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Blood Brothers by Rick Acker

Important Info:

ISBN - 10: 0825420075

Format: Trade Paperback

Publisher: Kregel Publications

Premise:

Neurostim is a brand new drug that dramatically increases productivity and creativity.  Developed from the seeds of a long-extinct Norwegian tree, Neurostim dramatically improves response time by allowing subjects to think and process information more quickly. The implications are staggering. It could help people in all walks of life, but could easily become a lifesaver for policemen, fireman, doctors and other first responders. But initial tests reveal a hiccup—some of the monkeys tested exhibited maniacal, homicidal behaviors. As the lead lab tech was approaching company authorities with the evidence, however, she was killed in a mysterious one-car accident.

Without any reported side-effects, the FDA authorizes human trials of Neurostim and the trials appear to go smoothly. Brothers Karl Bjornsen and Gunnar Bjornsen, however, are deeply embroiled in a bitter legal battle for control of the company—and Neurostim.  Gunnar developed Neurostim while working as President of Bjornsen Pharmaceuticals and he’s the only one who knows the secret formula. When Karl ousted Gunnar as President, Gunnar took the formula with him. 

What begins as a simple trade secrets case, however, quickly escalates and becomes more complex as Gunnar’s lawyer, Ben Corbin, discovers embezzlement and bribery with Karl as the prime suspect. When Ben and his team travel to Norway to investigate the accounting discrepancies with the company’s Norwegian branch, Bjornsen Norge, their very lives become endangered.

Is Karl Bjornsen behind the Norwegian attacks that endanger Ben and his team? Is Neurostim safe? Can the FDA stop the clinical trials on Neurostim before it’s too late?

Stuff I Liked: 

It was a great, fast paced plot with lots of twists and turns.  There is an underlaying romantic theme going on, as well as a lot of other issues.  There also was very little preachiness - I didn’t feel like the author wanted to teach me a lesson, just share a great fiction story about Christians. 

Stuff I Didn’t Like: 

Honestly?  I’m not a huge fan of legal thrillers, so this one didn’t do a lot for me.  Any fan of that genre will LOVE this book.  In fact, I recommend that you go out and pick up both Blood Brothers, and Dead Man’s Rule (the first in the series) right now.  I have an advanced readers copy, and there are a few typos, and that always irritates me (I have to remember that an ARC isn’t finished - those will get cleaned up before the book goes to final print). 

I give this book a total 5 out of 5.  It was very interesting, and I really enjoyed reading it.  Don’t forget to check out Rick’s website!

Our TV is broken.  It stopped showing red (everything is blue and green, but more green than blue) on Saturday night.  It was a bummer because my friend was over, and we were going to play MarioKart (this is hard to do when there is no red & green).  We got over that, and I was able to watch TV (without colour) when we really wanted to. 

Happily, our TV was still under warranty, so we called and they sent out repair men.  They said that our colour card was fried (it looks like a computer motherboard, only smaller - maybe a videocard?), so they took it and the cord to the TV (I know, right?) and told me not to turn it on.  That was fine - we have a secondary TV in our room if we really need to watch TV.  So last night I opened up Youtube, and we watched Sesame Street clips (the ones with their celebrity musical guests).  It was so much fun!  We really enjoyed it, Kitten and I.

Kitten woke up really grumpy this morning, so while she was eating breakfast, I opened up my laptop to watch Sesame Street videos.  Guess what?  They’ve all been removed!  GRRRRRR!!!!  I am so upset (Kitten doesn’t seem to care - Nana is here now).  I’m annoyed because we don’t like to sit in our room watching TV, and the portions that we enjoy are mostly the music portions anyway.  So Grrr.  I’m irritated at Youtube today. 

Baby Cheapskate is giving away 12 BumGenius Diapers.  She’s got the contest running until August 6, or until she reaches 5000 entries.  Be sure to enter quick - this is a fantastic prize.  In fact, for those wanting to start cloth diapering, but need something that’s easy and a lot like disposables, this is your diaper.  What would be better than getting to start for free? 

This is our last week before Kitten turns 1 year old.  We’re desperately trying to get those teeth through (who are we kidding.  Like we can do anything about it!), which have been annoying her for the past day or so.  We’re also furiously working on obedience, because this girl child is now tall enough to reach the counter (not things off the counter, just the counter itself), the door knobs and the gas range dials.  I know that she can’t light the stove, but she sure could turn the gas on and walk away.  Please tell me - why don’t the stove manufacturors make it a little harder to turn the stove on?  I would prefer it if I had to push a button and turn the dial to get the gas to come on.  Oh well.

