Category Archives: Product Reviews

Product Reviews

Book Review: Wings of the Divided

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I was recently given a chance to read and review “Wings of the Divided” by C.J. Sullivan.  In return for my review I was given a free copy of the book for my Kindle.  I don’t have a giveaway to offer you BUT the author currently has one going on her facebook page that you can enter (through 12/9/12).

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Wings of the Divided: The Divided Book 1

 

I feel like I’m writing a book report here *looks around nervously*.  Did you ever make dioramas when you were in school?  I loved making little scenes in shoeboxes to share with the class.  I’m not going to do that here.  Neither will I be dressing up as one of the characters.  I’m just going to tell you a little bit about the book and then you can decide if you might want to read it, or at least enter that contest for a free copy. (It’s only $2.99 otherwise!)

The book starts out with a man, Max, praying in a church for his lost son, followed by an action scene with Angels fighting (Gidyon and Noam, the “good” angels versus the “bad” angels Laphelle, Malynko, and Kiazmo).  The good angels end up being taken down to earth to escape the battle, where they first meet Max, to the city of Edenton (which, incidentally, has a wonderful symphony orchestra!) But the other angels, the Angels of darkness, follow them there.

At first I thought, oh great, I see where this is going, some sort of feel-good Angel book, but luckily it wasn’t so predictable.  The “good” angels, or Angels of Light and  the Angels of Darkness, or the Fallen Angels, obviously had many of the qualities you would imagine, but their personalities were more fleshed and interesting than they could have been.  The author does a wonderful job describing their wings and seems particularly interested in that aspect of their appearances.

For the first part of the book the two groups of angels  interact with the people of earth—helping or hurting them– and trying to find or avoid each other, depending.  We quickly learn that Malynko enjoys hurting people, and that Laphelle is upset that he hasn’t been promoted as high on the angel hierarchy as he’d like.  Noam and Gidyon move in with Max, and the others take over another house through force. They run into each other occasionally, having fights when this happens, and both parties want to leave Earth and get back into the heavens (or hell, like I said before, depending.)

So where does the violin from the cover art come in?  Laphelle (remember, one of the “bad guys”) hears the sound of a violin one night and follows the music to meet a guy named Jack.  He is surprised to learn that Jack is not afraid of him (we learn why later) he is astounded when he borrows Jack’s violin and can play it very well.  He and Jack strike up an odd friendship—odd because an Angel of Darkness can’t actually be friends with a human, since they are supposed to hate humans and want to destroy them.  Through his love of music Laphelle begins to question everything about his existence and the choices he has made.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, or any more of the book.  In my communication with the author, she wrote “You can tell me if I wrote the violin authentically or not.”  It’s funny—there is a scene where Jack and Laphelle go to a sort of American Idol style Amateur Night with the Edenton Symphony.  I’ve never heard of anything like it, but it sounded like a lot of fun.  We musicians get so snooty sometimes, but forget that to the average person, our music can be truly “angelic”  (see what I did there?  HA!)  Did she write it authentically—I honestly can’t say.  Sometimes descriptions of violin and music making seem very strange to me, but I have a very biased opinion.  I think the love of the violin and the love of music came through, and I’d say that many people will be able to relate.

I enjoyed reading this book.  It’s a fun read, it’s different from many of the books I’d been reading lately, and I’m glad I had the chance to read and review it.  Like I said at the beginning, you should consider entering the contest for a free digital copy, or even buying it! (You can get a free sample if nothing else and see how you like it.)

(I was not compensated for this post other than the free copy of the book.  All opinions are my own.)

Product Reviews, Random thoughts

This and That

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Here’s a bunch of random thoughts and stuff I need/want to share with you all.

1.  I have been running lately.  Marathon training starts officially in just over a week so I’ve just been running for “fun” and fitness.  Chris started running (When he utters the words “I’m going for a run” I get VERY excited) and yesterday we ran together.  He’s training for a 5k we are doing together in mid-December, and yesterday we ran (very fast for me) 2.25 miles together.  Before than I’d been pushing my speed on 1.5 to 2 mile runs.  My legs are finally feeling less dead, and my hip feels better.

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It still hurts if I’ve been sitting for a long time or if I haven’t been foam rolling enough but generally I think I’m in decent shape to start training for the Marathon in April.  And to run the 5K AND to go to Phoenix in January for the PF Chang’s Half Marathon (very excited about this!)  I figured doing some shorter but faster runs would be a nice way to push myself but not overdo it.  I’ll have enough long, slow runs ahead of me in the next few months, right?

