Bond Girl: A Novel

By Erin Duffy

The heroine of this book, Alex Garrett, has always dreamed of being an investment banker, just like her father.  In this book she lands a coveted Wall Street job right after college and discovers that the job isn’t exactly what she expected. She’s determined to make it in bond sales at one of Wall Street’s top brokerage firms.  But she finds that the job involves lots of tedium, bizarre practical jokes, hazing and sexual harassment from a leading client of the firm.

The book is engaging and moves quickly, but it certainly doesn’t paint a flattering picture of Wall Street brokerage firms.  The novel is set right before and during the collapse of the market in 2008, and the traders show lots of the excess that characterized that time period.  The traders at the firm think nothing of sending a trainee to Philadelphia to pick up hundreds of cheesesteaks, or all the way across town for a $1000 wheel of Parmesan cheese.  Lavish parties are described in great detail, along with huge bonus checks.  When everything falls apart at the end of the book and people are getting fired I didn’t feel much sympathy for them. 

I wish the book had a little more about the actual workings of Alex’s job.  Most of the details are glossed over in a few sentences to concentrate on the personalities and hazing.  You never get a good idea of what she does all day, except that it involves spreadsheets.  Also the failed romance she had with a coworker was very predictable, since it was obvious he was stringing her along to everyone but her!  Overall it was a light read, which was amusing and kept me interested.  Duffy is an entertaining writer, and keeps the book moving along at a brisk pace.

Disclosure: I received product to review, all opinions are my own.

So now I have do lots of research, and find out what the best Mortgage Refinance Rates are. Are the FHA loan rates better than VA loan rates? Who has the lowest closing costs? Should we add the closing costs to the loan balance or pay them separately?  Do we want to go with a local bank or a national one? I am getting a headache just thinking about it! I have a feeling this is going to end up being a long and involved process, and my husband expects me to figure it all out.

But first we have to decide what our overall goal is.  Do we want to shorten the term of the loan, or reduce our payment?  We moved just a few years ago, so we have about 26 years left on the mortgage.  That is a long time, and if we reduce the term to 15 years we will end up with a payment only a little more than we have now, which is a lot less interest paid over the life of the loan.  On the other hand a lower monthly payment sounds good too.  We have one child in college, and that is expensive, so extra money would be useful.  Or we could do a combination of both by going with a 20 year loan.  There are just so many options it is hard to figure out what will be best.  Right now we are leaning towards going with the 15 year loan, but that could change after I finish all my research.  I wish it was less complicated!

The crisps come in 10 different flavors which include all the favorites like apples, pears, pineapple and more. This picture shows some of the apple crisps.  They look kind of like potato chips, and that is about the texture they have – they are very thin and crispy.  I have always had dried fruit which is more chewy, so this was a big change.  They are light and airy and kind of dissolve in your mouth. 

My son especially loves these, and has been grabbing the bags out of the pantry regularly to snack on.  I am glad to see him choosing fruit for a snack without prompting from me.  Personally I prefer more chewy dried fruit, but my son likes these better.  I think the crunchiness makes them more appealing to children.  So if you are looking for a more healthy snack check these out.  They are carried at many grocery stores nationwide, including Publix, Giant, Walmart and many more.  You can also find them online at their website or at Amazon.com.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Awaken (The Patronus)

By Sarah M. Ross

This book starts out with the heroine, Lucy Donovan, dead.  She was hit by a drunk driver as the book begins and finds she has become a Patronus, a guardian of spirits.  The book follows her adjusting to her new life and battling soul stealing vampires.  Since it wouldn’t be a Paranormal Romance without some romance there is a love interest, one of her team Max, who is mysterious and leaves her confused and intrigued.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it was very well written and exciting.  Lucy is an appealing character, with lots of determination and stubbornness.  One of the premises of the book is that the Patronus are selected based on how they lived on earth, and you can see how Lucy’s character makes her perfect for the job.  The supporting characters, especially Lucy’s roommate Cassie, are well rounded and interesting too.  The book is surprisingly funny, with lots of sarcasm from Lucy and amusing scenes where she tries to round up wayward souls who don’t want to be rounded up.  It is also very sad too towards the end, and Ross really makes you feel the emotions of the characters.

