THE MUSASHI FLEX by Steve Perry

Interesting book. Not something I normally go for, but easy to read and action packed. Set in the future a la BLADE RUNNER, Mourn is a 45 year old man who has been playing an underground fight game called The Musashi Flex. Basically mixed-martial arts, sometimes with hand weapons, like glades or bars, etc. Sola is a young woman trying to find her way in the world and her mark to make as much money to prove that her family was wrong about her going against the family traditional business when she meets Mourn, who saves her from an attack. Shaw is a billionaire who runs a highly profitable pharmaceutical company. He has everything anyone could ever want except he knows he's not good enough to ever get into the top ten of the Musashi Flex. So he develops a drug to give him speed and and edge over the competition.

As Mourn and Shaw go on their path to become Primero, number one, they both find out a lot about themselves and what they really want out of life as well as the women they weren't looking for in their lives to help them achieve the goals they didn't even know they had.

Think BLADE RUNNER meets FIGHT CLUB. Interesting idea if I ever want to make a fight movie. All the worlds are a little unnecessary, but could be interesting to watch if doing something like that eventually cost less.

'Resident Evil' duo picks up 'Warded'

'Resident Evil' duo picks up 'Warded'

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So exciting to have this finally announced and to feel like what I've been doing for a long time is acknowledged. Hopefully this is the start of something very exciting in my life.

Day 10 - Exercise

4.19 miles
8525 steps
7775 moderate steps 56 minutes
385 calories

It felt good to work out after a week or longer of not working out. I needed to do this. My food intake is finally better, so it felt good to do the workout that was needed. Let's hope I continue.

PRADA AND PREJUDICE by Mandy Hubbard

Although I feel like the main character, Callie, is a little overemotional about not being one of the cool girls and once she's in 1815 England, she seems to accept her circumstances too easily, I found myself really liking the story and what happens to Callie while she's there.

In the twenty-first century, Callie cares too much about what other people think of her and her main goal is to get the cool girls to like her. But once she's living in 1815 with Emily, the Duke Alex and the Dowager Victoria, she learns to stand up for herself, speak her mind and be herself, falling in love with Alex.

This reminds me of THE CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT or KATE AND LEOPOLD, but with a teen girl. It's a fun and quick read.

Day 9 - Exercise

4.68 miles
91513 steps
8597 moderate steps 60 minutes
435 calories

It felt good to go that far today. I really pushed myself. It would have been 5 miles or more if I had gone all the way to Olympic on my last lap, but I cut it short by a block because I felt the headache coming on. But I am happy I did two days in a row and I plan to go the rest of the week.

I was called to work a press junket on Friday and Saturday, I just hope the call time isn't so early that I can't make the workouts. I really want to try to do every day the rest of this week until Sunday.

DOC WILDE and the FROGS OF DOOM by Tim Byrd

This book reminds me of the old fashioned adventure shows from the 1930's and 40's like Tarzan, Superman and Flash Gordon. Lots of adventure, a little over the top, but fun.

I loved the relationship between Dr. Wilde and his kids. Concerned and caring, but also trusting them to be able to take care of themselves.

I like the idea that the family is famous for being adventurers, almost like Howard Hughes or Amelia Earhart reels that ran before films in the theaters in the 30's.

Fun for any boy who doesn't like to read.

Day 8 - Exercise

4.07 miles
8526 steps
7155 moderate steps 50 minutes
372 calories

Today was the first day I was able to walk without my calves killing me from my last workout day attempt on the stairs. They didn't feel great at first, but eventually warmed up. I think I pushed a little too hard, cause I ended up with a headache, but I need to get this going properly.

Now if I can just control myself with my eating. I was doing well, until later in the day when I was desperate for ice cream and went and got some. I know I didn't have to get into my car and drive to the store, but sometimes I just can't control myself. I have to work on that more than anything else.

Let's hope I can keep the motivation going to get out of bed and do the same thing tomorrow.

BAD GIRLS DON'T DIE by Katie Alender

This was a really good and scary book. I like that Alexis is not the popular girl, she's the class outcast. Smarter than everyone else and not willing to keep her mouth shut to fit in. You get the feeling that the principle likes her spunk, just has to keep order so Alexis ends up in detention a lot.

But this is also a story of how if you don't look beyond the surface, you never know what someone is really like. Alexis makes a lot of assumptions about her fellow classmates, including Megan, the head cheerleader, and Carter, the class president.

When her sister Kasey starts acting even stranger than normal, it's Megan and Carter who are willing to listen and believe what she's telling them. Alexis never thought she needed friends until things started going wrong at home.

Now she has to relay on them to help her stop the evil that's possessed her sister and threatening to kill a large number of people from the town.

Fast read, couldn't put it down. Read it in one sitting.

LAMENT: The Faerie Queens Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Although I like this book, I like SHIVER much much better. There seem to be many unresolved issues in this book, from James, Dierdre's friend who is hurt to get to her, Aunt Delia who has her own motives in destroying her family. Is Delia responsible for Granna's death, how was she going to explain Dierdre's disappearance from her family if something happened to her, what did she get out of destroying Dierdre and does Dierdre every confront her Aunt with the things she's done? Why does her mother not want her to learn to drive? I definitely like the storytelling more the WICKED LOVELY, which I thought was more interesting in the second book. But I was still left with missing pieces that didn't make the story completely whole for me.