2.  Gil Shaham is awesome.  I saw him play the Beethoven Violin Concerto last night with the symphony.  VERY enjoyable concert.

We look ridiculous because we are 🙂

3.  Recently I was sent some natural shampoo and conditioner from Ava Anderson.

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The company’s motto is “Quality personal care without harmful chemicals.”

I tried the shampoo and conditioner.  The only odd thing is that the shampoo doesn’t foam like I’m used to.  Did you know that harmful chemicals make your shampoo foam?  Evidently that is just something companies add to make us feel like we are getting a more effective clean…and in fact is totally unnecessary.  Weird, right?  (Agree or disagree?)  Anyway, the stuff smells nice, and there’s always a bit of self-righteousness involved with knowing you are using something that is more natural and less toxic, isn’t there?

If you want to order anything from the website (there’s all kinds of beauty supplies, not just shampoo/conditioner) contact the representative by email and tell them I sent you and she will give you a 30 percent discount through Dec. 15.

4.  Caffeinated Baked Goods.  Who doesn’t like caffeine and baked goods?  Here’s a company that puts them together! Get up and Go offers caffeine without the coffee.  If you “like” their facebook page you can get a discount code to save 30 percent on all orders, AND on Sunday (tomorrow, they are calling it Black Sunday) you can get 70 percent off all orders! (After you “like” the page, click on “store”)  Now THAT’s a deal, and you don’t have to run anybody down in the parking lot to get it. I haven’t tried any of their stuff, but I hear it’s tasty, and the company reps are really helpful and friendly.

Sugar rush plus caffeine rush?  You’re welcome!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above (Ava Anderson) and for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

5.  Yesterday I learned that some jerk had slashed one of my tires.  Sometimes I love living in the city, other times I can’t stand it. We tell ourselves that crime can happen anywhere, but the rates show that the crime is so much higher in the city.  But we really like being near non-chain restaurants and being far from strip malls…

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You can see two of the knife marks.  There was another obvious one and a small hole that was likely the fourth slash.  It almost felt personal!  (I’m sure it wasn’t.)

I’m going to take this opportunity to just get all new tires, since that’s something I think I need.  But I’m not happy about it.  At least they “only” slashed one tire so Chris was able to put the spare on for me rather than having to get towed.

Sometimes I disgust myself with my optimism 😉

6.  This is a great time for movies.  We are going to see Skyfall again tonight (I rarely see movies in the theater twice, but Chris and I both really enjoyed it and wanted to go with some friends) and we’ve bought tickets for the midnight showing of the Hobbit.  We haven’t been to a midnight showing in awhile (I’m thinking not since Return of the King!) and we were much younger then, but we are really excited about it!

7.  I’m having that Sunday laziness/not being excited about getting back to work tomorrow.  It’s always tough transitioning, isn’t it?  Once you actually ARE back to work it’s no big deal but it always seems like it’s going to be worse than it is.

Product Reviews

Vitacost Cyber weekend sale!

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As you all know I’ve been “selling out,” or at least, “selling”, on my blog a bit lately.  I’d make the argument that everybody else is doing it, but as a violinist, you know I don’t care what everybody else is doing.  The fact is, I love blogging and I love having people read my blog, and doing product reviews seems like something that will help bring more people to my awesome blog, and hopefully a few of them will stay and comment and return again to see what I’m up to later.  Plus it’s the season for shopping and trying to get the best bang for your buck, right?

Anyway, no giveaways today (you can still enter yesterday’s) but there’s a great deal for a company I learned about recently:

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Vitacost.com:

I recently learned from another local blogger about a pretty cool online store that sells a bunch of different health, beauty, and wellness products.  In the words from the store–

“With Vitacost.com, you don’t have to choose between stores that sell products you don’t really want at super-low prices, and stores that sell the better health and wellness products you want at crazy-high prices. We offer over 2,000 of the top, most-trusted natural brands, diet foods and healthy living essentials-the very best nutritional supplements, whole foods and sports nutrition-at discount prices, up to 50% off. And we’ll deliver them right to your door for FREE if your order totals $49 or more. Otherwise, shipping is just a small, flat-rate fee of $4.99, no matter how big the box.”

Now here’s the fun part.  In addition to the regular savings (I looked at  a few products I use, like protein powder, and the prices seem really good) there is a great sale happening NOW (Today, 11/24 8 am CST through 11/26 10:59 CST)

15 percent off EVERYTHING!  So go check it out.  ‘Tis the season to spend a lot of money, right?

