Tuesday, May 29, 2018

*Mail Call* The Lost Box

A little over a month ago I finally got around to building my mail call post from all the books that had been delivered to my parents house over the years (because the books wouldn't ship to a PO Box which is all I had access to while living in Germany). But I was apparently remiss in packing up my stuff from my parents house because I missed an entire box of books (it was a small box) and didn't get back to pick them up until Mother's Day weekend. So here are the books from the lost box.


Watching Over You by Mel Sherratt

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

Following the death of her husband and unborn child, Charley Belington sells the family home and bravely starts life over again. On moving into a new flat, she is befriended by her landlady, Ella, who seems like the perfect friend and confidante.

But, unbeknown to Charley, Ella is fighting her own dark and dirty demons as the fallout from a horrific childhood sends her spiralling down into madness—and unspeakable obsessions.

As Ella’s mind splinters, her increasingly bizarre attentions make Charley uneasy. But with every step Charley tries to take to distance herself, Ella moves in a tightening lockstep with her, closer and closer and closer…

From the bestselling author of Taunting the Dead comes a raw, intense, relentless, and darkly claustrophobic psychological thriller that grabs you by the back of the neck and never lets you go.



Merry Christmas and a Happy PTSD by Christopher Oelerich

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

It's been my experience that most combat soldiers would like to think that their 'war's' with the associated problems and issues are unique, I surely did, until I looked back at people I have known who fought in WWII, The Korean War, Vietnam, The Gulf, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. And came to the conclusion after talking to and listening to the various people who had experienced combat and life altering events associated with wars, that PTSD as we have come to know it is essentially the same now as throughout recorded history. I was a twenty year old Warrant Officer Helicopter Pilot fresh out of flight school when I arrived in South Vietnam in May 1969 and was asssigned to B Troop 7/17 Air Cav in Pleiku. I joined the Scout Platoon and spent my entire tour as a Scout Pilot in the Central Highlands, in that time I saw my friends killed, captured, wounded and lose their minds. I arrived home in May of 1970 my life inextricably altered from my experiences nurturing a serious drinking problem and raging PTSD. I have attempted to put down how I have dealt with Alcoholism and PTSD over a forty year period and managed to have a very, very good life. I have never been treated by a Psychiatrist, Psychologist or other mental health professionals, have never been in a treatment-inpatient or outpatient program, never medicated and have never been in group therapy or a support group. To qualify I have been continuously sober and straight for forty years in Alcoholics Anonymous. As I believe PTSD and Alcoholism are very differrent I have applied parts of what I have learned and continue to practice in AA as well as other knowledge I have acquired in dealing with PTSD. The book has been written in a 'How To' or 'Guidebook' style for Combat soldiers, therefore it is reflected in the examples and language.


Inner Harmony by Gustavo Estrada

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

This book is about inner harmony and the actions we all must take—the cravings we should stop, the aversions we should release, the biased views we should let go—in order to allow the spontaneous blossoming of such quality. Inner harmony is an internal state that permits us to be at peace and act confidently even in the face of difficulties. We must not run after inner harmony. The task to do is removing the barriers—the cravings, aversions and biased views—that block its appearance in our lives; mindfulness meditation is the tool to destroy such barriers. Modern science is now not only confirming the benefits of mindfulness meditation but also beginning to understand the way our nervous system readjusts with meditation in order to quiet down our cravings, aversions and biased views. This book aims at convincing readers, methodically and analytically, about the mental and emotional changes that result from the application of the habits here presented. Still, regardless of how lucid it is, any theory by itself is useless. Readers will only acknowledge the contents of this book as accurate and trustworthy when they know by direct experience that mindfulness meditation is taking them to inner harmony, spontaneously and effortlessly.



Get Me Skinny by Tony Arreola

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

Why is Getting Skinny So Hard?

Or so, Aubrey thought. Healthy hopes habitually crumbled into misery. Empty promise after empty promise, the fitness industry routinely burned her. Destined for another failed attempt, a disillusioned Aubrey hears of the talented Mr. Skinny. He holds the secret to her success. He’s smart, fit, charming and…too busy for her. She needs to get in shape, she needs to find a man, and she needs to make this year, her year. 

