The Young by Nicholas John Powter; The Super Easy Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners by Wendeline Daalmeijer; The Super Easy Good Energy Diet Cookbook for Beginners by Astrid T. Rasmussen

The Young by Nicholas John Powter 

This is a short review. The full version can be found on LitPick.

This is a stirring novel of survival and the strong bond between Father and Son.

 In a post-Apocalyptic future, Fren Welp and his father, Sven are attacked in their village by beasts from a far away kingdom. After a fight in which Fren is threatened and a family friend has been kidnapped, father and son travel to the kingdom to face their sworn enemies. Unfortunately, the fight becomes personal when they learn that some of the kingdom’s subjects are closer to them than they originally thought.

There is a strong sense of survival. Sven and Fren exhibit a “kill or be killed” mentality. They live a hard, difficult life in which they have to fight against animals, other humans, even former friends and family members. 

The society in The Young is an agrarian society that has deteriorated into small enclaves or tribes, mostly just specific families and even they can be divided. We learn that  Fren’s mother and brother disappeared. Their reappearance is not a happy reunion as they no longer recognize the family members that they left behind.

Despite The Young carrying a theme of survival through adversity and decline in society, it is not completely dour. Heart and warmth lie within the relationship between Sven and Fren.Lacking anything else in life, all they have is each other.

The Young is dark with its theme of survival but light with the love between its deuteragonists. It shows even during the worst times, it's important to have someone to hold onto, care for, guide, help, and love.

The 2025 Super Easy Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 2000 Days of Quicky, Tasty, & Nutritious Recipes Book for Everyday Meals to Live a Healthier Life |No-Stress 30-Day Meal Plan by Wendeline Daalmeijer; 

The 2025 Super Easy Mediterranean Diet Cookbook is a detailed and informative book which explores the benefits and recipes for meals made along the Mediterranean Sea around Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and West Asia.

The introduction provides a history of Mediterranean style cooking, particularly the importance of olive oil and other flavoring to add taste and preservation. Benefits include reducing risk to chronic disease and improved cognitive function and longevity. The book describes the Mediterranean Diet as “a celebration of food” because it encourages family togetherness and holistic activities such as exercise and dancing as well as eating. 

The recipes vary in meals and styles including: Greek Egg and Potatoes for Breakfast, Domatorizo (Greek Tomato Rice) for Beans and Grains, Moroccan Chicken with Apricots, Almonds, and Olives for Poultry, Grilled Kafta for Beef, Pork, and Lamb, Oregano Tilapia Fingers for Fish and Seafood, Garlic-Lemon Hummus for Snacks and Appetizers, Caponata (Sicilian Eggplant) for Vegetables and Sides, Provençal Ratatouille with Herbed Breadcrumbs and Goat Cheese for Vegetarian Mains, Baklava and Honey for Desserts, Israeli Salad with Nuts and Seeds for Salads, Mediterranean-Pita Wraps for Pizza, Wraps, and Sandwiches, Fettuccine with Tomatoes and Pesto, Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip) for Staples, Sauces, Dips and Dressings.

This book provides many suggestions to adapt an international cuisine that encourages healthy eating, diverse options, and emotional wellness.

 

The Super Easy Good Energy Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 150+ Tasty & Nutritious Recipes Inspired by Dr. Casey Means’ Teachings to Help You Lose Weight and Eat Healthier by Astrid T. Rasmussen

The Super Easy Good Energy Cookbook for Beginners is an excellent book that offers good recipes to increase energy levels and cultivate healthy eating habits.

The introduction covers Dr. Casey Means’ Dietary Philosophy which the book uses as its primary inspiration. Means endorsed a holistic approach to nutrition, focusing on the interconnectedness of metabolic health, inflammation, and overall well-being. Among the aspects that Means emphasized include low-glycemic eating, individual metabolic responses to foods, and using whole foods as a cornerstone. Among the tools are Continuous Glucose Monitoring by measuring glucose in real time and identifying sugar spikes.