And there will be a giveaway coming soon, so stay tuned–if 15% off isn’t quite enough for you, perhaps free will work better?

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Do you like shopping online or in stores more?

Product Reviews

Some cool product designs from zazzle.com

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As the holidays approach, two things are happening on this blog.  First, I’m becoming more sappy and sentimental.  You know how that is—holidays make you think of family and being a child and all the things you’re left behind as you make your move into adulthood.  Secondly, I’m becoming more commercial 😉  I’m in my pajamas, eating stuffing and corn pudding, and debating a run.  And going through my email inbox trying to respond to various people and their bids for my time, money, or attention.  (I’ve got another one of these kind of posts coming up tomorrow.  I’ll try to counter it by talking about pie in between, and maybe telling you how awesome the run I have yet to take was.)

Zazzle contacted me to see if I would let you guys know about some of their products.  I’ve ordered mugs and tote bags from them before, so I definitely don’t mind sharing some ideas with you guys.  Here are some cool products I picked out, and I invite you to visit the site and mess around a bit.  You might find some great gift ideas, and naturally they have some good Black Friday sales going on.

 
 

I should mention that Zazzle provided me with a gift certificate in exchange for my time.  Blogging isn’t free you know 🙂  Maybe I’ll buy my favorite reader a gift with the gift certificate!  Who wants what? And what makes you think you’re my favorite reader?

Giveaways, Product Reviews

Mission Possible (book giveaway!)

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I was recently given a paid opportunity to read and report on the book Mission Possible by Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia.  We’ll take a break from our regularly scheduled "Hannah"-centric, (completely narcissistic and wonderful) reading and further our minds!  One lucky reader will win a copy of the book.

(Contest is closed, winner was comment #4 using a random number generator, congrats to melissa, and thanks to all for entering!)

The following is a sponsored post: I was compensated for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own, however.

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First a brief (well, sort of brief) synopsis of the book I was asked to read:

Mission Possible, by Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia, tells the reader how the Success Academies work.  It starts with the background and history of the schools, and then goes into great detail about the philosophies, priorities, and principles that the schools use to create success.

Chapter One is titled: What’s wrong with American Schools?  Most people agree that the American public school system is broken but what people don’t agree on is how to fix it.  The book argues that the main problem is that the bar is set very low for everybody involved:  Students, Teachers, and Parents.  In order to succeed, the bar must be set high and the competition should be fierce. 

Chapter Two talks about how school should be a magical place, somewhere students WANT to be.  How does this happen?  By involving everybody, by staying very busy, learning all kinds of different things every day, being very hands on with projects, lots of field trips, going above and beyond.  It’s the little things, like keeping the facilities clean and welcoming, and it’s the big things, like just assuming all of the children will go to college and teaching with that assumption, and by always making the lessons challenging and interesting.  The parents are required to be involved with their children’s learning, from helping to their homework, to observing classes, to staying in close touch with the teachers and the principals.

Chapter Three tells us that it is all about the adults.  The teachers, the principals, the parents are all important to success.  The schools provide hundreds of hours of training to the teachers every year.  The teachers are also given plenty of time during the school day for planning and lesson preparation.  The better prepared they are to teach the better they will teach. (does this mean the teachers don’t have to take much work home? I presume this would create a much better sense of job satisfaction…)

Chapter Four is about speed.  Rather than teaching slow enough that all the children can get it, and boring half of the students, the academies encourage the teachers to teach as quickly as possible, setting the bar very high and encouraging the students to meet the high standards and learn quickly.  In fact everything at the school happens in a speedy manner.  When the principal observes a teacher, the teacher doesn’t have to wait several weeks for the results but instead he or she learns immediately what they can improve upon. 

Chapter Five goes into more detail about raising the bar and teaching with joyous rigor.  (Side note: So far this has been the biggest point that resonated with me:  I personally love to teach with high standards, both for myself and for my students, and I always learn best when the bar is set high as well.  I love the idea that the students will meet your expectations, so set them VERY high!) The chapter talks about how sometimes if the bar is set too high, the teacher might have to teach something again another day, but that is it better to try it at a very high level first and fail than bore many of the kids and lose that magic.  Most important is that you never talk down to the students.  They are short, not stupid!

