Monday, December 31, 2012

Balance 2012

During 2012 I read, watched and reviewed the following:

January
AudioBooks:
- "Home Front" by Kristin Hannah. Read my review.

Books:
- "Guardian of the Gate" by Michelle Zink. Read my review.
- "Not For Parents - New York" a Travel Guide by Lonely Planet. Read my review.
- "Not For Parents - Paris" a Travel Guide by Lonely Planet. Read my review.
- "God Gave Us Two" by Lisa Tawn Bergren and art by Laura J.Bryant. Read my review.
- "The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge" by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker. Read my review.
- "Moments of Truth" by John MacArthur. Read my review.

Other Products:
- "Paula Deen Dinnerware, 58180 Tatnall Street, 4 Piece Porcelain Place Setting, Bluebell ". Read my review.

February
Books:
- "Touchstone" by Melanie Rawn. Read my review.
- "Cyberlife" by W.H.Buxton. Read my review.
- "The Fourth Fisherman" by Joe Kissack. Read my review.
- "The Cloudy Corners of Creation" by Mark Tate. Read my review.

Other Products:
- "Case Logic Sleeve for 9-10.1-Inch Tablet/iPad". Read my review.

March
Books:
- "Life Promises for Couples" by Gary Chapman. Read my review.
- "The Genesis Code" by Abraham Lopian and Julie A.Snyder. Read my review.
- "Farsighted" by Emlyn Chand. Read my review.
- "Animated Realism" by Judith Kriger. Read my review.
- "Puerto Rico" by Nate Cavalieri and Beth Kohn. Read my review.
- "iOS5 Programming" by Rob Napier and Mugunth Kumar. Read my review.

April
Books:
- "Pabby's Score" by James Ross. Read my review.
- "The Canker Death" by James Bottino. Read my review.
- "Amsterdam" - a Travel Guide by Lonely Planet - Karla Zimmerman and Sarah Chandler. Read my review.
- "God Gave Us Love" - by Lisa Tawn Bergren and art by Laura J.Bryant. Read my review.
- "Greece Day By Day" - a travel Guide by Frommer's - Stephen Brewer and Tania Kollias. Read my review.

May

Books:
- "Into the Mist: Silver Hand" by Steve Finegan. Read my review.
- "A Heart Like His" by Beth Moore. Read my review.
- "Alaska" - a travel guide by Frommer's - by Kris Capps et al. Read my review.
- "Immortality" by Stephen Cave. Read my review.
- "The Last Refuge" by Ben Coes. Read my review.

Product:
- "3D Puzzle - Empire State Building, 216 pieces" by Ravensburger. Read my review.

June

Books:
- "Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus" by Joyce Magnin. Read my review.
- "The Truth About Grace" by John MacArthur. Read my review.
- "Seven Hours Omnibus" by Mike Dellosso et al. Read my review.
- "Spark (Sky Chasers)" by Amy Kathleen Ryan. Read my review.

Products:
- "Neuschwanstein Castle 2000 PiecePanorama XXL Puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.
- "Evening in Rome 1000 Piece StarlineGlow-in-the-dark Puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.
- "Underwater Paradise 9000 piece puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.

July

Books:
- "Desires Revealed" by Rebeka Harrington. Read my review.
- "Eye of the Sword" by Karyn Henley. Read my review.
- "Greco's Game" by James Houston Turner. Read my review.

Products:
- "Cinque Terre, Italy 1500 Piece Puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.
- "Harbor in Portofino, Italy 1000 Piece Puzzle" by ravensburger. Read my review.
- "HP59BL Pillows Stereo Ear Buds - Blue" by RCA. Read my review.
- "In Paris, 1500 Piece Puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.

August

Books:
- "Xcode 4 Unleashed" by Fritz Anderson. Read my review.
- "Crater" by Homer Hickam. Read my review.

Products:
- "Natural View Anti-Glare Screen Protector for the New iPad (3rd Generation) and the iPad 2 (NVAGiPad3RTL)" by 3M. Read my review.

September

Books:
- "Leading Through Hope" by Joseph Okpanachi and Bramwell Osula. Read my review.
- "Not Famous Anymore" by Michael Loyd Gray. Read my review.
- "Latitudes: A Story of Coming Home" by Anthony Caplan. Read my review.
- "Shades of Souls Passed" by Teresa Andrews. Read my review.