The book gives a biography that lists Means’ experiences, research, philosophies, and guidelines that are implemented into the Good Energy Diet. The diet eliminates refined sugar, processed grains, and unhealthy fats and the inclusion of high-fiber foods, healthy fats, probiotic-rich foods, and micronutrient-dense foods. Lifestyle is also important in maintaining the Good Energy Diet by doing physical activity, getting enough sleep, and managing stress levels.

The introduction also provides case studies of people whose health improved by implementing the diet into their lives. Mary struggled with metabolic issues such as obesity, fatigue, and elevated blood sugar levels. Within a few months of committing to the diet, her energy improved, blood sugar levels stabilized, and she lost weight. There are similar studies like John who used the diet to improve his blood pressure and cholesterol levels and Lisa whose diet helped her manage her Depression and Anxiety.

Like any other cookbook, the recipes offer a good variety of excellent choices for healthy eating and living. They include: Banana Oat Muffins for Breakfast, Beef and Bell Pepper Stir Fry for Beef, Pork, and Lamb, Fresh Rosemary Chicken for Poultry, Curry-Glazed Salmon with Quinoa for Fish and Seafood, Cold Soup Smoothie for Snacks and Appetizers, Smashed Potatoes with Dried Herbs for Vegetables and Sides, Papaya Rice Bowls for Vegetarian Mains, Easy Summer Gazpacho for Stews and Soups, Greek Salads with Lemon-Orange Vinaigrette for Salads, Almond Butter Fudge with Chocolate Sauce for Desserts, and Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough for Staples, Sauces, Dips, and Dressings. 

The Good Energy Cookbook presents good eating to develop good energy.

 

New Book Alert: Like No Other Boy by Larry Center; A Book Like Many Others But A Sweet Moving Story About Love Between Father and Son

 New Book Alert: Like No Other Boy by Larry Center; A Book Like Many Others But A Sweet Moving Story About Love Between Father and Son

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Books about children with physical, psychological, and neurological disorders are nothing new. Books about the bond that children develop with animals are nothing new. Books about the relationship between single parents and their children are also nothing new.

In substandard hands, Larry Center's Like No Other Boy would be a glurgy piece of tripe filled with cliches that would make even the most ardent Hallmark Channel fan roll their eyes. Thankfully, Center is not that author. Instead he wrote a sweet, moving, and at times heartbreaking novel about the love between a single father and his Autistic son.

Chris Cutcher's son, Tommy is Autistic. He has limited communication with anyone and while verbal often has verbal tics and becomes agitated. On one of his weekends in which Chris has custody (Chris and his ex wife, Cheryl have joint custody.), he takes Tommy to the zoo. Tommy does not react much until they pass by the chimpanzee enclosuree. Fascinated, Tommy begins to communicate with the primates and even reveals one is pregnant. A sign outside the enclosure confirms it. 

Chris is stunned and when they return, records a second encounter between Tommy and the chimps. He is impressed that Tommy has opened himself up so he looks for a program that studies chimpanzees so Tommy can talk to them. Chris takes Tommy to the Weller Research Institute which studies primates. The researchers are able to study how Tommy communicates with the chimps while the boy makes new animal friends. We learn that

a combination of mental pictures, sign language, and laser focusing on one thing allow Tommy and the chimpanzees the ability to understand and relate to each other.

Chris's ex, Cheryl is less than enthused and wants Tommy to go to a school in Houston so he can be with her and her new fiance. Besides the stress of a divorce, raising a special needs child, and a not so lucrative career in voice over work, Chris also has to take care of his aging father so he cannot move to Houston. He wants Tommy to stay with him in San Diego, so a custody battle looks to be on the horizon.

There are some very touching moments between father and son that reflect the difficulties of raising a special needs child and the love that a good parent has for that child. In some passages, Tommy loses his temper only to be calmed by the promise of a token or a visit to the chimps. Sometimes Tommy withdraws so much into himself that Chris can't follow or understand him though he tries. We also see the realistic frustrations and exhaustion someone has in raising such a child. These moments make the sweet parts like when Chris makes his son laugh by imitating Tommy's favorite cartoon characters or when Chris watches with pride and delight as the chimpanzees help him open up even more beautiful.

I am not qualified to judge the accuracy of how Tommy's Autism is written (and people on the spectrum react differently to stimuli so what applies for one may not apply for another). However, the emotional crux of the story between the father and son is something that is earnest and sincere.

