Alasandra's Reading List ~ April

1. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher - Harry is letting himself and his business go, racked with guilt because Susan has been turned half-vampire and desperate to find a cure. Then Billy (one of the Alphas) calls and tells Harry it's raining frogs. There is also the small matter that Billy went by Harry's office and made an appointment with him with Queen Mab (who now 'owns' Harry's debt to the Winter Fae). Mab wants him to find out who killed the Summer Knight and stole his power. Harry refuses, until the White Council forces his hand. Harry has to help Queen Mab in order to gain her support against the Red Court. If he doesn't he will be stripped of his rank of Wizard and handed over to the Red Court to end the war. But Harry finds help in unexpected places Leanansidhe provides help without payment (she also reveals that she made a bargain with someone that Harry never knew to protect him - Harry guesses it's his Mother who died when he was born), and Rashid, The Gatekeeper provides Harry with a chip of the stone from The Table so he can find it and some salve for his eyes (even though no one on the council is suppose to help Harry with his trail), saying what the White Council doesn't know won't hurt them.  Harry, Billy and the Werewolves, Meryl and Fix manage to prevent Lily from being sacrificed on The Table, prove Lady Aurora was the one who killed The Summer Knight and restore peace between the Summer and Winter Courts. Lily becomes the Summer Lady and Fix becomes The Summer Knight providing Harry with two powerful new allies. 
2. The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot by Bart D. Ehrman - read my review here. 
3. Death Masks by Jim Butcher - Paolo Ortega (Vampire from the Red Court) challenges Harry to a dual. Susan returns to town with Martin (Fellowship of Saint Giles) and they intervene to save Harry's life. Johnny Marcone  arranges to have the Shroud of Turin stolen by the Churchmice and brought to Chicago. Unfortunately Nicodemus Archleone (member of the Order of the Blackened Denarius, and host of the fallen angel Anduriel. ) wants it in order to spread a deadly plague. Marcone, Harry and the Knights of the Cross will team up to take it from him. Nicodemus seems intent on recruiting Harry with the coin of Lasciel. 
4.  Blood Rites by Jim Butcher - Thomas reveals that he is Harry's half-brother and together they bring Lord Raith (he killed their Mother) down, leaving Thomas' half-sister Lara in charge.
5. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher - Mavra blackmails Harry into finding the Word of Kemmler. for her. Kemmler's disciples have other plans for the Word and Harry must stop them before one of the disciples in able to become a GOD. The Wardens' ranks have been depleted after an assault by the Red Court. Captain Luccio brings the Wardens that can be spared to Chicago to help Harry and makes Harry a Warden over Morgan's protest. Butters proves his bravery by keeping rhythm  on his drum while under attack from zombies so Harry can control the dinosaur he reanimated to bring against the bad guys. And thanks to Butters medical skills the injured Wardens pull through. 
6. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher - In his role as Warden Harry has to take his good friend Micheal's daughter, Molly, before the White Council for practicing black magic and breaking the 4th Law. To keep her from being executed he has to out maneuver Merlin and only the timely arrival of Ebenezar McCoy and Michael save Molly's life. Molly is now Harry's apprentice and IF she breaks any of the rules she and Harry will be executed. Harry and Ebenezar McCoy patch up their differences after Harry realizes that it was Ebenezar McCoy that spoke on his behalf when he was taken before the White Council for killing Justin DuMorne.
7. Bootlegger's Daughter (A Deborah Knott Mystery) by Margaret Maron  - Deborah is running for circuit court judge in between trying to solve a cold case. 18 years ago a young Mother's body was left in an abandoned mill with her squalling infant in a car seat nearby. Now the infant is all grown up and wants to know who killed her Mother. Deborah with her wit, charm and deep understanding of the Deep South will navigate the murky relationships that lead to the murder and the subsequent cover up while dealing with her own family baggage.  
8. Southern Discomfort by Margaret Maron - I didn't like the Second Deborah Knott Mystery. When Judge Deborah discovers that Mr. Ou and his family have been stealing and eating neighborhood pets she merely tells him not to do it anymore. I find this unacceptable, would she have turned a blind eye if he had been kidnapping children and eating them! I think not!!!!! Our pets deserve better then a judge who thinks merely telling  a cat and dog killer not to do it is OK. And it is all Deborah's fault he had access to the pets in the first place as she hired him to take care of her Aunt's yard. The other mystery is more complex someone has been poisoning Judge Deborah's brother with arsenic, the same someone has poisoned philandering husband and attempted rapist Carver Bannerman, when the killer reveals themselves Judge Deborah realizes she got her judgeship because her predecessor was murdered.
9. Shooting at Loons by Margaret Maron - Enjoyed #3 in the series. Deborah Knott is staying at a cottage on Harkers Island. Her first day there she discovers the body of Andy Bynum a semi-retired fisherman and local conservationist. When Linville Pope winds up dead and Deborah's cottage is ransacked, she realizes that Andy had papers that prove a local judge's wrong doing and that Andy had plans to meet with that judge the day he died. But before she can tell the police her theory her volatile next door neighbor starts shooting at the workers Linville Pope hired to remove his trash from her newly bought property.    
10. White Night by Jim Butcher - Lara comes up with a dastardly plot to weaken her enemies and strengthen her hold on House Raith, and she counts on Harry to get involved and destroy her enemies. Lash gives her "life" in order to save Harry and now that he is free of her he gives the coin to  Father Forthill. Determined to find out how Thomas is supporting himself and feeding he follows him to the  "Coiffure Cup."
11. Small Favor by Jim Butcher -  Mab comes to collect the second favor Harry owes her. She merely wants him to save Marcone who has been kidnapped by The Knights of the Blackened Denarius. As a card carrying freeholding lord  of The Unseelie Accords Marcone is entitled to the White Councils protection, so Harry calls for a dual with the Archive as the emissary; to late Harry realizes that the Denarians hoped Harry would do this so they could kidnap Ivy (the Archive). Kincaid is injured and the Denarians escape with Ivy to an uncharted island (Demonreach) in the middle of Lake Michigan. Harry, Michael and Sanya go to the island to rescue Ivy and Marcone.    

