Book Review: Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard

I was originally really excited to review Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 by L. Ron Hubbard. However, my excitement began to wane around halfway through the book.

Summary

Battlefield Earth started out strong for me. The year is 3000 and aliens called Psychlos are in control of Earth after they wiped out the vast majority of the population. Terl, one of the Psychlos, believes that there may be a use for the humans: mining Earth's resources.

Jonnie Goodboy Tyler seeks to better the lives of the people in his village. Their population is dwindling, children are born with birth defects, and no one else seems to care. He rides out with the hope of finding a new location for them to settle.

Man has seemingly reverted to a primitive state. There are few left and most cities are merely ruins, even something as common as glass is mysterious to Jonnie. Unfortunately for Jonnie, he is spotted by Terl who uses his species' advanced technology to capture him.

Jonnie begins to learn Psychlo while he is Terl's prisoner, he learns to read and write, fly airships, and gather information on the Psychlos.

There are several events that take during and after Jonnie's struggle to escape, however I do not want to spoil this aspect for future readers.

Review

Battlefield Earth is just over 1000 pages and includes some of L. Ron Hubbard's notes, expanded content, lyrics, an interview with Hubbard, and an introduction. 

L. Ron Hubbard comes across as arrogant in the introduction, especially after I went back to reread it after finishing the book for this review. 

As someone who loves vivid descriptions, I found that this book came across as too wordy. Hubbard repeats himself several times. This became tedious when reading. 

Several characters are introduced but never really developed, different aliens are introduced but their motives are never really clear, and Jonnie never really became a likable hero for me. 

It was frustrating that gender roles and stereotypes are tossed about so frequently in Battlefield Earth where I became bored attempting to read certain sections. I found that you knew nothing exciting was going to happen when female characters were around.

L. Ron Hubbard's interview at the end gave some insight to his writing style; this interview once again painted him as arrogant in my eyes.

Overall, I really liked the first half of the book, but I started to lose interest after the halfway point. Battlefield Earth could have ended several times before it actually ended.

Find it here: Battlefield Earth

I received the book for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Product Review: Guitar Capo from ONME

John has been talking about playing his guitar more so I wanted to review these as a gift to him. ONME sent me a set of two.

Guitar Capos shorten the length of a guitar's strings and raise the pitch; it makes it easier for musicians to play songs in a different key. While there are variations, these capos use a spring to clamp down.

The two capos are identical except for the color; one is black and the other is silver.

They both have soft rubber where they come into contact with the string and the set of two would be awesome for people who have multiple fretted instruments.

These are faster than the capos that you have to twist to tighten and seem like they are a good deal for the price.

Find them here: ONME Guitar Capos, Set of 2

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Product Review: Cooling Base Layer Tank Top from Homaste

John works in a hot factory so I thought that this shirt from Homaste would be beneficial to him.

Unfortunately, despite my going by the size measurements on the chart, the shirt still fit him awkwardly.

I had him try it on and the holes for his arms seem as if they are a little too small, he has lost weight so I went with the large, it was long enough, but the shape is strange.

I looked for care instructions and there were not any, so I washed in cold and put them through the dryer on the timed setting with other clothes to see how it would hold up. The seams did not fray and the material is still cool to the touch.

It is not a flattering top to be worn alone in my opinion, but as an undershirt it is fine.

Find it here: Homaste Shirt

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Product Review: Caffinity

I have been looking for a product that would help Johnathon during days where he did not get the best quality sleep the night before.

Caffinity has 290 mg of caffeine that is in an extended release capsule for taking before your workout or on days where you can use a boost or there are various other supplements offered by Nexira. 

Unfortunately, I am too caffeine-sensitive for this product so John was the (willing) guinea pig. 

There were a couple days that he told me he would not have been able to function without it because of low quality sleep, no naps needed. 

The only thing I do not necessarily care for is the gimmicky descriptions of the product, sure they are funny but they do not really tell you much about the product like a clear description would; it just sounds like someone trying to use fancy jargon when they do not really know what they are talking about.

These include Vasogen XT as the main culprit, it offers a "Vein splitting pump performance" according to the packaging.

With products that have flavors like Hawaiian Pump and Tigers Blood, the experience is bound to be more eventful than your usual cup of coffee.

Find it here: Caffinity

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Product Review: Microfiber Towels from Rallt

I was a little skeptical when I first tried these microfiber towels from Rallt.

 I have never used a product like this before so I did not know what to expect. They have made me a believer. Realistically, I cannot see our regular towels being phased out but these definitely have their perks.


Both of the towels are beyond soft so they would be great for using on sensitive skin. They are also less than half the weight and one eighth of the size of a regular towel. 

