Subscribe via RSS Feed

Category: Self-Help

Review: Survival Mom by Lisa Bedford

[ 5 ] May 10, 2012

Reviewed by Jennifer Rasmussen

Survival Mom is a disaster preparedness book written by a mom with the intent to teach readers how to prepare for disasters ranging from mild (weekend snowstorm) to large (financial collapse).

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I like Lisa Bedford’s blog, I follow her on Facebook, watched her episode of Doomsday Preppers, and think she really knows her stuff. Unfortunately, I think the editing staff over at Harper may have gotten in the way of her putting out a tremendously successful book. Sadly, this survival book went the way of every other one on the market, and turned into an encyclopedia of knowledge. Granted, it’s really helpful knowledge, but there’s not a single photo, the margins are crammed to overflowing with tips and bullets and lists, and it’s just hard to sit down and digest.

The information is very worthwhile and Lisa did a stupendous job of drilling down to the details of what every home needs to have on hand in the event of a disaster, how to get started on food storage, and other necessary basics. If she’d have been able to present it in an easy-to-read format, I could have easily given it 5 stars. As it is, I’m forced to give it a 3 because of its encyclopedia-like nature.

I do think that Survival Mom would be a great resource for an established prepper to keep on the shelf, but will be far too overwhelming for a beginner.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Jen Greyson writes supernatural thrillers and corporate training guides and tries not to mix the two. You can find her free ebook, How to Build a Writing Platform that Works: The New Path to Publishing, at her website, http://TheSurvivalMama.com.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by HarperOne. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
View Post

Review: Lessons in Letting Go by Corinne Grant

[ 2 ] May 6, 2012

Reviewed by Nina Longfield

Corinne Grant, Australian comedian and television presenter, offers a candid account about the year she decided to clean up. Lessons in Letting Go is a memoir on letting go of the things (tangible and intangible) that were holding her down. As she combs through her belongings, Grant comes to realize that each thing, be it an item, a box or a pile, seems to have an emotional leash leading back to herself. The book progresses through the clutter with stories reflecting back to Grant’s childhood in rural Australia, her estranged relationships, and her internal emotional battles. Lessons in Letting Go is not so much a book about cleaning house as much as it is a metaphorical release of emotional baggage.

Corinne Grant’s writing is readable, entertaining, often funny, and sometime poignant. Although I never got the sense that her house was on par with hoarder houses that sometimes pop up on the evening news, Grant did convey a deep sense of frustration and anxiety regarding the clutter in her life. Her connections as to why she kept things are profound and personal.

Lessons in Letting Go is not necessarily a self-help book, as the book-stores seem to shelve it as, but there is a lot of useful information within these pages regarding the things we acquire and the things that sometimes take over our existence. It was was a surprisingly pleasant read. I enjoyed Corinne Grant’s honest inspection of her cluttered life.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Nina Longfield is a writer living in Oregon’s fertile wine country. When she is not reading or writing in her spare time, Nina enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding her cabin.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Allen & Unwin. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Is This Seat Taken? by Kristin Kaufman

[ 2 ] April 9, 2012

Reviewed by Alysia George

Serendipitous meetings have the power to change our lives. Sometimes we might not think much about them at first, and we might only realize their impact much later. Even long periods of time could pass before we understand the significance of a certain conversation, choice, or event.

The subtitle of Kristin Kaufman’s book, Is This Seat Taken? is Random Encounters That Change Your Life. It is a collection of personal stories – chance encounters, spur of the moment decisions, and the like, that have had a huge impact on Kaufman’s life. Her stories illustrate the importance of being present, every moment. Many times throughout the book, she emphasizes that if she hadn’t been living in the moment and really seeing and experiencing her surroundings, she may have missed out on some really important conversations and relationships that at various times changed her outlook, or the course of her life.

Furthermore, Kaufman proposes that these moments, which some might call fate, can serve to help individuals move toward a place of alignment in their lives. In other words, a place where one’s true calling can become a reality. But it is vital to be open to these experiences, and to be paying enough attention to the world around us, right now at this very moment.

Reminders to “seize the day” are important in day to day life, when chaos and busyness can get the better of us. Is This Seat Taken? provides just such a reminder. I enjoyed reading these personal accounts and appreciate the reinforcement that it is vital to live intentionally and connect to others.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Alysia lives in Metro Detroit with her husband and four children. She writes about family life, parenting issues, and other things of interest to her on her blog, Michigal.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Brooks and Associates Public Relations. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: How to Pick a Religion by Trevor Barnes

[ 5 ] April 7, 2012

Reviewed by Jill Franclemont

How to Pick a Religion: A Consumer’s Guide. What a great title. And the jacket blurb is even better: “entertaining yet factual consumer guide… a no-nonsense cost-benefit analysis of your religious options… help you find the best religion for you, to secure a place in the next life, while still making the most of this one.”

