Book Review: Get Your Hopes Up! by Joyce Meyer

ONE WORD BOOK REVIEW: HOPE

 Get Your Hopes Up!: Expect Something Good to Happen to You Every Day

 Author: Joyce Meyer

 Publisher: FaithWords

 Publication Date: April 7, 2015

 Length: 197 Pages

About The Author
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. Her daily broadcast, Enjoying Everyday Life, airs on hundreds of television networks and radio stations worldwide. Joyce has written nearly 100 inspirational books.

Be A Prisoner Of Hope
Hope isn't something we wait to feel, it is something we decide to have. We can choose hope.

This powerful new book by Joyce Meyer is divided into the following sections:

Section 1: Hope To Go Higher
Your life will go only as high as the level of your expectations.

Section 2: Hope When You Are Hurting
Have a happy anticipation that God is going to show up on the scene, that He won't be late, and that He is going to calm the storm.

Section 3: Hope and Happiness
Whatever unexpected challenge or frustration you may face, decide in advance that you're not going to let it steal your joy.

Section 4: Hope is Here
God wants you to live in hope so that even on days when it seems like everything around you is spinning out of control, you can be firm in your belief that something good is going to happen.

My Thoughts
This is a very inspirational book based on the author's experiences, entertaining and meaningful stories and passages from the Bible.

We all need hope. This book explains how we can find it and make it a lasting influence in our lives. The most important thing is to place our hope in God. We must believe it, meditate on it, speak it, and encourage others who are also facing trials.

Joyce Meyer has written dozens of books and I believe this one is right up there with the best of them. This book will be life-changing if you read the words and hold them close to your heart.

RATING: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I received a digital copy of this book to read and review from NetGalley.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: Is This Seat Taken? by Kristin Kaufman

ONE WORD BOOK REVIEW: REASSURANCE

 Is This Seat Taken?: It's Never Too Late to Find the  Right Seat

 Author: Kristin S. Kaufman

 Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

Publication Date: January 13, 2015

Print Length: 145 Pages

About The Author
Kristin S. Kaufman is the founder of Alignment, Inc., formed in 2007 to serve
individuals, corporations, boards of directors and nonprofits in finding alignment
within themselves and their organizations.

Hope, Encouragement and Reassurance
"Now, what am I going to do?!"

This book is for those individuals who have come to a fork in the road, taken a path, and found themselves twenty to thirty years later in a place they didn't quite recognize.

Ms. Kaufman has written fifteen short biographies of men and women who have found success after the age of 50. Some of those included in this book are: 

• Laura Ingalls Wilder (Writer)
• Anna Mary Robertson (Grandma Moses)
• Harland Sanders (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
• Ray Kroc (McDonald's)
• Ninfa Laurenzo (Ninfa's Mexican Restaurants)
• Bill Wilson (Alcoholics Anonymous)

Each chapter ends with a series of "Alignment Lessons" that highlight the life lessons that can be learned from the subject of the biography.

"Let's face it: everyone on this planet is aging. The universal law is that we are in a constant, never-ending state of entropy. However, the comforting lesson is that our human spirit, our life force, does not age. Despite the ongoing phenomenon of our bodies' aging, our spirits continue to grow, expand, and evolve. There is such power in knowing and embracing this fact. As long as we have breath, we have the ability to contribute and to make an impact on the world". 

My Thoughts 
I love to read biographies of successful people. The stories in this book are brief and accentuate the highlights in the lives of these late bloomers. I read this book in a couple of sessions and enjoyed every minute. 

The American population is aging and many people will be looking forward to retirement. This book will inspire and motivate people to think about their options and keep moving forward. 

I highly recommend this book to people who are facing a fork in the road. It is never too late to reach for the stars.

MY RATING: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley to read and review.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below. 

Book Review: The 20/20 Diet by Dr. Phil McGraw

One Word Book Review: HEALTHY

 The 20/20 Diet: Turn Your Weight Loss Vision Into Reality

 Author: Dr. Phil McGraw

 Publisher: Bird Street Books

 Publication Date: January 6, 2015

 Print Length: 252 Pages


About The Author
"Dr. Phil" (Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D.) is the host of America’s number one daytime talk show and is perhaps the most well-known expert in the field of psychology and human functioning in the world today.

New Year Resolution #1 - Achieve a Healthy Weight!
In The 20/20 Diet, Dr. Phil McGraw identifies seven reasons other diets fail people over and over again:

• hunger,
• cravings,
• feeling of restriction,
• impracticality and expense,
• boredom,
• temptations,
• and disappointing results or plateaus.

Then, he addresses each of these roadblocks by applying the latest research and theories that have emerged since his last book on the same topic, The Ultimate Weight Solution.

Dr. Phil and his team have created a plan that you can start following right now and continue working for the rest of your life. In this diet, readers will start by eating only 20 key ingredients, called the “20/20 Foods,” which theories indicate may help enhance your body’s thermogenesis and help you feel full.

But that's just the beginning. Healthy weight loss requires a lifestyle change. This book promotes a permanent change in your eating habits, exercise patterns and the way you think about your food.

My Thoughts
This is the diet book that I have been waiting for. It is based on 20 foods that are healthy, filling and will lead to achieving a healthy weight and sustaining that weight.

I have lost seven pounds since I started following this diet. My goal is to lose 20 pounds on the 20/20 diet.  I have allowed an entire year to achieve this goal because I want to gradually change my eating habits and exercise patterns.

This is the tool you need if you want to achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle. The information in this book is based on current nutritional research and trends. You have to be willing to make a commitment and work toward achieving your goal. This is not a miracle diet, but it is a diet that will work if you are willing to put in the time and effort.

