Friday, January 29, 2016

'Less Stress' by Gabriella Kindert

less stress banner 1

Screen Shot 2016-01-19 at 10.41.21 AMDo you want to discover how Cleopatra, the famous Egyptian queen succeeded to manage stress and stress symptoms? She was not just one of the most beautiful women in the world, but also one of the most powerful ones. Find out what was her secret by reading this book. You will also find out many interesting things that helped, for example, Alexander The Great, Coco Chanel and many other famous inspirational leaders.

The most interesting thing is that their approach and strategies can be applied to us today. History has so much to offer to those who are open to learning from it.

Besides inspirations from historical leaders, this guide will show you how to fight stress on a practical, easy and relatively fast way.


Buy on Amazon

 


You will learn how to strengthen:
* your mental health and stress resistance;
* self-confidence;
* self-control in stressful moments.

About the author:
Gabriella Kindert Gabriella Kindert (MBA, MA) is a finance executive who has worked in numerous countries for leading organizations. Over the years, she has attributed her success to hard work, diligence, and dedication. In addition to her job, she is a founding partner of several successful companies. Despite her busy schedule, she is a mother of two children and a devoted wife. During her career she realised the importance of balance, nutrition, physical activity for better control of every aspect of life. She has established an organization called One Life, which actively promotes a healthier lifestyle. You can also follow her on Facebook.


Tuesday, January 26, 2016

'The Master Life' by Roger Bush Hamilton



Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is, Roger Bush Hamilton. I am a Father. I am a motivated and compelled individual, who takes this role very seriously. I am a student of living and of life. Why is it important to note my fatherhood credential and investment? Because my growth, development and evolution represent an amazing journey, and perhaps by reading it, you may embrace your important role in life as well.

It’s been said that, “A man should have two lives; one to learn it, and one to live it.” This book represents the merits of both, by a dynamic and spirited writer.

…What is unique about this book is the connection between family, work and the martial arts and how they work in a dynamic mutually supportive interaction with each other. The overall focus of the book guides you through a process of decision making to determine AND achieve what are the most important goals to enhance the quality of your life. The book avoids being one dimensional in that it looks at all the important areas of life and shows how they are connected to and benefit from the martial arts philosophy that is the book’s centerpiece.

After you have read this book you will have the skills you need to take the philosophy of the martial arts (even if you are not a practitioner) and use those skills to improve your family and work life as well as any other area that is important to you.

The other outstanding feature in the book, is that it presents all this in a way that is balanced. This balance is highlighted in the titles of the last two chapters: Commitment to Excellence (Not to Perfection) and Never Quit (But Rest When You Need It).

There are also many inspirational stories and photographs to illustrate how a serious implementation of the guidance in this book can make a real difference in your life. When you read this book and APPLY what is in it you will find the results are well worth the time and effort.









About the author:

Roger B. Hamilton is currently a 6th Degree, Master Black Belt, in the combined arts of Shotokan Karate and Goshi-Shun Jujitsu. An accomplished and active black belt karate instructor and competitor, Sensei Hamilton has more than 30 years of Martial Arts training, and over 30 years of practical teaching experience. Additionally, Mr. Hamilton is currently the Founder, owner and Chief Instructor of Hamilton Martial Arts Academy, LLC in Pitsburg, California. Additionally, Mr. Hamilton is The Bay Area Sales Manager for Give Something Back Corporation. Based in Oakland, CA GSB is a long standing business supplies company. Previously, Mr. Hamilton has held several high profile, executive management positions, such as: National Sales Manager for the Hertz Rent a Car Corporation. Mr. Hamilton has more than 35 years of professional business experience. Along with his wife, Valrina and two sons, Omar and Ali, he resides in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

Find him online:

Website: www.hamiltonkarate.com

Book website: www.TheMasterLifeBook.com



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonMartialArtsAcademy

Monday, January 25, 2016

'Lethal Action (Danger in the Deep South)' by Rachel Dylan



Attorney Hope Finch is a rising star at the prestigious New York law firm of Rice & Taylor and is used to high-stakes litigation. But when she’s sent to what she thought was a small, sleepy town in Georgia, she is unprepared for the dangerous turn of events that threatens her life and career.