I will be interested to read the sequel, BALLAD, because the ending of LAMENT was abrupt.

Day 7 - Exercise

1.71 miles
4148 steps
2272 moderate steps 20 minutes
153 calories

I did some stairs near my house. It's an alternative workout. Doesn't give me the same steps as running or walking a couple miles, but I sweat more and my calves are killing me and it's only the end of the day. I was going to run tomorrow, but I may only be able to walk. Got to keep going. Every day is a new day.

THE STONE CHILD by Dan Poblocki

I really liked this book. Reminds me of THE GOONIES or GOOSEBUMPS, where kids fall into something interesting and have to figure out the mystery behind it. There are funny aspects to it and even I was holding my breath with fear in a few spots.

Eddie's parents have moved him to a small town where it seems his favorite author lives or lived until he mysteriously disappeared 13 years ago. Now Eddie with his new friends, Harris and Maggie, must solve the mystery of the coded manuscript left by the author.

It's a great story of how hard it is to make friends, how kids who are different are picked on and how friendship can be all the family you need.

HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick

Scheduled for release October, 2009, this book fits in to the YA paranormal pantheon with the others.

Although it takes a while to unfold, it's a fast and entertaining read. Nora is a goal oriented teen until she's paired with new student Patch in biology class. Then everything in her life changes. Nora knows there's something dangerous about Patch, but when the people in her life start getting hurt and she feels likes she's being stalked, she doesn't know who to turn to. Her friend Vee is more interested in exploring her hormones then listening to Nora's warnings. Nora has to ultimately trust Patch if any of them are going to get out of the mess their in alive.

There's great, unfulfilled sexual tension throughout the book between Nora and Patch, which makes it readable by a teen of any age. Vee is extremely selfish as a friend, encouraging Nora to continue to see a guy who's been physically abusive just so she can have a date with his friend. As an adult, I get the message that you have to think for yourself and protect yourself no matter what peer pressure is there, but I believe the message is too subtle for the average teen who may actually go through something like this.

There are familial connections that aren't really fully explored until the end of the book and some aspects that aren't explored at all. In the prologue, Chauncey is visited by a boy who turns out to be a fallen angel. But it never seems that Chauncey has put it together that the fallen angel must be his father as Patch, Chauncey and Nora all have the same birthmark on their wrists. Since Patch says he was the first fallen angel, and needs to kill a descendant of his Nephilim, it only makes sense. But the author never says they are father and son, nor does he address Nora's potential since she should be part Nephilim also.

Mrs. Green aka Daria, is also a hanging item. The reader will immediately get that she wants Nora to stay as far away from Patch as possible, but Nora never seems to question her demand for Nora to stay away from him other than she believes he has a troubled past.

I really wanted to like this project and it was an easy and fast read, I just can't quite say I thought it was great.

Day 6 - Exercise

2.81 Miles
6287 steps
4643 moderate steps 33 minutes
251 calories

Obviously I haven't worked out in a while. There have been a lot of things going on, from work (trying to read as many pieces as quickly as possible) to just feeling like crap cause I let myself get so big. My lung capacity is down and I feel like I should be able to jump right back into running 3-5 miles a day and I can barely run for three minutes.

I know I have to give myself time to get back into it, and do it more regularly, but it's so hard remembering what I could do and knowing my body won't adjust and allow it to come back as quickly as I would like.

But, I've been eating extremely well. Only complex carbohydrates, lots of fruit and vegetables. My digestive system feels it, which is good. Have to get back to drinking my green drink every day. It was such a routine to prepare it to drink while at the gym. Since I don't go to a gym anymore, it's just as easy not to make it up. I know it helps me so I with my health and dietary needs, so I will make sure i drink it at least every other day from now on. This is a new month and I'm determined to make it work for me.

THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting

This book doesn't come out until March 2010, but should be met with great anticipation.

Violet Ambrose has always been able to detect the echo of animals that have been killed, birds, mice, etc until when she's eight years old and walking in the woods behind her family home with her father she discovers the body of a young girl. Now she's sixteen and a junior in highs school. She's discovering she's falling for her best friend Jay, who she's knows for most of her life. All of a sudden there's something different about him and she notices he's turned from a gawky boy into a young man. But she isn't the only one who's noticed.

Jay has become quite popular with the girl and when another friend asks Violet to the homecoming dance, Jay takes it badly and decides to ask Lissie, the most popular girl in school. This puts a wedge in their friendship until Violet starts finding dead girls again.

Jay becomes very protective of Violet. They realize they are meant to be together after Violet risks everything to find the serial killer murdering young girls in her Maryland town and surrounding areas. When they think everything is okay, Violet realizes someone is following her and she has to figure out who it is before he kills her.

The teenage crush, not knowing if the other person likes you, dealing with friends who know you better than you know yourself, is all in this book. Along with a healthy dose of tension from the hidden serial killer, who we don't realize is someone we think we should be able to trust. I like that some of the chapters alternate with the musing of the serial killer. Some times he's very close to our heroin and even she, with her ability to sense dead things along with the taint they leave behind on the person who's done the killing, can't sense everything.

Lot's of fun teen moments as well as the anticipation of not knowing what is going to happen next. If you liked Prom Night, the film, you will like this book.