Obedience is hard for us.  We’re not very good at being diligent.  And I’m not good at training/discipline for a child Kitten’s age.  She understands a slap on the hand, but is there something different we can do?  Telling her “no” doesn’t seem to be working (and I’m not interested in that being the dominant form of communication between us), she knows what it means, and will shake her head “no no no” while touching the object she’s not allowed to.  I don’t know if it’s possible that she’s reinforcing herself (touching Mama’s vase is a no-no), but it’s not like she touches the object, shakes her head no, and moves on, she keeps playing with it.  The only thing that she doesn’t get into are my books.  We have two large Ikea bookcases - and my books fill both cases, from ceiling to floor.  She used to pull my books out, but doesn’t do it any more, she looks, and will touch them, but mostly uses them to walk along that wall in our home.  This is acceptable to me - I don’t care if she touches the books, as long as she doesn’t pull them out, or rip the covers (there was one that was falling apart that she made worse). 

I don’t know.  She needs a consequence that will deter her enough not to continue the behaviour.  She doesn’t grasp the meaning of a “time out”, and even if she did, the only places that I could put her for an effective time out are her high chair or her crib - and I don’t want to associate either of those items with punishment. 

Does anyone have any experience they want to share on something that works with babies of this age?  I want to lay groundwork for obedience when she is older - I’m not looking for absolute perfection at this age, I just want to know that when I tell her to stop running towards the street that she will listen to me.  I do want to start now, so when she becomes 2 or 3, she won’t suddenly have a new set of rules or whatever.   

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Pattillo

Important Info:

• ISBN - 10: 1400073944
• Format: Trade Paperback
• Published By: WaterBrook Press

Premise:

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society has been meeting, knitting and reading together peaceably for a very long time.  Eugenie, a strict library who’s assumed to be the leader, brings in Hannah, who’s a neglected 13-year-old found ripping pages out of library books.  Instead of punishing Hanna, Eugenie decides that it would do her a world of good to meet with the group and learn to knit.  How will the other members react to the newest recruit?

Merry has her own problems.  Her marriage has been drifting slowly apart.  Neither party seems to be able to hold their three busy children together, but can they work through an unplanned pregnancy and other problems?

Ruthie has a secret from her sister Esther.  What will happen when the secret comes to light, and can they both live peaceably in the town after it all comes to light?

Camille attends the Knit Lit Society on behalf of her aging mother.  Looking for a way out of town, she becomes involved with the wrong man at the wrong time.  Can Camille escape unscathed?

What I Liked:

This was a well written book that I really enjoyed.  There was some head-hopping between characters, but it is required to bring everything to light.  I found all the characters likable, even thought I identified the most with Merry.  I think it was just that she’s a mom, and even though I’m not a mother of teenagers, I think I can still relate somewhat. 

What I didn’t Like: 

There were some parts of the book that were a bit too religious bent for me.  There weren’t all that many, nor did they last long, but it is a book about Christians.  So you have to expect that.  I didn’t understand all the knitting references, but I don’t really think that took away from the book so much.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book.  There have been very few blog tour books that I have thought that if there was a sequel, that I would pick it up - if there was one for this book (and I don’t believe there should be), I would totally pick it up.  I suppose that maybe I should take a look at Pattello’s other books, Heavens to Betsy and Earth to Betsy.  The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society is readable by all ages, but I think that adults would appreciate it more than young teens would.  They will be able to identify with Hannah in some regard, but I’m not sure that a young teen would be all that interested in the other people’s lives.  Plus the book does deal with infidelity, sexual abuse (or near case), and other adult themes (Pattillo doesn’t really address them directly - you never read about someone in bed with someone else, but it is implied). 

Please visit Beth Pattillo’s website, and have a look around.  You can read more about this book, her Betsy series, as well as drop her a line or read her Q&A section.

I really need to apologize - I believed that the tour dates on this book were in July, but it was at the end of June, and I missed it by a long shot.  I am truly sorry to Glass Roads Public Relations, and to Beth Pattillo for not fulfilling my commitment by participating in the tour on the dates specified!  Please forgive me!