FBI Special Agent Gabe Marino knows that something sinister is happening in his hometown of Maxwell, Georgia. But even he doesn’t know how big the threat is until he’s assigned to protect a visiting big city lawyer. As Gabe investigates the illegal activity linked to Hope’s client, he tries to caution her, but she ignores his warnings—until it’s her life that’s in jeopardy.

When Hope becomes the target in a deadly corporate cover-up that is directly tied to the biggest trial the town of Maxwell has ever seen, she and Gabe have to find a way to work together. Hope and Gabe race against the clock to uncover the true threat, but can Gabe keep Hope safe in the face of danger or will time run out on them both?



Buy links


About the author:

Rachel Dylan writes Christian fiction including inspirational romantic suspense for Love Inspired Suspense and the Windy Ridge Legal Thriller series. Rachel has practiced law for almost a decade and enjoys weaving together legal and suspenseful stories. She lives in Michigan with her husband and five furkids--two dogs and three cats. Rachel loves to connect with readers. You can find Rachel at www.racheldylan.com.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

'A Guyanese Jaguar Soul' by Maja Sinclair



Blurb:

In A Guyanese Jaguar Soul Maja Sinclair takes the reader through the early years of her eventful life. Her father, a successful engineer, eventually sees that his wife is a terrible mother to Maja and her sister so when they split Maja follows her father around the world as he moves from continent to continent with his work.


In a very engaging style Maja shows the reader different countries and cultures through a child's eyes. Her chance encounter with a Jaguar in Guyana teaches Maja that she has the strength and durability of the mysterious cat, traits that will help her through the bad times until the good arrive again.

A Guyanese Jaguar Soul is an absorbing and enjoyable read following the path of a child as she journeys through South America, to Africa, America and Scandinavia until the urge to settle down finally takes over.






Monday, January 18, 2016

Review of '31 Strategies on How to Win Radio Contests' by Catherine Collins


Everyone loves to win a contest. Apart from getting our hands on the prizes, there is this unspeakable joy and thrill of winning a contest, knowing that we have done something right in beating other contestants to it; or simply by just being more fortunate! Joining radio contests may start off as merely exploratory and eventually reach the height of not being able to live without it. 

Stage 1 - for the fun of it / out of curiosity 

Stage 2 – it becomes a Hobby – ever since winning the first contest, your confidence level has certainly gone up a notch! Moreover, listening to the radio is also a hobby. 

Stage 3 – it becomes an Addiction – you tell yourself that you must win a particular contest and you will not be at peace until you have done so. You will do all you can to win, e.g. wake up early or stay up late (depending on the time of the contest), take leave off from work, etc. 

Stage 4 – it becomes a Passion – you know you are good at winning and you idolise your radio station. Winning radio contests is an integral part of your lifestyle. You want to share with others the good news of winning (but not the secret of doing it!). 

Stage 5 – it becomes a Profession – this is when strategies are being charted as well as research being done in order to maximise the winnings. 

Radio contests are also generally more “transparent” as the contests are run live on air with participants calling in at “real time” and scrutinised by the thousands, if not millions of listeners tuning in. 

You will find 31 STRATEGIES ON HOW TO WIN RADIO CONTESTS - INCLUDING WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING MORE! a useful tool in whatever stage you may be at.


http://amzn.to/1TQO2Dl

**My thoughts*

Catherine Collins has assembled a list of her tried-and-true tips for winning contests on the radio. Many of them are fantastic and great tips for those who haven't been sure what to do in the past. I have used some of them in the past. I also learned a few new ideas that I may try to employ in the future. I have a couple of friends who seem to be crazy lucky when it comes to winning contests on the radio, and I believe they likely employ a lot of these strategies.

The final section, though, advises people to try to mask their own identities or to borrow the identities of others. The author includes a disclaimers saying that she does not advocate cheating. She also doesn't feel that those methods are exactly cheating. From my understanding of radio contests, at least around here, though, they could be considered cheating. I would personally advise against those ideas, but the rest of them are fantastic tips.

I would have loved to have had some anecdotes of successful contest wins, either by the author or some of her friends. How and when did these tips work for her and them?

There is an additional surprise section that includes great reasons for listening to the radio. And then another part talks about World Radio Day. While that information is interesting, in a way it felt like a bit of filler based on the title of this book. At the same time, the author is obviously dedicated to listening and wants to share her passion with others, which is great.

I did quite enjoy the poem at the end that is a nod to her love of listening to the radio.

