Xepherus Reads

Hello, Fellow Book Worms !   Welcome to a new segme nt on Xepherus Reads. Here I will share some food ideas that will fit in great with your book snacking. This time I will be reviewing the Foodstirs Heart Cookie Starter Kit. This fun and easy kit will make some awesome cookies to go with your latest read!      I love to cook and bake. However my efforts do not always have the best outco me. Part of my issue is failure to follo w a recipe. When I saw actress Sarah Michelle Gellar on television promoting her business venture with her two best friends, Galit Laibow and Gia Russo , I was very interested. Called Foodstirs, t heir concept involved using all-natural ingredients in their subscription boxes , eliminating the harsh ingredients we find in common boxed mixes. They spoke of sharing the experience of baking with family and friends, and how they wished for their customers to experience that, as well .    I went to Foodstirs website and ordered their starter kit. It wa

Hello, Fellow Book Worms,   Welcome back to another Tuesday Talks question!   Tuesday Talks is an awesome group over at Goodreads that welcomes the book community to engage in discussions that are designed to get the community together for talks and recommendations. The group is moderated by Janie Johnson and her book pal, Janelle. Every Tuesday we have a topic that is presented to us. We are asked to participate in the discussion and share our opinions.    This week's question is: What New Plot Lines Would You Like to See in Your Genre of Choice?   My favorite genre is science fiction. I have loved Star Wars since I was a kid, And the latest stories have been making me want more. Disney-Lucasfilm has been hiring exemplary writers to further the saga and patch in details between the film episodes. Last year we were treated to several novels that took place at various points in the Star Wars saga.   I am looking forward to a few things in this sci-fi universe:   A

Hello, Fellow Book Worms! It's that time again, another book review! But this time you may see something familiar about this review: the first word of the book, Wicked. After reading Wicked Appetite, I was filled with the overwhelming urge to continue the search for the Salgia Stones with Lizzy and Diesel.   Written by Janet Evanovich and published by Bantam Publishing, Wicked Business picks up directly after the first novel. With the Gluttony Stone safely tucked away at the Bureau of Unmentionable Marshalls, the next stone to be found is the Luxuria Stone, the stone of Lust. With an already heated attraction between her and and her often arrogant partner, Diesel, Lizzy Tucker is not sure she want s to find the stone. Lizzy has the ability to find magical objects , while Diesel has a long list of magical abilities. They are known as Unmentionables, and they are what stands between the world and disaster. If any of the Salgia Stones should fall into evil hands, it cou

Hello, Fellow Book Worms! I have a lot of fun answering questions from the Goodreads group Top 5 Wednesday. It is a group created by Lainey from You Tube's GingerReadsLainey . Every Wednesday we answer a question and share our answers to the book community. You should check it out if you have not already. I was suggested many books in my life, and I have had a pretty good success rate in loving them. Here are 5 books or book series that I have loved. Best Suggested Books You Loved  1. Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian- My local book store, Hickory Stick Books, had this on display as a recommended book earlier last year. I made note of the book and later in the year I purchased it. It tells the heartbreaking story of one family's survival during the Armenian Genocide of the early Twentieth Century. Spanning decades across the globe, this is an epic story of a person's will to live, and the importance of family. I cannot recommend this enough

Hello, Fellow Book Worms!   Tuesday Talks is a Goodreads Group serving the book community that is moderated by YouTubers, Janie Johnson and her book pal, Janelle. Check it out!    This week's Tuesday Talks question is: What Do You Think of Comparative Blurbs on Book Covers?   I have no issue with blurbs being on book covers. Some of the time the writing will tell if the book was a New York Times bestseller, or if the book is well-received. I have purchased books such as Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind, because a famous author has said it is a great book. In the case of Zafon, it was Stephen King that said he enjoyed the book. That sealed the deal for me.    I always get excited when a book is cited for being a stand-out. Sometimes I disagree, but ultimately it's the build up of excitement that gets me ready for a book. In the case of books that I find at thrift stores, I sometimes use the blurbs to assess audience reaction to the book. To me, it is like

Hello, Fellow Book Worms,   Janet Evanovich has always been able to entertain me with her Stephanie Plum stories. But little did I know that she also has a new series based in Salem, Massachusetts featuring magical characters. Enter the Wicked Series. I was on the hunt at a local book fair last Fall, and I stumbled upon (literally, there was a book on the floor) a table of mystery books. There, among the hundreds of volumes, sat Wicked Appetite, Wicked Business, and Wicked Charms. Charms I had saw at the book store on their New Releases shelf, making this a huge score for only one dollar each. The series sat on my shelf for four months until last week when I was choosing my February TBR (to be read) picks. I started with the first book in the series, Wicked Appetite.   Wicked Appetite is published by St. Martin's Press, and is a departure from Evanovich's usual mystery or romance fair. While using those elements to fuel the base of this story, the spotlight is on mag

Hello, Fellow Book Worms,   In 2015 St. Martins Press sent me an advanced reader copy of Kerry Wilkinson's latest novel, Renegade, for review. It was the second book in the Silver Blackthorn Trilogy, a dystopia-futuristic, young adult series set in England. Even though I did not read the first book, Wilkinson's writing was excellent enough to catch me up on the story thus far. After reading Renegade (my review can be found in my blog archives) I was left wanting more. I decided to track down the first book, and found it on Book Outlet at a very reasonable price.     Reckoning begins an exciting and often heartbreaking coming of age story of Silver Blackthorn. She is an ordinary (to herself at least) girl living a quiet life in the post-war English village of Martindale. The world has drastically changed since her parents were children. Many wars have ravaged the world, and countries have fought against one another for years. King Victor has risen, almost god-like,