FINDING RUBY STARLING by Karen Rivers

Ruth Quayle is playing around with pictures of herself online when she finds pictures of her face - but she knows she is not the girl in the pictures. That girl is Ruby Starling, and she lives in England. But why does she look exactly like Ruth?

I really enjoyed this story told through emails between these two girls and their families and friends. Emotions are expressed honestly about a confusing situation, although maybe more poetically and maturely expressed than you might expect from such young characters. Themes include identity, family, and truth. There is also a Buddhist aspect to the story.

4.5 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at the time of this writing.

* I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

THE DANIEL PLAN by Rick Warren, et al

Pastor Rick Warren tells the story of his realization that his physical health and well-being as well as that of his congregation was a spiritual issue that the church had not been addressing adequately. The Daniel Plan describes the program that the church put into place that led to a lot of positive change for the people of Saddleback Church. There are five principles that anchor the Plan: faith, food, fitness, focus and friends. I think the two important pieces are the first and the last. The faith piece asserts that we would all be healthy if it was something we could do under our own power. But since so many of us struggle with weight and healthy eating and lifestyle, we need to rely more on help from God to make positive and healthy changes in our lives. The friends piece piggybacks onto that idea of needing God by also saying we need each other. A community (a group or even a partner) can help with accountability and encouragement on the journey.

There are a slew of resources to go along with the book, including a cookbook and a journal, pictured below. If you are looking for a resource to help you tackle some health issues or to rejuvenate your New Year's resolutions, check out The Daniel Plan.

4 out of 5 stars

    

NONFICTION for ADULTS: The 100 by Jorge Cruise

The basic premise of this book is that our over reliance on carbohydrates in our diets has caused the insulin system in our bodies to get out of whack. The theory is that excess sugars/carbohydrates have caused insulin resistance - and the body produces more insulin when we eat more carbs. Then, the insulin levels stay too high. And insulin enhances the storage of fats in fat cells (and in some research it looks like insulin feeds cancer cells - not good).

The book gives plenty of research and history for this view of healthy eating. I may not fully understand all the medical pieces of the research, but I still found it compelling enough to give it a try. 

If you are looking for some inspiration and suggestions for healthy living, check out this book. You can go to the author's website here for more information. I am especially interested in his upcoming book, Slim, Happy Belly which is going to talk about his system specifically for women over 40 addressing women's special hormonal needs in regard to diet. That will release in December 2013.

4 out of 5 stars

Only time will tell if this eating and nutrition plan will work - that will be the greatest recommendation a book like this could hope for.

THURSDAY: Eat This, Not That

This is the sort of book you will want to keep in your car for those trips to the grocery store or when you are waiting in the drive through line. The advice is very practical. It does not assume that you will only eat vegetables in your efforts to be healthy. It assumes that sometimes you will eat out and helps you pick the healthier choices at various restaurants. It assumes that your kids will snack on things other than fruit, so it helps you pick the healthier choices at the snack aisle. There is a lot of information in these books - things about the food pyramid, ways to cook the less-standard vegetables so your family will eat them, and information on fruits and vegetables in the colors of the rainbow. You will want to read it several times to absorb all of the advice so that you can make your own healthy choices in the future.