So, overall I give the book three stars. It has a lot of useful information in it, though I caution against a few of those final tips. (Check the fine print of your own local radio stations to clarify their requirements in these situations.) I appreciate the nod to the love of radio and the interesting trivia. I would love to see an updated version with more stories in it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

Catherine Collins enjoys writing and one of her favourite hobbies is joining, or rather winning radio contests. She is also a lyricist and poet. She holds a BA in Social Science & Humanities and a MBA from Australia. Her areas of specialisation include linguistics, sociology. services marketing, and consumer behaviour.

'Fire Below' by Robert Mahler



Blurb:


A plot by Islamic terrorists to wreak unimaginable devastation upon the Homeland: It's scarcely believable and in fact, not believed. Until two American heroes uncover the scheme while on combat duty in Iraq and almost single-handedly track down the sleeper-cell agents planning to unleash a firestorm -- it's the Fire Below.

Fire Below -- part adventure, part mystery-novel, all edge-of-your-seat action -- takes us on a roller coaster ride of adventure, intrigue, and espionage, as Bob Marconi and Mike Mackintosh initially deployed in Iraq fighting terrorist insurgents uncover a plot that if successful would destroy a third of the Homeland and kill millions of people. They have to track down the perpetrators, hiding amongst the peaceful citizens of the United States, and racing against the clock, their lives and the lives of millions of Americans along with them at risk, foil the plot of the terrorists to strike a blow for the Caliphate against the hated enemy, the United States of America.


Buy links



Monday, January 11, 2016

'31 Strategies on How to Win Radio Contests' by Catherine Collins


Everyone loves to win a contest. Apart from getting our hands on the prizes, there is this unspeakable joy and thrill of winning a contest, knowing that we have done something right in beating other contestants to it; or simply by just being more fortunate! Joining radio contests may start off as merely exploratory and eventually reach the height of not being able to live without it. 

Stage 1 - for the fun of it / out of curiosity 

Stage 2 – it becomes a Hobby – ever since winning the first contest, your confidence level has certainly gone up a notch! Moreover, listening to the radio is also a hobby. 

Stage 3 – it becomes an Addiction – you tell yourself that you must win a particular contest and you will not be at peace until you have done so. You will do all you can to win, e.g. wake up early or stay up late (depending on the time of the contest), take leave off from work, etc. 

Stage 4 – it becomes a Passion – you know you are good at winning and you idolise your radio station. Winning radio contests is an integral part of your lifestyle. You want to share with others the good news of winning (but not the secret of doing it!). 

Stage 5 – it becomes a Profession – this is when strategies are being charted as well as research being done in order to maximise the winnings. 

Radio contests are also generally more “transparent” as the contests are run live on air with participants calling in at “real time” and scrutinised by the thousands, if not millions of listeners tuning in. 

You will find 31 STRATEGIES ON HOW TO WIN RADIO CONTESTS - INCLUDING WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING MORE! a useful tool in whatever stage you may be at.


http://amzn.to/1TQO2Dl


About the author:

Catherine Collins enjoys writing and one of her favourite hobbies is joining, or rather winning radio contests. She is also a lyricist and poet. She holds a BA in Social Science & Humanities and a MBA from Australia. Her areas of specialisation include linguistics, sociology. services marketing, and consumer behaviour.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

New release! 'The Busy Person's Guide to Everyday Enlightenment' by Janey Bowyer The Word Sprite



The Busy Person’s Guide to Everyday Enlightenment v2 (1)The Busy Person’s Guide to Everyday Enlightenment is the perfect antidote to the strains of modern living.

Featuring easy-to-follow meditations, yoga sequences, techniques and holistic advice that you can apply to even the busiest of lifestyles.

What makes this book different is that it is tailored to recognise in this time of hectic living that we all have the need to nurture, care and centre ourselves, yet we don’t always have the time for long practices to achieve this. Ironically, the very thing we have convinced ourselves we don’t have time to do - looking after ourselves - is what can lead to better health and a sense of inner calm.

Within these pages, you will find easy-to-follow sequences.

This book is a helping hand to those who wish to fit in some me-time self-care even into the most time-starved of lifestyles.

