Review: Essential Oils Natural Remedies: The Complete A-Z Reference of Essential Oils for Health and Healing by Althea Press

4 stars for Essential Oils Natural Remedies: The Complete A-Z Reference of Essential Oils for Health and Healing by Althea Press.

A friend introduces me into the world of Young Living (YL) 100% pure essential oil somewhere last October. Though I attended their talk and tried out one of their oils, my interest isn't fully piqued until beginning of this year when I purchase more of their oils and find myself loving them more and more. Five months later, I decide to take the plunge and join as a YL member.

Though a YL member and equipped with an Essential Oils pocket reference book by Life Science Publishing (compliments of my friend), I find myself hungry for more information from other guidebooks written or research done with no reference whatsoever to YL. The thing is, I want a clear and unbiased view on the uses, applications and powers of nature's remedies without the influence of any one particular brand.

With the above in mind, I proceed to do my share of research and readings online. It is then that I realise that the more I read, the more confused I get. A good example is on the topic of ingesting essential oils. While some are strong advocates when it comes to ingesting the so-called therapeutic grade essential oils, others clearly warn against doing so. In the end, I find myself researching on books to buy instead and that is how I land up with not one but two essential oil reference books; this being one of them.

Having read this A-Z reference on essential oils, below is my take on this guidebook:-

Pros
(1) Pleasing layout with coloured chapters.
(2) Easy to use and navigate.
(3) Clear and concise explanations on uses and application methods, blending and precautions.
(4) Covers 168 common ailments with suggested homemade remedies.
(5) Includes profiles of 75 essential oils.
(6)Provides reviews on 10 most popular essential oils brands and their products.
(7) While the book does not recommend ingestion of essential oils, it does not condemn doing so; instead it encourages readers to do proper research prior to using essential oils internally.

Cons
(1) Non-exhaustive coverage on the profiles of essential oils. To name a few, Cistus, Wintergreen and Palo Santo are not mentioned in the book.

(2) No information on ingestion of essential oils. Taken verbatim from the book "While this book does not recommend ingesting essential oils, after proper research, you may decide it is right for you."

In my opinion, the book is plainly taking the easy way out by putting this huge disclaimer out there. To that end, it defeats my purpose of buying this guidebook because the very act of purchasing this book is the result of having conducted this so-called proper research.

(3) Not much information is provided on the 10 popular essential oils brands and their products except awareness of the brand name itself.

All in all, I am pleased with the wide coverage of ailments and recipes offered for natural remedies. However, this book can have done better by providing more information with regard to ingesting essential oils.

Review: Dead Wrong (Sal Kilkenny #3) by Cath Staincliffe

3.5 stars for Dead Wrong (Sal Kilkenny book 3) by Cath Staincliffe.

Sometimes there is no compelling reason for wanting to read on about a certain character or its running series...

Sal Kilkenny is your run-of-the-mill private investigator. There is nothing spectacularly exciting about the work she does nor is her private life particularly interesting. But I enjoy reading about Sal and the cases she works on. Somehow, it makes me feel real; her lack of social life, her love for her job, her reason for wanting a flexible working schedule and the pangs of being a single parent.

Review: Go Not Gently (Sal Kilkenny #2) by Cath Staincliffe

4 stars for Go Not Gently (Sal Kilkenny book 2) by Cath Staincliffe.

I have a good time reading this book 2 of the Sal Kilkenny series; the writing and story build-up is definitely two notches higher than the first one. For some reason, the topic in question is close to my heart and keeps me going to venture down the dark halls of sinister medical care.

Go Not Gently is a well-thought-out story. I cannot help but keep thinking about the ripple effect which so often happen in real life as it does in the story. Does the act of hiring Sal, a private investigator, set in motion the chain of events that leads to subsequent happenings?

Though I am a little put off by the helpless way things turn out towards the later part of the story, the twist inherent in the last two paragraphs of the book more than make up for the shortfall. I cannot stress how much I love the way the story wraps up.

Review: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

5 stars for Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.

Our time on Earth is anything but finite. But what if...

Tuck Everlasting, a timeless story, will always hold a special place in my heart. I do not think I will ever get tired of rereading it. Cross my heart and hope to die.

I first read this book at the tender age of fourteen, at a time when I feel as if I have all the time in the world and there is hope yet to be. Even then, the story has made a deep and impressionable impact on my young mind and I remember with vivid clarity the sense of loneliness and sadness that descends upon my whole being when I finally finish reading this enchanting novel.

Years pass and still, the story remains in the back of my mind. Rereading the novel now brings back an achingly familiar yet strangely distant feel. Familiar because fundamentally, I experience the same sense of loss and sadness as I did years ago when I finish reading the book. The distant feel, I guess, stems from the fact that though it is the same story, I see things in a different light now.

I am glad that I have read Tuck Everlasting when I am younger, at an age of wonder when I can easily connect to the characters which enable me to really appreciate the content. Because of that, I believe that the story will live on in my heart for a long long time - and perhaps forever - as it is truly a novel that is hard to be forgotten. Never mind that the book may be out of sight because it will not be out of mind.

Tuck Everlasting has fascinated me when I read it the first time and I trust that it will continue to intrigue me as and when I read it again.

Review: Killer Instinct (Charlie Fox #1) by Zoë Sharp

3.5 stars for Killer Instinct (Charlie Fox book 1) by Zoë Sharp.

If not for Lee Child’s beaming recommendation, I will definitely not have picked up Zoe Sharp’s novel at all.

True to author Lee's favourable mention, this is a thriller not to be missed. The story is convincing and the writing is plain brilliant with scenes flowing fluidly from one to the next. The female protagonist, Charlie, is down-to-earth and as real as can be. The part I like best is the - emotional - baggage that Charlie carries, like it or not, it is what makes Charlie who she is in present day.

The only grievance I have is that towards the later half of the book, the plot gets a tad too predictable; I can see all too clearly where the path is leading to and how it is going to end.

Review: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

5 stars for Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

This is a touching novel, beautifully and powerfully written. The story revolves around a 12-year old girl coping with loss and learning to move on.

A splendid novel suitable for readers of all ages, it is a poignant reminder for all of us to cherish and spend time with our loved ones.

Review: Looking for Trouble (Sal Kilkenny #1) by Cath Staincliffe

3 stars for Looking for Trouble (Sal Kilkenny book 1) by Cath Staincliffe.

This is likely Cath Staincliffe's debut novel. Not too bad a story considering it is her first book but the editing can have been better.

The story is uneventful and does not excite me much intially. Then all of a sudden, a seemingly straightforward case of searching for a missing teenager spirals into more and I find myself turning the pages in a bid to unravel the mystery.

Review: Blink of An Eye by Cath Staincliffe

2 stars for Blink of An Eye by Cath Staincliffe.

This is the second book that I have read by Cath Staincliffe. While I love her Letters to My Daughter's Killer, the same cannot be said for this one.

This book starts off well with a family barbecue setting on a sunny Sunday afternoon. But all too soon, the sheer amount of trivial and inconsequential description make me lose interest. I stop reading at a quarter way in and simply flip to the last few chapters to see that my prediction of an ending rings true indeed.