I love the illustrations, and the instructions are clear and easy! I'm glad that this book not only talks about yoga in general, but then gives lots of poses to try and tells you ways to fit those poses together in a smooth session. Very helpful!

I have very conflicting thoughts about this book. It's one of those that you love to hate, bc it's just so good at being bad. I feel like this book is a beautiful painting underneath that has been grotesquely defaced and damaged. It had the potential to be a wonderful story, brilliantly written; but it has all these nasty little marks on it that rob its beauty. One little sentence here and there that sticks out ugly and deformed.

One of the main questions of the book is, "Is humanity basically good and worth saving?" But all the authors arguments about what humanity IS, are skewed over to focus almost completely on sex. Apparently the author thinks that sex is the sole purpose of humanity, to the exclusion of any other joy, meaning, or fulfillment in life. There is a whole spectrum of emotions, familial connections, and world experiences that are far more important and more descriptive of the human race, but the author doesn't touch on one of them.
This limited and unhealthy world-view really annoyed me while reading.

The author also seems to think that all women are empty-headed objects of desire with no thoughts or goals of their own. I can't believe how disrespectful this book is toward women! Not one actual real female character with a voice of her own in the entire book. They're all mindless tramps.

Every male character is described in detail- their thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc... Beautifully drawn characters. Every female character is only physically described- her body type, clothing, only physical features described in detail. Egh! I'm so angry with this author right now.

Such a pity, bc the story itself is amazing. I couldn't put it down! I just can't stand the philosophy. Also the ending is a disappointment.

I adore Sir Walter Scott's writing! He can be a little long-winded at times, but it is absolutely worth it.

I wish that this story had focused more on Mr. Lovel as the hero, instead of telling nearly everything from the Antiquary's point of view. It is funny and touching though, seeing everything through Oldbuck's eyes. I wish there were more depth to Lovel's character; we don't get to see him nearly enough. Same thing with Miss Mc'Intyre. She seems so sweet and nice, but she barely has any dialogue.
The ending is rather abrupt, but good with all the loose ends nicely tied up to everyone's satisfaction.

All in all, a fantastic story, excellent writing, beautiful characters, and a finely laid plot!

*3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this second book in the The Debt series! In this one, Dom is tasked with turning off all the lights in the city for exactly one hour. It's fast-paced and interesting, especially because of the relationships that Dom has with his family, who are not all they seem to be, and with his friends, Tristan and Imogen, who come with their own problems.

Dom is training for a big race at the same time that he's researching how to turn off the electricity in a huge city, and it doesn't help that a radical "green" group is stepping on his toes with their own plans to shut down the nuclear facility that supplies power to the city.

The enigmatic Zoe is back, still with her own agenda for her brother, the Zolt. I love her character, so I was glad to see her being particularly Zoe-ish with the spying and riddles.

Imogen is a little in the background though, since she is with Tristan most of the time, but she is still a powerful presence in the story, because of how she motivates Dom to action.

There are so many little mysteries that have yet to be solved: Where is Imogen's father? What is Dom's father's business? What did Gus do that made Dom's father hate him so much? Can Dom really trust his running buddy, Seb, or is Seb working for The Debt? But especially, why oh why is The Debt asking Dom to do all these weird things? What's the purpose behind it all? What's their agenda?
I DO love a good mystery! I must keep reading to find the answers!

The action is pretty wild in this one, almost to the point where I was rolling my eyes at some of the situations Dom gets into. Dom proves to be resourceful and imaginative though. He also makes some really bad decisions and acts incredibly stupid at times, but then again, he's only 15. He's definitely maturing and getting smarter as the books progress.

Love this series! Can't wait to read more!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

I really enjoyed this in-depth analysis of the Harry Potter books, specifically tying together classic Christian themes and symbols. The author has become an expert on Harry Potter and gives lectures at B&N University. He also has a degree in Classical Languages and Literature, so you know he really knows what he's talking about!