October

Books:
- "Remember Me" by Brian MacLearn. Read my review.
- "Falstaff's Big Gamble" by Hank Quense. Read my review.
- "Last Regress" by Rachael J.Thorne.Read my review.
- "The Prayer of Love" by Dr. Mark Hanby and Roger Roth, Sr. Read my review.
- "King Biscuit" by Michael Loyd Gray. Read my review.
- "Riverwalker" by Bud Bradshaw. Read my review.

Products:
- "Tower of Pisa - 1500 pieces puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.
- "Big Ben 216-piece 3D Building Set" by Ravensburger. Read my review.

November

Books:
- "Bedeviled" by Sable Grace. Read my review.
- "The Two Agreements" by S.L.Brannon. Read my review.
- "12.21" by Dustin Thomason. Read my review.
- "The Hidden Village" by Greg Krehbiel. Read my review.

Products:
- "Island of Hordaland, Norway 1500 Piece Puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.
- "Backup Plus 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive for Mac" by Seagate. Read my review.
- "Tower Bridge 3D Puzzle" by Ravensburger. Read my review.

December

Books:
- "The 13th Tribe" by Robert Liparulo. Read my review.
- "Midnight City" by J.Barton Mitchell. Read my review.
- "Belstarr The Lost Toymaker" by David Jack, Daniel Morrow and Stella Perrett (illustrator). Read my review.
- "The Munching Yak" by David Jacks, Daniel Morrow and Sushil Shrestha (illustrator). Read my review.

Products:
- "3-Feet MIXIT Flat and Tangle-Free Aux / Auxilary Cable (Green)" by Belkin. Read my review.
- "Table Lamp With Speaker For iPod, iPhone, and iPad (White)" by iHome. Read my review.

Balance of December

During the month of December, I reviewed the following:

Books:
- "The 13th Tribe" by Robert Liparulo. Read my review.
- "Midnight City" by J.Barton Mitchell. Read my review.
- "Belstarr The Lost Toymaker" by David Jack, Daniel Morrow and Stella Perrett (illustrator). Read my review.
- "The Munching Yak" by David Jacks, Daniel Morrow and Sushil Shrestha (illustrator). Read my review.

Products:
- "3-Feet MIXIT Flat and Tangle-Free Aux / Auxilary Cable (Green)" by Belkin. Read my review.
- "Table Lamp With Speaker For iPod, iPhone, and iPad (White)" by iHome. Read my review.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Product "Table Lamp With Speaker For iPod, iPhone, and iPad (White)" by iHome

About the Product: Compliment any room with the iHLM130 table lamp. This iHome table lamp isn't your everyday table lamp. This is a perfect bedside night table lamp with a speaker. The lamp stands 16.5 Inches tall and has a 7.5 inch diameter fabric shade. It uses up to a 40 watt E26 medium base type A19 bulb or CFL equivalent. The lamp features a downward firing speaker system with a sound boost chamber. Not only can you play music from your iPhone, iPod and iPad, but with the auxiliary input you can plug in any audio device.

My Review: This is a beautiful table lamp that would stand on its own. But there are more into that than the eyes can see. Hidden beneath the lamp you have a decent speaker and a auxiliary cable that can connect any sound equipment into this speaker. I tested with an iPhone and sound quality is good. It will not produce the best sound ever, but you will be able to listening to your musics while reading or relaxing at night.

Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this product for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment! 

Book "The Munching Yak" by David Jacks, Daniel Morrow and Sushil Shrestha (illustrator)

About the Book: Munch Crunch! It's the Munching Yak.“That’s my answer,” said garbage man Ted. “I’m running out of space at the village dump. That Munching Yak would be the ideal answer!”

About the Authors: Welcome To The Wonderful World Of Wolf-Hawk Writing. With a partnership stretching back nearly 10 years, Wolf-Hawk Writing are the 'New Kids On The Block' in comparison with the bigger publishing companies. They offer a wide variety of books, ranging from picture books, rhyming stories and YA novels. Their books are available in both Paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Their mission is simple, to encourage reading, to engage readers, and to write unique, fun and enjoyable stories. If one child says 'I love Wolf-Hawk Writing' then they have achieved their goal.
David Jacks & Daniel Morrow Wolf-Hawk Writing
'If We Write It They Will Come.'
Read more on www.wolfhawkwriting.com

My Review: I've read other children book from those authors that I enjoyed more. This one in particular is too short (7 pages). Even for a 5 years old is not long enough. When they start paying attention the book is over. These authors have other excellent books, like Belstarr The Lost Toymaker and others. The illustration though is good.