There are other characters that are equally as well written, both human and animal. Chris gets assistance from an animal researcher, Rachel who is amazed and encouraging towards Tommy's conversations with the chimpanzees. Chris's father is crotchety, stubborn and doesn't like being reminded of his diminished faculties but is fiercely protective of his son and grandson.

Cheryl, Tommy's mother, could be written as a villain and there are moments when she is pretty antagonistic like her insistence that Houston is the best option for him and her refusal to see that Tommy's time with the chimps is working even when she sees the results for herself. Cheryl also loves Tommy and advocates for him. She is just one of those types of people who think only she knows best and no one else.

Even the chimps are brilliantly characterized. There is Mikey, a little mischief maker who loves to run around the enclosure. Obo was a shy primate brought out of his shell by Tommy's arrival. Albert has heart problems from a lifetime of abuse and sometimes withdraws to paint but he is able to communicate through Tommy a longing for freedom. Of course Tommy's interactions with his primate friends are  deeply felt as many animal lovers can testify sharing a bond with their furry companions that goes beyond speech. It goes through thought, emotion, and understanding. This book shows that.

Like No Other Boy may be a book that tells a familiar story but it does it in a way that is touching, honest, sincere, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. 

Forgotten Favorites: Second Best by David Cook: A Moving Father-Son Story

Forgotten Favorites: Second Best by David Cook: A Moving Father-Son Story
By Julie Sara Porter, Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers Ahead: Second Best is not a well known book and the 1994 film starring William Hurt and Chris Cleary Miles is even less so. But it should be recognized as a moving story about two wounded souls, a 37-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy who find their way to each other becoming a family.

Graham Holt is the Postmaster of a small English village. An introvert, Graham is unable to connect with most people because he felt neglected by his parents who had a loving relationship with each other but not with their son. After his mother dies and his father suffers a painful stroke, Graham longs to adopt a son.

This realization comes about humorously as Graham absently writes "a son" on a shopping list between "milk" and "something for lunch (ham or pork pie." ("Was there a row of shelves at Safeway on which sat boys, school uniformly dressed, priced by size, colouring and age, and with sell-by dates stamped to the soles of their shoes?" Graham idly wonders.) Realizing that this is more than an idle thought, Graham feels lonely and begins the adoption process to foster a son.

Enter James "Jamie/Jimmy" Lennards, a troubled young boy. He has very little memories or affection for his mother, who committed suicide when he was 3, but he dearly loves his father, John, a repeat offender whom James has built up as a mercenary or Freedom Fighter. Because of his separation from his parents and his placements in different foster homes, James has a tendency to act out in violent outbursts and frequent self-harm.  However, he harbors the dream that he and his father,.John, whom he "loves best in all the world", will be reunited together as a family.

Much of the book deals with Graham and James going through the foster process together. Graham follows the different rules and regulations to the letter. He fears opening up to James on a personal level, suggesting that they begin as a "partnership". James having been through the foster process knows how to play the game better than Graham and knows when to show affection, when to withhold, and when to manipulate. The two almost dance around each other uncertain but also longing to be loved.

It becomes a relief for the Reader when the two finally open up to each other. A camping trip in which James shows experience and Graham reveals ineptitude ends up pretty well as the two bond. After Graham is overcome by the death of his father, James comforts him whispering that everything will be okay giving Graham a conch shell as a reminder of the only time Graham was happy with his father.

As the two open up, Graham and James'  characters develop as Graham becomes stronger and more protective of James and James becomes more tender and more respectful towards Graham. Cook develops his two lead characters well with such care.

Another character that develops thanks to Cook's excellent writing is that of John, James' biological father. While he has a criminal past , he is never written as an unrepentant bastard. A letter that he writes to James is broken with remorse about his failure to be in James' life. Then when he returns to the book, depressed and dying from AIDS, Graham lectures him like an older brother but is empathetic enough to invite him to live with him and rekindle his relationship with James.

This unique living arrangement and a final chapter in which Graham chases after James, who is terrified at the sight of his broken dying father, leads to Graham, James, and ultimately John to accept each other as a loving family.