I thought the plot was a little predictable at the beginning, but definitely not as the book went on.  The romance between Lucy and Max is an important part of the book, but there is lots of other stuff going on so it doesn’t become too much.  I like books that have some romance, but are more than just that, and that is what this book delivers.  The ending of the book is a major cliffhanger – I couldn’t believe it was ending there!  I hope Sarah Ross isn’t going to wait too long to publish the sequel, because she certainly knows how to build excitement and tension and leave you wanting more.

Don’t forget you can enter to win a great prize pack from Sarah M. Ross here, which includes a Kindle, swag and ebooks!

Buy it – Kindle,Paperback, Nook, and Smashwords.

Disclosure: I received a copy to review, all opinions are my own.

I also got rid a bunch of clothes that I am just tired of because I have been wearing them too long.  In the end I ended up with a huge pile of clothes to donate.

It is great, I can actually see the clothes that I kept because my closet is no longer overstuffed.  I am trying to actually wear some of the things I had forgotten I owned and add a little more variety to my wardrobe.  I am still not at the point in my weight loss that I need to buy new clothes, but if I keep making progress I will soon enough.  Now at least I have room in my closet for some new outfits!  Hopefully I will also be able to get the kitchen pantry cleaned out and organized before the break week ends and I am back to being a chauffeur.  How about you, what projects are you working on?

This month is National Lactose Intolerance Awareness, and in honor that Yoplait has announced its new Yoplait® Lactose Free yogurt. Lactose Free comes in four flavors – Strawberry, Peach, French Vanilla and Cherry.  It contains 50% of the recommended Daily Value of calcium, with vitamins A and D in every cup.  Lactose Free contains no artificial sweeteners and can be used in some of your favorite recipes.  Yoplait and MyBlogSpark sent me a coupon for it, so I got some to try out.

I decided to pick Strawberry flavor, since that is my favorite kind of yogurt.  It tasted great, and I really couldn’t taste any difference between this and the regular Yoplait Strawberry yogurt that I usually eat.  So I think it will be a great way for someone who is lactose intolerant to enjoy yogurt.  Unfortunately Grace is away at college, so she didn’t have a chance to try it out, but I am going to make sure I have some on hand when she comes home for Spring Break.

To help celebrate I have a Yoplait Prize Package to giveaway to one of my readers.  The prize contains:

• A coupon to purchase Yoplait Lactose Free yogurt*
• Lunch tote
• 2 Gel packs
• Individual bowl
• Spoon

Entry Method: Please use Rafflecopter form for all entries. There is no mandatory entry.  This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on March 12th, open to U.S. only.


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Disclosure:  Prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.

*The coupon offer for Yoplait Lactose Free yogurt is not valid in some states, including Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Here are all the winners of the giveaways that ended yesterday.

Crate & Barrel : Lyndsey S.

General Mills Cereal : Shirley Z.

Google Book: Christina A., Christine J., and Susan

My kids are responsible for cleaning the cat box.  While this is good in terms of teaching them responsibility, it means the job doesn’t always get done as often as I think it should.  It seems to be the one chore that gets “forgotten” the most often, or provokes the most discussion about whose turn it really is.  The result is that our cat box is not always as fresh smelling as it could be.

So when I got the chance to test out the new Arm & Hammer Ultra Last Clumping Cat Litter I figured it was a perfect fit.  In this new cat litter each granule is coated with ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda. It also has powerful odor destroyers to provide extended odor control.  The odor control is moisture activated, so it helps deodorize each time the cat uses the box.

