Have you ever picked up a book, gotten halfway through it, and realized it’s part of a series? But it’s not numbered, so you can’t figure out where it falls? Or looked at two books by the same author and wondered whether they were series books, and if so were they the same series, or different ones…? Maybe not, but since I work in a library, I run into this a lot with customers.

Enter the most genius website ever: fantasticfiction. It essentially catalogs a bazillion authors and lists all of their books, both series and stand-alone. It also puts the series in order and gives publication dates. It’s quick, informative, and awesome. Check it out!

Eclipse is book 3 in the ongoing saga of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, which I’ve been looking forward to the way most people have been waiting Harry Potter. Meyer’s writing is so captivating, I just get swept away by her stories. In Eclipse, Bella finally graduates from high school, meaning her transformation from human to vampire is imminent. Though nervous, she is prepared, when suddenly things go awry. A series of serial killings in Seattle prompts the Cullen family to suspect that vampires are at work, and it doesn’t take long for them to realize that Bella is at the heart of the matter. Everything must be put on hold until the danger is past.

Further complicating the issue is Bella’s friendship with Jacob Black, who is desperately trying to save her. With her impending transformation postponed, he is certain he has time to change her mind, if only she’d recognize the depth of her feelings for him. Much to her consternation, Bella realizes that a part of her does love Jacob, but at the same time she finally accepts Edward’s marriage proposal.  Now the question is, will she survive long enough to get married…and die? Or will Jacob find a way to keep her from Edward?

Oooo. It’s compelling, chilling, romantic and delicious. I love this series. It’s going to be a long year waiting for the next one, which Meyer says will be the final book of the Twilight saga. I can’t wait to find out what happens, though I know I’ll be sad when it’s over, like saying goodbye to old friends for the last time.

My brain is always a season ahead. In March, I was shopping for tank tops, wearing coconut lotion and breaking out the bronzer. Now that the dog days of summer have kicked in, I’m ready for fall. I just bought 3 new sweaters (yay, tax-free weekend!), a new fall bag and some cute earrings. I’ve also been gathering up a bunch of fashion magazines to see what the top trends are. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Cosmopolitan’s Style and Beauty Issue recommends:

• A prep school blazer
• Something strapless
• Plaid
• A cocoon coat
• Color blocking
• High-waisted trousers
• Textured knit
• A skinny dress

My favorite tip from the magazine is to mix unusual colors, such as a violet sweater and an emerald green skirt.

InStyle Makeover has a few suggestions as well. Be on the lookout for:

• Menswear
• Sequins
• Big sweaters in fine gauge knits
• Fitted parkas

It also recommends four big trends in jeans:

1. Trouser cut
2. Bright color
3. Dark and tapered
4. Gray

and 25 additions to update your wardrobe:

1. Stiletto oxfords
2. Art deco jewelry
3. Short-sleeved coats
4. Naval inspired
5. Zippers, chains, and buckles
6. Frame purse
7. Soft leather
8. 40s inspired shoulder pads
9. Tweed shifts
10. Gold patterned fabrics
11. Quilted
12. Sweaters with girly detailing
13. Slouchy slacks
14. High-waisted pencil skirt
15. Boxy yet feminine bags
16. Color blocking
17. Sequins
18. Paper-bag waisted pants
19. French chic
20. Ruffly blouses
21. Studs
22. Blue
23. Colorful jackets
24. Geometric prints
25. Twin-buckle belts

People Stylewatch listed their looks to keep and lose.

Keep:

• Chunky knits
• Non-grungy plaid
• Fedoras
• Trapeze dresses
• Jeans tucked into boots
• Striped knit dresses
• Metallics
• Tunic Tops
• Mary Janes
• Lockets

Say goodbye to:

• Bows
• Newsboy caps
• Mixing patters
• Legwarmers

And finally, Lucky magazine expects 4 trends to be big:

1. Anglomania
2. 40s-inspired
3. Modern gamine
4. Luxe biker

Also, be on the lookout for the following footwear styles:

• Pointed-toe pumps
• Stacked-heel pumps
• Hardware flats
• Sliver-wedge boots
• High-heeled oxfords
• Pointed-toe flats
• Platform mary janes
• Flat boots
• Knee-high boots
• Ankle boots
• Covered platforms

Need more inspiration? Here’s a terrific fall outfit I put together for a super affordable $85.97!

• Old Navy Pointelle Henley in Roasted Eggplant
• Mossimo for Target Wideleg Utility Jeans in Dark Indigo
• Isaac Mizrahi for Target Anna Ballet Flats in Brown Snake
• Xhilaration Yellow Hobo

In my continuing quest to learn more about raw food eating, I checked out Natalia Rose’s Raw Food Life Force Energy. It was meant to be interim reading while I waited for the other Carol Alt book, but I found it to be really captivating. Basically, Rose says that we are all made of Life Force Energy and to operate at our best (healthiest, most energetic, happiest) we must eat foods high in Life Force Energy, and avoid processed, low energy foods that drag us down. Yes, a lot of it comes off as very New Age-y, and she suggests things that are the opposite of conventional health wisdom: don’t count calories or fat, eat your heaviest meal at the end of the day, get your colon cleaned on a monthly basis, etc.

