Book of Interest: Ballerina Body

I'm really interested in reading this but I have to be honest, I'm not a fan of the cover. A couple of months ago on Twitter, Misty Copeland asked fans to chose which cover they liked best (see choices below).

If I'm walking down the aisle of a bookstore, A is not the cover that would catch my eye. Although it's a more dramatic cover showing a powerful leap, there is too much open space making it easier to overlook. Which is why I like B because it definitely stands out with her presence front and center while also quietly showing her strength and grace. Obviously more fans were in favor of A since it's the one selected, perhaps the paperback edition will feature cover B.

(Image Credit: Twitter: @mistyonpointe)

Book: Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Lighter, Stronger and More Graceful You by Misty Copeland

Publication: March 21, 2017

Description:

The celebrated ballerina and role model, Misty Copeland, shares the secrets of how to reshape your body and achieve a lean, strong physique and glowing health.

Misty Copeland believes "There has been a shift in recent years in which women no longer desire the bare bones of a runway model. Standards have changed: what women do want is a long, toned, powerful body with excellent posture." In other words, the body of a ballerina. In her first health and fitness book, Misty will show women how to find the motivation to get healthier and stronger, and how to reshape their bodies to be lean and flexible, with step-by-step advice, meal plans, workout routines, and words of inspiration.

Celebrating the importance of healthy fats and a fitness regimen based on ballet exercises, Misty shares her own time-tested exercises and an eating plan focusing on healthy fats, both of which keep her in top shape. Tips for motivation and words of encouragement as well as tips on how to keep going even when you may want to give up. An inspiring section on the importance of finding mentors, and eventually being one, plus excerpts from Misty's personal journal, round out this important book on grace and strength.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #273 (for Saturday): Evie Brooks in Central Park Showdown

I've gotten a little behind on this Books of Interest challenge and I'm trying to catch up. I loved reading the first book Evie Brooks is Marooned in Manhattan and would like to read this next book in the series. Especially since there was an interesting cliffhanger at the end and I want to know what's next for Evie which is what this book appears to focus on.

Book: Evie Brooks in Central Park Showdown (Evie Brooks book #2) by Sheila Agnew

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Evie Brooks is having the time of her life in New York, despite having to start her first day of school with a stye on her eye and a skirt so short it shows off her baby giraffe legs. Nevertheless, Evie makes new friends - maybe even a boyfriend, although how can you tell whether he's a boyfriend or just a boy who happens to be a friend? And life with her Uncle Scott continues to be a whirlwind as he adds the Central Park Zoo to his list of vet clients.

Once again the practice is inundated with the city's strangest pets and inmates, including an alpaca named Milly, Eddie the Westipoo, Jax the snail, and a rabbit named Dr. Pepper that goes walkabout in Central Park. Evie is almost too busy to notice that the father she's never met has darkened her door and is anxious to make amends and seek custody of Evie. Well, Evie won't have any part of that. Nobody is going to separate her from Uncle Scott, not even the courts and a lawyer named Marcy, who claims to be representing her interests but won't let her speak. That is not Evie's style, however, and she is determined to find a way to stay with her uncle, with a little help from her friends.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #272 (for Friday): A Geek Girl's Guide To Murder

I've been trying to find some new mysteries to read and I stumbled upon this. Although, the premise for A Geek Girl's Guide To Murder reads like any other cozy mystery it still seems interesting.

Book: A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder (Geek Girl Mystery book #1) by Julie Anne Lindsey

Description:

Geek girl Mia Connors has to find her missing friend, solve a murder and clear her name. Read the first book in Julie Anne Lindsey’s addictive new mystery series!

IT manager Mia Connors is up to her tortoiseshell glasses in technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls email system disrupts security and sends errant messages to residents of the gated community. The snafu’s timing couldn’t be worse — Renaissance Faire season is in full swing and Mia’s family’s business relies on her presence.

Mia doesn’t have time to hunt down a computer hacker. Her best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her friends murdered — in her office. When the hunky new head of Horseshoe Falls security identifies Mia as the prime suspect, her anxiety level registers on the Richter scale.