At the time this was written, only the first 5 HP books had been published, so the author also speculates, sometimes with funny results, about what he thought might happen in the final two books. I wish that there were a newer edition of this with thoughts on the final books.

The book begins with a personal story about the author reading HP to his children, and tells how many people in Christian communities have bad-mouthed the books in the past. He addresses concerns some Christians might have about HP enticing children into actual witchcraft, and very thoroughly disproves that notion! He uses Scripture, classic story-telling tools, and quotes from HP to show how the HP books actually give a very clear picture of a Christian world, a loving God, and the everyman's search for purity through Christ.

The writing is humorous, complex but clear, with a concise forcefulness that explains in depth and then brings the point home. It's easy to read, and really touches the mind and heart!

The typical classic Hero's Journey formula of most great stories is applied to the HP books, and discussed in great detail, showing what a genius storyteller Rowling is, and how Harry's journey in every book mirrors our own spiritual journeys toward Christ.

The author talks about why the HP books are so popular, saying that the reason is that everyone is drawn to stories with eternal significance, because we all have a longing for God in our hearts. HP is all about the nature of Love and death, and the cosmic conflict between good and evil. This appeals to us because it points us to God, whether you believe in God or not.

There are several chapters that reference and explain the stages of alchemy as it applies to classical literature. "Alchemy" means transformation and change, and the images of alchemy are used in every HP book to symbolize Harry's transformation, purification, and resurrection into a better person as he changes and learns.

One chapter talks about the difference between "incantational" magic (which is used in most books like Narnia, LotR, and in HP by Harry and his friends) and "invocational" magic, which is an actual real form of power used by real people who call themselves witches. "Incantational" magic literally means "to harmonize" with an element that already exists, and it is not forbidden in the Bible. It's also not real, because last time I checked nobody except Jesus actually has power over the elements of the world.
"Invocational" magic literally means "to invoke" or call on a demon who one thinks one can control and have power over. This type is very strongly forbidden in the Bible, because it is a real and very dangerous thing.
The whole chapter goes very in-depth about the differences between white and black magic, and their uses in classical literature, fairy tales, and in children's books like Narnia and LotR. And most importantly, this book explains why the use of white magic in books points us to a greater spiritual "magic" in the miracles of Christ, creating in us a longing for something greater than ourselves.

Symbols of Christ are present in every HP book: the red lion, unicorns, phoenix, stag, the griffin. All of these are classic symbols of Christ for various reasons, like the unicorn symbolizing the purity of Christ and the phoenix being a symbol of resurrection.

A lot of time is spent on the conflict between good and evil, and the most prevalent and obvious lesson in all of HP: Identity is determined by your choices. Make good choices, even when it is difficult, and you will be a good person. This is shown over and over in all the HP books, and this is a powerful message in an age when morality is on shaky ground and people are told to "Do what's right for you."

Another big theme through all the HP books is that Love conquers Death. This is almost exactly like saying "God conquers our sin." To anyone who knows that God is Love and our Sin brings Death, the concepts are one and the same.

There are so many good ideas and amazing themes in this book that I can't even write about them all. I've barely touched on some of the most profound portions of this book. Trust me, there is so much more in there!

This is a funny manga about college students studying music. Shinichi is a piano major, but really wants to study conducting instead. He quits his piano lessons in a fit of anger, then meets Megumi Nodame, who is a free spirit. Nodame can barely read music, but plays piano beautifully from memory in a Cantabile (singable) style. When these two opposites become friends, Shinichi learns to enjoy music again, and Nodame is forced to clean her filthy apartment. When Nodame is asked to accompany a fellow violin student, it's up to Shinichi to make sure she is prepared for their music exams.

I liked the characters pretty well, but nobody really stood out to me. I mainly just liked the parts about the music and the piano, since I'm a pianist.

Shinichi is really uptight, and he learns to loosen up and make mistakes. I didn't really like his character because he is angry and depressed most of the time. But Nodame brings some sunlight into his life and into his music! I did like his musical journey, discovering what he wants to study.

