Product "75-feet expanding hose, lime" by Rumford Gardener

About the Product: The rumford gardener expanding hose is durable and kink free. expands to 75ft with water pressure and shrinks back for easy storage in the provided cinch bag. no more straining with heavy hoses, the rumford gardener expanding hose weighs less than 1lb.

My Review: Interesting concept, but poorly executed. The idea behind this hose is great, being flexible, but they used poor quality material. The water pressure it delivers is very low (do not take me wrong, water pressure at home is great), and the loss of pressure comes from leaks that appears immediately throughout all the hose. The connector is made from a very cheap plastic and cracked at the first installation. I am disappointed with overall quality of this product.

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 "Cruxim" by Karin Cox

About the Book: What is Cruxim? Amedeo is Cruxim, a mysterious, immortal fallen angel. Destined to seek redemption as a vampire hunter, he nourishes his insatiable hunger on vampire blood. But when the object of his passion, the novice nun Joslyn, is turned into a vampire and enters a vampire coven, Amedeo's worlds collide. Shattered by the loss of his beloved, he vows to rid the world of vampires once and for all, even if it means destroying Josyln in the process. 

A Paranormal Game of Cat and Mouse. 

Joining Amedeo on his quest to rid the world of the undead is Sabine. Half-woman, half-lioness, she is a Sphinx, a Guardian who has protected humans from vampires since the dawn of time. Yet Sabine comes to this fight pursued by her own enemies. Dr. Claus Gandler knows the secret of Sabine's mythological past and has vowed to torment her for eternity or destroy her forever. 

Immortal Ever After? 

Captured by the evil doctor, Amedeo and Sabine are paraded as sideshow freaks in Gandler's Circus of Curiosities. Only vampire Joslyn has the power to intercede. Will she prove Amedeo's redemption, or his destruction?

About the Author: Karin Cox edits and writes in her "spare time" while being a fulltime mum to a toddler and to a black cat with the improbable name of "Ping Pong." 

She is the author of more than 30 trade-published natural history books, biographies, Australian social history books, children's picture storybooks, and travel guides, several of which have won awards. Karin has had poems and short stories published in anthologies worldwide and her ebooks CRUXIM, GROWTH, CAGE LIFE, HEY LITTLE SISTER and PANCAKES ON SUNDAY are available on Amazon. 

Thankfully, the busier she gets, the more creative she is (and the more likely to afford to hire a housekeeper). Karin and her partner live in sunny Queensland, Australia, where she writes from her back deck overlooking the pool, her study (overlooking her messy desk) or her couch (overlooking Dr Phil, who gives her a lot of inspiration). You can follow her on twitter @Authorandeditor or visit her fanpage on Facebook www.facebook.com/KarinCox.Author. Also, feel free to email her on cruxim@hotmail.com

My Review: This is quite an entertaining book. Unfortunately it is the first volume of a series, so the story does not end with this book and you stay wanting to know the end. The beginning could not be better. The entities the author created (the cruxim (Amedeo) and the sphinx (Sabine)) are immortal creatures that have a common enemy, the vampires. The plot is simple: Amedeo helps a young lady (Joslyn) to survive from an abusive father and fall in love with her, but she is turned into a vampire by one of his enemies. And he happens to meet Sabine, an sphinx that also kills vampires. They are persecuted and captured by Dr. Gandler, their enemy, that wants to become a vampire, and they are exposed in a circus of curiosities. After some animosities, they find some allies and manage to escape. But Sabine is capture again and Amedeo now has to rescue both Sabine and Joslyn. Very fast paced story, characters well constructed, this is a story that you read on the edge of your chair. Very hard to put the book down before it finishes and I really hope it does not take long for the author to come with the sequel. I am addicted to her style of easy reading and story flowing like there is no tomorrow!

I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that loves a well written fantasy book.  I bought this book from Amazon.com and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

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

Product "5-Position Baseball Brush Tee" by SKLZ

About the Product:

• When you are at the plate it's important to be ready for whatever pitch comes your way - be it inside, outside or right down the center. The 5-Position Brush Tee allows you to master these while also giving you a more realistic ball flight off the tee. 
• Standard tee with brush top and height adjustment. 
• Positions for 5 different zones across the plate. 
• Helps build confidence and hand-eye coordination in youth players. 
• Brush top provides more realistic ball flight, feel and feedback - get cleanly through the ball without any shock to the bat or hands.

My Review: This is like the traditional T used for training on your swing at baseball/softball balls. Extremely easy to assemble, it is solid and made with excellent quality. My daughter is using this product for the last two weeks and she cannot be happier. Her hitting already improved in real games during last weekend.
The difference with this one is that you can adjust the pole to different positions related to the plate, to simulate inside or outside ball, for example. You can also easily adjust the height. Very useful tool to improve hitting quality and hand-eye coordination.

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!

