Frozen History 7 Publishing Book Review Podcast

Category: Art News

  • Episode 3 Season 6 – Fablehaven Grip of the Shadow Plague

    By Andrea E. Menzies 01/31/2023

    Audio Introduction is here:

    https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-vzy2d-137bb1b
    This is the introduction the full review is here:

    What books should fiction fans read now that the top spots are up for grabs? For years authors like J.K. Rowling and Anne Rice ruled the fiction world. However they are not dominating the fiction game anymore. Many websites say Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series is good for Potter fans looking for new fiction. An unseen magic world that the un-magic knows nothing of swallows two young adventurers who have to save the world from evil magic. So check this book’s full review at (seen here) https://frozenhistory7publishing.wordpress.com or Google Frozen History 7 Book Review Podcast at WordPress to Google the podcast blog.

    The Fablehaven series contains the books Rise Of The Evening Star, Grip of the Shadow Plague, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Keys to the Demon Prison all by Brandon Mull. I recommend and give a good rating to the series, but the first interesting thing I noticed about “Shadow Plague” is it is about a pandemic, and I read it IN the pandemic. It was written just a few years before the pandemic, and seemed strangely prophetic of real life events in metaphors. Combined with Steven King’s The Stand I am starting to think some fiction writers really have prophetic abilities, but lets face it science has predicted this sort of thing for a while now.

    The second interesting thing I noticed is there is a great deal of fantasy overlap between J.K. Rowling and Mull’s fantasy worlds. Centaurs roam the woods near Hogwartz, and Centaurs roam the magic woods of the Shadow Plague. Dragon’s magic, Fairies, and other magic names appear in BOTH books. However Mull’s fiction tends to have an AD&D angle to the myths, and Rowling’s is more King Arthur and Merlin in mythological base. Dumbledor signs his letters as “Order of Merlin” where Seth Sorenson Mull’s main character uses magic missiles and weapons to battle giants, and dragons.

    Another contrast is that Mull’s characters are more independent, and lack social help. Harry Potter learns about magic at a magic school with hundreds of other students. He gets swim powers from Longbottom’s gillyweed. In Mull’s Fablehaven universe few humans outside the Sorenson Family know about magic. The family members keep getting kidnapped, and so the kids have to battle alone.

    In the book plot hundreds of years ago dragons, centaurs, and other magic beings roamed the Earth freely. Unfortunately evil ones tried to hurt humans, and so all humans began to fear magic. The humans drove all the magic people and animals onto magic preserves where spells make them look like normal animals and bugs. Seth belongs to the family that is the nature park’s custodians. The magic skips a generation, and so Seth’s grandparents have the only other family magic besides Seth’s sister Kendra. The kids were not supposed to learn about magic until they were old enough to inherit the property. Plague, emergency, and magic wars left them defending the nature preserve extra young, and all too quickly. The world starts to be destroyed in every book. However by the end of the book victory always happens.

    The tone of the books is not too dark for kids, but is scary at times. The plot twists are frequent, and are interesting to readers of all ages. The plot manages to stay surprising, and NOT predictable. I give it five stars, and recommend it to fiction fans.

  • No Basement

    By Andrea E. Menzies 01/29/23

    Internet Rant of the week and Podcast Cross Promotion: New Orleans has NO basements! This rant is not MY rant alone as the book series became a cable TV show. The show has changed MUCH of the books to bring them to film. Some of this is a necessary evil in that TV and books are NOT the same publication format. Yet many of the changes are melodramatic and strangely contradicting the book plot. Why BUY the rights of a a bestselling book if you are going to mutilate it into an unrecognizable format? So far they have cut the characters Michael Curry and Aaron Lightener completely and they are MAIN characters. Making the Talamasca character of Aaron young destroys the Van Helsing metaphors from the original Dracula book inherent to that character. Then the drama goes wild as they have a nurse go into a basement and get killed. This is NOT in the books! In fact ALL the cemeteries in New Orleans are ABOVE ground because the soil will let NOTHING be constructed underground! The photo I have attached is an above ground cemetery I photographed in New Orleans in 2019. It is a famous tourist fact announced on all tours! Which begs the question why did they put people who know NOTHING about New Orleans in charge of a famously New Orleans based story that was a best seller book? Almost every book podcast I read or heard went wild on that point: New Orleans has NO Basements. They are filming in New Orleans but have much to learn. It is strange like as if they went to Paris and said the Eiffel Tower did NOT exist. I hope they do better next week, but I still like the show and podcast “The AMC Mayfair Witches Podcast” online. They mentioned the uncle character IS played by the Perseus actor from Clash of the Titans, and that alone is worth a listen to the podcast as they do a snake dance that is super funny.