Teehee. Sounds delightful, no, with tremendous snark-potential? I thought so too. Alas, alack – not so much.

In truth, I felt that the book offered much more on the factual side than on the entertainment side. Which is perfectly fine and useful and all that, but not exactly what I was expecting. It is organized by the elements of life (money, sex, food, worship and contemplation, death and the afterlife), and compares the relevant dogma of the major world’s religions on each of those elements. It is, quite literally, organized like a consumer’s guide to buying a television or new car.

Which, when I think about it, IS kind of snarky. Just not the way I envisioned.

The writing style is educational, informative, and pleasantly enjoyable. The organization is clever and useful. I originally thought it was intended to be a funny book that offered some information. After reading it, I believe it’s quite the opposite. This really is intended to be a consumer’s guide to making a decision on the deeply divisive, controversial, and extraordinarily personal issue of religious belief.

It was not quite the book I thought it would be. But if you’re looking for a Theology 101 or Comparative Religions 102 overview – or to actually pick a religion – then this is a great place to start.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

A former corporate attorney and government relations/health policy executive, Jill-Elizabeth walked away from that world (well, skipped actually) and toward a more literary life (equally challenging, but infinitely more enjoyable). 

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Hodder & Stoughton. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

[ 3 ] March 21, 2012

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

The Power of Habit is amazing as it proves that any habit can be changed or manipulated to our advantage by mastering the cues, i.e. the behaviors that make us do a habit in the first place. The book provides guidance on recognizing these habits, becoming sensitive to how they develop, and making decisions on whether they should be changed. It then offers advice on how to change a specific habit for a lifetime.

All habits begin with a cue – this tells us we are repeating a behavior. Then there is an opportunity to develop a routine around the behavior (which is hopefully a wanted, positive or sought after habit). It follows that a reward is given to reinforce a behavior. In this way, if we are sensitive to the cues and routines, we can work to change a habit.

There are marketing, business and real-life examples from several different industries to show how habits are formed and reinforced. Why is it important to understand habits? Because, as is explained in The Power of Habit, everything that we do is built on habits. Apparently our brains would be worn out if we had to remember how to do everything for the first time each day. In this way, habits are “habit-forming,” and they are also able to be manipulated and changed. Marketing companies use habits to get us to buy products; a new product launch succeeds or fails based on whether the consumers understand that they can’t live without the product once a habit is formed to keep using it.

What is amazing about The Power of Habit is that there are real examples of how companies have been ruined or bolstered with the habits of people within the organization. Individuals, organizations, demographic groups and entire populations work, live, play and prosper on the strength and values of their habits.

This book would be valuable to anyone interested in leadership at an organization, in marketing a new product to the masses, attempting or initiating a weight loss program or anyone interested in developing a new habit.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Random House. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: The Smarter Science of Slim by Jonathan Bailor

[ 2 ] February 23, 2012

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

The Smarter Science of Slim by Jonathan Bailor provides an explanation for anyone wondering why they gain weight or why they can’t lose it quickly. The book covers different foods and why they are good or bad for us, such as the inSANE foods (processed foods and sugars) that should be avoided and the SANE foods that include any foods that can be hunted or gathered (meat and certain veggies). Bailor also includes interesting facts that were news to me, such as the fact that long term weight loss comes from unclogging our fat metabolic system.

I though I had read everything there was in the area of exercise. However, The Smarter Science of Slim has surprisingly interesting suggestions for exercising. For example, the book offers diagrams for floor and weight exercise routines and gives instructions for maximizing the results. There are different types of workouts, such as Deep or Eccentric and they do not just work the muscles, but also unclog metabolisms. This leads the way to safe and consistent weight loss.

Bailor also offers advice on not misplacing energy during a workout. I learned that it was wrong to try to work abdominal muscles before unclogging my system and that dropping our fat set points is the first step to consistent weight loss – not additional reps in the gym. In regards to lifting weights, Bailor explains something I never considered before and which was a revelation to me: lifting weights (the concentric part of the exercise) is important to strengthening muscle, but the lowering of the weight (the eccentric part of the routine) offers the most benefits.

From The Smarter Science of Slim, I learned that working out and just jogging each day is actually not the best way to maintain optimum weight for life. The book explains that there is so much more to consider when deciding to live a healthier lifestyle and it gives the best answers to the questions: what should I do now and what should I do first?

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Read a sample from the book here

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Jonathan Bailor. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Quiet by Susan Cain

[ 7 ] February 11, 2012

Reviewed by F. Scott

Quiet, by lawyer-turned-consultant Susan Cain, is a good antidote to what I call our BS society. In short, she shows that it is okay to be short with your words to the world and others around you.

