The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena

Book Description

“When Iris unexpectedly inherits her grandmother's house in the country, she also inherits the painful memories that live there. Iris gives herself a one-week stay at the old house, after which she'll make a decision: keep it or sell it. The choice is not so simple, though, for her grandmother's cottage is an enchanting place, where currant jam tastes of tears, sparks fly from fingertips, love's embrace makes apple trees blossom, and the darkest family secrets never stay buried.” – The Taste of Apple Seeds

My Thoughts

The Taste of Apple Seeds is a wonderfully descriptive book about family, secrets, love, and the spirit which binds it all together. The author is excellent at setting the stage and describing the scenes, but that is really the best part of it all, at least for me.

I was excited to read this book because it seemed like it would be such a good story. However, after about halfway through, I was still mildly bored with what was going on. Nothing that happened was really a shocker, and the main character, Iris was uninteresting. I couldn’t get involved in the book or cheer on the characters.

* Thank you to the publisher of The Taste of Apple Seeds, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Target - Big G New Cereal Flavors

Cereal is one of my family’s favorite things to eat for breakfast. It is tasty, and fast and easy to make before running out the door to work or school. We also like it as a snack, so getting a variety is essential so we don’t get sick of any certain flavor too quickly.

When I found out that General Mills was going out with new types of some of our favorites, I was really excited. I knew my family would appreciate some more variety into their breakfast routine, and if your family also enjoys their cereal, I’m quite sure that you’ll also enjoy the added variety these new types bring to your table.

We tried out these 3 new Big G cereals:

*  Multigrain Cheerios Dark Chocolate Crunch

*  Fiber One Protein

*  Chocolate Toast Crunch

As someone who used to seriously enjoy Cinnamon Toast Crunch when I could eat it (I can’t have wheat anymore), I was truly bummed I couldn’t try this one for myself. However, my family all agreed how delicious it was and probably enjoyed taunting me on this. They also found the Cheerios Dark Chocolate Crunch to be equally as delicious. However, they preferred to eat these cereals at night in place of a dessert. The Fiber One Protein cereal was their overall favorite and is now the number one go-to cereal for breakfasts in my house.

If you want to try some (or all) of these new cereals, I definitely recommend for you to do so. Go to http://www.cheerios.com/ and get a Cheerios coupon for buy one and get one free that you can get and use until February 15^th.

“Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op.”

Dark Chocolate Multigrain Cheerios

My family loves their Cheerios. They also love chocolate. When I got the chance to get them a box of the new Dark Chocolate Multigrain Cheerios, I was thrilled. This would be the best of both worlds for them, and something they could eat for breakfast that was almost like dessert.

Although I can’t eat it because it has wheat in it, my family really enjoyed this new cereal. They said that it is a perfect balance of multigrain and chocolate, but it needed a bit more of the “crunch” that was in it. Overall though, they really liked it and will definitely be buying it in the very near future for breakfast and late night snacks.

Try it for yourself. Go to http://www.cheerios.com/ and get a Cheerios coupon for buy one and get one free that you can get and use until February 15^th.

“Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op.”

A Million Steps by Kurt Koontz

A Million Steps by Kurt Koontz is an inspiring book about how going on a walk in a different country can change your life. Koontz walked 490 miles in Spain. He was so inspired by his travels that he wrote this book, which if you are unable to make this walk for yourself, is definitely the next best thing!

Book Description

“Kurt Koontz thought he was well prepared for his 490-mile walking trip on the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain. He was fit and strong. He had a good guidebook and all the right equipment. His pilgrim passport would grant him access to the shelter of hostels along the way. But all that, however helpful, did not begin to encompass the grandeur of his external or internal adventure. A Million Steps climbs over the high meadows of the Pyrenees, quests through the unceasing wind of the Meseta, and dances in the rains of Galicia. While following the yellow arrows that mark the route, Koontz also navigates through his personal history of addiction, recovery, and love. With outgoing humor and friendliness, he embraces the beauty of the countryside and joyful connections to other pilgrims from around the world. Part diary, part travelogue, A Million Steps is a journey within a journey all the way to the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela and beyond.” – A Million Steps

My Thoughts

A Million Steps is part travelogue and part journal. It features the author’s story of his journey, connections he made along the way, and photos that show you how cool his trip really was. The pictures sadly are not in color, but is still one of my favorite parts of the book.

This journey of the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain is spiritual, and quite physical. I wouldn’t suggest trying to just get up and do it. You’d need to prepare and definitely have the right equipment and be in physical shape to do so. If you do plan on going on this journey, this is definitely a book you want to read before you go. You’ll get tips, and be inspired even more to go on this spiritual path.

* Thank you to the publisher of A Million Steps, Publisher, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Let Your Body Speak by Ewald Kliegel

Let Your Body Speak by Ewald Kliegel is a spiritual way to heal your body. This book features color illustrations and meditations to guide your body to heal your ailments on a spiritual and physical level.

Book Description

“Featuring stunning colour illustrations of the energy of human organs and other body parts, this book is perfect for anyone interested in learning about the self-healing properties of the body and the psychic, emotional, and physical elements central to existence. The book provides a deeper understanding of the wider psychological function of each organ, including eyes, hands, hips, knees, shoulders, spine, and teeth, and explains how they act in concert within the body. The illustrations further enhance how to receive the message of each organ on an intuitive level, and a chart of healing crystals corresponding with each organ brings further information on how to interact with the organs energetically.” – Let Your Body Speak

My Thoughts

Let Your Body Speak is an intuitive book to use that can help some of your aches and pains you may be experiencing. Each major organ has a colorful illustration, meditation, and corresponding mineral or crystal that may be used to help your body speak to you. I like the integrative approach and found this book to be small, but pack a big punch.

As someone who is in the medical field, I cannot say that this book should only be used if something is feeling off about your body. I do however think that medical treatments and spiritual treatments or meditations can work very well together, and books such as this is an excellent way to try it for yourself. I definitely recommend it.

* Thank you to the publisher of Let Your Body Speak, Findhorn Press, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.