This makes it ideal for camping, a gym bag, a diaper bag, or for having it one in the car.


They come with a case for each towel and each towel has a loop that can be unbuttoned if needed.

I tried the larger towel at the beach on the Fourth of July and did not have any problems, it absorbed water and dried quickly without taking up much room.


Find it here: Microfiber Towels

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Product Review: DreamSky Digital Clock

Clock Screen, Madison's
shoe for scale

Timer

I really like this clock, however the instructions were a different story due to all of the errors.

The clock has an alarm, temperature reading, and timer function. They are all pretty easy to set using a two button system. The back light comes on when the clock is rotated and rotating it allows you to access the various functions.

The overall design is simple, you use the SET and ADJ button to change the date and time as well as to set the alarm or timer.

The screen is 3.2 inches by 2.9 inches and the display is clear from all angles, there is not any blurring. 

This clock only runs on batteries, which I am not necessarily thrilled about but it would be great for using as a kitchen timer, a clock for workouts, reading, and more.

It is important to note that this alarm clock does not have a snooze option, you rotate the clock to turn the alarm off and it will go off again the next day.   

The instructions have several errors, it appears that the writer was not an English speaker; when you are trying to cater to an American market clear instructions are important. An example of this is the feedback card in the box. "We are always looking for ways to improve ,You spoken, we will listen ." The errors are relatively minor but it is distracting when you are trying to figure out the product. 

Alarm

Temperature

Clock with backlight

Back

Try it yourself here: DreamSky Alarm Clock

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Product Review: Vehicle Escape Hammer from Real Deal Tools

I am thankful that we have not had an opportunity to test this particular product, hopefully we will never have to use it.

I have gotten several car safety items and this was one of them on the list one side has a hammer to break through the windows if the car is submerged or burning. The second side has a seatbelt cutter that adds a little piece of mind especially with Madison in the car if we need to get out quickly.

I firmly believe that anyone who drives, especially parents, should have this product. 

The handle is bright orange so you can see it and the blade is tucked into the handle so it is not dangerous. The set also comes with a mount so it can be attached to consoles or gear pockets.

Anyone who doubts the usefulness of this product should check out the Mythbusters YouTube video where Adam tries getting out of a submerged car. Spoiler alert: he knew it was coming and still needed help.

Find it here: Auto Safety Tool from Real Deal Tools

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Product Review: LK Baby's Heavy Duty Trunk Organizer

We got a new car a few months ago. Naturally, we are trying to keep it as nice as possible so a big factor is organization.

Compact Size

Reflective Strip

The trunk has a lot of space so it can accommodate this large organizer, I would recommend it for larger cars, SUVS, and vans.

Right side is with the organizer's
bottom in place

There are 10 pockets for small items and 2 straps on the inside for larger items on the inside. There are also two large exterior pockes, plus clips to keep it compact when not in use.

On the outside, one long side of the organizer has a reflective strip just in case for added visibility.

The non-slip feet

According to their Amazon listing and my own measurements the organizer goes from 12 x 14.5 x 22" to 12 x 14.5 x 3" when collapsed.

I have used it for taking stuff to the lake and there is a lot of room for baby items, food, and more.

I would definitely recommend this product to friends and family.

Some of the available pockets

Find it here: Trunk Organizer from LK Baby

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own. 

Product Review: Scotch Porter Beard Balm

John's beard is going to be Gimli-esque soon.

He has been using the Scotch Porter Beard Wash in conjunction with the Beard Balm for over a week now and if nothing else his skin underneath seems, according to him, "less itchy."

I will take it. His beard looks better and feels softer after giving the products some time time to work. I am unsure if this is a result of the products themselves or if it is mainly because he is washing his face more often.

Overall, I like the Beard Balm better than the Beard Wash. While the wash smells like a generic soap, the Beard Balm has a rustic smell to it that John and I both like.

The Scotch Porter Beard Balm is available in 3 oz and 6 oz containers.


Find it here: Scotch Porter Beard Balm

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review.

Product Review: Scotch Porter Moisturizing Beard Wash

 Johnathon explained the "man wash" basics, for those who do not know this means that shampoo trickles down and 'washes' his face.

Scotch Porter's Beard Wash is 8 oz of success when it comes to personal hygiene. 

They advertise it as being able to turn a "bird's nest into a lion's mane" which would be pretty impressive. Sadly, I have not noticed much of a difference on his facial hair, but there has been a positive change on his skin; his skin is less dry.

The product itself just smells like a pretty generic soap, but I am just happy that he washed his face. We also received their Beard Balm and we both agree it smells better, the review for this product will be posted later in the week.

Find it here: Scotch Porter Beard Wash

I received the product for free in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.