This book was written by David Jack and Daniel Morrow and illustrated by Sushil Shrestha and published by Wolf-Hawk Writing on Feb 2012.

If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Book "Belstarr The Lost Toymaker" by David Jack, Daniel Morrow and Stella Perrett (illustrator)

About the Book: A rhyming Christmas story about a lost toymaker called 'Belstarr' who holds the key to Christmas in her heart. Will she find 'belief' before Drake Hausen takes over Christmas forever? A magical sleigh ride for all Christmas believers. Ideal for reading on Christmas Eve to start the festive season.

About the Authors: Welcome To The Wonderful World Of Wolf-Hawk Writing. With a partnership stretching back nearly 10 years, Wolf-Hawk Writing are the 'New Kids On The Block' in comparison with the bigger publishing companies.
They offer a wide variety of books, ranging from picture books, rhyming stories and YA novels. Their books are available in both Paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon.Com and Amazon.Co.Uk.
Their mission is simple, to encourage reading, to engage readers, and to write unique, fun and enjoyable stories. If one child says 'I love Wolf-Hawk Writing' then they have achieved their goal.
David Jacks & Daniel Morrow Wolf-Hawk Writing
'If We Write It They Will Come.'
Read more on www.wolfhawkwriting.com

My Review: Well written and beautifully illustrated, this book is a must have on the permanent library of any child who enjoys Christmas magic. It has the right size to be read before sending the child to bed. It will keep their attention to the end. It should take no more than 30 minutes to read to whole book. Plot is simple: Father Weisberg has a toy workshop and produces toys to Santa Claus. He has four children: Chiska, Duchy, Alvaro and Belstarr. He receives the award of the best toymaker of all. During celebration, Belstarr goes missing. She was kidnapped by Drake Hausen and taken to the South Pole. He wanted to take-over Christmas and hoped that Belstarr would help him making his toys best by far. And the story develops more till the rescue of Belstarr. Everything written  in rhymes. Brilliantly executed!
This book was written by David Jack and Daniel Morrow and illustrated by Stella Perrett and published by Wolf-Hawk Writing on Feb 2012.

If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Book "Midnight City" by J.Barton Mitchell

About the Book: Lord of the Flies meets War of the Worlds in J. Barton Mitchell's alien-invaded post-apocalyptic world where two teens and a young girl with amazing powers must stop the aliens' mysterious plan. Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone---a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone has one critical flaw. It only affects the population once they reach their early twenties, which means that there is one group left to resist: Children. Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It's not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn't something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey. As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she, as impossible as it seems, may just be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all. Midnight City is the breathtaking first book of the Conquered Earth series.

About the Author: J. Barton Mitchell is a writer and creator of speculative fiction, as well as a photographer, traveler, reader, and occasional masked crime fighter. He is the author of the young adult science fiction series Conquered Earth.

My Review: This is a very well written book, with an intense story on loyalty, friendship, love and survival. The plot is quite simple and will keep you hooked from the first page to the end. Our hero is called Holt. He is a bounty hunter that has as his companion his dog named Max, and the currently highest prize is Mira Toombs, a treasurer seeker and freebooter. Earth was conquered eight years before by aliens and their domination is based on the transmission of a signal  that they broadcast all over called Tone, and make all humans on early twenties and over to be submissive to their call to unconditional servitude. But there are a few that are immune to the Tone, like Holt. Mira is almost succumbing to the signal, having just some more months before turning herself to the aliens. Holt captures Mira, and a strong connection between them develops almost instantly, but he fights hard not to fall for her. After capturing her, an alien ship crashes near them and when investigating it, Holt finds its only survivor, an eight years old young lady that can only remember her name, Zoye. But soon they learn that the whole alien force is seeking Zoey and they figure out that she must be very special to draw all that attention. The story develops in a very intense thriller and the end is very unpredictable and leaves that feeling that we want more and very soon! This might turn out to be a very interesting Hollywood movie. It has all ingredients for an instant success blockbuster!

