Rumors by Anna Godbersen

Title: Rumors

Author: Anna Godbersen

Type: Young Adult
Genre: Fiction

Series: Yes, Luxe #2
Pages: 423
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

As rumors continue about the untimely demise of Elizabeth Holland, an outwardly stricken Penelope Hayes determines to use any means necessary to claim her friend's pre-eminent place in 1899 Manhattan society and to get and keep the attentions of Elizabeth's former fiance, the wealthy Henry Schoonmaker."

Feelings: 
I liked this book but not as much as the first in the series. I thought I was going to want to read the books one after the other but after finishing this book I didn't really feel the need to pick up the next one right then. Maybe it has more to do with how busy I am but I thought I would have wanted to read the next one a lot more than I did.

This book focused more on Penelope and the maid Caroline from the first book. I didn't really enjoy Caroline as a character. That is why I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous one. I thought that Elizabeth and Diana were stronger characters and I thought more of the story could have focused on them.

Again, we started where we ended and I thought that was a nice touch.

I will be reading the third novel it just isn't as high on my list as I thought it was.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Title: The Luxe

Author: Anna Godbersen

Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fiction

Series: Yes, Luxe #1

Pages: 433
Copyright: 2007

Publisher: HaperCollins Publishers

Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.
Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions.
White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups.
This is Manhattan, 1899. Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone--from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud--threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.

With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan's most celebrated daughter disappear...

In a world of luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of innocence is anything but innocent.

Feelings: 
I have been seeing this book for a long time. I'm not sure what kept me from reading it sooner but now I have read it and I really enjoyed it as well. No surprise there I seemed to enjoy young adult romance. I wish I had the next book so I could start reading it already.

Let me note that the quality of writing in this book isn't as good as I expected but it is really the characters that draw you in and keep you interested. I really enjoyed the characters. I thought it was interesting that the book starts at the end and then goes back to tell us how it got there.

There are some characters I didn't like as much as other characters but every book has a bit of that. I'm exited for the next book.

The World is a Carpet by Anna Badkhen

Title: The World is a Carpet: Four Seasons in an Afghan Village
Author: Anna Badkhen

Type: Non-Fiction
Genre: Non-Fiction

Series: No

Pages: 288
Copyright: 2013

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Rating: 2 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

An unforgettable portrait of a place and a people shaped by centuries of art, trade, and war.
In the middle of the salt-frosted Afghan desert, in a village so remote that Google can’t find it, a woman squats on top of a loom, making flowers bloom in the thousand threads she knots by hand. Here, where heroin is cheaper than rice, every day is a fast day. B-52s pass overhead—a sign of America’s omnipotence or its vulnerability, the villagers are unsure. They know, though, that the earth is flat—like a carpet.

Anna Badkhen first traveled to this country in 2001, as a war correspondent. She has returned many times since, drawn by a land that geography has made a perpetual battleground, and by a people who sustain an exquisite tradition there. Through the four seasons in which a new carpet is woven by the women and children of Oqa, she immortalizes their way of life much as the carpet does—from the petal half-finished where a hungry infant needs care to the interruptions when the women trade sex jokes or go fill in for wedding musicians scared away by the Taliban. As Badkhen follows the carpet out into the world beyond, she leaves the reader with an indelible portrait of fates woven by centuries of art, war, and an ancient trade that ultimately binds the invaded to the invader.

Feelings: 
I expected a lot more from this book than what it gave. I ended up feeling a little like the author didn't really have enough content for a full book and thus ended up with a hodgepodge of stories put together as a book. I didn't really think it worked.

Another thing that bothered me about the book was the author's use of language. I felt like words weren't always used properly or she would use really obscure words to describe something. That being said this book should be read with a dictionary handy. When I found out that English was likely not the author's first language this explained a lot.

I should note that some of the book was really good.