In this book, Tony reveals the secrets to his amazing fitness program. You’ll learn the foundation for his proven MAD PLAN. For Tony, it’s personal—people need to know that weight-loss isn’t hard, it’s actually, surprisingly simple.





The 17 Day Diet Breakthrough Edition by Dr. Mike Moreno

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

In this new edition of the #1 bestseller The 17 Day Diet, Dr. Mike Moreno includes new chapters on supplements and exercise and more than 30 new recipes to help you achieve results fast and effectively.

The # 1 bestselling diet is now supercharged!

Since Dr. Mike Moreno first published The 17 Day Diet in 2010, millions of people have lost weight using his fast, safe, and extremely effective plan. Dr. Mike listens to his 17 Day Dieters as carefully as he listens to his own patients, and he is always on top of the cutting-edge research in the field of weight management. Using vital reader feedback and the latest science, he has enhanced The 17 Day Diet with three new chapters; 50 new, deli­cious recipes; and the ability to customize your diet with an optional fasting day. The 17 Day Diet Breakthrough Editionmakes everyone’s favorite diet the best and most up-to-date diet on the market.

Whether you need to lose 10 pounds or a hundred, Dr. Mike’s plan can help you achieve your weight loss goals quickly and permanently while always ensuring that you feel full, even as you enjoy a wide variety of the foods you love. In fact, that variation in the diet is the key to losing weight: it confuses and boosts your metabolism to help you burn fat rapidly during these four 17-day cycles:

Accelerate: The rapid weight loss cycle. You’ll flush sugar and fat from your system and introduce foods and nutrients into your diet that have been proven to trim belly fat, thigh fat, and other stubborn fat zones.

Activate: The metabolic boost cycle. You’ll alternate between low- and high-calorie days and watch the fat melt away.

Achieve: The steady weight loss cycle. You’ll learn to control portions properly and start the exciting (and quick!) 17 Minute Spot Reduction Workout.

Arrive: The efficient control cycle. You’ll be firmly in the habit of healthy eating to support your goal. On weekends, you can even enjoy your favorite foods!

Plus: A new, optional transitional day of liquid cleansing that kicks your fat burning into overdrive and a dietary supplement program to support your success.

The 17 Day Diet can work for you even if you have food allergies or PMS or are pregnant or constantly traveling. It can be adapted to a wide variety of cuisines, from Chinese to Tex Mex and everything in between. Brimming with helpful tips, interesting facts, and inspiring testimonials from fellow 17 Day Dieters, The 17 Day Diet Breakthrough Edition is the very last diet book you’ll ever need.


Invisible Soft Return by Roberta Degnore

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDS FINALIST

What if you are forced to be more than you ever dreamed? And there's a cosmic gun pointed at your head to make sure you'll do it. Murderer or creator? That's Evet's choice in the 23rd Century...

Evet is a boundary-testing writer in the future who is attacked from the past. Accused of murder, she races to escape an alluring police torturer and her own crisscrossing identities that everyone seems to know better than she does. In a lonely cosmos with the latest drugs, she rebels in the oldest way: she fights against getting caught. 

But when she's forced to know other lives, the wind of eternity stops her. She learns the terror that an ultimate power may be hers: control over life and death.
-- 
We don't live only once. Like tuning an old radio, if we listen we catch bizarre whispers of lives that shouldn't be real. 

I know this place; but I've never been here. 

Yes you have, time and again. 

We step into the same streams. Maybe sometimes with hooves, or with a scaly body. Or sometimes we're the supplicant greenness of a drowning leaf... Murderers, creators?


The Invisible Hand by David Green

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

THE INVISIBLE HAND: Business, Success & Spirituality is the unusual true account of how a stressed out, driven entrepreneur has an out-of-the-blue spiritual experience which sets off a series of profound life-changing events including mystical experiences in the Great Pyramid. He then meets a 91-year old guru from India who changes his life, teaches him how to meditate and accelerates his business success.

There are many books about spirituality and about business, but few where the author can share his practical experience of success in both areas and bring them together. It reveals how the entrepreneur and spiritual seeker have much in common - they require faith, sacrifice, determination and commitment to reach their goals.