Eager to clear her name, Mia moves into action to locate her missing buddy and find out who killed their friend. But her quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new head of security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the killer makes it clear that he's closer than she’d ever imagined.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #271 (for Thursday): Jane Austen: The Complete Works

I absolutely love reading Jane Austen's novels, the stories are so wonderful. Austen had a way with words she had this way with writing that can make you feel so much. There are times in her stories where you are laughing at some of the ridiculous things the characters are doing to feeling all of their anguish.

Although, I have various paperback editions sitting on my bookcase I've always wanted a hardcover set. I would love to buy this but at the moment it's a little pricey for me, it's nearly $100 (and that's not including tax). So for now, I will add it to my wishlist with hopes of buying it later.

Book: Jane Austen: The Complete Works: Classics Hardcover Boxed Set (A Penguin Classics Hardcover) by Jane Austen

Description:

Few novelists have conveyed the subtleties and nuances of their own social milieu with the wit and insight of Jane Austen. Through her vivacious and spirited heroines and their circle, she painted vivid portraits of English middle-class life as the eighteenth century came to a close. Each of these novels is a love story and a story about marriage — marriage for love, for financial security, for social status. But they are not mere romances. Ironic, comic, and wise, they are masterly studies of the society Austen observed.

The seven books in this box set — Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Love and Freindship (early writings and juvenilia) — contain some of the most brilliant, dazzling prose in the English language. Part of Penguin’s beautiful Hardcover Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #270 (for Wednesday): Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection vol #1

I love that older comics are being republished, it gives me a chance to find new stories I haven't read such as this first volume of Black Panther Collection by Christopher Priest. I have read various Black Panther comics but I've never read Priest's run which I heard was very good.

Book: Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection volume #1 (issues #1-17) with illustrations by various artists

Description:

Black Panther reinvented as a sharp and witty political satire? Believe it! T'Challa is the man with the plan, as Christopher Priest puts the emphasis on the Wakandan king's reputation as the ultimate statesman, as seen through the eyes of the U.S. government's Everett K. Ross. As the Panther investigates a murder in New York, Ross plays Devil's Advocate in an encounter with Mephisto, and a new regime seizes control in Wakanda.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #269 (for Tuesday): Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy

I like Poison Ivy, I don't how I always wind up being a fan of underutilized characters and she is definitely one of them. I can't believe I have not bought this yet, Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy is a collection of various stories featuring Ivy.

This book is to celebrate Poison Ivy's 50th anniversary and like Lady Sif, she is yet another character who has not had their own ongoing series.

Book: Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy by various writers and artists

Description:

GOTHAM’S DEADLIEST BEAUTY

Poison Ivy was once Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, a young woman with a unique fascination with botany and toxicology. But then she was seduced and later experimented on by her mentor, Professor Jason Woodrue, also known as the super-villain Floronic Man.

Now a constant thorn in Batman’s side, Poison Ivy uses the toxins in her bloodstream to make her touch fatal to whomever she chooses, giving her the ability to create pheromones that make men her slaves while she stops at nothing to ensure plant life will retake Earth.

BATMAN ARKHAM: POISON IVY collects some of the villain's greatest stories by some of the industry's greatest creators, including Robert Kanigher, Gerry Conway, Neil Gaiman, Guillem March, P. Craig Russell, Mark Buckingham and many more!

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #267 (for Sunday): Labyrinth

I remember watching the Labyrinth two part miniseries when it aired on The CW network a few years ago. To be honest, I was actually surprised that something like this even aired on there, it doesn't quite fit in with the network's normal programing.

At the time when I first watched the miniseries, I didn't know it was based on a book. I really like the miniseries, it's very intriguing. I can best describe it as being historical fiction meets thriller with the story taking place in two different eras. It also felt as if there was a supernatural element to the story.

With that said I would love to read the book, hopefully it's as exciting (if not more so) than the miniseries.

Book: Labyrinth (Languedoc book #1) by Kate Mosse

Description:

July 2005. In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig, stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery-two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth.