Are you ready to join me in this quest for a healthy lifestyle?

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI - I received a digital copy of this book to read and review from NetGalley.
I received a print copy of this book from The Dr. Phil Show. I will use my print copy to make notes and track my progress.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: Crowdfunding - Put the Fun Into Funding and Get the Money You Need by Zynnia Jezek

One Word Book Review: ENTHUSIASM

 Crowdfunding: Put the Fun Into Funding And Get The Money You Need: How A Little Girl Raised Over $7k In Four Days On IndieGoGo (Distinct Press Young Entrepreneurs Series)

Author: Zynnia Jezek

Publisher: Distinct Press

Publication Date: December 27, 2014

Print Length: 130 Pages

An 11-Year-Old Girl With A Big Dream
Zynnia Jezek, at the age of 11-years-old, designed a successful crowd funding campaign on IndieGoGo to provide funds for a trip from Florida to the Awesomeness Fest in Hawaii. This event is billed as the ultimate transformational experience for entrepreneurs. Zynnia believed this could be a life-changing event for she and her familly.

The problem was, they did not have the money needed to make the trip.

Zynnia and her sister created an IndieGoGo campaingn called "4 Day Awesomeness Fest Test" and made $6, 475.

This book tells exactly what Zynnia did to make her dream come true.

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed the enthusiasm and excitement depicted in this ebook. The young author/entrepreneur describes a real-life behind the scenes look at a successful  IndieGoGo campaign.  

This is not a primer or resource guide for designing a crowd funding campaign. It is a memoir of one girl's experience and how it changed her life.

The author provides screen shots of a series of PowerPoint slides that were used to promote and publicize this campaign. These slides were designed by Zynnia's sister and are quite creative. I think viewing these promotional slides make this book a relevant selection for anyone thinking about running a crowd funding campaign.

The editing and formatting are rough in places, but the content is informative and impressive. Kudos to Zynnia for a great effort. She proves that most anything is possible with determination and a little help from family and friends.

I predict this young lady has a very bright future!

My Rating: 4 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I purchased this digital book with my Kindle Unlimited membership on Amazon.Com.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: I Murdered My Library by Linda Grant

One Word Book Review: POIGNANT

 Title: I Murdered My Library (Kindle Single)

  Author: Linda Grant

  Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

  Publication Date: May 6, 2014

  Length: 28 Pages


About The Author
Linda Grant is an award-winning novelist and non-fiction writer. She lives in London with fewer books than she used to.

Books Are Your Friends
What happens when you have too many books?

At the end of 2013, novelist Linda Grant moved from a large house to a two bedroom flat with a tiny corridor-shaped study. The trauma of getting rid of thousands of books raises the question of what purpose personal libraries serve in contemporary life and the seductive lure of the Kindle.

My Thoughts
I chose the word "poignant" to describe this essay about a bibliophile and her beloved books. Ms. Grant describes the bittersweet experience of having to weed the books that she has collected since childhood.

The obvious question is, "What do I do with all of these books?"
The first thought might be to give them to friends and family members. I found this quotation very poignant and real;

"The idea that I was building a library to bequeath to the next generation is one of the greatest fallacies of my life. The next generation don't want old books - they don't seem to want books at all. This is very painful to me".

When Ms. Grant looked at her new bookshelves with empty spaces glaring at her, she thought:

"My library is denuded. It doesn't seem like a library. It feels...like the house of a person who reads, but not the house of a person for whom books have been everything".

The author purchases a Kindle and is resigned to building a new digital library that she can carry in her purse. She discovers the advantages of the Kindle...it's portability, the quick ease of buying a book and the mutable font size (great for aging eyes).

I am an avid Kindle fan but I also have a stash of print books "cluttering" my home. It is difficult to adjust to change but you have to move forward. Very poignant.

MY RATING: 5 stars out of 5

FYI ~ I purchased this ebook with my Kindle Unlimited subscription on Amazon.com.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: A Simple Act of Gratitude by John Kralik

One Word Book Review: ADMIRABLE

Title: A Simple Act of Gratitude

Author: John Kralik

Publisher: Hyperion

Publication Date: December 27, 2011

Length: 243 Pages


About The Author
John Kralik practiced law for thirty years before he was appointed a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. He lives in the Los Angeles area.

365 Thank-You Notes
John Kralik, at the age of 53, found his life in a mess. 

At the end of 2007:

• his small law firm was failing;
• he was struggling through a painful second divorce;
• he had grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might lose contact with his young daughter;
• he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer;
• he was 40 pounds overweight;
• his girlfriend had just broken up with him;
• and his dream of becoming a judge seemed to have slipped beyond his reach.

Inspired by a handwritten thank-you note that he received from his former girlfriend for a Christmas gift, John decided to write 365 thank-you notes in 2008.

This memoir describes how the act of expressing gratitude can change a person's thinking and his circumstances.

My Thoughts
This book is not a new release, but it has been on my "wish list" for quite some time. It is a good book to read while you are thinking about goals for a new year.

I believe a focus on gratitude can be a life-changing experience. Mr. Kralik found his circumstances changing when he focused on the blessings in his life instead of the problems.

I chose the word "admirable" to describe this book because I admire a person who takes time to write and send a thank-you note. It displays a certain kind of class that is sorely lacking in our modern society.

The wonderful thing about this is that it benefits the sender of the thank-you note just as much (or perhaps more) as it benefits the recipient. This turned out to be a win-win journey for Mr. Kralik and all who have followed his path of expressing gratitude.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out of 5

FYI ~ I purchased this ebook from Amazon.Com with my own funds. The price is $1.99 at this time (prices are subject to change at any time.)

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.