Our society forces everyone in it to be an extrovert—and if you’re not, you’re just too weird to be liked, hired, or kissed. We learn this from our early days in school when the point is to be socially adept and get along with others. Cain correctly points to the “politically progressive roots” of this phenomenon in our society. However, she doesn’t really nail or name the ultimate culprit: John Dewey. Democracy demands that we socialize kids, not really teach them anything or make them think very deeply, Dewey basically said.

I always like to refer to that scene in To Kill a Mockingbird when Scout tells her father, Atticus, “teacher says we’re not supposed to read outside of school.” (This is 1932.) That’s because of the see-and-say method then coming into vogue to (not) teach kids to read. Just be nice and social, my dear little Scout, and don’t think too much. This is all Dewey. Atticus, great man that is, says nuts to the teacher.

This is the whole “cooperative” approach to learning, and if you as a teacher don’t do it that way, you’re out. Talk to just about any K­–12 teacher these days about their classes and you’ll eventually hear this: “. . . and then I put them in groups.” As a once and former teacher, I say, “Screw the group work!” Everybody but everybody knows that one kid does all the work and the others just copy off him or her. And “group projects” usually aren’t.

How did I get off on this rant about education, anyway? Because everyone just blabs all damn day long, and no one can think their way out of paper bag.

Cain offers research study after research study on the mental, emotional, spiritual, and even physical characteristics of extroverts and introverts, complete with fMRI tests. Seems that introverts literally do have thinner skin. But it all sort of melds together pretty quickly, and one chapter is just like the next. Yet, we can come to see that most people really are introverts by nature—I forget what stats she gives, and she doesn’t say this herself—but we force ourselves to be extroverts in order to get, to get the girl…the guy…the job…the sale.

Sorry, folks, but one more time I have to say this: “What do editors do these days?” Quiet could be much tighter. The research findings are often interesting, but if I ever write like this, shoot me: “On a sunny but overcast, rainy but dry, day that was getting hotter and colder at the same time . . . in walked/approached me/sat down an unassuming man/woman/child of a certain age . . .” I mean, at the start of every chapter!

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Read Susan Cain’s NYT article, “The Rise of the New Groupthink“, and the corresponding commentary at BigThink.com

F. Scott would really just like to talk when he wants and shut up when he wants.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Crown. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

View Post

Review: Fast Media, Media Fast by Dr. Thomas Cooper

[ 4 ] January 26, 2012

Reviewed by Shannon Hopkins

Do you ever feel as if the world around you is moving too quickly, that you are drowning in a constant stream of stimuli, that you have forgotten what it means to be you?

In Fast Media, Media Fast, Dr. Thomas Cooper discusses the increasing speed and saturation of media of all forms in the world, and establishes a framework for taking a “media fast” – for divorcing yourself temporarily from all of the outside noise in order to rediscover the individual within.

The book is divided into four parts: Part 1 discusses the how and why of a media fast; Part 2 is an indictment against fast media, charging that fast media damages every aspect of our physical, emotional, and environmental well-being; Part 3 highlights group fasting and cultural groups who are continuously separated from media; and Part 4 highlights the “Ultimate Choice” between speeding up and slowing down. This division is convenient for those who simply want to try a media fast, allowing consumption of only those sections that are relevant to their goals.

Cooper outlines several methods, potential purposes, and goals for those intent on a media fast. He also encourages personal observation of feelings and trends before, during, and after a fast, the better to evaluate the effects of the fast on one’s approach to consuming or creating media. Two appendices provide even more detail on the ways one can successfully fast.

While his perspectives are compelling, reading past Part 1 is difficult due to Cooper’s stream-of-consciousness writing style. Many points are reiterated, and there is little organization of his thoughts beyond the chapter headings. There are also several editorial issues: extra or missing words make sentences awkward; punctuation errors are jarring to one’s concentration; and in two separate chapters he misspells the names of different countries (Colombia and Kiribati, the latter being correctly spelled in the preceding and following paragraphs).

Cooper notes that “…I had originally intended this to be three books: one for the general public, one for teachers leading classes on media fasts, and a third for their students.” (p. 111); despite his justifications for consolidation, a two-or three-part book series would have made this a more coherent and enjoyable read. I will use Cooper’s suggestions for taking my own media fast, but otherwise Fast Media, Media Fast is merely another contributor to the media overload against which Cooper rails.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Shannon lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her fianc é and a room full of books that she peruses when she isn’t trolling Apartment Therapy for new decorating ideas. In her free time she enjoys maintaining her blog, The Writer’s Closet, planning her wedding, and baking tasty gluten-free treats.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Newman Communications. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
View Post
Page 1 of 612345...Last »