Reviews with TLC

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. M.D. provides an interesting take on the effect of diet on health. Esselstyn presents his theory and backs it up in an easy to read book. Dr. Esselstyn's conclusions make a lot of sense even if the reader questions some aspects of the study he conducted to find his results. He presents the evidence for a plant-based diet in clear and convincing language even if at times his presentation feels heavy handed. The recipes I've tried in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease aren't particularly exciting but are easy to follow, tasty and provide guidelines for adapting one's own favorite recipes to meet the guidelines of the diet. I read Dr. Esselstyn's book because I have a strong interest in how food can be used to promote good health, so I found much of what he had to say interesting and worth giving serious thought. I've read several such books, and this one made me want to read more on the subject. For a...

A Knight of Love by David Vahlberg transports the reader into a world built on chivalry and old-fashioned romance. Vahlberg explores myriad aspects of both love and romance weaving a connection between nature, spirituality, and humanity in the poems in this collection. While many of the poems feel fantastical in their storylines, the emotions ring true throughout. Vahlberg provides a collection of poems for the romantic who enjoys the idea of the knight in shining armor.

I bought The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone because it contains several recipes I want to try. I didn't plan to read Silverstone's story of her journey to becoming vegan. I've been vegetarian for a while and have dabbled with becoming vegan for a while, so I didn't need convinced. I was pleasantly surprised with her story. She lines out her reasons and supports her decisions with both fact and emotion. I even learned a few things I didn't know about being vegan. The Kind Diet is engaging and interesting. Silverstone leaves no doubt how important she considers her mission to encourage the world to both become vegan and to treat animals with kindness in The Kind Diet. Now, I just need to try some of her recipes and hope they're as good as they sound...

Golf Rules & Etiquette Simplified by John Companiotte is a thin volume. Newbies could carry it in their golf bags to help them as they're learning the game though most newbies probably don't want to admit they don't actually know the rules. Companiotte makes it easy to understand the basic rules and etiquette of playing a round of golf. The book isn't comprehensive, but it should answer most questions that arise on the course. Golf Rules & Etiquette Simplified is easy to read and thorough enough to provide a little more confidence to the learning golfer and perhaps even more seasoned golfers who have always wondered if their buddies simply made up the rules as they went  along.

The Ultimate Digital Book Promotion Handbook by Jim F. Kukral is filled with links and helpful tips for promoting digital books (ebooks) on the web. Kukral has put together an extensive list of places that welcome authors to promote their books as well as tips for planning promotion days to be the most beneficial. He is quick to point out that websites come and go, so he can't guarantee the sites listed will still be available. He updates the handbook to keep it as current as possible. I used The Ultimate Digital Book Promotion Handbook for my last promotion blitz and found many of the sites Kukral recommended drove traffic to my books on promotion day; therefore I would recommend the handbook for those looking for readers for their ebooks.