Review: The Other Einstein

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting story that I wasn't sure that I would like at first. It is a novel about the first wife of Albert Einstein. I listened to the audiobook and I love the narrator as she is a favorite character of mine off of The Blacklist. So she did a fabulous job bringing the story to life. It was a interesting story about a women who overcame so much but was thwarted by the man that she loved in a time when that was very common.

There were heartbreaking moments and I felt the story gave a picture of the woman and man that I knew little about except for the E=mc2. The characters were well developed and it was easy to follow. I recommend it as a great women's fiction book or a historical fiction book.

View all my reviews

Review: The Castaways

The Castaways by Jessika Fleck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great story

This is such a good story for teens about the horrible realities of bullying and the power of family and facing your fears. The characters grew and developed well. Very exciting story with action, love, hope, and fantasy.

View all my reviews

Review: Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob by William Landay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this for a new book club I am in and it isn't one that I would normally pick up for myself. It is dealing somewhat with criminal law which I am very interested in and it held my attention throughout. I listened to the audiobook of it and I thought the narrator did a good job.

The father, Andy, was a very frustrating character to me but only because he is so entirely different and handled himself and the situation so opposite of the way I would have. I was astounded by the length he went and the delusion he maintained. I figured out what might happened towards the end but not all of it and it was still very intriguing. I have lots to say in my book club and I would consider reading more from William Landay.

View all my reviews

Great Coffee!

Up until a few days ago, I would brew up some Folgers or Maxwell House in my Keurig (my fav Christmas present) and then dump almost 4 tsp of sugar, and a healthy pour of Hazelnut flavored non-dairy creamer. And it was delicious, but all that sugar isn't helping my waistline, and neither is my love of food for that matter, but I thought there might be a better way.  I considered learning to like the taste of bitter coffee just like I learned to enjoy the taste of drip coffee over 4 years ago when I stopped working and knew I couldn't afford Starbucks regularly anymore.

Then I was invited to a local coffee shop, Gather to talk with a group of great women, and it was there that I ordered the house coffee.  The service was eh, but it was a relatively new place, and I suffered the wait, but then when my coffee came, we were moving tables, and so I scrambled to pour in the half and half provided and only grabbed 2 packets of sugar.  I figured I could get up and get more in a few minutes.  I doctored it up and took a drink and was shocked at how much I loved it, just like that.  And it was a lot more than my normal 10 oz for a cup of coffee, it had to have been almost 15 oz because of the large cup size.  But that would normally mean I would have to add even more than 4 tsp of sugar to get the right taste.  But not this time.

I left there that night thinking maybe there was an alternative to drinking bitter coffee for the rest of my days or shoveling sugar into my java.

So I made a call to the coffee shop a few days later and then made a trip to buy a small package of freshly ground coffee that had no preservatives (oil) for about $15 (yikes).  But I thought if it meant I would have better tasting coffee without all the extra sugar, then it would be worth it.

And now I am on my fourth day of drinking this heavenly sent coffee that I barely need 1 tsp sugar and a dash of creamer.  I just even tried it with just the creamer and it tasted wonderful. I am a changed woman (hopefully my waistline will change as well, but miracles don't happen everyday!).

For those coffee lovers in the area (Ft. Worth), it is locally roasted.  And you can buy online as well, I am drinking La Pastoria, and the link to buy:   http://www.avocacoffee.com/shop/la-pastoria/