Eight hundred years earlier, on the eve of a brutal crusade that will rip apart southern France, a young woman named Alais is given a ring and a mysterious book for safekeeping by her father. The book, he says, contains the secret of the true Grail, and the ring, inscribed with a labyrinth, will identify a guardian of the Grail. Now, as crusading armies gather outside the city walls of Carcassonne, it will take a tremendous sacrifice to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #266 (for Saturday): Love and a Latte

I know Romance novels can be a little cookie cutter but I still enjoy reading them. I generally prefer if the story has something extra to focus on instead of just love and romance. This seems cute and interesting with an accountant and jewelry maker possibly finding love.

Book: Love and a Latte (The Draysons: Sprinkled with Love series) by Jamie Pope

Description:

Can true love really be this sweet? 

Getting the West Coast location of his family's celebrated patisserie off the ground is a full-time job for Chase Drayson. The driven corporate accountant doesn't have time for pleasure. Until the bakery's beautiful barista places a steaming latte in front of him. Avant-garde jewelry maker Amber Bernard is the wrong choice for anything long-term. So why is Chase fantasizing about forever with his eclectic employee?

There's more to life than the bottom line. But the seriously sexy number cruncher is her boss, and Amber isn't ready to risk her professional future. Or be tied down. She's committed to her art, not romantic dreams…even if the passion sizzling between them makes her believe they're not as different as they think. Could an incredible leap of faith lead to a lifelong love?

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #265 (for Friday): Stalking Jack the Ripper

I really like the description for this book, why can't a teenage society girl look into the Jack the Ripper murders. Since the murders were unsolved, the killer will always be a mystery. What I find interesting is that modern day experts continue to look at the clues to see if they can determine who the murderer was.

I am very interested in reading Stalking Jack the Ripper and also congratulations to the author since this is her debut novel. That's pretty cool.

Book: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco and presented by James Patterson

Description:

Presented by James Patterson's new children's imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion...

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #264 (for Thursday): Every Dead Thing

Even though I'm more of a mystery fan I do like to read a thriller every now and then. The description for this does seem interesting with trying to stop a serial killer. I wonder if this book is as good as the description makes it out to because I would like to read it.

Book: Every Dead Thing (Charlie Parker book #1) by John Connolly

Description:

Tortured and brilliant private detective Charlie Parker stars in this thriller by New York Times bestselling author John Connolly.

Former NYPD detective Charlie "Bird" Parker is on the verge of madness. Tortured by the unsolved slayings of his wife and young daughter, he is a man consumed by guilt, regret, and the desire for revenge. When his former partner asks him to track down a missing girl, Parker finds himself drawn into a world beyond his imagining: a world where thirty-year-old killings remain shrouded in fear and lies, a world where the ghosts of the dead torment the living, a world haunted by the murderer responsible for the deaths in his family—a serial killer who uses the human body to create works of art and takes faces as his prize. But the search awakens buried instincts in Parker: instincts for survival, for compassion, for love, and, ultimately, for killing.

Aided by a beautiful young psychologist and a pair of bickering career criminals, Parker becomes the bait in a trap set in the humid bayous of Louisiana, a trap that threatens the lives of everyone in its reach. Driven by visions of the dead and the voice of an old black psychic who met a terrible end, Parker must seek a final, brutal confrontation with a murderer who has moved beyond all notions of humanity, who has set out to create a hell on earth: the serial killer known only as the Traveling Man.

In the tradition of classic American detective fiction, Every Dead Thing is a tense, richly plotted thriller, filled with memorable characters and gripping action. It is also a profoundly moving novel, concerned with the nature of loyalty, love, and forgiveness. Lyrical and terrifying, it is an ambitious debut, triumphantly realized.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #263 (for Wednesday): Thunderbolts vol #1

My interest was piqued when I heard there is some big twist in this Thunderbolts series. And in comic books that could mean just about anything from killing off a character to bait and switch. I guess I will have to wait and see when I get a chance to read this.

Book: Thunderbolts volume #1: There is No High Road (issues #1-5) by Jim Zub with illustrations by Jon Malin

Publication: January 10, 2017

Description:

FROM THE PAGES OF STANDOFF!