You can learn to…

• Develop techniques in as little as 5 minutes a day that can help you deal with stress
• Turn everyday stressful situations into meditation just by shifting your perspective
• Nourish your body with simple yoga schedules that can help target specific areas or states of mind, no matter how busy you are
• Bring the holistic into the hectic and learn to Zen out when the rest of the world is rushing
• Improve and progress with the help of handy tips
• Enjoy guilt-free self-nurturing
 

Buy on Amazon


 



20151119-REL-Jane_Bowyer-1179About the author:

I grew up on a hill in the north of England. From a young age, I wanted to live in London. As a child, during the depths of night, I'd often listen to the hum of passing trains. Sometimes I'd run to my bedroom window hoping to catch a glimpse so that I could pretend that I too was travelling on one, speeding along, London bound, like the rest of the world was sleeping.
So one day in my late teens, I bought a one-way ticket and travelled to London with just £30.00 in my pocket and a bit of blind faith.

In my novel The Last Days of Lisa, (that I’m still writing), the main character Lisa mirrors how overwhelming it was for me to see London for the first time through the eyes of a teenager travelling alone….

‘London never rests, she thinks. It’s on speed. A vortex, absorbing everything. Running from its own stench but also basking in it. Seemingly superficial and plastic to those not enchanted by its ambivalent charms. London has a soul; a ravenous appetite that feeds on the egos of the thousands that flock here each day to get closer to their dreams. ‘

Not long after moving to London, yoga and writing graced my life. I think they both saved me. On the writing front the spark came after reading the book, Catcher in the Rye. I’d not had the opportunity to study much as a child but that didn’t matter now as this book blew me away.

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of c—p, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.” J.D Salinger

As for yoga, another book in the form of a second-hand yoga book written back in the 1960’s made its way into my mitts via a second-hand bookstore.

As I’d said earlier, to start with I wasn’t very good at either. Dyslexia and lack of flexibility and poor posture were my obstacles. I could see beyond that though as both yoga and writing offered me hope and possibilities that before this I hadn’t ever thought possible. Before yoga and writing I believed I was useless and had nothing to offer the world.

So I worked hard at studying for more than a decade. The author John Harding was the first teacher to believe in me. After studying writing under his inspiring tuition, I even managed to get a few novels published along the way.

On the yoga side, I studied both Hatha and later Kundalini yoga and despite not being naturally flexible nor a person who liked to sit still. It was in India back in 2004 that I had my first awakening experience.

During all this time, I also managed over the years to work my way up from an office junior job to a finally a supervisor position, having worked for most of my life in a string of unfulfilling office jobs. The good news that in October 2015 I left office work to become The Word Sprite full time!

The silver lining in all of this is through my personal experience of having to be creative with my time I came up with the concept of yoga and holistic solutions for modern day living. Hence, this is how The Word Sprite was born!

Read Janey's awesome article How to Manifest Real, Lasting Love on MindBodyGreen.

 

Follow on

Facebook | Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Literary Addicts

 
Enter to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card from the author to celebrate the book release!

Friday, January 8, 2016

'Holiday Kisses and Valentine Wishes' by Linda West


Best selling author Linda West follows up her best selling book "Christmas Kisses and Cookies" with her newest book "Holiday Kisses and Valentine Wishes!"

Sure to warm your heart and feed your soul. This is an enchanting feel good book that is clean and wholesome and uplifting. Settle in with a cup of cocoa and a comfy chair and prepare to be delighted by this lovely tale.

Summer and Brad are finally reunited and planning a life together in their hometown and all is well with the Landers' cookie legacy! Christmas was magical but wait till you see what happens when the Valentine Ball rolls around! The town's single girls are up to their arms in dough and drama as they compete for their beau's via baked goods. When a young widow recently jilted arrives in town it begins a whole new dynamic that no one was ready for. Another delightful charming tale of the sweet inhabitants of the holiday crazy town of Kissing Bridge Mountain.

Check out all our romance books for the soul at MorningMayan.com




http://tinyurl.com/HolidayKisses


About the author:

Linda West was born in Buffalo and now lives in LA. She used her small town as an inspiration for Kissing Bridge Mountain, and she had more fun writing this book than any thing she has ever written! Linda is a manifestation and law of attraction expert and has many books on empowerment and living your dream life. Go see her tools and books at MorningMayan.com

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Review of 'Strange Girl' by Christopher Pike



Strange Girl
Christopher Pike
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
ISBN-10: 1481450581
ISBN-13: 978-1481450584
Paperback: 432 pages

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Christopher Pike comes a brand-new fascinating and seductive new novel about a girl with a mysterious ability—but one that carries an unimaginable cost.

