The 30-Minute Ayurvedic Cookbook, Healing Recipes for Total Wellness by Danielle Martin, Rockridge Press, Callisto Publishers, 211 pages

“What is healing for one, is not healing for all.
This resonated with me on a deep level,
because I saw that determining what one needs
really comes down to listening to your body.”

Danielle Martin, Introduction, page ix

Ayurvedic is a medical, philosophical, and spiritual science that originated in India approximately 5, 000 years ago. This cookbook has recipes that adhere to the Ayurvedic diet according to your body type according to your dosha (a force that governs your actions, physical characteristics, personality, emotions, and mental functioning). There is a questionnaire to distinguish which dosha is in alignment with you mentally and physically.

There are explanations in depth about the Ayurvedic way of eating for health and well. Each dosha is explained in detail, when and what to eat, the six tastes with its energy level and health properties. The cookbook also lists foods to avoid, your Ayurvedic Kitchen essentials and a seasonal chart for eating.

The recipes are easy and simple to prepare but some of the ingredients will be a little hard to find unless you shop in an Indian food store, herbal or organic health establishment. There are plenty of wellness recipes for just about every ailment you can think of that is very useful. “Good For” under each recipe lists different healthful suggestions for use. There are several recipes I intend to prepare and try for energy, hydration, and inflammation and I suggest you try them at least once.

I highly recommend this cookbook to EVERYONE to use one or more of these recipes.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

The Friar's Lantern by Greg Hickey, ARC Edition

The Friar’s Lantern is written in an interactive format where the reader is able to choose the next step in which the book will advance. The genre is intertwined with a behavioral science participant who is a juror in a crime drama trial.

There is a question I would like to put in the forefront. Why is there an option if, in some instances, the conclusion is the same? The narration and descriptions are heavy and at times a little excessive but definitely gives influential visual and clear pictures of your surroundings.

Reading through this story was a little difficult for me because there were quite a few ambiguous words that I did not understand. Therefore, I was constantly looking up definitions, which put a damper in the beginning two chapters. For example, I looked up ‘extrapolation’ and it is not a word.

The book did however achieve its goal, but could place interactive options in a few better places. The content is interesting along with its concluding chapter that is convincing.

Overall, this is a good story with a nice approach to the intermingling of the court trial and I do recommend you take the time to read it. Those interested in crime dramas and behavioral science drama would love this story.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.