Nodame is completely irresponsible, and can't cook or clean or even bathe herself regularly. What is she, mentally disabled?! Shinichi cleans her apartment for her and cooks her meals, and naturally she starts to fall in love with him because he feeds her. (hhmmm... okay? She's not a stray cat.) She got on my nerves, because she's very childish and silly and is constantly hungry. Those seem to be her main traits.
But she has a few great scenes and bits of dialogue where she shows a real insight into music and how it should be played. She also has a beautiful grasp on what it means to accompany an instrumentalist, and the delicate relationship that is balanced between a piano and violin together.

So I loved the parts about music and what it's like to study music in college, but the characters and storyline weren't amazing. The artwork is nothing special either. It's not bad, but it's not grabbing my attention either.

This book was another quick and fun read in the series, full of action and wild situations! This series would be perfect for any kid that "doesn't like to read". The pacing is just so fast that you don't realize how much you are reading.

This time the evil Debt mafia has tasked Dom with finding and stealing a super-secret new technology called Cerberus that is barely a rumor among techies and not even supposed to exist. Dom gets involved with shady private detectives, pickpocket street kids, tough cab drivers with a penchant for showing up in all the right places, and of course, some tough techie nerds with nothing to lose and big mean bodyguards who are not averse to a little kidnapping and torture. It takes all of Dom's ingenuity and running skills to find the Cerberus and deliver it to the Debt before his deadline.

Puzzles, anagrams, clues, and mysteries abound in this book! There's even a Latin phrase that Dom takes to his Latin professor for translation. I love that kind of stuff!
The writing is so hilarious and sarcastic! Dom has some really clever lines that make me laugh.

My favorite supporting characters, Imogen and Tristan, are back in full force, with beautifully awkward teen drama and their own ordinary teenage problems. Dom is so focused on the Debt and his adventures that he needs to be pulled back into the ordinary world of friends and family to keep himself grounded.
The family dynamic is getting tense in this book, as Dom's mother and sister begin to react to Dom's increasingly strange behavior. The whole family is so perfectly written, and every character in that family has their own secrets that I can't wait to uncover in the next books!

Dom continues to be an excellent main character. He's clever and brave, but mostly he's just REAL. He struggles and has stupid moments and makes mistakes and freaks out sometimes. I'm cheering him on in every chapter, and completely wrapped up in his story.


Disclaimer: I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This is the story of Lucy Snow who stumbles into a boarding school for children learning to be mad scientists. There's robots and creepy taxidermy, grave robbing and all sorts of evil experiments going on, but the worst mystery is that when the principal sends children to detention... they never come back! As Lucy strives to pass all her classes, she begins to realize that she will have to escape somehow or be thrown into the mysterious Windmill for detention.

The teachers at the school are so old that they've been stitched up like Frankenstein's monster to keep them alive, giving them a frightening appearance. And all the students at the school are the children of evil scientists and villains, who want their kids to grow up and take over their villainous dynasties. So all the classes are things like Cross-Species Body Part Transplantation and Killer Robot Construction. haha!

Everything in the school is run on steam power or clockwork; even the maids and kitchen staff are steam-powered robots. I love the imaginative classes and world building! The backstory of the principal and the mysterious Windmill has kept me guessing and in suspense. I like the art too!

Lucy is a fun character with lots of pluck and humor, and I think it's completely adorable that she takes her stuffed dinosaur, Dino, with her everywhere! After all, she's only nine years old. Because all the other students are children of villains, Lucy doesn't really make any friends. She can't trust any of those kids! But that doesn't mean she is completely alone. She finds allies in unexpected places, and receives guidance on her mission to escape and maybe liberate the children in detention.

I'm enjoying this great manga and can't wait to read the rest! I mean, it's not mind-blowing or life-changing or anything, but it's fun and entertaining.

This manga series is so fun and full of action and mystery! I'm loving it!