Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Review

As many geeks out there I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest adventure in the Harry Potter Universe. Yes its in play format which takes a little while to get used to. Even though there were plenty of articles and announcements that this book would not be written in the same way the rest of the books were written but people have still be shocked at the format.
Let's make this clear. This story is in PLAY FORMAT. It still gives you the story it just doesn't have the big descriptions and internal dialogue you'd get from the original books. Trying to imagine the story being done on stage makes me really wonder how they pulled some of it off.
The whole story revolves around Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy and their relationships with their fathers. Its hard to be a son to Harry Potter, especially when you aren't a perfect kid and wizard like your older brother. And its hard to be the son of a former Death Eater especially when your parentage is in question.
The children as usual are the stars of the story but it wouldn't be a Harry Potter story without the original crew who are a prominent part of the story.
I highly recommend this for anyone who loves this universe. It may take you a little to get used to the format but once you get through a few scenes it starts to draw you in just like every other book of the series.

Cravings: The Food You Want To Eat

I usually am not a fan of books that models or actors put out because they always seem uppity or unrealistic and out of touch with what people might actually want to eat. Chrissy Teigen is one of the few model/actresses that I find genuine and hilarious and both come through in the cookbook, Cravings. Almost every page is full of her fun craziness along with recipes that sound so good they have to be bad for you! I was pretty excited for this cookbook and it did not disappoint. I really recommend this book to anyone who wants food that tastes good while having a laugh reading what Chrissy has to say. 

I received this book for review from Blogging for Books.

Below

Below is the story of Hokk and Elia. Hokk is an outcast from Below, a dark stormy plain, and Elia is a laundress from Above, where its sunny and beautiful but the lower and upper class differences are great. Hokk and Elia get throw together when Elia falls from Above and must hide from the guards on their flying mounts with Hokk's help. Hokk hopes to use Elia to end his banishment. Nothing goes as planned for Hokk and Elia as they travel across the plains to Hokk's city and avoiding the guards from Above.
It took me a few chapters to really wrap my head around the Above and the Below places. Above floats in the air on a giant mountain of a rock and Below is shrouded in clouds that keep Above afloat. I really hope during the series we find out about how this situation happened. It seems to take place far in the future of Earth. Once I got ahold of how the world works, the story was quite enjoyable. A few times I got annoyed with the characters' choices, but both are young and a bit immature so their choices made sense. And I like that Above seems to be slowly dropping from the sky causing problems for everyone, and that catastrophe that seems to be coming is something I look forward to storywise.
I received this book for review at Edelweiss.

Girl of Myth and Legend

Leonie is a seventeen old girl who is stuck in her routine of life. That is until she falls to the ground and begins to glow, which is the beginning of a brand new life. She is of a race called the Chosen, which her father has been hiding from her her whole life. She apparently is a Pulsar, the first in two hundred years, and everyone wants to control her, and she doesn't even know if she wants to be part of that world.
I enjoyed the world that the Girl of Myth and Legend takes place in. I felt like the pacing of the book was a bit off. The beginning was rushed, I'd have liked to get to know Leonie a bit more before she changed. And the travel to her new land I really enjoyed the wonder Leonie felt and the complexity of Korren, her kytean companion. I look forward to the next book in the series, and recommend this book overall as a good modern fantasy read.
I received this book for review at NetGalley.

Dragon Round

Dragon Round is the story of Captain Jeryon, a naval captain who is on a mission to get needed medical supplies back to his plagued city. While the Comber is underway, it is attacked by a dragon. When dragons attack ships the ships rarely survive, but Jeryon manages to lead his crew in defeating the dragon but they sustain heavy losses. Jeryon wants to leave the dragon carcass behind so they can get back to the city with the medical supplies but his officers have other ideas and mutiny so they can render the dragon for its prized hide and bones. The Apothecary is the only one to stand against the mutiny, so the crew put both the Apothecary and Captain on a dingy with no supplies, oars, or weapons. They call it a "Captain's Chance", which to Jeryon it means his mates were too much of a coward to kill him outright.
I love Naomi Novik's books and The Dragon Round's description made it sound very similar. I really wanted to like it. However after the initial dragon training once they found his egg on the island, it started to lose me. It quickly became a story of vengeance which would have been fine but it seemed too easy. Also the characters who were the main characters throughout the first two-thirds of the book were barely present except in the background during the last third. Many new characters were introduced and took over the story as well. The concept was interesting but it lost me in the end by changing who the story was following. If it had briefly changed and returned to Jeryon or even the poth I could have stayed involved, but alas it did not. I wouldn't say it was a bad book, but when comparing to Naomi Novik's Temeraire series its comes up short.
I received this book for review at NetGalley.