Product "Cathedral Snow 1000-Piece Puzzle" by Pastime Puzzles

About the Product: Designed by Stephen Lyman, this Puzzle marks the revival of the cherished Pastime Puzzle brand - from Winning Moves Games - featuring the return of unique puzzle piece shapes called Whimsies. No two puzzle pieces are the same and include interlocking border pieces. The pieces feature a clean snap and fit, found only among the highest quality jigsaw puzzles.

My Review: I love the picture selection. It is very challenging with the fog and sky in similar shades and all trees, mountains and ground contributing to the difficulty. 

I am a puzzle maniac, having assembled jigsaw puzzles from 100 to 9000 pieces (a 13200 pieces is in the queue and I am really going to the 18,000 and 32,000 pieces from Ravensburger in the future...). Some of them were 3D puzzles, like the Taj Mahal, US Capitol, Neuschwanstein Castle, Big Ben, etc. This particular puzzle is a very high quality product from Pastime Puzzles, the first one I assemble from this company. All the pieces have an excellent finishing and they stick together very well. I usually assemble this size of puzzles on Foam Boards. They are very light and conveniently cheap. The foam board being 3/16'' (5mm) gives your puzzle enough support. I usually cut the board (easily done with a cutter) after glueing the puzzle, leaving a border of 1'' at each side, so I can pin the board in my garage (that, at this point, is full of puzzles...). What help me a lot is that my wife and daughters also like the challenge, so we move fast. A 1,000 piece puzzle do not last a weekend, although the 8,000 piece one took us 2 months (most 2 to 3 hours at night work) to put together. It took us 10 days to put this one together. I highly recommend this puzzle for the excellent quality to everyone that enjoys challenges alone or with the whole family. It is a guaranteed entertainment for hours, listening to music or talking in family environment. Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this product for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not request to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

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

Book " Becoming Fearless" by Michelle Aguilar

About the Book: “I will never forget the emotions that night as I stepped up to the scale and won the title as America cheered me on. It was an unforgettable journey from ‘little girl lost’ to ‘champion crowned,’ and the priceless gift I’d been given—to become fearless—is one that will keep on giving.” —Michelle Aguilar, Becoming Fearless.

Michelle Aguilar’s inspiring story goes beyond her grand-prize victory on television’s immensely popular The Biggest Loser. Becoming Fearless is about having faith in God when you have lost faith in yourself. It is an encouragement to “feel the fear” in any obstacle in life without being paralyzed by it. Finally, it is a story about reconciliation between Michelle and her mother, an exploration of the difficult and freeing work of forgiveness, and a reminder that what you learn on the journey is even more important than the destination.

My Review: This young lady teaches the world through her book on how to overcome the worst fears we might face on our daily lives. This is a true inspirational book. Her relationship with her mother goes wrong when her mother leaves her father and she feels abandoned, as her mother leaves the house by surprise taking her two younger sisters with her, but never asking if Michelle wanted to go with them. And from there Michelle lives a roller-coaster life and she learns to place her confidence and hope in Jesus. And the reconciliation and forgiveness is shown as a process and the parallel "Biggest Loser" contest is a tool God places in her life so she can demonstrate her will to overcome all difficulties and win her battle against her worst fears.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that needs a boost in his/her faith.  I bought this book from Amazon.com and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

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

Balance of July

During the month of July, I reviewed the following:

Books:
- "Child of the Ghosts" by Jonathan Moeller. Read my review.
- "Khe" by Alexes Razevich. Read my review.
- "Open Minds" by Susan Kaye Quinn. Read my review.

Other Products:
- "AVR-X1000 In-Command 5.1-Channel Networking Home Theater Receiver with AirPlay (Black)"  from Denon. Read my review.
- "Half and Half Sweetened Instant Tea Mix, Iced Tea and Lemonade, 24.34 Ounce" by Lipton. Read my review.
- "Hit-A-Way Jr. - 2-in-1 Youth Batting Trainer" by SKLZ. Read my review.

Product "Hit-A-Way Jr. - 2-in-1 Youth Batting Trainer" by SKLZ

About the Product: The Hit-A-Way Jr. batting trainer is the fun and safe way for children to develop their batting skills. It's construction mirrors that of the SKLZ adult swing trainer, the Hit-A-Way, but brings it down to youth proportions. The Hit-A-Way Jr. sets up in seconds and easily converts to a tee with two different height options, giving your future all-star two ways to have fun. Start your little one by hitting a ball on the T-Ball stand, then graduate them to getting comfortable swinging the Neoprene bat and hitting the moving ball. The tethered ball simulates real pitches and develops hand-eye coordination, balance, and timing in both right- and left-handed batters.
Features:

• Sets up in seconds for hours of play or practice 
• Use as a batting trainer or as a T-ball trainer 
• Tethered ball simulates real pitches 
• Great for right- and left-handed batters 
• For indoor or outdoor use

My Review: Previously I had bought the big version of this batting trainer for my daughter, as she was struggling on the hitting aspect of her game. When I saw that SKLZ had this youth version I immediately thought about my nephew that is six years old. It was a blast! He enjoys so much his new equipment that he wants to sleep with it. First day he spent more than four hours playing with it and definitely he was starting hitting the ball much better at the end of the four hours. Best part is that he was so tired that he did not complain when sent to bed! But for more "serious" training, there is the need of an adult supervision to adjust the level of the ball (height and distance) as this changes after a few hits. It is easy to assemble but the material is not solid that will last a lifetime. But if it last one year of some use (not intense), it will already be worth the money.

