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Colorful illustrations (1 more)
Shows proper technique
Informative book on how to give a massage to others and to yourself
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Press Here! Massage for Beginners: A Simple Route to Relaxation and Releasing Tension by Rachel Beider is an informative book on how to give a massage to others and to yourself. It provides clear instructions on how to massage different parts of the body. It also includes sections for specific issues that may need special attention. Also shown are the proper techniques and strokes to use. It is full of colorful and detailed illustrations that show the basics of a massage.

I found the book informative and well written but two sections stand out to me. The first is on how to give yourself a massage. Beider shows how to use either your hand or a tennis ball to self massage. The other is a section on how to treat headaches and sinus congestion. As a sufferer of chronic sinus problems this was the most useful.

One thing I had never considered was you need to take care and look after your own body before you massage someone. Stretches are shown on how to prepare your hands so you do not damage them.

The book is easily labeled to find the exact section on which you want to focus.

Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/13/19.
  
99 Percent Mine
99 Percent Mine
Sally Thorne | 2019 | Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Different to The Hating Game but equally as good
99 PERCENT MINE grabbed me in with Darcy love from the off, she's an absolute feisty female with a weakness that makes her strong. I admired her attitude, her unfiltered mouth, her inner 'oh s$$t' and her outer 'don't mess with me'. That said, it really did take 20% in for me to really get fully enmeshed into the story. The 5 star rating comes from everything that overwhelmed me and took over my life from there.

Darcy Barratt is a twin, the weaker runt and her twin Jamie, well let me say, I hated that guy and his influence on the characters in this story (even though I suspect there's a story that could come from him). Darcy and Jamie had another half to them, Tom Valeska, unofficial adoptee into the Barratt clan. Darcy has loved him forever but their life has been missed opportunities and it has always been easier for her to up and leave.

<i>"I inhale his birthday-candle pheromones. I want to know what his goddamn bones smell like. Let me start down in his DNA structure and work my way back up." </i>

Tom Valeska (I can't help saying his names together, forgive me) is solid in the friendship stakes, a support, a protector, a wannabe saviour. He comes to renovate Darcy's grandmother's house and therein starts the literal magnetism between these two. Holy chemistry, I cannot explain the draw between them and I felt right in the middle of it, like iron filings. This was a burn of slow proportions but the absolute furnace it created, blew me away.

<i>"My body is taking over. Everything is boiling up out of me-years of stolen looks and tight T-shirts and that bone-deep certainty that the animal in him wants me too."</i>

I literally shelved my Saturday, locked in my fellow arc-buddy and we read together, across the ocean, exchanging highlights, swooning alongside one another, fearing together and having a mind-blown explosion over the chemistry and banter. I could not put this book down, nor would I want to. It is very unlike me to feel drawn back to a book immediately but I just know I will have to read again on release (when I have my pretty, yellow paperback in my hand) and immerse myself once again.

Sally Thorne has followed up The Hating Game with something totally different and entirely as good. No one writes dialogue like Ms Thorne and she has amply shown her diversity and also her consistency. Sorry for the glow-y-ness but I am still riding high on feelings here and I hope you will be too.

<i>"My stomach falls down an elevator shaft. Those words, spoken aloud in his voice, crackle through my synapses, and right now, I've never been more alive. I am heartbeat and full lungs."</i>

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
  
Origin (Scales &#039;n&#039; Spells #1)
Origin (Scales 'n' Spells #1)
Jocelynn Drake, AJ Sherwood | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Origin is the first book in the Scales 'N' Spells series and I LOVED IT. Cameron is backpacking his way around Europe and ends up in Germany where he attends a Dragon Festival. Whilst he is there he is hugged by Ravi and held onto until Alric arrives. Alric is the Fire Dragon King and it turns out that Cameron is a mage although he doesn't believe it yet.

Cameron is young but knows he likes older men and Alric certainly falls into that category. Alric feels the attraction to Cameron but wants to make sure his clan have a chance to find out if he is their mate first. Both of these characters are amazing for different reasons. Cameron is a level-headed man who doesn't hesitate to compliment people and means it, sincerely. I thought that was fantastic! Alric is noble as all get out which, although I loved, just made me want to slap him upside the head when he wouldn't make a move on Cameron!

Add to that a brilliant cast of supporting characters, most of whom I hope get their own stories, an overall story arc that kicks off with a bang and will only get better as the series progresses, and a simply stunning setting, and you are left with a book to sink your teeth into and enjoy. Alric and Cameron take their time getting to know each other and then the steam rises!

This book ticked all of my buttons and I really can't wait for the next. I want to see which Dragon is brave enough to take on Halmeoni! Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Stars Now Unclaimed (The Universe After #1)
The Stars Now Unclaimed (The Universe After #1)
Drew Williams | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has three things I adore:

Snarky characters
Space battles
A group who becomes a family despite the odds.

Needless to say I LOVED this book.

It starts out with a soldier looking for one of many children who can stop the evil hypocritical fascists called the Pax.

There was an incident called the pulse that knocked out most of this verse's technology.

There are some really cool characters and some things that surprised me, which I found delightful!

There are only two complaints about this book I have:

I felt there could have been more cool alien species

This book comes out in about a week, which means it will probably take a year for the next one to come out.

Bummer.

(A more in-depth review can be found at
on August 14th at 6am pst)
  
Ready or Not (2019)
Ready or Not (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Me and my husband originally wanted to see this in our cinema, but our local wasn't showing it. We finally got to rent it from amazon prime last night.
The movie is about a young bride who has to take part in a family tradition of game night. What that game is depends on the card which is drawn from a box, unbeknown to the bride one card is a deadly game of hide and seek. Which is the card she draws, meaning she has to hide and the rest of the family have to find her and kill her before sunrise, because they believe if she lives they all die. The movie was very good, not too much gore but enough for any horror fan to enjoy, with some humour thrown in for good measure. They do try a few jump scares but they didn't phase me at all (and I'm a very jumpy person), that aside I would highly recommend it.
  
Book Club (2018)
Book Club (2018)
2018 | Comedy
4 friends decide to start a book club after getting the idea from a magazine. 40 years later, despite going their separate ways they still get together for book club every month.
After months of boring books, one lady decides that they will now read 50 shades of grey. After disagreements they agree to take it on and an emergency book club meeting is called once its been read. This is where they agree to try and reignite their sex lives.
I thought the movie had a couple of funny moments and when the friends were together, it reminded me of sex and the city, but with older women. Sadly when the group were separate it failed to hold my attention for very long, which is a shame as it had a few familiar faces such as Jane fonda, who I loved In grace and frankie. I don't know if it would have worked better with younger people but it wasn't for me.