Republicans just don't understand women

According to Republicans women don't make 77 cents less then men, well they do but it's the WOMEN'S FAULT, because they don't go into fields like engineering (the guy's age is showing because I know plenty of women who have gone into engineering) or because they only work 41 hours v 46 hours.  And apparently if you are a woman and want to make as much as a man then you should remain single and childless according to THIS REPUBLICAN.

What Intolerant Bigots

So tired of these religious nutcases trying to force their beliefs on the rest of us.

Fox News at it again

Fox crucified Hilary Rosen, for telling the TRUTH.

“With respect to economic issues, I think actually that Mitt Romney is right that ultimately women care more about the economic well-being of their family and the like. But he doesn’t connect on that issue, either. What you have is Mitt Romney running around the country saying well, you know, my wife tells me that what women really care about are economic issues, and when I listen to my wife, that’s what I’m hearing. Guess what? His wife has actually never worked a day in her life. She’s never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing in terms of how do we feed our kids, how do we send them to school, and why we worry about their future.”

Apparently pointing out that Mrs Romney is a housewife is unacceptable, why it is on a par with Rush calling Ms. Fluke a slut. Silly me I didn't realize housewife was a dirty word. In fact I am very proud to be a housewife and I am thankful for my good fortune. I would hardly get bent out of shape if someone mentioned that I was a housewife although unlike Mrs. Romney I have worked outside the home. And it is hardly irrelevant, do any of us really believe that Mr. & Mrs Mitt Romney have any idea of how tough it is for single mothers to make ends meet? For that matter do we really believe that with all their millions they can relate to the many Americans who struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads? Of course the Romney's have had struggles in their lives but their money has cushioned any hardships they have faced.

Now Bill Donohue, has declared WAR ON Jon Stewart.You would think the RELIGIOUS RIGHTS WAR ON WOMEN would keep them busy enough, but nope they still have time to declare WAR on a popular satirist.

“We are asking Stewart to apologize. If he does not, we will mobilize Protestants, Jews, Mormons and Muslims to join us in a boycott of his sponsors. Moreover, we will not stop with a boycott; there are other things that can be done to register our outrage. We are prepared to spend the money it takes to make this a nationwide issue, and we are prepared to stay the course..

Laughable considering this is coming from the same group that declared Rush's calling Sandra Fluke a slut OK. Apparently calling a woman who dares to ask for Reproductive Justice before a Congressional Hearing A SLUT is OK, showing an out of focus picture of a manger  between a woman's legs to poke fun at Fox News and their phoney wars...............is UNACCEPTABLE.  Cry me a River. But hey all this phoney outrage should be good for a couple of comedy routines.