But, on the other hand, she recommends a primarily raw, vegetarian diet (there are exceptions to both) that is heavy on the fruits and veggies and limits snacking. She is also big on food combining. According to Rose, waste equals weight, and the standard American diet (the acronym is SAD, as she points out) heavily taxes the digestive tract. She recommends “quick-exit” meals that leave your stomach fairly quickly, and she cautions against eating again until those foods have cleared through. She is big on elimination, explaining how and when to do it properly, and she also recommends full-body dry brushing, massages, and soaks in Epsom salts for further detoxification. She is a big proponent of getting the body clean, so that it becomes light and balanced, which in turn brings about great joy.

It is a very compelling read. I admit, I had my skeptical moments, since a lot of what she says is very unconventional. Then again, I exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet, and I am still plagued with excess weight and low energy. I feel as though I have nothing to lose by trying her method, and I may have health and happiness to gain. The book outlines a 21-day plan, which includes recommended meals, breathing techniques, detoxifying applications, Life Force Energy exercises and journaling activities. It is a comprehensive, holistic plan, and I can’t wait to see how I feel in three weeks.

Carol Alt’s The Raw 50 is actually a recipe-based sequel to her first book, Eating in the Raw, which I have never read. I just happened to stumble across this book at work and thought it looked interesting, even though I’ve never really been into raw eating. However, after glancing through these recipes and reading Carol’s suggestions and the testimonials of raw food eaters, I’m more than intrigued. First off, I guess a definition of raw eating is in order. Essentially, these are foods that have been uncooked and unpasteurized, and when warmed, are done so at very low temperatures. For a more complete explanation, click here. I guess the next question is, what’s so great about it? Well, this is how Carol explains the importance of raw food:

I explained things to Christine the best way I knew how. I told her the body needs nutrients to make enzymes to digest food. The body does this because its most essential function on earth is to digest and utilize food and water…The problem with cooked food is that it no longer has any enzymes of its own. So in order to digest cooked food, the body pulls nutrients from the most readily available source, itself. The body then produces enzymes to digest the cooked, nutrient-depleted food, which no longer has the nutrients to replace the nutrients in the body that were used to make the digestive enzymes. It’s a big vicious cycle! As a result, the body begins to break down and age.

But Carol’s not the only one advocating the raw food lifestyle. The book’s forward was written by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, also a proponent of the plan, and the book is sprinkled with testimonials from people who say the eating plan changed their lives and cured a variety of ailments: cancers, leukemia, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, depression, and thyroid disorder, not to mention aided in weight loss, increased energy and fewer mood swings. The very last testimonial is by Amanda Sager, who (with the exception of being vegan–I still eat dairy) could easily be describing me:

In college, Amanda exercised regularly and ate what is commonly considered a “balanced diet.” She had been a vegetarian since age sixteen and became completely vegan at twenty, but Amanda knew she was still not right with food. “I always had this feeling that my diet was not working. I was overweight, puffy, and pale. My emotions were all over the place, and I was often depressed without good reason or explanation. My energy level was low, and I felt somewhat trapped by my eating habits. It’s frustrating to think you are following the healthiest diet and then realize you are not,” she says.

I have a family history of thyroid disorder, and I’ve been tested over and over (in fact, I had blood work for it today) and the results are always the same: I’m perfectly fine. But if my thyroid is functioning, then why am I chronically exhausted, cranky, and cold? Why did my hair start falling out? Why is my metabolism practically nonexistent? And most of all, why can’t any of the myriad of doctors I’ve seen answer any of these questions? I eat a “healthy” diet: whole grains, fruits and veggies, no meat or high fructose corn syrup, no juice or soda, very little caffeine and trans fats. So I always assume that I have the food part taken care of. But maybe not. Maybe there really is something to be said for eating raw and keeping enzymes in balance. Another thing that I noticed in these testimonials is that not all of these people eat raw 100% of the time. Many of them are 90% raw, but are always prepared when they eat cooked foods and try to make up for the enzyme imbalance.

This doesn’t, by any means, seem like an easy way to eat. It’s expensive, and, according to Alt, requires some specialized tools: a good blender, a juicer, a dehydrator, a coffee grinder (to process small foods), an instant-read thermometer, a spiral slicer, a mandoline, a vacuum storage system, canning jars, and cheesecloth. Still, I’m open to the idea of gradually replacing some of the cooked foods I eat with raw meals and see where it leads me. I definitely intend to read the first book and see what it says, but in the meantime Alt also has a raw foods website: rawnutrion, which looks as though it aas quite a bit of information.