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Physical Fitness: XBX 12-Minute Plan for Women
Physical Fitness XBX 12-Minute Plan for Women is a short book that provides an exercise program for women who are over 20. Each age group has a suggested length they should spend on each workout. Useful information on reasons why someone should be fit, weight control, and how exercising can change how you feel physically are also provided. In addition to tips, there are also charts that provide which exercises a woman needs to complete and how many for how long. There is also a useful chart to fill out goals and progress.
This book was a quick and interesting read. One of my favorite parts of the book was that it gave pointers on how to exercise by not exerting oneself and taking it slowly. Another part I loved was that they cautioned people, who may not be able to exercise, to consult with their doctor. It is important to note this because not everyone is on the same health or abilities level. Exercise should not hurt, and people should stretch beforehand as well as take it slow. That is why the author suggests a certain amount of days on each workout as well as not trying to get all the exercises done in the amount of time if you struggle with it in the beginning. I think it is great to tell people to slowly build up their workout routine rather than trying to rush and possibly harm themselves. While it seems like there are a lot of exercises to do in a short amount of time, the book does state to do them at your own pace and continue to work toward the goal. Do not get overwhelmed or be intimidated. It is important to not hurt or strain yourself.
I also like that there are charts to show you what exercises to do, how long to do them, and how many to do. The chart was a little confusing at first but easily understood with the explanation. The pictures in the book are very useful. Not many people, myself included, would know what some of the exercises were. Additionally, with each increase in the charts, new steps are added to the exercises. The illustrations show exactly how the exercise should be completed and really help with any confusion. Finally, if you have a physical copy of the book, it gives you spaces to write goals and where you are. So if you have a specific goal to meet weight wise, you can write it in the book.
There were a couple of things I would have liked to see. For instance, the author mentions how research indicates certain aspects of health and exercise, but it would give it more credibility with references. The book mentioned healthy eating, as such, I think it would have been better to include more detail on this topic. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who would be interested in looking to help with their sedentary lifestyle.
Pages: 100 | ISBN: 1910843008
Room 11
Mari Reiza, author of Room 11, gives readers two women’s accounts of the same events via their own dreamlike states. A comatose woman and her doting husband are tended by a dedicated but overly-involved nurse. The nurse, focused heavily on the needs of the adoring husband, gives her account of the meticulous care he shows his bedridden wife underscored by her own daydreams which reveal an intense yearning to take his wife’s place. In alternating chapters, Reiza allows the reader to hear the wife’s dreams loud and clear via her own tangled memories. Hers are dreams peppered with fantasies based on the events taking place around her.
The style Mari Reiza has chosen to use in writing Room 11 offered me quite a different reading experience. I enjoyed the alternating chapters revealing the two different points of view of both the needy nurse and the comatose wife. About halfway through the book, it became more obvious that Reiza was revealing dreams from the wife that painted a picture of her immediate surroundings and her husband’s desperate efforts to rouse her.
I did find it much easier to follow the nurse’s daydreams than the wife’s fantastical retellings. At times, the wife’s chapters became very difficult to follow. There are many lines that are effectively repeated to make an impact on the reader. Reiza has succeeded in expressing the wife’s distress over her own inability to have children. However, much of the wife’s narrative becomes a series of rambling and repetitive lines.
The author paints a clear picture of the man in Room 11, as the nurse refers to him throughout the book. His love for his wife is heartrendingly obvious. His dedication to her care and, most of all, her dignity in her current condition is indeed enviable. Any person who has been the caretaker for a relative or patient will relate to the exhausting amount of effort the man in Room 11 bestows upon his ailing wife day in and day out.
Throughout the dreams and musings of both women, multiple settings are incorporated into the story. Among them are Ghana and Northern Spain. Though the reader slowly discerns the main setting is in the United Kingdom, both women’s tales reveal troubled pasts beyond its borders. The author has created a vision of a tormented life for both characters. Living in vastly different economic circumstances, the nurse and the wife both expose the anguish of devastating losses. The two women share a common bond they will likely never realize.
As I read, I was both fascinated by and disturbed by the nurse’s infatuation with the man in Room 11. Reiza has created a memorable character with the nurse as she divulges dark, almost sinister, feelings toward her helpless patient. Her increasingly stalker-like behaviors leave the reader both intrigued and uncomfortable. It is a given that the reader’s compassion should be directed to the wife in her unfortunate state, but the nurse is a character much more worthy of pity.
Though the language is beautiful and the story woven by the two women is fascinating, I found their dreams difficult to follow. I feel that too much repetition, especially in the wife’s dream sequences, took away from the book’s overall appeal.
Pages: 128 | ASIN: B06XJ3X7JZ
Barrow of the Damned
![Barrow of the Damned by [Drake, Jonathan J.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41kLwvRE1xL.jpg)
When live-action-role-playing adventure goes horribly wrong it’s up to our battered group to save the day! Dale, his girlfriend Jane, sister Katie and friend Gavin are off on a LARPing adventure. Dale isn’t used to this style of play and is finding himself wishing it was bit more interesting. One must be careful what they wish for in The Barrow of the Damned by Jonathan J. Drake. After a few days enacting their scenes the group is presented with a special module by Mr. Stephens, their coordinator. He leads them to a barrow where they will go to combat with other friends in an orcs-versus-adventurers play. They’ve even got a game master to keep them in line. All seems to be great, until the group steps foot in the creepy crypt for the first time. It’s dark, foreign and crawling with things that go bump in the night. Will they survive? Where are they, exactly? Finally, who is the one pulling the strings behind this adventure? Be careful what you wish for.
The story begins with a shock as a young man meets his end inside the barrow. This poor fellow will play an important role in the tale to come so it’s a good idea to remember him. The story isn’t too long with short chapters that serve to change up the perspective now and then. We get a good glimpse at what is going on from the viewpoints of all involved. There is a lot of blood and gore in this story, so if that’s not for you it would be wise to steer clear. Those who like a fantasy-adventure tale with a bit of horror will find this tale is right up their alley. The story appears to take place in the United Kingdom, although definitive places are never mentioned. Based on the terminology the characters use and the way they speak it is assumed that is where our tale unfolds.
While the story is relatively entertaining with shadows of J.R.R. Tolkien and some black humour dabbled about, the overall execution could use some polishing. There are grammatical errors and strange capitalization on words that pop up here and there which detract from the overall story. There are some key elements that aren’t explained very well that can leave readers with more questions than answers after completing the journey. Questions like, why are the Fates, who have origins in Greek mythology, in some barrow in what appears to be rural England? How did they get there? How long have they been there? From what we read, it seems like they have been there for a while, trying to steal something from a spirit who was created by the gods. With a name like O’Fleistus it’s assumed this spirit would be of English origins, but it’s not really explained. We get a bit of an explanation, but it could have been fleshed out much more instead of being revealed in fleeting conversation.
A little bit of blood and horror can dress up any LARPing event. What began as fun and games quickly turns into mayhem in The Barrow of the Damned by Jonathan J. Drake. This book has some very good potential if it had been fleshed out a bit more. There is opportunity to expand and explain more of the black-humoured story found on these pages. Aside from these minor drawbacks, it’s a fun and quick read. This tale is quite gruesome for the faint of heart. If that’s your cup of tea, you can’t go wrong venturing into this Barrow of the Damned.
Pages: 263 | ASIN: B00B79MVZA
LITERARY TITAN 