The Indian Family Kitchen Cookbook

I'm a glutton for cookbooks. I can't get enough of them. Some definitely are better quality than others. The Indian Family Kitchen is one of the better ones. The pictures are amazing and make the food look delicious.
This was not your typical Ethnic Cookbook either. I love cooking Indian but many times the recipes seem overly complicated or time consuming. Anjali Pathak takes Indian flavors and some traditional dishes and makes them accessible to anyone wanting to cook them. She twists dishes of other regions cuisines and gives them an Indian flavor profile. She gives you shortcuts to make traditional Indian recipes from an American kitchen with more commonly found ingredients.
There are a ton of recipes I can't wait to try and my mouths waters just skipping through the pictures. Anjali also in her short descriptions of each dish really brings you into her life with short stories of her inspirations for dishes.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Deadpool

So I'm pretty geeky, however I never had an opportunity as a child to get into comic books like so many other geeks. And now in my 30s it seems like a daunting task to start reading comics from the beginning. So going into movies based on comic books I'm limited knowledge wise to what I read on the internet and usually am pleasantly surprised. With Deadpool I tried not to read too much. I went in knowing he was a near immortal wisecracking anti-hero. I watched every trailer available and was really excited going into it.
Deadpool did not disappoint! I was laughing from the opening credits up until the end. It was a hilarious, epic romance action movie. And as an added bonus Ryan Reynolds has quite a few nude scenes which has nearly convinced my roommate's girlfriend to go see it. It is a bit scrambled at times, but it also matches Deadpool's scattered personality so it fits. Anyone who enjoys superhero movies, action movies, or funny movies will enjoy this I think. There is a lot of nudity, graphic violence, and sexual humor so it is definitely not for the younger crowd. You've been warned!

Hail, Caesar!

Hail, Caesar! is a comedy by the Coen Brothers that takes place in the 1950s Hollywood. Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is the biggest star on Earth and is kidnapped with only a day left to shoot the biggest blockbuster of the year. Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is the studio executive trying to keep the studio running business as usual and putting out fires daily to keep their actors in line and avoiding unwanted news stories.
Not only do the Coen Brothers deliver a monstrous cast of heavy hitters, they also put out a great show. Every actor gives an awesome performance, but especially Channing Tatum as the "song and dance guy" Burt Gurney. Tatum shows his singing and dancing chops doing a six minute tap dance number that was thoroughly entertaining and is reminiscent of Gene Kelly.
There were a few twists that I didn't see coming which added to my enjoyment of the film, and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys the Coen Brothers' other works or loves the films of the 1950s.

Dirty Grandpa

Dirty Grandpa definitely delivers on its name. I generally will see anything Robert De Niro is in, and having him play a foulmouthed, horny grandpa is just an added bonus. Its been a while since I've really seen anything Zac Efron has been in, the last being 17 Again since I somehow still haven't seen Neighbors. I love the dynamic between Efron and De Niro. Efron is an uptight lawyer who's life has been planned out for him by his father and is about to get married to an equally uptight Julianne Hough. De Niro needs a ride to get down to Boca Raton and cons his grandson (Efron) to give him a ride. However, Grandpa's intentions are quickly exposed where he just wants to get laid after not having sex in 15 years. He again cons his grandson to going to Daytona Beach where things go quickly south for Efron's character.
While not necessarily an award winning comedy, it is definitely funny and worth a watch if you enjoy raunchier comedies. There is LOTS of nudity, drugs, and drinking, including Efron being nearly completely naked. (He definitely works out) If you are easily offended, its probably not the movie for you. Everyone gave very believable performances and De Niro as always is awesome. I especially enjoyed Hough's character, since I've been a fan of hers since she was a pro on Dancing with the Stars. And Aubrey Plaza's character while similar to most of the character's I've seen her play was comedic gold.
If you want to laugh, Dirty Grandpa is the movie to see.

