The Secret Withinby Sean Platt and David Wright is an urban fantasy novel about a psychic detective, Delaney West. Delaney has been hired to find a missing person, and his girlfriend, Anika, might be the only one with answers.
This novel started well and was exciting and engaging. I was into the mystery, and I liked the premise of the psychic detective. However, I feel like it failed to develop Delaney’s character’s supernatural aspects to sufficient depth early in the novel.
Also, it takes a wildly unexpected twist at the end, which felt very Deus Ex Machina / WTF. It reminded me of how I felt watching the end of Annihilation. Angry, disappointed, and overall unsatisfied.
Unfortunately, it went off the rails for me, and I would not recommend this book.
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own.
I picked this up because I absolutely adore Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series. And guess what? It did not disappoint! While it’s not the greatest book in the universe, I really enjoyed it. That’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it?
It’s cute and endearing if a tad predictable. Great beach read or a good listen for a road trip. Yes, our main character Prudence is self-centered and judgemental, but she wants to be better. In fact, she does try to be better and even learns some life lessons over the course of the plot.
Now, it’s fairly obvious in some places what will happen. The novel follows a fairly standard rom-com narrative with introducing the couple, them finalizing realized what we’ve known all along (they like each other!), some sort of fight/split, and a reunion at the end. Don’t let that spoil it for you!
The things I loved:
Prudence learning that her judgemental attitude is not serving her as well as she thought, and her judgments are often wrong and hurtful.
The sea rescue!
Quint – until I didn’t.
The narrator – I listened to the audio version and felt she did a great job.
Things I didn’t love:
The obvious way Prudence was doing things wrong, but that was part of her journey, I suppose necessary for the book to happen.
The instant karma device – I’m not sure it was necessary, but I guess it worked ok? Also, it would be something kind of cool to have personally, but Prudence just didn’t get it for almost the entire book.
Overall, as mentioned at the start, this is a great beach read, or for any day when you don’t want to read something serious or heavy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.com for a free advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
I love listening to music while I run, and for years I’ve run using basic Apple EarPods (the ones that come with iPhones). Overall, I love these as they are light, fit well in my ears, rarely come out, and don’t cause any pain even when worn for hours.
However, I have one big issue with them – the wires! If my phone is in a back pocket, then I need to run the wires around somehow. This part isn’t too challenging, but it seems no matter what I do, the wires get tangled with my necklace. Yes, I know I could take off the necklace when I’m running and I have done that in the past.
When I have my dog along, sometimes her leash will tangle with the headphone wires, resulting in a brief stop to untangle every one.
If I have layers on, I never remember to put my headphones on before the top layers. This means that if it warms up and I need to remove a layer, it’s quite an ordeal. Not a huge problem for a training run, but once during a 5k race, I tried to do this while running and I’m sure it was an interesting thing to watch.
All of these issues prompted me to check out wireless bluetooth headphones. There are many models these days that pair over bluetooth and this seemed like a perfect solution to my problems!
I have two pairs, Jaybird BlueBuds X and Plantronics Backbeat Fit. I’ve owned the BlueBuds for a few years but didn’t like them enough to wear them all the time, which is a shame given that they were $$$ when I bought them. The Backbeat Fit headphones just arrived last week and I already love them!
Accessories
Lots of ear tips and ear fins are included so you get a perfect fit (hopefully). Audio quality
Good enough for me, but I’m not too picky as long as the sound is clear and even. Battery life
I haven’t really tested this out, as I charge them often and before long runs, but they hold a charge and haven’t died on me yet. Comfort
Fairly comfortable to wear for extended periods, with some caveats. Quality
They seem well made and I haven’t had any issues .
The Bad
Price
> $100
I paid a lot for these 3 years ago. They are no longer made but can still be purchased for about 1/2 what I paid. The newer model is also a lot less than the original price, depending on what color you want. In any case, the new ones are also > $100, which is a lot to pay for headphones Fit
Even with all the ear tips and fins, I don’t feel these fit well. They bounce and this causes some noise. If I put the strap in the back over my pony tail or finagle it in other ways, this reduces the bouncing but I haven’t figured out how to eliminate it completely. This happens more so on the right side, possibly due to the controls being on that side. They also don’t seem to stay inside my ear properly either. Accessories
Having to keep track of the ear tips and fins is a pain… I am pretty sure I lost the extra ones. Noise
In-ear style blocks a lot of ambient noise (this may be a pro for some, but when running outside, I like to be more aware of my surroundings). Style
They stick out pretty far and look dorky. Case/Storage
The case for these is cute, but it’s a pain to get the headphones and the charging cable inside and have it close properly. Setup
Figuring out which tips and fins to use was non-trivial for me (and I still don’t feel I did it correctly). You can also install the fins differently and wear these so the cord goes around and over the ear. The directions were hard to follow, and I gave up trying to figure out how to wear them that way.
Price
< $100 Fit
I just got these, so far I feel these fit very well. The cord is just the right length, and I don’t feel they bounce around much at all. Audio Quality
Great sound quality, nice bass. Battery life
These should have an 8 hr battery life, same as the BlueBuds. Noise
These are more like Apple’s EarPods so while they do go in your ear they are not “in-ear” style that blocks out all ambient noise. Quality
Lacking the ear fins that the BlueBuds have, these seem very sturdy and unbreakable. Style
I feel these look a lot better than the BlueBuds! Case
These came with a neoprene case that can also be used as an armband for a cell phone. The headphones and the charging cable easily fit inside.
The bad
Comfort
The part that goes over the ear feels like it will become uncomfortable during long runs, and might also be difficult to wear these with sunglasses for an extended period time. I haven’t tried yet, but I will post an update once I do.
Summary
All in all, I like the Plantronics the best. I’m sure some will prefer the in-ear fit of the BlueBuds, however they just aren’t for me. My mom also tried on both pairs, and she preferred the Plantronics as well. I’ll find out this weekend how they do for a long run!
**** I did not receive any free products or discounts to write this review. Maybe someday I’ll get free stuff in exchange for a fair and honest review??!
This book was really fascinating. As I’ve gotten older, I have certainly come to appreciate exercise more, and to cultivate a strong habit (or at least make an attempt).
Here are some highlights of the data presented in the book:
Exercise can improve your brain function and learning
students that did cardio in the morning before school did better in english class than students that did not exercise
students who had english immediately after exercise did better than students that exercised but had english class later in the day
Exercise can improve your mental health
depression, stress, anxiety, ADD/ADHD can all (to some extent) be lessened/improved by exercising
Exercise can prevent / delay symptoms of neurological disorders Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
The current public health guidelines for exercise are probably too low. “Americans are so inactive that the experts are wary of providing guidelines that are too stiff, for fear that the whole country will give up”
If you are looking for motivation to exercise more, or to start exercising, I highly recommend reading this book. As a whole, our society could certainly stand an increase in physical exercise, and it seems as though all the mental health benefits would also be a positive!
After reading this, I’ve tried to pay more attention to how I feel immediately following exercise, throughout the day after, and on days that I don’t exercise. And what I’ve noticed is that I have more energy on the days I run in the morning, despite getting up earlier to fit it in. I’m also a little less stressed (and more patient on those days). Oh, and if I don’t run at all for a few days, I can definitely see a difference there too. Right now I have a broken toe, and I haven’t been able to run for over a week, and it’s been tough coming up with alternative things to do. It’s nice to do yoga again, but it’s not the same level of intensity.