From the moment Fred meets Aja, he knows she’s different. She’s pretty, soft-spoken, shy—yet seems to radiate an unusual peace. Fred quickly finds himself falling in love with her.

Then strange things begin to happen around Aja. A riot breaks out that Aja is able to stop by merely speaking a few words. A friend of Fred’s suffers a serious head injury and has a miraculous recovery.

Yet Aja swears she has done nothing.

Unfortunately, Fred is not the only one who notices Aja’s unique gifts. As more and more people begin to question who Aja is and what she can do, she’s soon in grave danger. Because none of them truly understands the source of Aja’s precious abilities—or their devastating cost.

Love Aja or hate her—you will never forget her.

In Strange Girl, #1 bestselling author Christopher Pike has created the rarest of novels—a love story that swings between a heart-pounding mystery and a stirring mystical journey.







Buy links
Amazon / BN / BAM IndieBound / iBookstore



Read an excerpt:


It was four in the morning when I heard the soft knock on our motel door. I appeared to be the only one who heard it.

Nearby, Janet and Shelly slept soundly on one bed, while on the other Dale lay like a dead man as Mike snored loudly. At the knock, I sat up on my foldout bed. I didn’t mind rollaways. If I was tired enough, I could sleep on the floor. Pulling on my pants over the gym shorts I’d been sleeping in, I slipped from beneath the sheets and answered the door.

“Hi,” Aja said and smiled. She had on the same dress she’d worn to the Roadhouse. Her hair was wet, though, as if she’d just showered, and her feet were bare. I saw no car. I assumed she’d walked over from her own nearby motel or hotel.

“This is a surprise,” I said. It was so good to see her I feared I might still be asleep, dreaming the whole thing up. “What are you doing here?”

“Want to go for a walk?”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

I glanced at my friends; they were still out. “Give me a second, let me find my shoes and a shirt,” I said.

Minutes later we were strolling along the cracked edge of an asphalt road beside a twenty-foot fence, topped with barbed wire, that surrounded the base. The town was silent as Elder usually was at this time of morning. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
The air was heavy with moisture and the ground was damp; clouds had chased away the stars. It made me wonder if it had been raining and if that was the real reason Aja’s hair was wet. Had she been wandering around in the dark since we’d last seen her? I asked and she nodded.



“Are you nuts?” I said. “You should have hooked up with us hours ago.”

She shrugged. “You were playing and the place was noisy. Besides, I like to take walks late at night.” She glanced over. “You look surprised.”

“I’m surprised you’re here. What made you come?”

“You invited me to hear you play. You remember?”

“Sure. How did you get here? Did Bart bring you?”

“I took a bus.”

“Why didn’t you come with us?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“Let me get this straight. You rode here all alone, across half the state, with only the clothes on your back. And since we last saw you at the Roadhouse, you’ve been wandering around in the dark—barefoot—in a strange town all by yourself.”

“No.”

“What part are you saying no to?”

“My shoes.”

“What about your shoes?”

“I brought shoes. But I got tired of wearing them.” She added, “They’re sitting on the hood of your RV.”

“Well, that’s a relief. You’ve got your shoes to protect you. Honestly, Aja, you can’t behave like this, not in this country. You’re too pretty a girl. Anything could happen to you.”

“Anything can happen,” she appeared to agree, before adding, “Don’t worry about me.”

I shook my head. “I do worry about you.”

“Why?”

“Because . . . maybe where you come from it’s safe to wan¬der around at night. But this can be a violent town. You saw those guys at the club. They were ready to kill Mike and Dale.” When Aja didn’t respond I looked over at her. “But they didn’t because you showed up. How did you get them to stop?”

“I didn’t do anything. They were afraid, that’s all. They didn’t want to hurt anybody. And when they understood that, everything was okay.”

I shook my head. “If Shelly had stood on that table instead of you and begged that drunken herd to calm down, they would have beaten the shit out of her. What you did was amazing.”

“Fred.”

“What?”

“I can’t be in danger one minute and amazing the next. You have to make up your mind.”

She had a point, sort of. I was contradicting myself. Not that she still wasn’t acting naive. “What I mean is . . . ,” I began.

