The Path to a Life without Drama - book review of No Drama Zone

Prt Scrn of book cover: No Drama Zone

Eric Thompson send me his "book of wisdom", No Drama Zone How to Life a Drama Free Life, in exchange for an honest review. Life serendipitously always gives you what you are searching for. I do believe it! Thank you, Eric. I got this book while searching for more reading material on leadership. 

This book will be next to me for many years to come. This is also a great gift to friends, family and colleagues. 

No Drama Zone: How to Live a Drama-Free Life - 5 Rules plus 100 Daily Lessons by Eric Thompson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eric Thompson send me a free copy of his book, No Drama Zone 5 Rules + 100 Lessons, in exchange for an honest review.

I am always surprised about how life gives you what you are searching for. I have consistently been reading up about great leadership, and here is some of the best advice collated in one book. This is a book any leader can keep on the desk/bedside table to regularly refer to. These pages holds years of wisdom, some learnt the hard way. But it is not only for leaders or people in managerial positions. It is for everybody who wants to take control of their life. It is a roadmap to a "happy" Life!

I totally believe that we can live life without drama. The book is short, concise and to the point.
I will be coming back for years to remind myself about these snippets of wisdom.

I don't want to share too much, but I love the "Whatever" dance advice for dealing with a bully, and hope I will be able to pluck it out of my arsenal when confronted with a bully. Also, a great coping mechanism to teach our children. Thank you, Eric. I will let you know what happens, because I am planning to use it. ;-)

This book is a great addition to any bookshelf, but keep it on top! Also, a very safe book to give to anyone. This will look good in the festive stocking, or as a corporate gift, or a very personal gift!

Thank you for the life advice, Eric! Much appreciated.

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Baxter is hungry, by Emily Haupt - delightful children's book which gets a 5!

 

Baxter is hungry, by Emily Haupt 

We received this lovely book, Baxter is hungry, through the post. I had to pay import tax, but it was sent in exchange for an honest review. It is totally worth it, as I just know that my grandchild will love the cat Baxter through his wild antics, the colourful illustrations, and his hangry disposition. Thank you, Emily! It is available on Amazon. 

Baxter is Hungry by Emily Haupt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a grandmother I am again looking at all the wonderful children's books that we can read to the little one. I think that giving them the gift of books and reading, is the biggest gift we can give a child.

Emily Haupt sent me her book, Baxter is Hungry, for an honest review. It seems that Baxter is a story based on their own cat, an Omani Mau (Mau means street cat in Arabic).

We as family know "hangry", and can so much relate to Baxter, who is always hungry. The book is an absolute joy, and can't wait to read it, again and again, to my granddaughter. Of course, the book would not have had the same impact if not for the illustrations. It is absolutely gorgeous. Hugo L Cuellar makes Baxter come alive. He is also responsible for the cover of the coloring book, Baxter is Dreaming.

It is extremely important to have pets in the house, and to learn our kids about looking properly after them. This book teaches also about the antics and peculiarities of cats. It is good to know what our pets are all about.

Well done for capturing Baxter so well, Emily Haupt, as well as Hugo L. Cuellar. I could frame each and every page of this book.

This is a joy for your child's bookshelf!

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The Messages: A Memoir, by Dawn Kohler - it's a 5

The Messages: A Memoir - Dawn Kohler. This is a jewel of a book. Especially for moms who have to deal with "monsters" from their past. To be able to be more fully present with their children. Dawn Kohler sent me a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

The Messages: A Memoir by Dawn Kohler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dawn Kholer sent me a complimentary pdf copy, in exchange for an honest review.
I read her book within two days, which is a good indication of how much I wanted to get to the next page turner, and the interesting revelations.
The spiritual messages is not new, as people around the world receive the same messages, but it adds to the authenticity and truthfulness of the message.
She shares painful recollections from her childhood, and how she had to overcome it via therapy, and changes in her own life. While she and her husband had their own business, and three children who wanted attention. She was lucky that she could just focus on herself while her husband gave her the space to heal. Also, it shows the resilience of children, how they understood, and grew up to healthy adults with whom she kept a close relationship. She could heal to be the best mother possible! It is one of the biggest messages from this book; we need to address the past to be able to be fully available in our relationships.
It is not always easy addressing the past, especially if the past shows that the parental figures in your life let you down, and committed the ultimate horror. I admire the strength and resilience being shown. Thank you for sharing, Dawn! You rock!
You won't be able to put this book down.

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What kind of day will it be? - Lisa & Ryland Goines-Taylor - BOOK REVIEW

What kind of day will it be? - book cover (screen print)

Lisa Goines-Taylor, a mother to a beautiful girl called Ryland, has written the most uplifting book for little ones. What kind of day will it be? Her everyday experiences as a mother, watching her daughter grow and learn life lessons, have inspired her to write a book on life, growth, empowerment, and self-confidence for children:

This book resonates so much with me. I know of a specific person who tends to unravel with anything that is not right each day. And regularly proclaiming that this is her worst day ever! 😬

This book, What kind of day will it be? should be one of the most important things we can teach our kids. We can make a choice each day about what kind of day it will be! With a "can-do attitude", although life can throw you some curve balls, you can decide and make each day a great one!

