Be Beautiful in 2017! Featuring Eat Beautiful by Wendy Rowe

Eat Beautiful: Nourish your skin from the inside out by Wendy Rowe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I simply love a good cookbook and as an active person (running, yoga, walking, etc.), it is important for me to be naturally healthy and beautiful. Blend the ideas of nourishing your skin from the inside out with ideas and recipes and it’s a perfect blend for a book. I call it a beauty cookbook.

Eat Beautiful from Wendy Rowe completely defines the idea of a beauty cookbook. As a world renowned makeup artist with more than 20 years experience (check out www.WendyRowe.com) she definitely knows how to make skin glow with product. Have you seen those celebrities and models? Okay, enough “fangirling” – let’s take the focus off the makeup products and help our skin glow from within!

Our skin is our largest organ – we try to stay mindful when speaking of nourishing our muscles, heart, stomach, etc., but not many people focus on the SKIN! Wendy does just that. This beauty cookbook is filled with giant sections named after the seasons including seasonal tips, seasonal recipes, lists of pantry must-haves, mindfulness, ways to beat stress, and a plethora of other pages dedicated to health and overall well-being. I don’t know about you, but I can NEVER have enough beauty tips!

This beauty cookbook is simply stunning to look at, well edited, and the photographs are exciting, fashionable, and most of all, look delicious! Take care of you and the skin you are in. It’s the only one you have. Pick up Eat Beautiful by Wendy Rowe as part of your 2017 “New Year, New You” resolution. Resolve to eat well and glow from the inside out!

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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It’s Burntown baby!

Burntown by Jennifer McMahon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to get this ARC through NetGalley and couldn’t wait to dive in. I truly loved reading this book – at 5% in I was hooked! Without spoiling it, the convergence of characters, the uniqueness of the characters, the plot, magical elements, their crossing of paths – it all contributed to the reading experience and kept me guessing throughout. I absolutely wanted to keep coming back to see what would happen next – hated putting this book down. A really good read to take away the stress of life. Add this to your TBR NOW!

This was a quick read and so, I kept going back to last week’s favorite tea – the Dean and Deluca loose leaf Peppermint tea. It’s just so good! Happy Reading!

Fever Dream – Yet Another “Fever”

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No spoilers here. A short book that held by attention throughout and a book without chapters! I felt as if I was interrupting the story if I happened to put the book down. This is the type of (creepy) book that I will read again to get deeper into the story and not just feel as if I was skimming the top of the plot. Definitely worth a revisit. The audio book would be very entertaining. (I would give it a 4.5 rating overall.)

During the reading of this book I enjoyed a loose leaf peppermint tea from Dean and Deluca. Light and delicious, perfect for a snowy day!

Fever Moon: Graphic Novel

Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This graphic novel is #5.5 in the Fever Series and is a very nice complement to the books. The art lines up with my mind’s eye as to how the characters looked. At only 184 pages, this was fast and fun graphic novel.

I didn’t even have a chance to drink tea while reading this – so no tea reviews (I probably would have kept with the blood orange tisane herbal tea. Happy reading!

Shadowfever – Fever Series Book #5

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m invested in the Fever Series and want to see it through. The latest release is coming out next week – I’m taking my time with the series and fitting the fun fantasy novels between other books. Due to the massiveness of this book (I had to put this book down at least 3 times over the past few months previously due to time, family, etc.) I finally decided to finish it. What a commitment. This book read like a movie! Book 5 in the series did not disappoint – 608 pages included a ton of strange and interesting, plot twists, second guesses, character developments, mystery, romance, action – it’s all in here! This book is a commitment, but if you are already invested in the series – then it’s worth it!

During the various readings of this book, I went through many different types of tea. I know for a fact that one of the standout teas I had was a loose leaf herbal blood orange blend – delicious and a perfect match for a this series!

Dip Your Toe in the Poetry Pool

The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing, powerful…I cannot say enough about this book of poetry. I loved the style, format, and – even though we do not share the same life experiences – I still felt connected! Absolutely will recommend to others. I have my favorite pages and will probably revisit this book of poetry again before the end of the year. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’ve never read poetry – this is a great way to start.

Unfortunately, I drank so much tea today and the book only took 30 minutes to read – I was drinking cucumber water, lots of cucumber water.  Good for your body and your skin.  Stay hydrated!

First book of 2017!

The Tao Te Ching: 81 Verses by Lao Tzu with Introduction and Commentary by Lao Tzu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An ancient text with a modern commentary. An enjoyable quick read for anyone interested in spirituality and or philosophy. Each of the 81 verses are followed with a brief commentary. The writing is fluid and the commentary easily understandable and applicable. Recommended for the beginner to seasoned readers of the Tao Te Ching.

I thought this was a great first especially with the freshness of 2017 – why not up my spirituality game?  I have a bit an interest in philosophy and spirituality and hope that some Lao Tzu’s teaching with stay with me. the book absolutely will resonate with anyone.  The commentaries were helpful as well.  Always aspire to be to be and do your best and never stop learning.  It’s a short book and can be completed in under 3.5 hours.

During the reading of this book I enjoyed a loose leaf Lavender Green Tea Sencha.  This selection will brew in a few minutes to a light color.  The smell is aromatic and the flavor is also a light green tea with notes of rice.  Very enjoyable as a standalone drink (no added sugar, cream, etc.) hot or iced.

 

Welcome 2017!

Let’s all say goodbye and good riddance to 2016 and welcome 2017 in with open arms and a large TBR pile.  I’m excited to start this blog and looking forward to sharing my reads and reviews.