Laura's Interests

Title: Stop the Diet, I Want To Get Off! Author: Lisa Tillinger Johansen Publisher: J. Murray Press Genre: Nonfiction /Nutrition/Health The Paleo.  The Zone.  The Gluten-free.  Another day, another diet.   We’re caught in a never-ending merry-go-round of weight loss plans, fueled by  celebrity endorsers, TV doctors and companies angling for a piece of a $60 billion industry.   But do these diets really work?  And how healthy are they? Registered Dietitian Lisa Tillinger Johansen examines dozens of the most wildly popular diets based on medical facts, not hype.  And along the way, she reveals tried-and-true  weight loss strategies, relying on her years of hospital experience, weight-loss seminars  and community outreach efforts.  With insight and humor, Stop The Diet, I Want To Get  Off shows that the best answer is often not a trendy celebrity-endorsed diet, but easy-to- follow guidelin...

Tropical Depression by Jeff Lindsay August 25 Book Blast Synopsis: NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jeff Lindsay mastered suspense with his wildly addictive DEXTER series. Before that, however, there was former cop and current burnout Billy Knight. When a hostage situation turns deadly, Billy loses everything—his wife, his daughter, and his career. Devastated, he heads to Key West to put down his gun and pick up a rod and reel as a fishing boat captain. But former co-worker Roscoe McAuley isn't ready to let Billy rest. When Roscoe tells Billy that someone murdered his son, Billy sends him away. When Roscoe himself turns up dead a few weeks later, however, Billy can't keep from getting sucked back into Los Angeles, and the streets that took so much from him. Billy's investigations into the death of a former cop, and his son, will take him up to the highest echelons of the LAPD, finding corruption at every level. It puts him on a collision course with the law...

Title and Author:  Unexpected Gifts by S.R Mallery Publication Date:   2013 Genre: Historical Fiction Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour of Unexpected Gifts by S.R Mallery .   " Unexpected Gifts "  is the story of a confused college student who gains clarity in life when she begins to read the journals and diaries of her ancestors from America's past. ~About the Book~ Title and Author:  Unexpected Gifts by S.R Mallery No. of Pages: 317 Publication Date: 2013 Genre: Historical Fiction Blurb: Can we learn from our ancestral past? Do our relatives’ behaviors help mold our own?   In "Unexpected Gifts" that is precisely what happens to Sonia, a confused college student, heading for addictions and forever choosing the wrong man. Searching for answers, she begins to read her family’s diaries and journals from America’s past: the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and Timothy Leary era; Tupperware parties, McCa...

Black Cat and the Accidental Angel by Elaine Faber Cozy Mystery Paperback: 246 pages Publisher: Elk Grove Publications (April 1, 2015) ISBN-13: 978-1940781112 E-Book ASIN: B00W4J9ZVU When their carrier is left behind following an MVA, Thumper awakes with amnesia. His companion says, “Call me Angel, I’m here to take care of you.” Why she won’t share their history or tell him his real name is a mystery. No sooner than the cats are taken in by John and his daughter, Cindy at a vineyard and Emu farm, strange and progressively harmful pranks begin to occur, threatening Cindy’s safety. A surprising discovery and an unexpected meeting with a stranger brings about changes to their lives. Black Cat (Thumper) struggles to remember his past and yearns to return to his family, but Angel insists they must stay and help John resolve his financial troubles. As the summer progresses, Black Cat experiences despair, shame, loss, and finally acceptance and joy. But, when a final ...

Title: Songbird Author: Colleen Helme Genre: Romance Fantasy As the ambassador from Braemar, Bran is sent on a diplomatic mission to the Old Country to establish trade relations. But the real reason for his mission is to uncover the secrets of a potent elixir that can give magic to anyone who drinks it. While there he encounters the Songbird, a beautiful, exotic woman, and the king’s most prized possession. Her song is full of magic, and he determines that her people must be connected to the deadly elixir. In exchange for her help, he is willing to risk his life to set her free. What he doesn’t expect, is to fall under her spell… EXCERPT: The crowd parted unexpectedly and the ambassador froze at the vision of beauty standing only ten feet away. Raven-black hair flowed around her slender shoulders, falling in feathered waves and creating a sharp contrast to her porcelain skin. She caught his gaze with startling sapphire blue eyes, and his mind went blank. ...

Title : The Hippity Dippity Witch Author : Lorraine O’Byrne Genre : Children’s Books Eight-year-old Jenny Connolly skips school to visit her friends in an enchanted wood. When she arrives, it’s a scene of total devastation. The creatures of the wood cower in terror. There is a cruel magic at hand here. She goes by the name of Marigold Dimple, a feisty, ten-year-old witch from Elderwood. Marigold is a witch with a vengeance, determined to have her own way and create havoc wherever she goes. When Jenny and Marigold’s paths collide, nothing will ever be the same again… Author Bio Lorraine O’Byrne was born in county Limerick, Ireland. Following two and a half years in Dublin on a City & Guilds course in photography, she went on to teach English in Colombia then spent a further six months in France as part of her European Studies degree. Lorraine loved writing at a very young age and felt that this was where her true passion lay. She underwent a...

Killer Run by Lynn Cahoon Killer Run (A Tourist Trap Mystery Book 5) Cozy Mystery Publisher: Lyrical Underground (August 18, 2015) ASIN: B00TNBLXX0 Jill Gardner—owner of Coffee, Books, and More—has somehow been talked into sponsoring a 5k race along the beautiful California coast. The race is a fundraiser for the local preservation society—but not everyone is feeling so charitable… The day of the race, everyone hits the ground running…until a local business owner stumbles over a very stationary body. The deceased is the vicious wife of the husband-and-wife team hired to promote the event—and the husband turns to Jill for help in clearing his name. But did he do it? Jill will have to be  very  careful, because this killer is ready to put her out of the running…forever! Purchase Links: Amazon   B&N I am a cozy addict. I especially enjoy those that take part in small towns or close knit communities where most people know...