  • Airport Time

    I have a great deal of family in Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA. My mom is flying to visit her family in LA to see a funeral, and then Seattle to see a baby shower for two weeks. A full circle of life tour. I will be house sitting her plants and pets, and so people who need to reach me should try me there. My normal cell phone number will be good for phone contact. I plan to visit soon myself as I went to school there as a kid, and miss my California school friends.

  • More Sandman AND Good Omens Woot

    https://winteriscoming.net/2023/01/24/the-sandman-star-gives-update-season-2-desire-mason-alexander-park/

  • Episode 2 Season 6 – Apple Cider Vinegar

    By Andrea Menzies 01/24/2023

    The Text for the Audio Podcast is Here:

    January is the month of the New Year’s Resolutions, and I am still working on my latest ones. It is the great equalizer to us all that Christmas pies and cookies look way too yummy. New Year’s Resolution time is one of the few times you can recommend and trade fitness ideas without too much hassle, and so one last fitness book is up for review.

    January is the month of the New Years Resolutions, and I am still working on my latest ones. It is the great equalizer to us all that Christmas pies and cookies look way too yummy. New Years Resolution time is one of the few times you can recommend and trade fitness ideas without too much hassle, and so one last fitness book is up for review.

    Apple Cider Vinegar has been research heavily in studies recently from Finland, Japan, and the United States. CNN just printed an article called “5 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar and a few duds according to experts” by Sandee LaMotte on August 30, 2021. Dietitian Carol Johnston a professor of nutrition in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University did verify the results. She cautions that it is not a “cure all” potion that fixes diabetes. Unfortunately some books have made this wild claim. However for light diets it does help.

    “One tool in helping lower blood sugar a 10 point decrease in fasting glucose concentrations” and “They used to spoons of vinegar in a glass of water twice daily.” people had “2 to 4 pound loss in three months over a placebo” showing people lost pounds in the study with vinegar daily use.

    The Patricia Bragg book is a fascinating written work on the subject. Her family has made Apple Cider Vinegar since 1912. Her father Paul Bragg heavily toured the United States promoting apple cider vinegar as a health tonic and diet drink for years. The book begins by saying many people including Hippocrates the father of medicine have recommended cider vinegar as a health tonic since 400 B.C. on page 1.

    Many books on diet and gym fitness are only a portion about the body, and the rest is really a “self help” book about emotions. Patricia Bragg and her family’s books are big into the fitness and self-help industry worlds. Positive review quotes from Dr. Demartini of “The Secret”, and Mark Hansen of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book fame, and singer Katie Perry fill the introduction. They say Bragg’s older works were an inspiration to them. Emotions and eating go hand-in-hand greatly as one of the first things we do as babies is get a milk feeding from our parents. Eating is the first bond our subconscious forms with emotion, and this make it a touchy subject.

    I had read articles on the Apple Cider Vinegar diet, but I am glad I read the books. I had been doing it wrong. First it must be unfiltered cider with “the mother” bacteria in it intact to work for diets. The Clear stuff from the cheap isles is made with petroleum product, and it is not good for you. This book is by the Bragg family so they say Bragg is the best of course, but bacteria is part of the process. Microwaves can destroy the bacteria so don’t eat it near one that is on. Second you must drink 2 spoons full in the morning AND afternoon. Also Patricia Bragg says raw honey is good to add, and so I added this daily. Patricia Bragg is very obviously a flower child, and has given her presentations heavily in Berkley and Oakland, CA as seen in the book quotes. She heavily recommends going vegetarian frequently. I did not expect her to go on a “Showers, Toxic Chemicals, and Chlorine” rant on page 97, but it was good information. My shower and drinking water pitchers already use filters, but I bought fresh filters after this book. Chlorine keeps water safe in some ways, but long-term is toxic if not filtered out. Public water in many areas is NOT safe, and can cause health issues including weight issues.

