Pandora's Lunchbox

            Have you ever wondered what is in  that fast food you consume? Or have you ever stopped to look at the ingredients of  the frozen food you buy at the market? Someone has.

            Melanie Warner has spent some time looking at the food industry and has written up  her findings in this delightful book.

            Food science. That is what the discipline is called that studies how to mix food so that it doesn’t spoiled at a normal rate. A good case in point is the daily Spam we have. It doesn’t age. It was first manufactured to be K rations for the troops in war time. I am sure if anyone has the first can of spam it is still eatable.

            Warner has a pantry where she puts food to test how what time does to it. Most of the items in the pantry fared well over time. Others decomposed.

            She tells about some chicken nuggets she bought that over time liquefied.

            The reason it is done is the price. You can buy more of the processed food at a lower price than the real thing.  You can buy a cheaper loaf of bread that has had air blown into it than the bread without preservatives. If you are trying to save money which one would you buy?

             She tells the story of how Kraft Cheese now is  made of a milk substitute because after research it was found it was cheaper to make it artificial. Add emulsifiers and preservative and. call it processed cheese.

            Allergies can come from eating processed foods. The ingredients are not natural. This is one effect processed food can bring about.

            Be aware of what you are eating. You need to read this book to be informed. And then you can make your decision to go processed or whole foods.

Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal

A Walk Through The Dark by Eva Piper

            I got this book to review thinking  I  may not like it since it seemed to be just another out of the body experience tales, or so I thought. I was pleased to discover that I liked it. It surpassed my expectations..

            It is more the story of growth through suffering as experienced by a caretaker. This caretaker is the wife of Don Piper, the man who actually died and was brought back to life after ninety minutes through prayer.

            Do I have your attention now?

            Up until that day when the 18 wheeler smashed into the car Don Piper was driving, the roles were pretty standard. But from that day on the roles were changed. Eva had to be the one who made the decisions and the plans for the family. Her world was turned around. If it wasn’t for the support she got from her church family she may not have made it.

            I found her section on how to relate and talk to a caretaker- ask how are you doing? How can I help you? What do you need done—very instructive. I enjoyed  her advice to people who come to cheer up the caretaker. The section alone is worth the time spent reading the book.

            I would recommend this book for everyone to read before they have a time of darkness.

            I received this book free from BookSneeze to be reviewed. I was not required to give a positive review. The opinions expressed are those of the reviewer and not those of the publisher.
        To get a copy of this book use this link:

A Walk Through the Dark: How My Husband's 90 Minutes in Heaven Deepened My Faith for a Lifetime

Runaway Emotions by Jeff Schreve

Recently our pastor has started a series of messages on toxic emotions. So it is good to receive a book to review on that subject.. Schreve calls them Runaway Emotions but it amounts to the same thing It is emotions that work themselves out in actions and these actions keep us less then God meant for us to be.

            The thesis is that negative thoughts and internal feelings act as alarms to alert us to a need we have to work on.

            Have you ever had times of frustration? When things just don’t seem to go right? Shreve offers you the truth that God knows and cares and has a reason for allowing you to be where you are.

            Schreve uses stories of people from the Bible to illustrate each emotion so we will understand what that emotion looks like. He also offers some advice to cope. These emotions are common to man. So there is no problem identifying. .

            This book will be useful for general reading and should be on the bookshelf of a person who needs reinforcement and encouragement.

            This doesn’t seem to be the book you can hand to a non-believer you are trying to witness to when he asks you how to handle emotions. This seems to be written for a person who believes there is a God and that He is involved in a persons life..

            I am a book review blogger for BookSneeze. They have sent me a copy of this book free to be reviewed on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review. All viewpoints are those of the book reviewer and not the publisher.   
   To buy a copy of the book use this link.
 Runaway Emotions: Why You Feel the Way You Do and What God Wants You to Do About It

Two Grammar Books You May Have Missed

Then other day I was just thinking about this blog, well ,all my blogs.. and about my writing style. That , of course, made me think about my two grammar books I use to refresh myself.
   I am not sure they are still in print or even being offered. If in print I will give links so that you, my reader, will be able to get a copy for yourself
 The first is a small one that has become a classic.
 It is the basic Stuck and White, Elements of Style

.

