Review: The Age of the Unthinkable by Joshua Cooper Ramo

 Today the very ideas that made America great imperil its future. Our plans go awry and policies fail. History's grandest war against terrorism creates more terrorists. Global capitalism, intended to improve lives, increases the gap between rich and poor. Decisions made to stem a financial crisis guarantee its worsening. Environmental strategies to protect species lead to their extinction.

The traditional physics of power has been replaced by something radically different. In The Age of the Unthinkable, Joshua Cooper Ramo puts forth a revelatory new model for understanding our dangerously unpredictable world. Drawing upon history, economics, complexity theory, psychology, immunology, and the science of networks, he describes a new landscape of inherent unpredictability--and remarkable, wonderful possibility.
description taken from here.






I was bored with Ramo's book.  He doesn't lecture, which is better than most.  However, he attemps to sway one's opinions to fall in his favor, yet doesn't draw clear conclusions.  That said, he does make you think, which is always positive.  The writing style itself was a bit complicated, but if The Age of the Unthinkable is your type of book, it is worth the complication.



**I did not get paid for this post.  All opinions are 100% mine unless otherwise stated.  I recieved a complentary book in order to write a real and honest review.**

Review: Oil, Money, Politics, and power in the 21st century by Tom Bower

 

Twenty years ago oil cost about $7 a barrel. In 2008 the price soared to $148 and then fell to below $40. In the midst of this extraordinary volatility, the major oil conglomerates still spent over a trillion dollars in an increasingly frantic search for more.


The story of oil is a story of high stakes and extreme risk. It is the story of the crushing rivalries between men and women exploring for oil five miles beneath the sea, battling for control of the world's biggest corporations, and gambling billions of dollars twenty-four hours every day on oil's prices. It is the story of corporate chieftains in Dallas and London, traders in New York, oil-oligarchs in Moscow, and globe-trotting politicians-all maneuvering for power.

With the world as his canvas, acclaimed investigative reporter Tom Bower gathers unprecedented firsthand information from hundreds of sources to give readers the definitive, untold modern history of oil . . . the ultimate story of arrogance, intrigue, and greed.
description taken from here.




Bower gets straight to the point with this book.  That said, about half of Oil is very interesting and the other half is just boring with how much elaboration is added.  However, that "boring" half is very informing!  Everyone uses oil and it really does effect all of our lives.  How does it effect us?  For starters, oil is used to make gasoiline, which I'm sure all of you know.  When the price of gas goes up, that effects us; how much we can buy, where we can go, maybe we can afford to go here or there, etc.  And, that is just one example, we use oil for a lot of things, and some people might not realize it.  This was very informative and (mostly) interesting.



**I did not get paid for this post.  All opinions are 100% mine unless otherwise stated.  I recieved a free copy of the book from Hachette in order to write a real and honets review.**

Review: April and Oliver by Tess Callahan

Best friends since childhood, the sexual tension between April and Oliver has always been palpable. Years after being completely inseparable, they become strangers, but the wildly different paths of their lives cross once again with the sudden death of April's brother. Oliver, the responsible, newly engaged law student finds himself drawn more than ever to the reckless, mystifying April - and cracks begin to appear in his carefully constructed life. Even as Oliver attempts to "save" his childhood friend from her grief, her menacing boyfriend and herself, it soon becomes apparent that Oliver has some secrets of his own--secrets he hasn't shared with anyone, even his fiancé. But April knows, and her reappearance in his life derails him. Is it really April's life that is unraveling, or is it his own? The answer awaits at the end of a downward spiral...towards salvation.

description taken from here.




This book grabbed me by its hooks and made me keep reading.  I was not a fan of the way / style  of Callahan's writing.  It felt odd and an impractical point of view for some reason unknown to me yet.  Still, I kept reading (skimming at some boring scenes) because I wanted to know what happened to the characters, which I liked very much.  The ending, although not happy, was satisfactory and had hope for the charaters that my mind flew at.  Overall, April and Oliver is something I will forget about as soon as I pick up a new book.  I wouldn't recommend it, as it wasn't overly good.



**I was not paid for this review.  All opinions are 100% my own unless otherwise otherwise stated.  I recieved a complentary book from Hachette in order to write a real and honest review.**

Review: i know i am, but what are you? by Samantha Bee

 Candid, outspoken, laugh-out-loud funny essays from the much-loved Samantha Bee, the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart .

Critics have called her “sweet, adorable, and vicious.” But there is so much more to be said about Samantha Bee. For one, she’s Canadian. Whatever that means. And now, she opens up for the very first time about her checkered Canadian past. With charming candor, she admits to her Lennie from Of Mice and Men–style love of baby animals, her teenage crime spree as one-half of a car-thieving couple (Bonnie and Clyde in Bermuda shorts and braces), and the fact that strangers seem compelled to show her their genitals. She also details her intriguing career history, which includes stints working in a frame store, at a penis clinic, and as a Japanese anime character in a touring children’s show.