Chapter Six is about the importance of reading, and really getting the students to understand what they are reading.  It goes into great detail about how the teachers prepare for class ahead of time so that they can really help the students.  Chapter Seven does the same thing but with writing. 

Chapter Eight sums it all up.  I suppose really one could just read Chapter Eight!

As part of the post, I was asked to think about and answer the following writing prompt:

Stagnation, being unable to accomplish one’s job at a high level, is one of the greatest sources of low teacher morale.  Why do you think this country treats teaching so differently than it does other professions?

The adage "those who can’t, teach" has been a great disservice.  People seem to feel that those teaching children do so because they love children, seen as a weakness, or because they aren’t good at anything else.  After all, how hard could it be to teach something "easy" to children?  Since people think it is easy, they also think teachers shouldn’t be paid much, because it’s easy to teach children, and also, isn’t teaching children a silly job, just a step above babysitting? 

The problem is of course that it is exceedingly difficult to be a great teacher.  Especially when you are fighting against the existing stereotypes in our culture that teaching is both easy and unimportant.  Yet the teachers are the ones being blamed for our children not learning…and everybody is fighting about it rather than working together to make things better.

How many times have we heard the expression, those who can’t, teach?  As a teacher myself, I know this is simply not true.  If I couldn’t do something, how on earth could I teach it?  But conversely, even if I can do something, how do I teach someone else how to do it?  That is one of the things that many teachers have to learn on their own, but in the Success Academies the teachers are taught how to teach better, and this learning continues through their careers.  The teachers are constantly being challenged to do better and are actually given the time and tools to improve.  I believe that this must create very high morale.  They don’t just come out of college or graduate school, start teaching, and then occasionally take a class.  They are constantly being taught new and better ways to teach, and being helped and encouraged along the way.  To me it sounds demanding but exciting, and that’s a great place to be.

Okay, now for the fun. One lucky reader will receive his or her OWN copy of Mission Possible! I can only ship to addresses in the US, so I apologize to any other readers.  If you would like a copy, please comment below.  For an additional entry, please tweet "I want to win a copy of Mission Possible from hannahviolin.me @hannahviolin #readmissionpossible" and leave another comment telling me you did so.  Good luck!  I will randomly choose a winner on Monday, August 6.  (Open to US and Canadian readers only.)

CONTEST IS CLOSED! 

Product Reviews

Miss No-Depth Perception

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I noticed this at my gym this morning.  It made me think of "Operation Beautiful", only the opposite. The difference is that if I wear something odd my trainer does make fun of me.  For instance, last week I could only find one pair of gym socks because the rest were packed somewhere.  I had to wear white socks and they weren’t as low cut as I usually wear.  I felt a little uncomfortable but told myself, nobody cares about what I look like.  I was warming up on the treadmill and Mike came over, and immediately he started mocking my socks.  He kept making fun of them the whole hour, and even the next time he saw me, he remarked on how relieved he was that I was no longer wearing them.

Basically I have learned in my life—and this may come from being tall—that people actually do notice you a lot, what you are wearing, how you wear your hair, what you say, what you do, where you go.  They notice, they judge.  The question is what are you going to do about that.  Do you care?  Often I care too much.  I try not to.

I am also aware of the fact that Mike was only mocking my socks because he could, and because I certainly make fun of him enough, in particular his atrocious haircut.

Look what I got in the mail the other day!

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The people at SendaFlyingCard.com asked if I would be interested in getting a flying card. (I think of it as a frisbee, but they just call it a flying card.  They explain this on the website, that the term "frisbee" is owned by another company and cannot be used.) I said sure, because I’ve told you guys I’m jumping on the free stuff bandwagon, right?  This is a pretty cool idea though, I’d think especially for a younger kid, or maybe a bored high school or college student. 

I am not a great frisbee player.  I attended a music festival many years ago, and a group of us liked to play frisbee.  I earned the nickname "Miss No Depth Perception" because I would run to catch the frisbee, reach out for it…and then it would float by, perhaps 4 to 6 inches away from where I thought it would be. 

Anyway, if you are interested in sending me or someone else a flying card, there’s a good sale going on right now, plus if you use the coupon code "firstorder" you get 10 percent off your first order.  I love this line from the website: "Get noticed and send a customized flying card today while promoting exercise and outdoor activities."  Who doesn’t want to do that?  Work off your birthday cake with a nice game of "flying card" in your backyard!

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I saw this sticker on the bathroom of a bar we hit up last night.  It made me giggle.  I went to the link just now and there is a nice explanation of the sticker too.