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 "Open Minds" by Susan Kaye Quinn

In the process of transferring our  blog to a brand new domain, this archived post has been adapted to BooksCrier.com

About the Book: Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can't read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can't be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf's mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she's dragged deep into a hidden underworld of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

About the Author: Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple times. 

She left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees (B.S. Aerospace Engineering, M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering) and work everywhere from NASA to NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) to a little Venice Beach restaurant called The Green Bean (she was the bookkeeper). She has designed aircraft engines, studied global warming, and held elected office (as a school board member). Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Rocket Scientist and Author," and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. 

Which is too bad. 

All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up dystopian future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. For her stories, of course. Just ignore that stuff in the basement. 

Her middle grade boys clamor for more middle grade books with magic and gadgets and less teen novels with kissing. Unfortunately for them, she enjoys writing both.

Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.

Check out Susan's author website (www.susankayequinn.com) for more information about her books, and subscribe to her newsletter (http://bit.ly/SubscribeToSusansNewsletter) to be notified of upcoming releases.

My Review: This is a very interesting book, where the author create a world where human kind developed the ability of reading thoughts. But not all of them are capable of doing it. Those are called zeros and are outcast from society. Our heroine is Kira, a zero, who secretly loves Raf, a mindreader from her class. When he tries to kiss her she controls his mind and almost kill him. With the help of a friend (Simon) she starts learning how to control her new ability of mindjack and she quickly find out that she is not alone with this ability. And her world turns into lies to her family, to her friends and to Raf. The author did a great job constructing a very rich set of characters. The story flows in a quick pace and at the you just want more. Fortunately the trilogy is completed by the time I finished reading the first book, so I can proceed and read all three without having to wait at all.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of any science-fiction fan, as well as any young adult that enjoys a very well written novel.  I bought this book from Amazon.com and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

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

Product "Half and Half Sweetened Instant Tea Mix, Iced Tea and Lemonade, 24.34 Ounce" by Lipton

About the Product: Lipton half and half lemonade iced tea mix has the freshness of iced tea along with the great taste of cool lemonade. This tea and lemonade flavor mix is a beverage the whole family will love to drink, and is an easy way to refresh your mealtime. With the delicious blend of thirst-quenching Lipton iced tea and the sweet taste of lemonade in simple to make mix, you can enjoy these great flavors anytime of the day.

My Review: I was very pleasant surprised by the effect the lemonade had on the iced tea. I would never do this mix voluntarily but at the end, it was a very nice combination of flavors. Initially I was worried about the fact that it was sweetened, but even that proved to be not a killer. The amount of sugar is enough to break the bitterness of the tea and the lemon and the final result is a very refreshing drink.

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 "Khe" by Alexes Razevich

About the Book: Khe loves her simple life on a farming commune, until she discovers that her gift for pushing the crops is a death sentence. Fleeing across the treacherous wilderness, she makes her way to the city of Chimbalay, searching for the orindles who might save her. But Chimbalay has its own dangers. The Powers are there - the secret rulers who have chosen Khe to be the mother of a monstrous new race. 

Neither "man in space" SciFi nor classical fantasy, Khe deftly blends elements of both while satisfying those searching for something different. Readers looking for solid world-building and fresh and fully-realized characters will especially enjoy this book. 

A trust betrayed. A transformation that changes everything.

About the Author: Alexes Razevich was born in New York and grew up in Orange County, California. She attended California State University San Francisco where she earned a degree in Creative Writing. After a successful career on the fringe of the electronics industry, including stints as director of marketing for a major trade show management company and as an editor for Electronic Engineering Times, she returned to her first love - fiction. She lives in Southern California with her husband and one of her two college-aged children. When she isn't writing, she enjoys playing hockey and travel. 

She would love to have you join her on Twitter https://twitter.com/lxsraz and get to know you on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AlexesRazevichAuthor.

My Review: Very entertaining story, the author creates a very interesting world, populated with a race where the males and females live separately and once per year they reunite to mate. But that happens as an impulse that you cannot control, and our heroine misses this impulse and is sent for treatment. Initially the treatment seems to work, but then some side effects start to happen and the whole story develops from there. While seeking for a cure to her problem outside her village, she finds others affected by similar problem and she ended up finding the answer for a much more high level question, who are those entities that came to their world and caused the society to behave as they do nowadays. Very well written, characters full developed and environment well described. Nice cover. It took me around 10 hours to read the whole book.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers that enjoy a very well written science-fiction book. I bought this book from Amazon.com and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

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