They're a renegade team rampaging across the Marvel Universe under the direction of the Winter Soldier! But are the Thunderbolts heroes or villains-and do even they know for sure?

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #262 (for Tuesday): Fahrenheit 451

Yeah, I can't believe I have not read Fahrenheit 451. I do remember being in English class possibly 9th grade and being given a list of books to chose from to read. Although, I passed on this book at the time, I would like to eventually get around to reading it. The description does seem rather interesting.

Book: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Description:

Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future.

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.

When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #261 (for Monday): The Pride issue #1

I found this book when I was searching for something else. The cover immediately caught my eye, I wanted to know more about these superheroes. Despite all the progress in adding more diversity and inclusion in comics there still are very few LGBTQ characters.

The first issue does seem interesting and I wouldn't mind giving it a read. As far as I can tell, it's only available in digital.

Book: The Pride issue #1 (of 6) by Joe Glass with illustrations by Gavin Mitchell

Description:

FabMan, sick of being treated as a joke and seeing no representation for the LGBTQ in a world full of heroes, assembles the greatest super powered LGBTQ heroes from around the world to form The Pride!

Who joins? And what nefarious shadow is building just out of sight? Will The Pride be up for the task?

Get in on the ground floor today!

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #259: The Cabin in the Woods Novelization

Happy Batman Day!

Well for us Batman fans everyday is Batman day which is why I didn't do anything special for it. Anyway, for today's Book of Interest I found the novelization for The Cabin in the Woods. I've seen this movie so many times, it's a horror movie with a dash of humor. There is also a slight campiness to it but it's the twists to this story that makes it so interesting to watch.

I would like to read this novelization because I love watching the movie and to see if there are any additional or extended scenes.
  

Book: The Cabin in the Woods Novelization adapted by Tim Lebbon

Description:

Read the official novelization to get the full story of this terrifying movie!

From Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Drew Goddard, writer of the monster movie phenomenon Cloverfield, comes the horror film to end all horror films!

The details of the plot are a closely guarded secret, though Joss himself has described it as “a straight-up, balls-out, really terrifying horror movie,” adding,"it is not just a slasher in the woods. It's a little more complicated than that..."

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #258: Suicide Squad: Behind the Scenes with the Worst Heroes Ever

I have bought several Art Of and Art & Photography books for movies and TV shows such as The Legend of Korra, Agent Carter, Batman v Superman, Captain America: Civil War, Thor, etc.

There are still a few more I would like to get including this one. I may not have seen the Suicide Squad movie (although I do plan on buying it on DVD/Blu-ray when it's available) but that doesn't stop me from wanting to reading about the making of the movie. I wouldn't mind adding to my collection.

Book: Suicide Squad: Behind the Scenes with the Worst Heroes Ever by Signe Bergstrom

Description:

The officially authorized companion to Suicide Squad, the eagerly anticipated film from Warner Bros. Pictures based on the DC Comics antihero team. Along with photos of the cast and crew, this lavish full-color official tie-in book will contain behind-the-scenes stories and images, removable items, and more, making it a must have keepsake for every fan!

They are the worst of the worst, a task force of the most dangerous people on the planet — incarcerated Super Villains unleashed to do some good. Assembled by U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller and armed with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, the Squad is sent on a seemingly impossible top-secret mission: eradicate a powerful, enigmatic threat.
But once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability, will the members of the Suicide Squad choose to die trying — or decide it’s every man for himself?

The blockbuster movie has a star-studded cast that includes Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot, Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Viola Davis as Amanda Walker and many more.

Special interactive and removable items in the book include a blueprint of Belle Reve prison, replicas of letters from Deadshot’s daughter to her father, a Joker playing card and Joker temporary tattoos, a poster of the Suicide Squad, 6 postcards, a 16-page dossier and much more.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #257: Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook

I love to cook, from trying new and different recipes to sticking with tried and true ones. For me, cooking is an easy way to relax and you get to eat hopefully some really good food. I've watched both of Rachel Khoo's cooking shows and tried a few of her recipes such as the Croque Madame Muffins. That recipe is so easy and the food is turned out to be very delicious.