    Vinegar is tasty, and an FDA approved food. It does NOT make you jittery like many diet pills. If people don’t use this as a health-kick they will use something else even WORSE for you so it has advantages. There is no “quick fix” for fitness. You will need a low calorie diet and movement for it to work. I give this book a good review for fun information and an inspirational tone. It definitely has me consuming 2 spoons in 2 glasses daily from now on as a resolution. I give it five stars, and will recommend it to friends. #BraggAppleCider

  • Teacher Update

    By Andrea Menzies 01/24/2023

    Special Note: I am STILL working as a teacher in Chesterfield. I got the job with my completed University degree being verified, and I passed all criminal background checks back in the year 2019 when I was hired. Here are some of my latest classroom photos from this week’s projects pictured below. In addition I work two other jobs, and donate plasma. They drug test you REGULARLY when you plasma donate, and I passed ALL drug tests as clean. I point this out because I got an e-mail this week that a bitter wanna-be ex-boyfriend from a past job was spreading lies that I was an opioid drug addict. I would NOT be able to do teaching work, or plasma donation if this was true. Background checks and drug tests would have gotten me LONG ago as they check VERY carefully, and constantly, at both plasma and teaching centers.

    Every year I watch teacher videos on “no sexual harassment in the workplace” and think “this could never happen” then I am sadly proven wrong when I open the newspaper. Please be aware that MANY men single and married have lost lawsuits for falsely accusing women of job or drug misconduct when they are REALLY bitter about being refused for dating and sexual advances in the workplace. Do people think sexual harassment offenders put on a billboard next to a freeway what they are doing? No they disguise it as “helpful” information. Many men hate competing with women for education, jobs, and money. This is where the anger is REALLY coming from in gender prejudice. I have been battling this so often in Virginia my voice is horse from repeating it at this point. No means no, and no woman owes men intimacy regardless of background.

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  • Daily Truth

    Daily Truth

  • Moving Project

    I am moving away from Virginia as a project, but I need moving app recommendations. My family forced me to move here originally, and the experience has been horrific agony. I am saving every dime from my work to move from the dumpster fire called Virginia. There has been a lack of men to date I fully hate. What men I have dated have been abusive, and vicious. The tiny amount of nice ones abandoned me in a week. You know those dates that end up friends? Never happens in Virginia. This doesn’t happen to me in other areas. The art and local music completely suck, no one is friendly, and the clubs are all run by criminal idiots constantly robbing customers. Until the wonderful day where the rain storm of emotional pain ends, I am seeking information on leasing. Unfortunately many apps come up short on information. Until I can permanently move I am going to be RV road trip visiting other places often seeking rental information because the apps I have tried lack good information.

  • Line Play Love

    The online video game Line Play has me obsessed this month. My player code is JN68518106 so add me to friends. I just got my first riding pet so I need challengers for the races. I still play my other top loved games like Avakin Life, Lord of the Rings online, and World of Warcraft, but Line Play has an online journal that reminds me of the old school Live-journal level of activity.

  • Episode 1 Season 6 – The Alli Diet Plan

    Review by Andrea Menzies 01/17/2023

    https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-95g85-1366dfe
    Episode 1 Season 6 Alli Diet Plan

    This is January the month of New Years Resolutions. I personally am fond of my Fitbit I first started using in 2013. With so much fake information on the market how can you tell the real from the fake? I give the book “The Allie Diet Plan” by Caroline Apovian M.C. (c) 2007 a good review because it is not all celebrities selling crap with charisma. It has many research reports by Universities and doctors. Alli works without stimulants, and so it will not cause headaches. One side issue it does have is to start off you should take it on the weekend, or after work only. If you are female wear an extra panty liner. It will cause stomach upset at first. Afterwards it DOES make you lose 10 pounds without feeling jittery, and so it is good for resolutions.

    As with any plan diet is not enough you will need to do fitness activities as well. The author Apovian MD works for the Metabolic Support Service at the Boston University Medical Center. She is also an associate professor of medicine. She verifies many research studies and shows the product is one that works. Then she recommends you wear a pedometer like Fitbit and walk 2 miles or bike 5 miles 4 to 5 days a week on page 47 and 110. Next she says chart what you eat on an app like MyFitnessPal. When “calories in” is less than “calories out” the magic happens. Fitness diagrams start on page 119. On page 133 the book turns into a lowfat diet cookbook with tasty foods made into diet dishes. Eggs and potatoes on page 146. Tuna noodle casserole pg 203, Sesame Fried Tofu pg 187, and Garlic Spaghetti p 256 are the ones I like best.

    Fitness is not JUST about looks. Heart health, bone strength, and blood pressure can all suffer if diet and activity suffer. I like the this book author promotes the product, and does not say it is a “magic wand” or quick fix. I have gotten results from the plan in the past, and am re-starting it now. The well formatted research based plan has credibility, and I recommend it for resolutions. New Years is the one time you can talk about fitness without taking too much crap for it, and so I figured I’d mention my favorite tips.