The Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook by Mark Hyman (Cookbook Review)

*Disclosure of material connection-  I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

The companion cookbook to Dr. Hyman's revolutionary Eat Fat, Get Thin, with more than 175 delicious, nutritious, heart- and waist-friendly recipes.
Dr. Hyman's Eat Fat, Get Thin radically changed the way we view dietary fat, and proved that the key to losing weight and keeping it off is to eat ample amounts of good fats. Now, Dr. Hyman shares more than 175 mouthwatering recipes to help you incorporate these good fats into your diet and continue on your path to wellness. With easy-to-prepare recipes for every meal--featuring nuts, coconut oil, avocados, and lots of other superfoods you thought were "off limits"--you can achieve fast and sustained weight loss. Your health is a life-long journey, and THE EAT FAT, GET THIN COOKBOOK helps make that journey both do-able and delicious.

My thoughts-

When I saw this book was written by Mark Hyman, I was interested in it immediately. Fat has got a lot of unfounded bad press over the last decade or so. I think a lot of people just don't understand good fat vs. bad fat and that your body NEEDS fat to be it's ultimate best. This is a companion cookbook that goes with Hyman's Eat Fat, Get Thin book, but without having read that book I think you will still get the overall point of it summarized here at the beginning of the cookbook. The book has a detailed chart about what fats you should eat which I think anyone who reads the book will find extremely helpful. There is also some great information on what kind of vitamins you might consider taking to take your health to the next level. I like that there are so many recipes in the book that there will be at least a few things everyone would enjoy. It gives many options for great recipes and I think that is the main goal of a good cookbook, that there are so many great things in the book, no one will feel like it isn't for them. My favorite section is the breakfast section because there are tons of savory options and too often there is a focus on sweetness for our first meal of the day. I could easily eat any of the things from the breakfast section for any meal. I think anyone who wants to eat well and cares about their health will enjoy The Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook so I recommend this book to anyone wanting to eat well. 

The Wizard's Dog by Eric Kahn Gale

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

For fans of The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom comes an offbeat, comedic spin on the Excalibur legend told from the point of view of a talking dog who wants to be a magician! 
 
Meet Nosewise. He’s spunky. He’s curious. And he’s a dog who can’t understand why his pack mates Merlin and Morgana spend all day practicing magic tricks. If it’s a trick they want, he’s the dog to ask! He can already Sit!, Stay!, and Roll Over!
 
But there’s no way Nosewise is Staying when his master and best friend, Merlin, is kidnapped. There’s nothing Nosewise won’t do to get Merlin back, even if it means facing the strange Fae people and their magic-eating worms, or tangling with the mysterious Sword in the Stone. But it may take more than sniffing out a spell to do it!
 
Nosewise’s hilarious escapades and steadfast loyalty get him and his companions through King Arthur’s Dark Ages.

My thoughts-

I ran across this title as part of a trivia night table decor our local Friends of the Library puts on each year. This year, my club and I volunteered to decorate 10 book themed tables and one of those books was The Wizard's Dog. I hadn't heard of it prior and thought it sounded cute and thought why not check and see if it's on Netgalley and luckily it was! I thought it might be a good book from my 9 year old daughter to dive into, but I wanted to read it first to see if it was appropriate for her reading level. The book is perfect for her age group, a great middle grade fantasy book about a dog, who happens to be the Wizard Merlin's dog. Merlin's apprentice discovers a way for Nosewise to talk and that causes lots of interesting situations! I enjoyed that the book is from Nosewise's point of view and it adds some extra comedy to the narrative. There are definitely some scenes that will be giggle inducing to young children (it's about a dog, so there are lots of references to poop! haha), but it is also full of action and drama. The Wizard's Dog is a great pick for anyone who enjoys middle grade fantasy. 

Juliet's Answer by Glenn Dixon (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley ine exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

I have had this book sitting on the back-burner for a little bit. I am not sure what was holding me back from reading it, other than having an overabundance of things to read lately, but Juliet's Answer is easily one of the best books I've read in some time. The book is about Glenn Dixon's time in Verona answering some of the letters that come in from all over the world addressed to Juliet, yes that Juliet. Dixon was also a high school English teacher and had a love dilemma of his own, so this book had a few stories within the main story. I especially enjoyed the stories the people Glenn Dixon in Verona told him about what they believe to be the true origins of the story of Romeo and Juliet (could these characters could have been based on real people?). If you enjoy travel or history or just enjoy a great memoir, you'll love Juliet's Answer.

The Lose Your Belly Diet by Travis Stork, M.D. (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley ine exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

We want to be healthy. We want to be lean. And we want to lose that annoying fat around our bellies!

We can achieve ALL of these goals with The Lose Your Belly Diet. Based on exciting new research about the dramatic benefits of vibrant gut health and a diverse gut microbiome, this plan nurtures your gut while helping you burn off excess weight and harmful belly fat.

This plan is built around a very clear, research-based concept: Eating food that nourishes and protects the microbes in your gut paves the way for weight loss, a slimmer middle, and better overall health.

It’s not just about weight loss. Having great gut health is linked to good health throughout your body. Scientists in this rapidly growing field are finding connections between gut microbes and the immune system, weight loss, gastrointestinal health, , allergies, asthma, and even cancer. With every study that’s published, scientists become more convinced that having a healthy gut leads to having a healthy body.

My thoughts-

Something I love about doctor Travis Stork is that he is great at breaking down medical jargon for the layman. His conversational tone make his books so easy to read and that is helpful when you are reading about your health and trying to do better for yourself. I like that in The Lose Your Belly Diet, Dr. Stork goes into detail about gut health and gut microbiome, sharing some insight into why so many people are obese, as well as what gut microbiomes have to do with overall health. It was an exciting book that I read in one setting. Best of all, the recipes shared at the end all sound delicious. I never like when books like this use the word  "diet" in the title, but if that gets some people to read this book than I will forgive it. This is not a "diet" as much as a healthier way of eating and learning more about your body so you can treat it better, I recommend this book to absolutely anyone who wants to take better care of their health, whether that is to lose weight, to tone up, or to just begin (or continue) on a better path to eating well.