When I opened the box I notice right away that the color of the Ultra Last was a little different, probably because of the baking soda.  We filled up the litter box and let Soda put it to the test.  The litter clumps very well, which makes it easier to scoop and results in less dust.  We also found that it did reduce the smell noticeably.  We were easily able to go two days without scooping the litter without noticing any smell, which was not true before.  Less smell and easier scooping make this a product I will buy again.

The Arm & Hammer Ultra Last Clumping Litter is available nationwide at Target and Walmart stores, and the price was very comparable to other clumping litters.  I had no trouble finding it at my local store, and my box even had a rebate slip on it to try it for free.  So if you have a cat, check out this new product and see if it makes your chores easier.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf Arm & Hammer and received a product coupon to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

This week I got my menu planning done and then realized that Lent starts Wednesday.  So I ended up shifting meals around so we were meatless on Wednesday and Friday.  It seems a little early to be thinking about Lent and Easter!

Monday- Laska Curry Noodles

Tuesday-Cajun Pork Chops with Potatoes

Wednesday-Clam Chowder

Thursday-Broccoli and Sausage Pasta

Friday-Chinese Rice Cake Stir Fry

Saturday-Grilled Flank Steak

Awaken (The Patronus)
I am happy to be participating in the blog tour for the new book Awaken (The Patronus) by Sarah Ross.  I will be posting my review of the book later this week, but in the meantime you can learn more about the book here, and enter to win some fabulous prizes.

Lucy Donovan was supposed to have a weekend of fun in the sun, celebrating
her upcoming graduation from college. In a split second, everything
changed. A drunk driver ended Lucy’s mortal life.

Lucy opens her eyes to a world she never imagined possible and a new
destiny: as a Patronus, a guardian of spirits. Adjusting to her new role
and abilities while negotiating this confusing realm will test her limits
and push her further than she ever dreamed she would go. From wayward
spirits who don’t want her help to soul stealing vampires, and even a
stuck-up British royal, Lucy must brave them all to save one spirit she
can’t bear to lose.

Further complicating her confusing life is an inexplicable yet growing
connection she feels to a member of her team, Max, whose mysterious
behavior leaves her both confused and intrigued.

Waking up dead was just the beginning of her problems. Lucy’s death is
about to become the greatest adventure of her life.

Buy it – Kindle,Paperback, Nook, and Smashwords

Author Sarah M Ross is working with Promotional Book Tours to bring you an incredible Prize pack. She is offering up

For 25 entries in the contest sign up for her newsletter to learn about new books coming out and contests.

Go HERE to sign up for the newsletter

Fill out the form to enter to win

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Follow the Tour!

To use the device you hold the Claro over the acne, against the skin, and push the button.  It pulses the light 10 times in six seconds.  Then you lift the device off briefly, put it back down and send a second set of pulses to the same blemish.  Then you are done, although you can retreat the zit again in 8 hours if necessary.  We found the device pretty easy to use, and were please with the results. The biggest difference my daughter saw was a reduction in redness.  After just one treatment the zits were significantly less red and inflamed.  The  pictures below show before and after on my daughter’s forehead.  She used the Claro one time on the three zits that are red in the first picture.

In the second picture the acne is much less noticeable, and therefore much easier to cover up with makeup.  She only treated these once, since they looked so much better she didn’t think zapping them again was necessary.  After 3 days they were completely gone, which is much faster than normal.  So this doesn’t magically remove acne instantly, but it does seem to speed the healing process.

The only downside is the device can be a little cumbersome to use.  After you do 2 treatments to one blemish you have to wait one minutes before treating another one, so the lights can re-charge.  And after 4 treatments the device shuts down completely for a while.  So if the acne is bad it is going to take a while to treat it all!  The device has sensors on either side of the light that detect whether or not it is making contact with the skin, and it won’t pulse the light unless it has good contact.  My daughter found that it was sometimes hard to get good contact with the skin on her forehead, I guess her face is too round!  So she had to play around with it and change positions and angles of the device to make it work.