THE INVISIBLE HAND shows how all of us can relieve stress and learn how to relax through meditation - the superfood for the mind - while remaining focussed on our quest for success.

The book will be of particular interest to readers who enjoy self-help, business and spiritual books.

To summarise, THE INVISIBLE HAND is not just for those of us who want to achieve success in business and spirituality. It is about having the confidence to fulfil our dreams whatever they may be - how to be happy regardless of our aspirations, beliefs, knowledge or profession.


Brain Shot by Michael Lutz

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

In naher Zukunft: Sun City, Kalifornien. Der junge und hochtalentierte Mathematikstudent Orville Spelling ist der Schöpfer einer revolutionären Software. Mit ihrer Hilfe wird die Kontaktaufnahme mit Komapatienten möglich. Es gibt jedoch noch ein elementares technisches Problem, an dessen Lösung Orville in der Forschungsabteilung der Silicon Systems Corporation seit Monaten arbeitet: der sogenannte ›schnelle Durchlauf‹.

Von Ben Gateway, Gründer und Präsident von Silicon Sy¬stems - dem weltgrößten Hersteller von Computersoftware - erfährt Orville, dass er für seine bahnbrechenden Leistungen vom Nobelpreiskomitee in Stockholm den Nobelpreis für ›Bio-Visualisierung‹ zugesprochen bekommen hat.

Damit ist Orville - Begründer der neuen Disziplin ›Bio-Visualisierung‹ - der jüngste Nobelpreisträger aller Zeiten.

Von seinem Mentor - Professor und Laureat Bernard Czyfroff - erfährt Orville weit weniger Erfreuliches. Denn Professor Czyfroff hat alles in seiner Macht stehende unternommen, um ihm zum Nobelpreis zu verhelfen - und damit seine Arbeit für eine breite Öffentlichkeit publik zu machen. Denn sein Forschungsprojekt sei in Wahrheit vom Geheimdienst und dem Militär initiiert worden, um es für ihre Zwecke zu missbrauchen.

Orville weigert sich, dies zu glauben.

Während einer weiteren Testreihe geschieht im Forschungslabor etwas Außergewöhnliches: Orvilles Computer hinterlässt eine ominöse Fehlermeldung, die seinen Verdacht erregt. Er als Schöpfer des Programms weiß nur zu gut: Diese unscheinbaren Zeichen hätten niemals auf seinem Computerschirm auftauchen dürfen ...

So this one's in German...it's going to be a very slow read and I can't even get an English translation for my Kindle. 


The Return of Ruth by Sandra L. Steffy

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

Seventeen year old, Cattia Larson, was ready to graduate, but not just from high school. Growing up with her autistic twin brother, Leo, had been challenging, yet finely tempered her for what was about to happen.

Unbeknown to Cattia, she had been chosen and was being primed to be the catalyst for an awesome life-changing future. In the days preceding her graduation ceremony, tragic events trigger a series of what she believes to be very strange dreams. What she discovers, however, is that she's been summoned to embark upon a mission to quell evil in two worlds.

Through it all, Cattia maintains her indomitable spirit and quite unexpectedly and by accident ... falls in love.






Sedition by Katharine Grant

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

A deliciously twisted and seductive historical tale of piano playing, passions, and female power

The setting of Sedition by Katharine Grant: London, 1794.

The problem: Four nouveau riche fathers with five marriageable daughters.

The plan: The young women will learn to play the piano, give a concert for young Englishmen who have titles but no fortunes, and will marry very well indeed.

The complications: The lascivious (and French) piano teacher; the piano maker’s jealous (and musically gifted) daughter; the one of these marriageable daughters with a mating plan of her own.

While it might be a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a title and no money must be in want of a fortune, what does a sexually awakened young woman want? In her wickedly alluring romp through the late-Georgian London, Italian piano making, and tightly-fitted Polonaise gowns, Katharine Grant has written a startling and provocative debut.


Too Far by Rich Shapero

Photo Credit: Goodreads


Synopsis


Rich Shapero’s Too Far follows an ultra-imaginative pair, Robbie and Fristeen, through a transformative summer spent exploring the woods behind their remote Alaskan homes. As their family lives become increasingly unstable, the characters travel deeper and farther into their private world. The forest—and the gods who inhabit it—becomes their refuge until, at summer’s end, they are forced to choose between the crushing prospects of the real world, and the lethal demands of their ideal one.