Once upon a time the moon was white, and the sun and the moon had a fight over who was more beautiful. The sun said it was more beautiful because its beauty illuminated the entire world. The moon said it was more beautiful because its face was completely white. Then the sun got angry and collected desert sand, dust, and ashes from its bukhari and threw them at the moon. The dirt soiled the moon's face forever. The moon became embarrassed and stopped coming out during the day. That's why the moon comes only at night and its face is blemished (p. 176)

This was one of the treasures held within this book. I wouldn't say you should read the book for just that though. I wanted to see more of the carpet and a lot less conjecture about what happens to the carpet after it leaves the loom.

Parts of this book were good but overall it just didn't hold up. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are going to skim it for the little jewels it does hold.

Clean Gut by Alejandro Junger

Title: Clean Gut

Author: Alejandro Junger

Type: Non-Fiction
Genre: Health

Series: No but there is Clean and Clean Eats that are companions

Pages: 256
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: HarperOne

Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
In Clean Gut, Alejandro Junger, M.D, New York Times bestselling author of Clean and creator of the world-famous Clean Program, delivers a complete toolkit for reversing disease and sustaining life-long health. Inside these pages, Junger offers a groundbreaking new program that attacks the root causes of illness and helps us to restore our own amazing healing capabilities.

With a few simple steps, you can repair and restore your gut health, and watch symptoms both minor and major disappear. This groundbreaking new protocol grew out of Dr. Junger's experience helping many people jump-start their way back to wellness. Dr. Junger also presents a set of guiding principles to keep you healthy for the long term. True health is about more than just what you put into your mouth: it's also about community and the people and things you surround yourself with; it's about how to know what your body loves, craves, and needs versus what assaults it. In Clean Gut, Dr. Junger gives us everything we need to discover what it means to be truly healthy.

Feelings: 
This book didn't feel like it was quite as well put together as Clean to me. I thought it would be more helpful for me that it was. I have been eating almost the diet that Clean Gut puts forward for over a month and it hasn't had the affects that he says it should. I don't the the smoothy for breakfast but it does seem like I should be seeing more benefit for the amount of time that I have put in. This book agrees with many of the other books I have read as far as the digestive system being the root of our health.

I am finding that it is a very important part of our well being but that there isn't all that much agreement on how to get there. I think that one thing Dr. Junger has going for his approach is a very large support system. The support system alone is enough to have me consider it a good program. The book is full of important information however I wish it would have gone into a little more detail about how the program deals with different issues of the gut and how it heals them.

The information is good but could have used more scientific backing. However, it seems like Dr. Junger has his own evidence to back up his findings. I would recommended the book for individuals looking for more information on digestion help.

Clean by Alejandro Junger

Title: Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

Author: Alejandro Junger

Type: Non-Fiction
Genre: Health

Series: Clean Gut and Clean Eats are of the same program

Pages: 352
Copyright: 2012
Publisher: HarperOne
Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

A Life-Changing Medical BreakthroughClean is an M.D.'s program designed to be easily incorporated into our busy schedule while providing all the practical tools necessary to support and rejuvenate our bodies. The effect is transformative: nagging health problems will suddenly disappear, extra weight will drop away, and for the first time in our lives, we will experience what it truly means to feel healthy.

Expanded Edition Includes:
New Introduction • New Recipes • How to Become Clean for Life

Feelings:
I thought this book had a lot to offer. I'm not sure that it is the solution for my current health problems but it did really bring home something that has become more and more clear as I have been reading about health, that the digestive system is what keeps us healthy. When we have a digestive system that isn't working we aren't healthy.Whether it is depression or actual problems in our gut there is so much we don't know about the workings of the gut and so much to learn in regards to it.

I will be taking some of the advise from the book and incorporating it into what I do. I already take probiotics but I think this is something that is really important in our modern world. I'm leaving 12 hours between meals so that my body has a chance to rest and I'm more conscious of what I come into contact with as far as my skin, hair, and breathing.

I don't know if I am ready for a detox like clean offers, but I think this is something I will be looking into more. I'm defiantly going to read Clean Gut and see if it has anything to offer me.

I recommend this book to those looking to learn more about how our current lifestyle affects our bodies.