Experimental Power Plant Raises Rates and Destroys the Environment

Why haven’t any government officials spoken out against the Kemper County Coal Plant? Why has MS Power been allowed to continue building the plant even after the State Supreme Court ruled the commission failed to adequately explain its reasons for easing financial restrictions on the $2.4 billion plant? And why isn’t the Public Service Commission doing its job and protecting the public?

Building the plant involves digging up 45-square miles of Kemper County for strip mining, displacing hundreds of residents while destroying valuable streams and wetlands in the Chickasawhay flood plain, impacting the Pascagoula River system.  500 acres will be used as a dump for toxic coal ash from the plant. The plant itself will be classified as a major source of air pollution under the federal Clean Air Act. 

The plant is highly experimental hence the stockholders unwillingness to risk their own money building it. But ratepayers will be stuck with the bill even if the plant does not generate a single kilowatt of electricity!

The Kemper County area where the electricity is generated is not in Miss. Power's service area.This will be the first plant ever built in MS to be paid for by rate increases before it is put on line, it will triple the rate electricity costs in the 26 coastal counties since the plant will cost at least $4 billion dollars.  This cost is applied to citizens and small business only, since shipyards, casinos, refineries and other large businesses have been guaranteed to have no rate increase as a result of building this plant.

Why do they even want to build this plant Mississippi has twelve natural gas-fired power plants already built which sit idle 85% of the time but can provide up to 7993 megawatts of power?

The Pill By Any Other Name Is Still "The Pill"

Concerning Mr. Hull’s letter the pill by any other name is still the pill.

NaPro mainly makes use of progesterone which of course is the same as the progesterone only oral contraceptive many women use. Merely calling an oral contraceptive something else doesn’t render it something else. Or as Shakespeare said “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

NaPro also makes use of HCG a hormone produced by the human placenta during pregnancy. Clinically HCG is used as a fertility treatment, and can lead to increase in progesterone and testosterone, which have consequences of their own including deep vein thrombosis (a clot in the veins of the lower extremity) leading to pulmonary embolism and even death. This is not a benign hormone, and should only be used under the strict supervision of a physician – who knows what they are doing. In 2011 the FDA banned the use of HCG for dieting.

NaPro also uses the drug Naltrexone which is an opioid receptor antagonist used primarily in the management of alcohol dependence/opioid addiction. Naltrexone can cause upset stomach, nervousness, anxiety or muscle and joint pain. In rare cases, Naltrexone can cause more severe side effects including confusion, drowsiness, hallucinations, vomiting, stomach pain, skin rash, diarrhea or blurred vision. Large doses of naltrexone can cause liver failure.

NaPro is not nearly as “natural” or safe as Mr. Hull would have us believe. Women deserve to make the health care choices that are medically best for them after discussing the pros/cons with their physician, not have their employers religious beliefs dictate what medical care they can receive.  Mr. Hull women have freedom of religion too and we are tired of grumpy old men using religious dogma to dictate our health care.