Samantha delves into all these topics and many more in this thoroughly hilarious, unabashedly frank collection of personal essays. Whether detailing the creepiness that ensues when strangers assume that your mom is your lesbian lover, or recalling her girlhood crush on Jesus (who looked like Kris Kristofferson and sang like Kenny Loggins), Samantha turns the spotlight on her own imperfect yet highly entertaining life as relentlessly as she skewers hapless interview subjects on The Daily Show. She shares her unique point of view on a variety of subjects as wide ranging as her deep affinity for old people, to her hatred of hot ham. It’s all here, in irresistible prose that will leave you in stitches and eager for more.   description taken from here.

 

As soon as I saw the cover for this book, I just knew it would be hilarious!  And, it was!  i know i am, but what are you?  was an incredable laugh.  However, some of Bee's stories are so outragous, I don't know if they are real or made up for the comedy aspect of the book.  I mean, Bee is a comedian...  That said, whether or not the stories were truthful or not (this is supose to be an memoir) it was very funny and entertaining.  I enjoyed this book, though it isn't for everyone; there is crude humor.





**I did not get paid for this post.  All opinions are 100% mine unless othwise stated.  I recieved a free copy of the book thanks to Hachette in order to write a real and honest review.**

Review: And One Last Thing... by Molly Harper

 Lacey Terwilliger’s shock and humiliation over her husband’s philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike’s company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of "administrative support" his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass e-mail to Mike’s family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say "instant urban legend," Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike’s defamation lawsuit.

Her seemingly perfect life up in flames, Lacey retreats to her family’s lakeside cabin, only to encounter an aggravating neighbor named Monroe. A hunky crime novelist with a low tolerance for drama, Monroe is not thrilled about a newly divorced woman moving in next door. But with time, beer, and a screen door to the nose, a cautious friendship develops into something infinitely more satisfying.

Lacey has to make a decision about her long-term living arrangements, though. Should she take a job writing caustic divorce newsletters for paying clients, or move on with her own life, pursuing more literary aspirations? Can she find happiness with a man who tells her what he thinks and not what she wants to hear? And will she ever be able to resist saying one . . . last . . . thing?  description taken from here.


When I found out about Molly Harper's new book And One Last Thing... I was excited to be able to review it!  I thought it sounded very entertaining and full of drama, which always makes for a good read.  I was right!  I really enjoed reading this book.

It was fun and had it's own silly moments that make for funny scenes.  I am definitly passing this book on to my mom, she's going to love reading this one!




**I did not get paid for this post.  I recieved a complementary book in order to write a real and honest review.  All opinions are 100% my own unless otherwise stated.**

Review: Konad

This is the m75 plate:

Here are some pictures of nails I have created using the m75 plate:

 this is my sister's toe.  we used just any old red polish for a base, then the white special polish from Konad with the middle image which you can see above as well.

 And, there is another picture before we cleaned up the edges.  The base color in is China Glaze's For Audrey (in case anyone wanted to know!) with again Konad's special polish in white.   The image we used in this picture is the flowing leaf looking image at the 11 o'clock hand in the top picture.  We added a dark blue rhinestone as well as you can see : )

I love Konad products! They are so easy to use, and I think they are very fun to apply. You can purchase Konad products at http://www.wowsocool.com/.  They sent me the products very quickly and they were nicely wrapped in bubble wrap to insure they didn't get broken in the mail.  I will definitely be buying some Konad products through wowsocool.com!

**I did not get paid for this post.  I received the items mentioned in the video at no cost in order to procure a real and honest review.  All opinions are 100% my own unless otherwise stated.  In no way was my opinion swayed.**  

Reviews to come..

Hi everyone

I'm sure you have heard that I'm swamped, but I will get these reviews up ASAP.  The list is below, so if any of these books listed are something you are thinking about getting or want to get, the review should be posted soon. : )

INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH by Luis Alberto Urrea

APRIL AND OLIVER by Tess Callahan

OIL: MONEY, POLITICS, AND POWER IN THE 21ST CENTURY by Tom Bower

A MAZE OF GRACE by Trish Ryan

I KNOW I AM, BUT WHAT ARE YOU?  by Samantha Bee

AND ONE LAST THING...  by Molley Harper

THE AGE OF UNTHINKABLE  by Joshua Cooper Ramo

WRONG: WHY EXPERTS KEEP FAILING US AND HOW TO KNOW NOT TO TRUST THEM by David H. Freedman

THE BOURNE OBJECTIVE ~audio book~ by Robert Ludums


Quite a list, I know.  All will have reviews listed soon.  If you think I'm crazy, well.. I know I am. (lol)  Thanks for reading, thanks for following, and most of all, thanks for putting up with me. : )