The Poisoned Pawn by Peggy Blair

Photo Credit: Goodreads


Synopsis

Detective Mike Ellis returns home after he is cleared in the death of a young boy while on vacation in Cuba, only to discover that his estranged wife, Hilary, is dead, and that he’s the main suspect. Meanwhile, Inspector Ramírez, head of the Havana Major Crimes Unit, is dispatched to Ottawa to take custody of a Cuban priest apprehended by authorities while in possession of a laptop full of child pornography. Ramírez will uncover a web of deceit and depravity that extends from the corridors of power in Ottawa to the hallowed halls of the Vatican—and back again.








Scrooge and Marley by Karl F. Hollenbach

Photo Credit: Goodreads



Synopsis

A year after Ebenezer Scrooge encountered the ghost of his partner, Jacob Marley, as well as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Scrooge relives the previous Christmas and is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley once more. Mediating for his friend and partner by fulfilling his requests, Scrooge witnesses an altogether different story. This expansion on Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, recounts how Marley unshackles his soul from previous deeds allowing Scrooge to partake of redemption. Relive and recapture the essence of Christmas while exploring the wonders of life, living and death.







Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.





Hablemos Claro del Matrimonio by William B. May

Photo Credit: Goodreads
Synopsis

Hablemos Claro del Matrimonio: Una Gu a para un Dialogo Efectivo te ense a como promover y defender el concepto del matrimonio tradicional utilizando un lenguaje no religioso. Este libro es una excelente gu a practica para que te ayude a refutar y responder todas esas preguntas dif ciles sobre el matrimonio que nunca has sabido manejar. El autor, William B. May, nos muestra como navegar este espinoso tema y como sortear todos los obst culos para evitar reducir esta cuesti n a una controversia de los gays versus los cristianos. May incorpora a la definici n legal de matrimonio el tema de los derechos de los ni os, y nos proporciona una serie de orientaciones y directrices muy sensibles acerca de c mo evitar las trampas m s comunes que evitan la comunicaci n para promover pol ticas publicas a favor del matrimonio. Hablemos Claro del Matrimonio incluye una substanciosa secci n de Preguntas Frecuentes que tocan el punto neur lgico de este conflicto. El matrimonio es la nica instituci n genera una verdadera uni n entre padres e hijos, y que ha sido universalmente reconocida por cada cultura, sociedad y religi n de acuerdo a sus propios y distintivos c nones c vicos, culturales o sociales. Hablemos Claro del Matrimonio nos muestra el camino para obtener para este vital inter s, que es el matrimonio, el reconocimiento legal, social, institucional e individual que amerita a fin de comenzar la tarea de reconstruir y recomponer la cultura del matrimonio.

This book is in Spanish, another language in which I'm not fluent. Mistakes were made when I first started entering Goodreads giveaways.

Spanish Version: Amazon
English Version: Amazon

Plunging to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea by Sharlie Martin

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Synopsis

Plunging to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea is the story of one man's search for redemption by plunging into the nether world of sexually exploited and missing children to track down a heinous sexual predator "Can we talk?" Maria asked. At that instant Russell had no idea that Maria was leaving him and that she already had a truck coming to move her things to Florida. Russell never dreamed then that loosing Maria would push him over the edge . . . cause him to do things that would get him dubbed the Robin Hood marauder by the news media and make him the object of an intense police manhunt. Nor would he have ever guessed then that the death of a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot) in a training accident during World War II would be the catalyst that sent William McPherson, the grandson of a Tuskegee aviation cadet, down a path of evil. This is a story of love and sex gone drastically wrong . . . of Russell's struggle for survival by clawing his way up and out of the primordial ooze to catch a killer.




And that is all the books in the lost box from my parents house. This also effectively brings me up to date with all my mail call posts...at least until June 1st, but hopefully I will not end up getting too far behind ever again (although I'll make no promises because I know I can only barely be trusted). 

Which of these books are you most interested to read my review on (and please don't say either the German one or the Spanish one)? - Katie 

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