Thnik Happy by Karen Salmansohn

If you are not an avid reader or you don’t want to invest a great deal of time reading, then this is your book.  Short, sweet and to the point. My only real issue is I like more meat to my books.  A book that I can read in less than an hour is not worth it for me.  If you look at the content of the book it is actually interesting, thought provoking and helpful in many ways.  I just wished the author had taken time to write a full book rather than a picture book for adults.  I think she would have had something worth reading.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.

People of the Second Chance by Mike Foster

While the concept of the book interested me and some of the stories I did find very inspirational the overall book I found middle of the road.  Other books on the same subject I found myself compelled to read them right away.  This book I would read in segments mainly because there was nothing new or enlightening that I have not already read thirty times over.  But if you have not read about giving people a second chance and this would be a good starting point.  If you have already read similar book like this I found nothing new or exciting that captured my interest.  Over all I thought I was a good solid introduction about forgiveness and getting your life back on track.  I would recommend it to people that have not explored this type of book before.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Old Age A Beginner's Guide by Michael Kinsley

Based on the author’s history and forewords I thought this was going to be a humorous and inspirational look at growing old but it lacked the humor I was expecting. The attempt at humor was for instance a very old joke the author about Reagan "Mr. President, I have bad news and worse news.  The bad news is that you have cancer." Reagan: "Lay it on me, Doc." The Doctor says, "The bad news is that you have cancer." Reagan: "And the worse news?" Doctor: "You have Alzheimer's." Reagan: "Well, at least I don't have cancer."  When I heard this supposed joke many years ago I didn’t this it was funny then and still don’t.  The author then goes into great detail to talk about the predictions as to how many of the Baby Boomers will get Alzheimer's or dementia. The author predictions that of the 79 million baby boomers 29 million are expected to get some form of the serious disease.  While he might want or try to spin humor around his condition with Parkinson disease that is fine but for me that stopped as soon as Dementia was introduced.  Having experience with several loved one with Alzheimer’ I see little to no humor in this.  The disease for both the individual and the caregivers is traumatic. I was hoping for some inspirational insight to counteract the facts. If it was there then I missed it.  The book does provide several topics to reflect on as you age. Memory loss, health considerations, politics, etc. I just didn't see the cheerful side as forewords stated.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Meditate Your Weight by Tiffany Cruikshank

While I have experienced the benefits of meditation and agreed they are beneficial I did struggle with this book.  While meditation can be beneficial it is not a sliver bullet as the author seems to imply.  The biggest issue I had with this book was thirty-three percent of the book is nothing more than a hard sales job on why meditation is the best thing for you or how you can over-come anything.  Any book that spends that much time in selling you into a process, product or method will lose our interest quickly.  If it works as well as the author claims, then it should not have to push the method so hard.  I do agree there are some of the topics need to be discussed but there is point and time when it becomes counterproductive.  The overall program I can see how you can benefit, if you have the ability to stick to it for twenty-one days.  Studies have shown if we do anything for twenty-one days consistently we can develop a new habit.  I believe that is the intent of the author is if you can follow her instructions you could develop a new habit. While I enjoy disconnecting myself from social media, the phone and retreating to a quiet spot I think I am the minority.  Most people choice to be connected and in today’s technology rarely are we left alone for more than a few seconds.  While I find the topic of meditation interesting I found myself skimming the first third of the book until I could fine the actual instructions of what the author was trying to teach by then I had lost interests and was turned off all together.  

   

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.

The More of Less by Joshua Becker

The minimalist movement is nothing new but a way of life that has been forgotten.  With today’s commercialism and consumer marketing strategies we have lost our way.  The author takes time in the beginning of the book to really explain why and how we are driven to want and think we need more materialistic things.  Once we understand why we think we need these things then we can change that way of thinking.  This helps to simply our lives, saves money and we now have time to do the things we always wanted to do.  While the practical application of this is simple enough each person is different.  Most of us will find we will need to do it in stages by eliminating a room at a time, a set of items like books or even as simple as the junk drawer.  Each goal will help to reach your goal of not being driven by materialistic wants and needs.  Many of the suggestions I have done in the past and they do work but find a method that works for you.  This is not a race to get rid of everything as quickly as possible.  The book also takes on a religious theme that helps to relate what you trying to do to faith based teachings.  The quote that sums up this book about minimalism, materialism and faith is a quote from Jesus “Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”  As the book points out notice the order of his phrasing: our heart follows our treasure, not the other way around.  Is your treasure the house, car or jewelry?  Or is it the people you love, the mission to help others or your faith.  These treasure you cannot see but they are far more valuable. 

 

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child by Boris Vujicic

While I have read Nick Vujicic books Life without Limits and Unstoppable, as a parent I was interested in the book his father wrote.  His father goes into the early days of Nick’s childhood and describes the struggles, issues and difficultly of raising their son but within the book are great advice and wisdom.  The spiritual based, no nonsense approach to how they raised their family can apply to anyone.  Their whole story centers around one key thing…their faith.  My favorite quote from the book is “King Solomon wrote that life becomes meaningless in the absence of God.  When you believe that a new beginning awaits in life after death, the struggle on earth make more sense.  Faith, then, gives meaning to what is beyond our capacity to understand, such as His Reasons for allowing His children to suffer disabilities.”  While the main focus of the book is his son the author shares the foundation of a balanced family is their faith but there is also one other important element.  In the ninth chapter the author shifts from the child to the parent, a child’s most valuable assets and greatest advocates.  The basic message is this “take care of your child by taking care of your marriage.”  While your faith is the bedrock of your foundation, your marriage is the structure you build, care for and maintain.  If neglected it will fall apart.  While the book is about children with disabilities and special needs the advice can and should be applied to any family or person.  An inspirational book for any parent.   

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.        

The Art of People by Dave Kerpen

I believe the author would be the first to tell you that not much of this information new in his book.  I don’t believe he is attempting to be original but trying to leverage some of the better methods already established and tested.  The author does try to bring a different view on many of the existing methods that might bring about better results for some.  His written style is positive and enables the read to feel directly involved with the topic at hand. The author does invite the readers to connect with him on the internet and he welcomes the opportunity to involve us. His stories reveal, like us, that he is not perfect and each day is a can be a learning experience.  If you have not read many communication and/or leadership style books you will have a great deal of new information.  If you are like me and have read hundreds of these types of books, then you will find little new information but maybe his new view on some of the proven methods might appeal to some.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of the book.