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Monday, January 30, 2017

Psychological Suspense

            This is the type of novel that keeps you up at night until you’ve finished reading it. Strange events, intrigue, danger, murder, and more – these books have them all.
            The Girl in the Red Coat is written by Kate Hamer. Beth, a single mother and her daughter Carmel are visiting a local outdoor festival when Carmel suddenly disappears. After an exhaustive search, Beth is told by the authorities that Carmel might be gone for good, but Beth refuses to give up. The novel is told by two narrators: Beth, as she continues her search, and Carmel, who has been abducted by a man claiming to be her grandfather.
            The Secret Life of Souls is written by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee. Delia Cross is a talented 11-year-old actress whose hard work has provided her dysfunctional family members with a life of luxury. A freak fire in a supposedly haunted dollhouse puts Delia at risk but Caity, her Australian cattle dog, comes to her rescue, saving her and giving her emotional support in the days afterward.
            Don’t You Cry is written by Mary Kubica. In it, two stories converge. Quinn, a young woman from Chicago is mystified when her roommate Esther disappears from their apartment, leaving only a letter behind. Then Alex, a 19-year-old coffee shop worker in a small Michigan town befriends an unusual young woman that he calls Pearl. Are they the same woman?
            June: a Novel is written by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. Cassie Danvers, mourning the loss of her beloved grandmother June, is shocked to learn that she has inherited the entire estate of legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery who has claimed her as his granddaughter. Jack’s daughters come to claim the fortune as their rightful due. An investigation reveals equal portions of murder, blackmail, and betrayal from the past.
            The Girls: a Novel is written by Emma Cline. Mesmerized by a band of girls in the park she perceives as enjoying a life of free and careless abandon, 1960s teen Evie Boyd becomes obsessed with gaining acceptance into their circle, only to find herself drawn into a cult and seduced by its charismatic leader.
            The Twilight Wife: a Novel is written by A.J. Banner. After a diving accident, Kyra Withrop suffers amnesia about the last two years, but as her memory returns she experiences intense fear as she remembers the truth about her marriage and about the island residents whom she had believed to be her friends.





Thursday, January 26, 2017

Organization and Time Management

            Start now to streamline your life and accomplish more with the help of these current publications.
            Clearing Clutter: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual is written by Alexandra Chauran, a professional psychic intuitive who has been interviewed on National Public Radio. Her focus is not only on clearing physical clutter but on mental and spiritual clutter; she uses feng shui interior decorating, meditation exercises, and psychic guidance to accomplish this.

            The Smart Guide to Winning Back Your Time is written by Jeffrey P. Davidson, an authority on time management and work-life balance issues. Here he presents tips and techniques for better managing and restructuring daily life’s activities to gain back control of free time and time spent with loved ones.

            Driven to Distraction at Work: How to Focus and Be More Productive is written by Edward M. Hallowell, an authority on attention deficit disorder. He pinpoints why we often lose our focus at work, explaining the underlying psychological and emotional dynamics behind each example, and advises on how to train our attention.

            L’Art de la Simplicite = How to Live More with Less is written by Dominique Loreau, a French essayist who has written other books on living the simple life. She provides a step-by-step guide to decluttering one’s home, mind, and body, offering such suggestions as removing unwanted possessions, spending money on experiences, and rejecting negative relationships.

            Decluttering Your Home: Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets is written by Geralin Thomas, an instructor to professional organizers who also appeared on the Arts & Entertainment network show Hoarders for six seasons. Get started on decluttering using her tips, techniques, and trade secrets.

            Mess: One Man’s Struggle to Clean up His House and His Act is written by Barry Yourgrau, also the author of the memoir Wearing Dad’s Head. He embarks on this project after his girlfriend issues an ultimatum. The book draws on his experiences as both a hoarder and an investigator to profile subjects ranging from professional decluttering services and anti-hoarding therapy to the medical causes of hoarding and the psychological ramifications of clutter on relationships.  

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

New Year"s Resolutions: Diet & Nutrition


            New Year, new resolutions! Or, you can begin your self-improvement program any time of year! Here are some recently published books to help you out.
            The Change Your Biology Diet: the Proven Program for Lifelong Weight Loss, written by Dr. Louis J. Aronne, is his life-changing program and diet plan to effectively overcome addictions to sugar, fat, and salt, and achieve permanent weight loss, through adjustments to one’s metabolism.
            The American Cancer Society New Healthy Eating Cookbook, 3rd edition is written by Jeanne Besser, a former food columnist and author of several cookbooks. This is a compilation of recipes for healthy eating that also include substitution suggestions, kitchen tips, shopping ideas, and advice on portion sizes.
            The Big Five: Five Simple Things You Can Do to Live a Longer, Healthier Life, is written by Sanjiv Chopra, the former Faculty Dean of Continuing Education at Harvard Medical School. He expands upon these five things which include drinking coffee, exercising regularly, adding nuts to a diet, getting Vitamin C and practicing meditation.
            Eat Right for Your Type: the Individualized Diet Solution is written by Peter D’Adamo. This is a revision of his earlier works and includes cutting-edge research. There is more guidance on weight loss, information on the latest diet trends, examination of healthy microbiomes, and a ten-day jump-start diet.
            The Mindspan Diet: Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk, Minimize Memory Loss, and Keep Your Brain Young is written by Preston Estep, a Harvard University geneticist. The book is based on research done on long living populations with the lowest levels of dementia. The author recommends important dietary changes to protect cognitive functions; fifty recipes are included.
            The Love Diet: a Personalized, Proven Program that Changes the Way You Feel to Transform the Way You Look is written by Dr. Connie Guttersen and Dr. Mark Dedomenico of the 20/20 Lifestyles Clinic, a medically based weight loss clinic. They hypothesize that self-doubt, self-loathing, and low self-esteem are the reasons for destructive eating habits, and present their seven-stage diet program to promote permanent change through emotional reinforcement and healthy meals.
            Food Freedom Forever: Letting Go of Bad Habits, Guilt, and Anxiety around Food is written by Melissa Hartwig, a nutritionist. She shares advice on how to improve energy and health while letting go of negative food habits, outlining a three-part plan for long-term control and recovery from restriction breaks taken during the holidays, vacations, and times of stress.