She interrupted by reaching over and taking my hand. “I liked when you sang by yourself at the beginning,” she said.

Her hand felt good in mine. “You were there at the start? I didn’t see you.”

“Yes. At first you were nervous, then you relaxed.” She added as if to herself, “You enjoy singing in front of people.”

For such a naive girl, I thought, she was perceptive.

“I do,” I said. When she didn’t reply, I asked, “How have you been this last week?”

“Good.”

“It must have made you mad getting expelled on your second day of school.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be there Monday.”

I shook my head. “I can’t understand why Billard hates you.”

“She doesn’t hate me.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s afraid of me.”

“Huh?”

“We met over the summer.”

“Where?”

“At the town cemetery. I often walk there.”

“What happened at the cemetery?”

Aja hesitated. “Better you ask her.”

“Why?”

“She’ll explain.”
I pushed Aja to elaborate but she just shook her head and kept walking. I finally decided to shut my mouth and enjoy the touch of her hand, which was remarkably soothing. I don’t know how far we’d walked when I noticed that I was feeling awfully energized for a guy who hadn’t really slept in two days. More, I felt light, light as a balloon, as if I wasn’t walking but floating alongside the fence. And the clouds in the sky, they felt somehow closer, like I could touch them.

Aja suddenly stopped and faced me, her big, brown eyes bright in the dark night. She reached up and stroked my cheek, my hair, and even though I did my best to stay cool I trembled. She inched up on her toes and kissed me on the lips, just for a second or two.

“Let’s go back to your RV,” she said.

“You mean the motel? You can sleep on my foldout. I can sleep on the floor.”

Aja shook her head and tightened her grip on my hand. She began to lead me back the way we’d come. “I want to sleep with you in the RV.”
I don’t recall much about the walk back. But I do remember lying beside her on the cushions in the rear of the RV, our two bodies barely fitting between the crush of our equipment. We didn’t have sex—we didn’t even make out, nor did she kiss me again.

But she held me and let me hold her and for the first time in my life I felt as if all my hidden fears had been deftly exposed and quietly put to bed, once and for all. I had fought with her that it wasn’t safe to wander alone in the dark, but when I slept with her cheek resting on mine, and felt the brush of her eyelashes as they fluttered during her dreams, I was the one who felt protected.



**My thoughts**

I have been a Christopher Pike fan for the past 30 years, from the very beginning of his career. I admit that I have been remiss in keeping up with newer releases in recent years, but have continued to reread some of the older titles. Therefore, I was very excited when this opportunity came about to read his newest book.

When I started it, I found that I was reading it in the old Christopher Pike mindset. This wasn't the same type of book that I readily devoured in my younger years. I had to retrain my brain to just read the book for what it was and to let go of any preconceived notions of the author. I also had to remind myself that it has now been a few decades. Everyone grows, changes, and matures over time. And then I was able to settle into the book and enjoy the ride.

The story of Aja isn't exactly the most original. That mystical girl who entrances and heals is one that I have seen again and again. Yet, this story was unique in its own ways, thanks to the characters surrounding her and I still read it quickly.

I wanted to get to know Aja better. I know she was meant to be mysterious, but I still had some questions for her! I was also trying to figure out more of how she fit in with these people and their relationships. In some ways I felt like her story was just beginning just as it had to end, yet I know we weren't meant to know any more than we get to know.

Fred was a little difficult for me to relate to; I just never completely connected. The story is told from his perspective in the first-person. That did give us insight into Fred's thoughts and feelings, and thus his character. He did remind me of people I knew once upon a time when I was closer to that age. Sometimes, though, I felt like he was older than a senior in high school. I honestly had him more pegged as being around 20.

We were introduced to other characters through the book, but I didn't feel like I really got to know any of them, either. Granted, the story was more centered around Fred and Aja. I can almost see some of them getting their own spinoff story, though, which would then allow us to get to know them better.

I still read this book primarily in one sitting on New Year's Day. I like the spiritual aspect of it and Pike's introduction to new-to-me philosophical ideas. The message and lessons are good ones and can provide some food for thought.

I do have an increased desire to go back and read some of the others that I have missed, as well as revisiting my old favorites. This may not be the type of book that my generation associates with the name Christopher Pike, but it is still a worthwhile read that I enjoyed.


About the Author:

Christopher Pike is a bestselling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage.

Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house.