This book can be used as a positive mantra each day. Buy for the little pessimists and glass-of-half-full persons, but also for everybody to learn how to have a better day each day.

I don't want to share too much of the beautiful illustrations by Rachel Rodrigues, but each page is a delight. 

The age group is from 4 - 7 years, but a smaller child, as well as older children will enjoy the uplifting message. This book is also a reminder to myself. What kind of day will it be? 

This is a great gift for all little ones.

Disclaimer: Lisa Goines-Taylor contacted me via email, and notified me when there was a free Kindle option available a little while back. Thank you!

Lola the Buhund and the Empty Sky - book review

Lola the Buhund and the Empty Sky - Elbot Carman

I am a very slow reader. Sorry, Booktasters. But luckily, when a book grabs me, I have to read it till the very end. It takes long, only a few passages each night, but we finally gets there. This book helped me immensely to escape the daily stress of living. Nothing like a great fantasy to start your journey into dreamland. I give Lola the Buhund and the Empty Sky, by Elbot Carman, 5/5. 

Thank you for the opportunity!

Lola the Buhund and the Empty Sky by Elbot Carman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review via Booktasters and the author, Elbot Carman. Thank you so much, I am most of the time pleasantly surprised with the above average content that I am able to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was great to go on such a journey with the characters in the story. A talking and wise dog, Lola the Buhund, and a talking rooster? So possible in the context of this fantasy. Where did the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars disappear to?

It was a great adventure, with the human, a carpenter, and a musician, who joins them on their quest. It takes a while to get into the atmosphere and space of the book, but the suspense and wonder of the milieu keeps you reading. What is happening, and what is going to happen? Where's the light? We get the answers in the end. Just keep reading!

This book is fantastic escapism, and a fantasy that's worth getting immersed in.

Can't wait to read the next book.





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Downtime Shift, by Robert Holding - Interesting AI concepts

Downtime Shift

Love this science fiction novel. Thanks, again, to Booktasters, for expanding my horizons and for great reading pleasures. My review is up on GoodReads. 

Downtime Shift by Robert Holding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, Booktasters and Robert Holding, for a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. Sorry that it took me so long to read, but it's not a reflection on the content.
I thoroughly loved reading this book, and has already started to read the next follow-up, Infinity Shift. (Thanks, Robert Holding, for sending it as well). It is good escapism in these uncertain times.
I got a glimpse into time travel, an omnipotent AI called EYE and different societies and the ways they live. "Earthers" and "Spacers", and a choice in the way of living. The EYE resetting society, and manipulating it, creating Fork Time... Shifties following their prime directive, or going against it. All interesting concepts that keeps you bound until the very last page.
I would have loved to learn more about the heroine, Evelyn. About her time before Downtime, and also her time with the Spacers. More character development are welcomed for Evelyn and Stan. I would also have loved to read more about Spacers and the societies in space.
For Science Fiction lovers, there are some interesting concepts to wrap you head around.
I give this book 5/5 for the interesting storyline and keeping me hooked until the last page. I want to read more!

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Car key gnomes? Yes, exactly - Book review

Car key gnomes and other household pests - Miciah Dodge (print screen)

"A book of charming, silly poems of mischievous household faeries; paired with the enchanting, vibrant artwork they deserve!"

 

We now have names for those mysterious things that happens in a home, especially when kids are around. 

Car key gnomes and other household pests. When you see the cover of a book, and start flipping through it, and each page is a treasure... That's what this book is! I WANT IT as a coffee table exhibit, and I know any child (of any age), would love to browse through it. Miciah Dodge, the author, who is the dad of the boys who gave him the idea, sent me a pdf copy of the book.

Each page consists of an hilarious poem of the mysterious reasons why something disappears, mishaps or mess in the house. These "pests" have the most insightful names: Car-key Gnomes, Sock Goblins, the Forgetting Fairy, the Stink Boggle, Brownie, Messy-room Sprites, Shoe Leprechaun, Knotty Pixies, Eraser Elf...  They have the ability to become household names in homes across the world, because we all deal with these "fairies". 

The art work by Danie Plott is stunning. Three-dimensional clay figurines are placed in real-life household settings. They are the stars who make the poems come to life. I don't want to share more of the beautiful art work, as it deserves to have the book in hand. Check out the website for the art: Car key Gnomes Book.

I love everything about the book, except the font being used. It makes it a bit difficult to read. Maybe it will be different with the hard copy in hand?  