So it takes a little getting used to, but my daughter loves it.  My 19 year old INSISTED that it was hers, and took it back to college with her, so I guess my other two children are out of luck!  The Claro really should only be used by one person anyway, because you can pass bacteria if you share the device and there isn’t a way to clean it.  It is also still important to use a good skin care regime and acne treatment, because it is best to prevent the acne from ever occurring.  But when a zit gets through anyway the Claro helped my daughter get rid of it faster.

Disclosure: I have received the reviewed product from Best Buy for free.

Mexene Chili Powder features only the highest quality chili peppers blended with cumin, oregano, and garlic.  It is completely different from the chili powder you can buy at a grocery store for .99!  As soon as I opened the Chili Powder I could tell by the smell that it was fresh and aromatic.  I was not surprised to learn that it is has been used in the past eight winning recipes from the World Championship Chili Cookoff in Terlingua, Texas.  High quality ingredients like this make a big difference in the final taste of a recipe.

The Louisiana Hot Sauce was great too.  It is the original cayenne pepper sauce of Louisiana, and has an 80-year reputation for quality and perfection.  I don’t usually put hot sauce in my chili, but I like to use it to spice up many other dishes.  This weekend I put some in the Crab Newburg, and it added a nice little kick to this traditional rich and creamy recipe.  The next time I make chili I am going to find a recipe that uses the hot sauce to try something new.

This giveaway is all about chili, so I wanted to include one of my favorite chili recipes.  It is made with a lot of the same spices as Cincinnati Chili, but I use pork sausage instead of ground beef.  Plus the cooking technique is different, because in true Cincinnati chili the meat is boiled, not browned, and I prefer to brown the meat.  Sometimes I serve this over spaghetti, but this time I used tortilla chips instead.

Pork Sausage Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. pork sausage
• 1 onions, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 dried bay leaf
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1  15-oz. can red kidney beans

Directions:

1. Brown pork sausage in skillet and drain excess fat.  Add garlic and onions to the pan and cook 5-6 minutes.
2. Add all the spices, from chili powder through salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and cocoa powder and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1-2 hours.  Or you can put it in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.
4. Rinse the kidney beans and add for the last 10 minutes of cooking.  Serve with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Thanks to The Chili Appreciation Society International and Bruce Foods I have a “Chili Champ” Gourmet Gift pack to giveaway to one of my readers.  The gift pack will include Bruce Foods seasonings and sauces, and other chili fixin’s.

Entry Method: Please use Rafflecopter form for all entries. This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on March 12th, open to U.S. only.


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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Sponsored by Tomoson.com
 

To help parents like me who are sometimes short on inspiration, Clorox® Clean-Up® Cleaner has launched an new web site where you can find and share recipes for fun activities to do with your kids. At cloroxrecipesforfun.com, you and your kids can get ideas for science experiments, cooking recipes and arts and crafts projects.  This will be especially great for this time of year, when going outside is not always an option.  We have had less snow than usually this year, but more mud, so indoor activities are better right  now.

In addition to promote the new website Clorox has launched the Ultimate Mess Party Sweepstakes, which will allow you to clean up with prizes. You can enter for a chance to win $10,000 toward an Ultimate Mess Party, plus there are instant winners every day. And just for registering or sharing a recipe you will get a coupon for $1.00 off Clorox®Clean-Up®.

On the Clorox website the activities are broken down into four categories, Wacky Science, Arts and Crafts, Kiddie Cooking and Creative Cooking.  I checked out some of the topics, and they sound both fun and easy to do.  For example one of the science activities was the always popular baking soda volcano.  It doesn’t seem to matter how many times we do that, my kids still love it!  For arts and crafts there are activities like Ice Paints, Icky Foam and Painted Toast.

Cooking is one of the most enjoyable activities to do with kids, because you get to eat the results.  My children enjoy making all kinds of things in the kitchen, but desserts are always the biggest hit.  One of their favorite recipes is this one for Peanut Butter Balls.  I like it because it is not too unhealthy, and it is very quick and easy to make.  The peanut butter adds protein, so these make a great snack.  It would fit perfectly in the Kiddie Cooking category on the Clorox website.