Below is the cookbook for her show Rachel Khoo's Kitchen. There were quite a few of the recipes I saw on the show that I would like to try which I believe are in this book. So, I will add this to my ever growing wishlist.

Book: Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook: Over 100 Delicious Recipes from My Personal Cookbook by Rachel Khoo

Description:

Living a life as colorful and creative as Rachel Khoo—star of three BBC television series, author of bestselling cookbooks, illustrator, and international tastemaker—creates a constellation of ideas and inspiration. All of her gifts pack this exuberant more-than-a-cookbook, with its rounded corners and hefty notebook feel. Each turn of the page offers doable and delicious recipes, style-setting ideas from around the globe, 250 photographs, and Rachel's charming illustrations and engaging notes. Here's a cookbook unlike any other—one that brings a smile of surprise and delight every time it's opened.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #254 (for Monday): Ghostbusters vol #1

I've been a Ghostbusters fan every since I was a little kid from watching the movies to watching The Real Ghostbusters cartoon series. And I love the Ghostbusters reboot movie that was fun, I really wish more people had seen it.

Anyway, I've only read a few Ghostbusters comic books which is why I want to start reading this series from the beginning. I love the cover of this book, isn't it amazing.

Book: Ghostbusters volume #1 by Eric Burnham with illustrations by Tristan Jones and Dan Schoening

Description:

Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or any of your family ever seen a spook, specter, or ghost? If the answer is yes, call the professionals! Psychokinetic energy is on the rise again, business is booming for the boys, and Ray is troubled by what could be a prophetic dream. Is this an ill omen of an upcoming apocalypse, or just a little indigestion?

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #253 (for Sunday): The Story of Martha

I can't believe I have not read this book. I always wondered what stories Martha told of the Doctor for people around the world to believe in and be inspired by him. Martha's skills as a story teller must be very good because if there had been any doubt about her stories the Doctor would have never been restored to take on the Master.

Book: The Story of Martha (Doctor Who book #28) by Dan Abnett

Description:

For a year, while the Master ruled over Earth, Martha Jones travelled the world telling people stories about the Doctor - how he has saved them before, and how he will save them again. This is that story. It tells of Martha's travels - from her arrival on Earth as the Toclafane attacked and decimated the population through to her return to Britain to face the Master. But it's more than that. This is also a collection of the stories she tells - the stories of adventures she had with the Doctor that we haven't heard about before. The stories that inspired and saved the world!

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #252 (for Saturday): The Flash by Mark Waid: Book One

Wally West is one of my favorite characters whether he's Kid Flash or when he finally takes over as the Flash. He's one of the few characters that actually seem to have a fun sense of humor.

I have not read every issue featuring Wally as the Flash but thanks to many of the old issues being republished in the trade edition, I now can. I will be adding to my wishlist very soon.

Book:The Flash by Mark Waid: Book One: Born to Run

Publication: December 6, 2016

Description:

Superstar writer Mark Waid's run on The Flash is now re-collected in a new series of graphic novels, beginning with The Flash by Mark Waid: Book One!

When Wally West, the adolescent nephew of the Flash's fiancée, accidentally gained powers of super speed, he became the Scarlet Speedster's sidekick. Growing up as his hero's protégé, Kid Flash had a childhood of amazing action and adventure. But on the day that The Flash died, Wally's carefree adolescence abruptly ended and his life as an adult began.

The Flash by Mark Waid: Book One looks back at Wally's earliest days as the Kid Flash and explores the gamut of his emotions and experiences from his first day as a child hero to his succession of Barry Allen as the new Flash. A journey full of humor and drama, this story shows just how much Wally West loves being the fastest man alive.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #250 (for Thursday): George

I have seen where some have said introducing the topic of transgender to young readers is wrong. I don't understand why because many transgender children who have been interviewed said they knew early on that who they were on the outside didn't match up with who they were on the inside.

I can see from the description that this book seems to focus on just that, with a boy who knows that she's a girl and wants to try out for the class play. I would really like to give this a read because I want to see how everything turns out.

Book: George by Alex Gino

Description:

BE WHO YOU ARE.

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.