I still give it 5/5. It is beautiful, and funny, and an art work to keep!

I have joined to be notified when the Kickstarter project Car key gnomes and other household pests starts. Please do the same. This book needs to get out in the world!

Thanks, Miciah Dodge, for a copy of the book! I hope we see it soon. 

Where the sun rises - This book is worth 5

Where the sun rises: a story of feminine courage and friendship

Where the sun rises, by Suzanne Strong: I spend my one week of holiday with this book, and after I finished reading, the story kept on lingering, even now. The characters are as real as life, as the war is real! It is truly scary and horrifying that there are still fighting like this happening in the world. Surely we can evolve as human beings and start living together, respecting each other and our differences? 

This book highlights women empowerment in challenging times! This is a book worth reading! 

Rating: 5/5

See my goodreads review below.

The Brave Little African Girl - Book review

The Brave Little African Girl

We got this little gem of a book to review: The Brave Little African Girl, by Thabitha Mathabatha. It's so satisfying when you enjoy the character and the storyline, AND there's a life lesson that lingers on. Our children are going through a difficult time with regards loss. Loss of normal life and the tragic loss of loved ones. The book learns us about the importance of the "Village". It takes a village to raise a child. Society can help children dealing with loss and depression. 

This is a great book for girl and boys 5 - 10 years of age.

Desire of Whimsy - Book review

Screen print: BookTasters on Twitter - "Desire of Whimsy"

We need escapist fiction during this pandemic time. Desire of Whimsy, by Charletta Barksdale, is a great read to do just that.

Thank you, to BookTasters, and the author, for giving me this opportunity

Desire of Whimsy by Charletta Barksdale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book via BookTasters and the author, Charletta Barksdale. This in exchange for an honest review, which I am gladly doing.

I enjoyed this book from the moment I started reading it. In this pandemic global crisis time, this is a great escape from reality. The premise of being in charge of your dreams, and your dreams being impacted from an outside source, is an interesting concept. The main characters, Serenity and Trance, are so likable and feel like intimate friends. We get to share their thoughts, while trying to decipher their puzzling existence. I don't want to give away too much about the outcomes, and the unfolding of the relationship paradigms, because then it wont be such a treat to read...

This is a short read, and my only negative is that I would have wanted the book to be longer and explore the lives of the characters even more. The surrounding reality/world could have been explored in more detail.

Charletta Barksdale promises that there is a follow-up on the way, and I can't wait to immerse myself in this fictitious reality again.

Thank you, for giving me this opportunity!

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Mona Lisa on the Moon, Thirty-two Thousand years in the making - Vol 1 Review

I had the perfect book to get me through the first 21 days of lock-down. We are now in the extended final two weeks. Thank you, Booktasters, and George B, for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.


Volume 1, Mona Lisa on the Moon, Thirty-Two Thousand Years in the Making by George B
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, Booktasters, and George B, for a free copy of this book. It was especially great to read during this time of lock-down during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is my review in exchange: I love a good science fiction novel. I love this one, especially! It has all the allure of what I enjoy about a futuristic novel. Volume 1, Mona Lisa on the Moon, Thirty-Two Thousand Years in the Making, is the first in a series. I hope the next one is coming soon, because it ended in a cliff-hanger.

I totally agree with the premise that the earth has had many high civilisations (and many life cycles), which were wiped out, and started again. Higher evolved beings, with much longer earth lives, living and working with artificial intelligence in harmony. Exploring space, and terra-forming and populating other celestial bodies. With all the challenges (and other life forms) that comes with it! This novel is set in a time frame thirty two thousand years ago. Mind-boggling, but totally believable. (Looking forward to the movie/series edition).

The heroine and main characters are mostly too good to be true, but it did not bother me at all. It was great reading a story where, although the suspense is high, we can expect the outcome to be in their favour. (Mostly...). The plot do not get bogged down with elaborate descriptions, but enough to sustain a good story. Saving earth, saving humans on other planets, as well as saving other life forms in the universe... It's all part of their daily existence.

Maybe it's because we are living in strange times, locked in our homes, that I enjoyed this escapist science fiction even more. I recommend this to all who dream of better futures, where we are in charge of our own destiny! One day we will be where Mona Lisa is! Thank you, George B, for making us dream.


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Health Wealth for you, Dr Josh Luke - Review through Booktasters

Print screen: "Booktasters: Health-Wealth for You"

Another gem from Booktasters: Health-Wealth for You: 11 steps to save big & Live Healthy, by Dr. Josh Luke. This is a book that every family needs to take responsibility for their own health, not only in America. Our wealth is our health, and we can implement better steps for our own future health! I will definitely use this book as manual for negotiating our future journey.

Jesse & the Thinkers, by Ken John - Book review

Jesse & the Thinkers (Jesse & Jake Book 1)

I love it when a book aligns with my understanding of the world: Thoughts create your reality is the main message that permeates in Jesse en the Thinkers, by Ken John.

