Thursday, August 14, 2014

Quickies Book Reviews

The Rule of Three (Rule of Three #1)

"One shocking afternoon, computers around the globe shut down in a viral catastrophe. At sixteen-year-old Adam Daley’s high school, the problem first seems to be a typical electrical outage, until students discover that cell phones are down, municipal utilities are failing, and a few computer-free cars like Adam’s are the only vehicles that function. Driving home, Adam encounters a storm tide of anger and fear as the region becomes paralyzed. Soon—as resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends—he will see his suburban neighborhood band together for protection. And Adam will understand that having a police captain for a mother and a retired government spy living next door are not just the facts of his life but the keys to his survival, in The Rule of Three by Eric Walters"
Something you might not know about me is that I love disaster movies. I just find them so thrilling. But it's not very often that a read a disaster book. Usually it's dystopian, or some sort of paranormal, or set in an entirely different universe. 
The concept of The Rule of Three, computers stop working and suddenly out entire society collapses, is right up my alley. I loved it, I couldn't read it fast enough. And some how the whole thing felt real. I could believe that given the circumstances, all the things that went bad in the story, would really happen in real life. The only gripe I have is that  there were exclamation points throughout the narrative, and while others might not notice, I found it a tad distracting. 
Either way I'd give this 3/5 stars

"n the future, only one rule will matter:
Don’t. Ever. Peek.
Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.
Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war."
Gravity is another book with an interesting and different premise. Aliens saved our planet and our species after we destroyed it during WWIV, in exchange they were to co-inhabit the planet with us (their planet is running out of water). But first, they needed our antibodies, or they would dies on Earth. So every human is assigned an alien, or Ancient as they call them, when they turn 10, and every night at midnight the Ancient comes and does the Taking in order to receive the antibodies. Throw in some love, betrayal, destiny, and impending war of the worlds, and you have Gravity. 
It was a quick read, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. I give this 3/5 stars.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Capital Tea Limited Review

Today I am reviewing some teas from Capital Tea Limited! Capital Tea Limited is a Canadian based fine tea importer and tea shop. They've been in business since 1997, and you can learn a little bit more about them here.
One thing that really impressed me about Capital Tea Ltd. is there customer service. I talked to Joel, who picked out a variety of teas for me based off of my tastes, The teas matched me so well, including some new favorites I would have never thought to try!

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Tempest (Tempest #1) and Vortex (Tempest #2) by Julie Cross Quickies

I'm going to start a new feature called Quickies, where I'll do quick reviews of books that I've read. Today's Quickie will be on the first two books in the Tempest trilogy by Julie Cross.

Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross
Description from GoodReads:
"The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Kuma Green 1228™ Sencha Green Tea by Mellow Monk Review

I have another tea from Mellow Monk to review today:

Kuma Green 1228™ Sencha Green Tea:

"A tasty artisanal sencha from Kuma County, Kyushu
Artisan: Kazuo Watanabe, Sagara Village, Kuma County, Kumamoto
Tea aroma: Earthy and sweet
Tea flavor: Succulent, with light citrus notes and sweet apple and grape highlights
A brightly herbaceous guricha-style sencha, with a sweetness highlighted with fruity highlights — apples, melon, and white wine grapes — as well as citrus notes and a hint of jasmine. [Note that this isnotjasmine green tea; the hint of jasmine is naturally present in the tea.] Made from yabukita tea plants grown in the rolling hills of Kuma County, tended and crafted into tea by artisan Kazuo Watanabe."