great personalities, and the case is solved in an interesting and exciting manner. I highly recommend this really enjoyable mystery.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Books!

January 28, 2014January 28, 2014 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Murray McCain
Illustrator: John Alcorn
Publisher: Ammo Books
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-162326020-0
Pages: 42
Price: $17.95

Buy it at Amazon

What is a book? A book is for colouring, for looking at, for writing in, and most important for reading. Thus begins this 1962 classic, reprinted for today’s kids to discover the joys of books and reading.

Books! explores the binding, glue and paper used in making a book. It shows us the letters that make up words, leading to sentences, creating ideas. The illustrations are fluorescent colored pen and ink drawings in an over-sized format, perfect for coffee-table display.

But the best part of all about books is the excitement and curiosity they generate. Books are a window to a whole new world, just waiting to be explored. After reading Books! kids will be eager to dive into some books of their own.

Reviewer: Alice Berger