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Mix the peanut butter, dry milk and honey.
2. Shape into balls of about 1 tablespoon each.
3. Roll in the coconut flakes and store in the refrigerator

What are some of your favorite activities to do with your children?

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox Clean-Up Recipes for Fun blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on this program, click here and see the Terms link.

No Mark upon Her: A Novel

By Deborah Crombie

No Mark Upon Her is a mystery story featuring 2 Scotland Yard detectives, Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, as they try to solve the case of a rower who drowned.  The rower was a fellow Scotland Yard detective, and it not immediately clear if the drowning was an accident or murder.  The dead woman was an accomplished sculler and an Olympic hopeful, so the idea that her death was accident doesn’t seem plausible, and the investigation becomes very complicated.  The detectives want to discover what happened to their colleague, but there is plenty of pressure from above not to discover anything that could embarrass Scotland Yard.

This book is one in a series, but Crombie did an excellent job at making it work as a stand alone book.  The book is a police procedural with multiple layers of clues that need to be investigated and unraveled.  I had a hard time figuring out who the murderer was and what the motive was.  The setting of book among a group of elite rowers was intriguing, and it made the sport of sculling seem more exciting and complex than I had ever thought it could be.  I also liked the secondary characters who were part of a K-9 search and rescue team and added a lot of interest to the investigation.  I think any mystery fan will enjoy this book, especially if you enjoy English mysteries.   I am definitely planning to read some of the previous books in this series.

You can check out the book’s video here to learn more.  I also have a copy of the book to giveaway to one of my readers.

Entry Method: Please use Rafflecopter form for all entries. This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on March 5th, open to U.S. and Canada only.


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Disclosure: I received a copy to review, all opinions are my own.

It just brought home to me how many even though the countries are close together and have lots of similarities they are different.  Take Coupons for example.  The CouponCodes and discounts that we see online and on blogs are usually specific to the US only.  So Canadians will see great offers online but not be able to use them.  They have to find websites that specialize in Canadian Coupons so that they can find the best deals.

The same thing happens with giveaways.  I am sure that Canadians frequently find a giveaway that they want to enter, only to realize when they read the fine print that it is open only to the U.S.  So for my giveaways I am going to start adding the countries the giveaway is open to in parentheses at the end of the title.  Most of the time my giveaways are open only to the U.S., but hopefully this will make it a little easier for Canadians to find the ones that they can enter.

Bosch Prize Package – Nicole C.

Gorton’s Seafood – Lilian C., Lyndsey S. and Christina A.

This is a wonderful idea because it is giving these artists a way to make a living, feed their families and even pay for schooling.  The collection includes quilts, metalwork, ceramics and painting, and can be found at 25 Macy’s stores, or online at Macy’s.com.  Most of the items cost in the $25-$60 price range, so they are very reasonably priced.  I received a gorgeous metal candle holder and Song Bird Picture frame to review.

You can see the detailed metal work and design in this close up of the picture frame.  I love the design and the intricacy and care that obviously went into creating it.  The frame and candle holder were made out of old oil drums, which is a great way to recycle and help the environment.

These items make a perfect gift, because you are not only getting a nice present for someone special you are also helping the people of Haiti.  Thanks to Macy’s I have an item from the collection to giveaway to one of my readers.  The lucky winner will receive a Heart of Haiti Heart of the Goddess Pendant, like this one.  My daughter received one of these last year for Christmas and loves it, it is a very nice necklace.

Entry Method: Please use Rafflecopter form for all entries. This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on March 5th, open to U.S. only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received product to review, all opinions are my own.

The problem is my wedding and engagement ring no longer fit.  My engagement ring is a size 4.5, and I haven’t been able to get it on for a while.  My wedding ring is larger, I went a size up with that since I knew the engagement ring was too tight.  I can still wear my wedding ring about half the time, sometimes it goes on and off my finger and sometimes it doesn’t. 