Alasandra's Reading List ~ March

1. Hellhole by Brian Herbert & Kevin J Anderson (an all new epic) - Great read. Diadem Michella Duchenet is a ruthless dictator willing to destroy anything and anyone who gets in her way including her own daughter. After being defeated in battle General Tiber Maximillian Adolphus  was exiled to Hallholme a barren Deep Zone planet where he and his fellow exiles were expected to die. Especially since Diadem Michella had their supplies sabotaged. Only thru aid from an anonymous benefactor were they able to survive the first year. Now the planet is thriving and Adolphus has plans to unite the Deep Zone planets so they will no longer have to pay crushing tributes to the Diadem's Empire. A mysterious alien race is discovered on Hallholme and the Xayan's pledge their support to General Adolphus after Diadem Michella ruthlessly murders the Xayan Ambassadors. 
2. Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell - you can read my review here.
3. Slow Gardening by Felder Rushing - chock full of great gardening ideas, I plan to try some of them. 
4. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean - couldn't get into it.
5. Storm Front by Jim Butcher - Harry is asked to find a missing husband who is into magic, Murphy wants Harry to tell her how magic was used to rip the hearts out of two people. Sounds simple right, but he also has to prove to the White Council that he isn't the killer and Morgan is breathing down his neck just waiting for Harry to slip up. Not to mention the killer wants Harry dead, and has everything he needs to insure Harry dies during the next storm. 
6. Tender is the storm by Johanna Lindsey - bodice ripping romance, great vacation read. Spoilt  New York socialite Sharisse Hammond meets the man of her dreams on a ranch in the Arizona Territory. 
7. The Myths, Legends, and Lore of Ireland by Ryan Hackney and Amy Hackney Blackwell - rather boring and not at all what I expected very few myths, legends or lore in the book mostly a dry history of Ireland. 
8. An Angel With Fur by Russell Blake - Very moving story of how Russell adopts Lobo from a shelter, they battle Lobo's cancer and win only to have Lobo die later from complications due to his allergy medicine.  You can read more about Lobo @ Russell Blake's website.
9. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher - When FBI Agent Denton and his team make a deal to become Hexenwolfs in order to kill the bad guys without getting caught they need fall guys. They have a foolproof plan to blame the killings on the Streetwolves (lycanthropes) to the police and on Loup-garou, Harley MacFinn to the White Council. Unfortunately for Harry Dresden he is the only one that can stop them, but battered and bruised does he have enough magic left to succeed.
10. Crashers by Dana Haynes - Great Book. When a Cascade Air Flight  crashes the NTSB rushes to find out why. Tommy (pathologist) through a stroke of luck happens to be nearby and is first on the scene. Thanks to his heroic actions key evidence is preserved. Everything seems to be pointing to pilot error. But then FBI agent Ray Calabrese shows up convinced that Irish Terrorist brought the plane down. Unbeknownst to the players the man responsible for the crash has inserted himself on the NTSB team and is tampering with the evidence to make it look like pilot error. When it is apparent that the team has figured out how the plane was crashed he arranges to bring the "swap-out"  plane down. The quick thinking of Isaiah Grey who is piloting the "swap-out" plane allows them to land on the Interstate. Realizing they have no time to waste and that another air craft is in danger Ray attempts to contact his superiors only to find that he has been declared a rogue agent by his friend and fellow agent Lucas Bell. Realizing that Lucas Bell can blow Daria's cover at any time and that there is no time to waste if the target aircraft is to be saved, Ray talks the NTSB survivors of the "swap-out" plane's emergency landing into a desperate flight to save the target air craft and the woman he loves. Meanwhile after her cover is blown Daria makes a heroic effort to survive  in order to foil the terrorist plot.
11. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher - Harry and Michael (Knight of the Cross) have been battling a lot of stirred up ghost, whatever is stirring them up and tormenting them seems to have a grudge against Harry, Michael & Murphy. When Harry and an escort get invited by the Vampire Court in his role as local representative of the White Council to a reception celebrating the elevation of Madame Bianca to margravine of the Red Court of Vampires.his girlfriend Susan Rodriguez insist on going even though Harry warns her of the danger. Unfortunately after having his Godmother Lea (Leanansidhe) try to kill him and losing Michael's sword (Amoracchius) he forgets about Susan's desire to go to the vampire reception. Realizing that Baroness Bianca has something to do with the "ghost" he and Michael attend the reception, unbeknownst to Harry Susan took his invitation and had it replicated so she could get into the party. Thomas (Vampire from the White Court) and his date Justine befriend Harry. Justine pleads with Harry to help her and Thomas escape the reception alive when Thomas is receiving his "gift" from Baroness Bianca. Against his better judgement Harry agrees. Baroness Bianca  gifts Harry with a gravestone saying he died "doing the right thing". Then Leanansidhe gifts Baroness Bianca with Amoracchius and she gives it to Mavra to kill Lydia ( a woman Harry promised to protect). If Amoracchius is used to spill innocent blood it will loose it's power. Michael insist that it must be "saved" from being unmade and will do it with or without Harry's help. To their surprise Thomas agrees to help them. They save Lydia (not her real name) but the sword is out of their reach. During their retreat Justine is captured and Baroness Bianca makes a deal with Thomas. Believing himself doomed Harry rains down FIRE and destroys many vampires before Michael is able to get him and Lydia out. Thomas shows up at Harry's apartment with Amoracchius, and begs Harry to help him free Justine and Susan. Harry comes up with a plan to use the Nevernever to get into Baroness Bianca's. Leaving Thomas and Michale in the Nevernever he goes into Baroness Bianca's alone and is promptly captured. He is eventually thrown into the basement with Justine and  Susan where he discovers that Susan has been turned into a vampire but that the change isn't complete yet because she hasn't feed. Harry, Justine and Susan escape causing a war between the White Council and the Red Court. Harry ask Susan to marry him but due to her half-vampire status she refuses and leaves town.