Well, what do you know. It is still there.


The other grammar book I use is Grammar for Smart People by Barry White.
... That one exists also.

So that means I am using  books that you can also. I highly recommend them to you. It is a painless way to recall what you thought you knew when you were being forced to memorize principles of grammar.

Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron

          What lessons can a Franciscan of long ago teach us today? I mean, if we really wanted to find principles for a better walk with God.

            As our story begins Pastor Charles Falcon has come to a crisis point. Does he still believe what he preaches? His elders force him to take time off as the pastor of the congregation he founded. He decides to spend time with his uncle who is a Franciscan priest learning about Francis Of Assisi. Searching  for grounding  Falson finds importance is not in being head of  a congregation but in service to others.

            The book is subtitled A Pilgrims Tale,  As Pastor Falcon explores layer by layer who Francis of Assisi really was, he comes to see the contributions made by this visionary.

            Is this a book that I would want others to read?

            It is a good easy to follow journey motif. It is a quest to find a meaning to life. Cron has a protagonist who is questioning what he believes and why.

           He sends the protagonist on a quest of sorts to rediscover the basis for leadership. He has lost his purpose for belief and has stopped struggling. Through his search under the guidance of his uncle who is the Franciscan priest Falson finds peace and regains his basis for belief.

            This is a book for general reading. There is no great doctrinal shift required. It is just a good read.

            I was given this book free to review  as part of the  Blogging For Books program. All opinions expressed are those of the reviewer and do not reflect the publishers’.

.        I was not required to give a positive review.

Threat Vector by Tom Clancy

            Clancy has done it again. He has written another book in the  series of thrillers centering on threats to the safety of civilization. 

            The usual cast is here. There is Jack Ryan, Mary Pat, Jack Jr, John Clark, Ding Chavez. Jack has been re-elected president so the ball is in his court..

            China has decided to declare war on America. This war is begun over cyberspace. A hacker has found a way into the computers of the government. No one is safe. Not even the secret organization  known as the Campus. The drones have been cyber attacked and are compromised.

            President Ryan has to hold things together. John Clark has retired because of his hand injury incurred earlier in the series. .Someone is killing other hackers. The Campus has an spy within it. Iran is once again involved.

         All the characters are here in this plot driven 823 page thriller. The battle between good and evil is on. The two super powers, China and the United States come face to face. Ryan wants to use the Campus but realizes it has been compromised. It has to remain a secret from the world or it is useless. The world must be kept from war.

        Clancy is still in control of the genre. Fans of  the Clancy novels will not be disappointed.

        For those who want to buy the book I will have a link to Amazon below. It will be both in print and in Kindle.

Threat Vector (Jack Ryan Novels) In Print
Threat Vector (Jack Ryan Novels) In Kindle

   I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did.

Francis, Man of Prayer by Mario Escobar

        

  He took over from Pope Benedict XVI when  Benedict stepped down. So we wonder. Just what type of person is he and is he going to make a good Pope? Just how is he going to be different?

            These questions remain to be answered. The man has only been in office a short while. He has not been there long enough to make a definite mark or change.

            Escobar presents us a public relations look at the man called Pope Francis, - Jorge Mario Bergoglio.. Someone had to write the introduction to the man.

            Pope Francis is facing an institution rifled with problems. Only time will tell if he is the right man for the solution needed.

            Escobar has sectioned his report in three parts. The first part covers the early upbringing of Bergoglio , a peaceful  family life, a good education, a call to the priesthood.

            The second part covers the order he joined and the journey taken to get to the conclave of 2013. It details the  interfacing with previous Popes that kept him in the loop. He never put himself forward but blended.

            Part three  presents five challenges he will be facing as Pope.

            This small book200 pages including the notes and bibliography  is a good introduction to this new Pope. It is recommended for the general public.

            I received this book  free through the book review blog program of  BookSneeze and was not obligated to give a positive review. Any viewpoint expressed is that of the book reviewer and not that of the publisher.