Darkness Fair: Book Two in the Dark Cycle Series

Darkness Fair picks up shortly after Darkness Brutal left off. Aiden is trying to figure out his new powers, Ava is still stuck between the living and the dead, and Rebecca doesn't really know where she stands in the world.
The Dark Cycle Series definitely falls in the young adult fantasy category however the themes and dark themes and feel are much more adult than what I've normally read for young adult. Each character has been beaten down or broken for some reason in their life but they are still trying to save the world from the oncoming darkness.
The first time I started reading book one, Darkness Brutal, I didn't get pulled in right away. I had to put it aside for a month or two then I decided to give it another go. That's when I got sucked in and read the whole book in one day. I was pretty excited to see book two was available and I got sucked in quickly. So many dark fantasies dealing with angels and demons don't really show how good and evil people and the supernatural can be. In theory they are evil but they don't do anything too brutal or savage. The evil is usually more grand scheme. In this series there is the normal grand scheme evil but it also gets down and dirty with blood and gore and death. This is definitely not a normal young adult dark fantasy, but I really enjoyed the story and had trouble putting it down. It really shows that good doesn't always automatically win, and there are many young kids and adults who have really had it bad growing up and they are just doing the best they can do not only live but also survive.
I really recommend this series to anyone who enjoys dark contemporary fantasy. It feels like a rated R version of Supernatural at times.

I received this book for review at NetGalley.

Taste of Beirut

The Taste of Beirut Cookbook was something I was interested in checking out because I've been trying to learn more about Mediterranean and Middle East cooking for many of their health benefits. This sounded especially interesting once I read through the introduction because Joumana Accad tells stories of her life that not only helps you understand what a food is but gives a taste of the culture. She really explains what some of the more traditional ingredients are and where you might be able to find them. Joumana also gives tips and ideas to help you create dishes that would normal take a day or more to create properly in less than an hour, since most Americans don't have that sort of time to prepare one meal.
I really like the idea that I can make my own falafels and shwarma. Those are the recipes I'm most excited about. I already make my own hummus but her variations sound good enough to eat.
One thing I appreciate in cookbooks that have recipes and ingredients that aren't necessarily well known to us Americans is the author explaining what things are and how they should taste. Joumana made Lebanese cuisine very accessible for the average American and I definitely recommend this cookbook for anyone looking to branch out in what they are cooking for dinner.
I received this book for review at NetGalley.

The Geeky Chef Cookbook

As a huge geeky chef girl I don't think there was anyway I wouldn't like this book. And Cassandra Reeder definitely delivered exactly what I wanted and expected. I had never heard of her blog until I read this cookbook but I'm definitely a follower now!
I am one of those people who plays video games, watches sci-fi and fantasy, and reads avidly. And I always imagine what things might taste like, or descriptions of food and drinks make me wonder how to make it. And now I have a great resource to go to.
It is also great she mentions the various "official" cookbooks for fandoms, a few of which I already have but also a few that I didn't know existed.
One recipe I intend to try very soon is the "Sweet Rolls" from Skyrim. They always look so good as I steal them from people's houses and I'm glad I don't have to come up with my own recipe to make them now!
I highly recommend this for any geeks who like to cook as well as Cassandra's blog.
I received this book for review at Edelweiss.

This Calls for a Drink!

When I first read the description for This Calls for a Drink I was pretty excited about it. I LOVE wine, but its been nearly a decade since I took higher level wine classes in culinary school so I'm out of practice on knowing wine pairings. Its one thing to go to a restaurant and ask for a wine pairing, but sometimes you just want a wine to pair with junk food and Netflix. Not only does Diane McMartin have an amusing tone but she has great situations that can apply to almost anyone. Including an entire section on breakups that include when you are dumped, when you are the jerk who dumped, and "its not you, its me."
In between the various categories, she includes profiles on many types of wine and gives a very readable section about glasses, regions and types of wine and beer, and even how to taste different drinks and what to look for. It was a great refresher for me and got me excited all over again for tasting wine. I genuinely chuckled at the titles of most of the categories and definitely make me reminisce about similar situations in my life.
This is a must for non-pretentious wine-lovers who want to move beyond the bargain brand and branch out when you go on an OkCupid date, or go to a baby shower for someone you only sort of know at work, or get street food while on vacation.
I received this book for review at NetGalley.

Super Genes

Super Genes I wasn't expecting to like as much as I did. I almost thought it was going to be another fad diet book or at least something that was boring and filled with a mix of scientific and new age mumbojumbo. However I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting this book was and how informative it was. I keep finding myself telling people about it, especially anyone who is looking to improve their overall health. The only reason I ended up reading it was because I've heard of Deepak Chopra.