My husband actually lost his wedding ring a few years ago.  So I didn’t feel too bad about not wearing mine all the time, since he wasn’t wearing his either.  But we recently found his ring, after it had been missing for well over a year.  I had been looking at tungsten rings and thinking about getting him one for Christmas because we had given up on ever seeing his again.  Then my daughter found it under the living room sofa.   This proves what a terrible housekeeper I am, since I never move furniture to clean under it!

Anyway now that my husband has his ring back I have been researching ring resizing, so I can wear mine all the time.  To make a ring larger a jeweler will cut it, heat it to open it up and then weld a piece of stock metal into the opening.  This whole process makes me nervous.  I don’t like the idea of letting someone cut my wedding ring up!  And I have to wonder if the weld will be obvious or if the ring will be weaker.  I know I should just do it, but I keep putting it off.  So have any of you ever had a ring resize how did it go?  Were you please with how it turned out?

What my daughter likes about the cleanser and acne treatment is that it is foam.  MaxClarity Foam has Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid, which are the active ingredients in most over the counter acne products.  According to the manufacturer the foam works better because the it has micronized molecules which allow the ingredients to better penetrate the skin and kill the bacteria.  All I know is that my daughter loves the foam.  She describes it as similar to hair mousse, and says that it makes using the products “fun.”  She likes the way it feels going on her skin, and that makes her use it more.  She has been using it daily, which has always been her issue.

Another thing that she likes is that the system only has 2 steps.  In the morning she uses deep cleanser and the acne treatment, and then in the evening she uses the deep cleanser and the toner.  It is one less step than she used to have to do, and fewer steps are better as far as she is concerned.

In addition the Max Clarity doesn’t doesn’t dry her skin out as much as the product she used before.  Her skin does not feel dry and uncomfortable when she uses it.  I wasn’t really able to get good before pictures, but her acne is much less than it was last month.  She still has a few pimples, but overall the number is way down.  And I am sure that as she continues to be consistent about taking care of her skin it will improve even more.

Max Clarity is available to order online or by phone.  The price is $19.99 for your first two month supply, which seems to be the standard price for acne treatments.  They also offer a money back guarantee, which is always nice to see.  We are definitely going to be getting this for my daughter, of all the skin care regimes we have tried this is the one she has liked using the most.  And since she likes it, she uses it, which means she sees results.

Disclosure: I received product to review, all opinions are mine (and my daughter’s).

Girl Land

By Caitlin Flanagan

This is a book about teenage girls and the trials that they face growing up in today’s society.  Flanagan talks about the passage from girlhood to adulthood, and how it has changed over the years.  I certainly remember my teenage years as a confusing time, and since I have two teenage daughters I was interested in reading this book and getting someone else’s perspective.   Flanagan makes a lot of good points, like about how the culture is overly sexualized, and girls are pressured by self esteem issues.

But even though I agree with a lot of what Flanagan says, but strangely enough found the way that she says it kind of annoying. She tends to use sweeping generalizations, and overly dramatizes many things. She spends much of the book talking about historical things, like a history of dating over the years.  She also talks about her adolescence and gives anecdotes, which would be fine if this was a memoire, but it is not.  So while those stories are interesting, they don’t really tell us much about girls today.  She never presents any real research, and I was left wondering how many teenage girls she actually knows.  She spends an entire chapter discussing diaries, and diaries are practically unheard of with the teenage girls I know.  Girls pour out their feelings on Facebook or text messages, not in secret diaries.

So overall my feelings about this book are mixed.  I can relate to some of Flanagan’s points, like the dangers of unmonitored internet access.  But that goes for both girls and boys, and overall l though the book raised more questions than it answered.  Flanagan has an engaging writing style and is very readable, but it didn’t provide the insight into current teenage girls I was hoping for from the description.

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Thanks to Hachette books I have 3 copies of this book to giveaway.

Disclosure: I received product to review, all opinions are my own.