I recommend this book to the permanent library of all science-fiction lovers that wants to be entertained with a thriller story that will hook you from the beginning and you will read it on the edge of your chair. It took me around 13 hours to read the whole book. This book was written by J.Barton Mitchell and it was published by St. Martin's Griffin on October of 2012. Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this product for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

 If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Book "The 13th Tribe" by Robert Liparulo

About the Book: When a group of immortal vigilantes threatens millions, only one man is brave enough to stand in their way. Their story didn't start this year…or even this millennium. It began when Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Tired of waiting on the One True God, the twelve tribes of Israel began worshiping a golden calf through pagan revelry. Many received immediate death for their idolatry, but 40 were handed a far worse punishment—endless life on earth with no chance to see the face of God. This group of immortals became the 13th Tribe, and they've been trying to earn their way into heaven ever since—by killing sinners. Though their logic is twisted, their brilliance is undeniable. Their wrath is unstoppable. And the technology they possess is beyond anything mere humans have ever seen. Jagger Baird knows nothing about the Tribe when he’s hired as head of security for an archaeological dig on Mt. Sinai. The former Army Ranger is still reeling from an accident that claimed the life of his best friend, his arm, and his faith in God. The Tribe is poised to execute their most ambitious attack ever and the lives of millions hang in the balance. When Jagger’s wife and son are caught in the crossfire, he’ll stop at nothing to save them. But how can one man stand against an entire tribe of immortals?

About the Author: "I've been writing since before I could drive. Short stories, investigative exposes, celebrity profiles, editorials, business columns, radio dramas, screenplays--you name it. For the last few years, I've focused on novels. I'm the author of the thrillers "Comes a Horseman," "Germ," "Deadfall," "Deadlock," "The 13th Tribe," and the young adult series Dreamhouse Kings--"House of Dark Shadows," "Watcher in the Woods," "Gatekeepers," "Timescape," "Whirlwind," and "Frenzy." Several of my books have been sold or optioned by Hollywood producers. All of them are in various stages of production. I'm also working on an original screenplay with Andrew Davis (director of "The Fugitive" and "The Guardian). I wrote the screenplay for Ted Dekker's "Blessed Child." My short story "Kill Zone" appears in the James Patterson-edited anthology "Thriller," and my essay on Thomas Perry's "The Butcher's Boy" can be found in the anthology "Thriller: 100 Must Reads." Check out my websites at www.robertliparulo.com and www.dreamhousekings.com. You can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/LiparuloFans. Hope you enjoy my stories!" by Robert Liparulo

My Review: This is a well written book, with an amazing and simple plot. A group of people is condemned to eternal life on earth. As they cannot die, they cannot face God ever. This is their punishment for worshiping a golden calf when Moses was up on the Sinai mountain receiving God's tablets with the ten commandments. They are known as the 13th tribe. In order to try to get rid of this punishment and fall in the grace of God again, this group start killing sinners. Their actions are all over history, but they always go anonymously. They are brilliant and their plans are executed to perfection, as they had 3500 years of training. Our hero Jagger is the head of security of an archaeological digging site on Mount Sinai. He lost his arm and his best friend in an accident. He also lost his faith in God. The story develops as a thriller and Jagger is caught with his family in the middle of one of the tribe's mission. In order to rescue his wife he has to face and defeat the tribe. There are a lot of twists in the story and there is no way you can foresee the end. Brilliantly written, this book is a great entertainment for hours. It is destined to be as successful as any one of the Dan Brown's best sellers.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of all book lovers that wants to be entertained with a thriller story that will hook you from the beginning and you will read it on the edge of your chair. It took me around 12 hours to read the whole book. This book was written by Robert Liparulo and it was published by Thomas Nelson on April of 2012. Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this product for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

 If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Product "3-Feet MIXIT Flat and Tangle-Free Aux / Auxilary Cable (Green)" by Belkin

About the Product: 3.5mm plug on each end; Chrome-finished plugs and nickel-plated contacts; Flat design prevents tangles; 3-Feet (0.9m)

My review: This is a very nice and well finished cable produced by Belkin in a nice tone of green, that makes it easier for you to find the cable anywhere. It is replacing my old 1-Foot black cable I used to connect my iPod Touch to the sound system of my car. Now my daughters are happy because they can plug their iPods and control what they hear from the back of the car (old cable was too short for that).

Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this product for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!