The whole idea of epigenetics was fascinating to me and how our gut microbes can completely affect how our DNA affects our health and body in general. I haven't taken a science class in a LONG time so I haven't learned much about genetics since. I had always learned the your DNA can't change, so the idea of epigenetics kind of blew my mind that our decisions in our life can affect our DNA to turn on and turn off different genetic markers. And it really makes sense to me. Just because you have Alzheimer's or breast cancer markers in your DNA it doesn't guarantee you'll get either. However the choices in diet, exercise, and exposure to various environmental factors can change your chances of getting any disease you genetically have a chance to get.

I'm overweight, and struggle even when my diet and exercise is on point to lose weight. And, while I don't want to use it as an excuse, the idea that my gut microbes could be working against me is something I really need to consider. So I plan on incorporating the techniques to reset my gut within the book. As well as try to incorporate many of the other suggestions into my daily life. I know better than to try to change everything at once, and the authors know this as well, suggesting making one change a week whether minor or major, so that by halfway through the year many of the early easier minor changes are firmly ingrained in daily life and the medium to major lifestyle changes don't feel quite as daunting.

I've never been much for meditation but I do enjoy yoga, so I'm seriously considering one of my changes further down the line as adding meditation to my routine.

I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to make a healthier life and hope to avoid conditions that you may have inherited from your family.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Cheese Handbook

I was originally very intrigued by The Cheese Handbook as when I was in culinary school I strongly considering going the cheese monger route.  However this was not an easy read. Try as I might I had a very hard time getting into reading it. Many times I felt very lost on what he was speaking of when it came to describing methods and history. Diagrams or pictures of tools would have made much of his descriptions of cheese tools and processes much easier to digest. His descriptions seemed to be a combination of scientific jargon and someone trying to describe something he doesn't necessarily know the name of the tool.  
I was somewhat relieved to finally get to a portion of the book that included recipes, but most of the recipes that were included in the narrative seemed to be incomplete and hard to follow and assumed that the reader knew how to make sauces instead of describing how to make the sauces as part of the recipe. I personally know how to make a veloute and bechamel, but I doubt most readers could make one without the recipe. There was a list of recipes in the appendix that I had hoped had clearer recipes to the ones listed previously but alas most were different recipes, including a recipe for French Onion Soup that was completely different from the same soup recipe earlier in the book. And many of the recipes in the appendix ended up seeming just as incomplete as those within the narrative.
The recipes within the book many times read as if a friend was trying to recall a favorite recipe versus a proper written recipe. And many of the "American" classic cheese recipes, as an American, I have never heard of, such as the "Frozen Cheese Ring". I can only assume that that dish was something popular when the first edition was released and the updates to the book did not included updating recipes to what are currently trending cheese recipes. And there were no actual recipes to make cheese. All the recipes were to make other food items that had cheese in them.
The saving grace for me at least was that the actual cheese descriptions by country that were very in depth and informative. I would have liked (in the appendices) a chart of some sort that compared the various cheeses from countries or even listed from most pungent to blandest. This section was the only part that I personally would have used as reference material.

I received this book for review at NetGalley.

Stop the Diet, I Want to Get Off!

As someone who has been on one diet or another most my adult life, I'm always looking for something that might work. I've scoured the internet looking for comparisons of the various diets out there. The best I have been able to find was a paragraph or less about each big name diet with a few pros and cons, but never anything in depth. However this book gave me exactly what I have been searching for over the years. And also gave many tools that were easy to understand to recognize good diets and "fad" diets that promise big results but in the long run could do more harm then good. 

Lisa Tillinger Johansen really explains why diets work and what to look for. And she goes on to give tools for the reader to succeed in their own diets. I've taken nutrition courses in the past, so much what I read was familiar, but it was a great refresher and I ended up taking notes to apply to my current eating plan.  I've always been curious what were considered the most successful diet to lose weight healthily, because many diets have the guise of being "healthy" but really can do damage to your organs in the long run. And Lisa Tillinger Johansen's explanations of each diet break down the diets specifically pointing out what parts of the diet could be potentially harmful. And in the end she gives the advice that any good Dietitian and Nutritionist would give their patients on portion size and food suggestions. She doesn't tell you to give up everything you love, more to change the ratio of the foods you already eat and try to make as much food as you can yourself. There's nothing that is truly banned as long as its in moderation. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has tried multiple diets with little end result to help weed out the good and the bad. I truly enjoyed reading it and have already applied much of her suggestions to my current diet and have already lost some weight applying her principles.

I received this book for review at NetGalley.