I would love for my daughter to read it. I will wait two years, until she is 12,13 to introduce it to her. It is a fantastical ride into a world of dreams, but with believable characters whom we all can identify with. The Outsider is always the one who saves the world in the end? The positive message of your thoughts that creates your world, and the way you see and experience the world, is totally depended on the self! How I would love for my "half-empty-cup"daughter to know that she can change that! So much!

My GoodReads review follows below.

Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a Cutter - coming-of-age insights

Booktasters tweet: Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a cutter

I hate it when I can't seem to finish a book. I had to do it with Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a cutter. I struggled to read it, but I also can't pick a new book before I have finished with the one I am busy with. Booktasters says it is ok, I can let it go... Phew! (I am 62% into the book)

I thought that this book would give me great insights into the mind of a young adult, and help me understand the workings of a teenage brain. We have a tween in our midst. I love the writing in the book, but it did not seem to get to a point. I still gave the book 4/5 for the writing, and for the fact that I think young people and people struggling with the existential questions will get great insights from reading this.

Disrupt Yourself, Or Be Disrupted - Nickey Verd - review

Disrupt Yourself, Or Be Disrupted
Escape Conformity, Reinvent Your Thinking and Thrive
in an Era of Emerging Technologies and Economic Anxiety

Nickey Verd, the author of Disrupt Yourself, Or Be Disrupted, has sent me a digital copy of her book for an honest review.

I am so excited about the book. It should be in the hands of everybody. We are living in fast changing times where technological and digital disruption have changed the way we live and make our living. It's imperative that we understand that we can't be complacent about the way we work, and the way we earn our salaries. I am probably of the last who will be in my job for nearly 30 years.

Don't wake up an insightful look at the dynamics in a relationship

Don't wake up, by Shauna Kelley - on Kindle

Booktasters does not disappoint. You get the choose from quality books, get a free copy, in exchange for honest review on Amazon.

The final pages of Don't wake up, by Shauna Kelley, had me shaken. It took me a few days to process. Because I have experience of domestic violence and emotional abuse (in a previous life), this book touched so many nerves. My soap box tirades are evidence. The really smarts of this book is the exploration into a relationship, and how much is truth, and how much is perception. Who is the victim, and who is the abuser/manipulator. It is not as clear cut. Perception trumps the truth in the end? Go read this book. I truly recommend it!

Winning at life by being a good professional - Great guide

Print screen of The Good Professional by Don Turner

I am so impressed with The Good Professional. I cannot recommend it enough! This is a great gift for any age, from high school and up. It is a gift you can give to yourself, and you will be coming back to this.

I got this book through Booktasters. I get a free copy of the book for an honest review on Goodreads and Amazon. I have read the most interesting books because of Booktasters. Check them out!

I love my work and when I reflect on it, I always feel so grateful that I enjoy the work that I do. But sometimes we need a bit of challenge to keep going, and searching for meaning in the mundane daily grind. This has given me oomph to carry on again.

This is my review on Goodreads:

Creative inspiration from Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic - Book review

It's serendipity when you find a book that inspires you to the core. The writer of Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, takes us on her own journey of creativity. She argues that the creative process should not be a slave driver, but a passionate pursuit to create something more. It's not about the end product, but the process and internal gain itself!

Escape with Last Secret Chamber by Phil Philips

Last Secret Chamber

I did not read as much as I wanted this year. I will definitely change this in the new year. There's nothing as good as a book. To relax, to escape and to expand my knowledge every time.

daughters, by Stuart Land - Book review

daughters, by Stuart Land - Review on Good Reads

I start so many books nowadays, to loose interest and not really wanting to continue. Although I do not like abandoning a book, I struggle to finish it. Does it say something about my reading style, or how much we have changed with regards reading behaviour in our multi-media world? Luckily "daughters" by Stuart Land gripped me immediately, and I could not wait each evening to find out what is the next shocker in this gripping tale. If you like science fiction and human behaviour stories, this is a great read. As a mom of daughters, this also hit a nerve, as I could only imagine how I would feel if my daughters get pregnant at age 12-13.

daughters by Stuart Land
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Since the moment I started reading, I wanted find out more and why this was happening. Virgin daughters getting pregnant worldwide, changing the story of human survival... I cannot say more, as I do not want to spoil the story-line for future readers. I love a good SciFi story, and this story ticks all the boxes. The story are made even more plausible by the use of biological science throughout. It is well-researched. The well-rounded characters also adds to the allure of the story. I would definitely recommend this story for a movie script.
Well done, Stuart Land!
Disclaimer: I got this book for free through a suggestion by Booktasters on Twitter, with the undertaking that I do a review afterwards. I even changed my review from 4.5 to 5 when I read the end of the story. You'll know when you read the end of the story.

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