Rachel’s Journey to Find Her Inner Self

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The Voyager’s Pursuit

Received 4 out of 5 stars

Review:

The Voyager’s Pursuit by T.K. Baltimore is an unconventional story about a young woman named Rachel Brooks who travels to India in search for something that she believes is missing in her life. It’s vague what Rachel is really searching for, but she will definitely bite off more than she can chew by being the kind hearted person that her parents raised her to be.

The book had me smiling with delight at Fred’s response to Ayen’s statement, embellish at Rachel’s candidness, and in disbelief at the events that took place toward the journey to enlightenment. Rachel was a kindred spirit with perspectives of those who live the bohemian lifestyle. This can be seen in the way she interacted with others and the uncommonness in her actions. This is a great book for those who want to live with no restraints and experience a voyage to their inner self, at whatever costs it takes.

~ The Journey to enlightenment is often unpaved obscure, but becomes cleared with each new step taken.          

A Legacy Worth Preserving

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Frida Kahlo: A Spiritual Biography

Received 4 out of 5 stars

Review:

The biography about well-known Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, was very interesting. It took the previous stories that we learned about Frida as adolescents in school and transformed it into wells of information about her misfortunates and triumphs. It was interesting that in life she was a struggling artist, but in death, one of her self-portraits sold for $1.43 million dollars. This being the first time that a painting by an artist from that region had reached the million-dollar sales mark, as quoted by Jack Rummel, author of the book. The fact of her being a bigger artist in death in comparison to life immediately linked her with Edgar Allan Poe and Zora Neale Hurston. Both individuals were writers who reached ultimate fame after their death. Sounds similar to tragic abundance, but definitely something that happens to artist, writers, and others who pursue fame or fortune.

Something else very interesting about this book was the relationship between Frida and Diego. It seemed to be of a mother-child sort where she would run him baths, get him his favorite toys, and just take care of him. This seemed to work for both of them; Frida needed to take care of someone and Diego needed to be taken care of. Frida definitely had the ability to invoke courage and self-esteem among women, but her action of doing this often fell short, due to her living in the role in which her significant other wanted her to live.

The Adventures of Prada Enchilada: The Eight Planets

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The Adventures of Prada Enchilada: The Eight Planets

Received 5 out of 5 stars

Review:

The Adventures of Prada Enchilada seems to be a growing phenomenon that children just cannot get enough of. This children’s book series has helped fostered a company called ADC Kid, which is dedicated to the advancement of empowering and enlightening through literacy, fitness and animation. Initially, Mr. Davon Clark released The Many Different Balls and now he has released The Eight Planets. Although the discussion about the number of planets in the solar system is a very touchy subject, Mr. Davon did a great job educating readers about the order of the planets, characteristics of each planet, and things either found on or around the planet. I felt as though I was a participant in Prada Enchilada and Mimi Tortellini’s adventures. My excitement about learning something new increased as moons, volcanoes, and other vital planet information was discussed.

The book was very interactive by allowing the readers to count along, identify planets, and help Prada and Mimi with difficult situations. This book is a great read for your students and also adults who want to know the order and features of each planet. I am looking forward to the upcoming book release of Mr. Davon’s next book in the series.  

Freddie’s First Race Off to a Great Start

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Freddie’s First Race

Received 4 out of 5 stars

Review:

Author Renaee Smith, Creator of the Independent Author’s Book Expo, put much thought and effort into creating her children’s book, Freddie’s First Race. Not only did it talk about the joys and pains of running a race, she also disclosed the strategies of getting prepared for the race, such as purchasing the right attire, training, and the commitment of running track. Although the book did not signify the grade level of Freddie, it can be assumed that he is in middle school, since this is generally when individuals start participating in track and field activities.

The book seems like a great read for children in elementary school, whether they are in kindergarten or third grade. I would even recommend your fifth grader read the book, so they can get an idea of what to expect in their possible pursuits to run track and field in the future. The book displays a dedicated individual who never gave up and was supported by his family. It also shows a great depiction of a two parent household and the techniques they use to support their developing son. 

A Sweet Tale about a Sugar Glider and His Trusty Donut

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Strawberry Dough

Received 4 out of 5 stars

Review:

Stawberry Dough by Aaron Southerland is a cute story about a sugar glider's pursuit to continue doing the thing he truly loves; indulging his sweet tooth by eating strawberry donuts. He will go to any limit to keep his trusty donut at his side, even if it is partaking in a staring contest with Dingo.

The book provided interesting ways not just to talk about donuts and eating healthy, but also about self-control, friendships, animals and their characteristics, and having the courage to stand up against fear. Definitely a book to get for your children, elementary students, adolescents, and adults who are into comic book type literature with thought provoking substance.    

Shape Up Sisters!

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Shape Up Sisters!

Received 5 out of 5 stars

Shape Up Sisters! by Linda Fondren was a great book that included her methods in assisting her hometown (Vicksburg, Mississippi) in losing 15,000 lbs in 17 weeks. It was also somewhat of a transformation story of Linda's challenging past, which equated to a prosperous future.

The book was very well thought out from the chapter about "Mother Wit" to the chapters that included healthy recipes, a behavior contract, and pictures of how to complete certain exercises. In obtaining a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Health Promotion and Fitness, I could definitely relate to a lot of key concepts in the book and was very proud to see all this information being displayed in this manner.  

Some of the things I loved about the book was how she emphasized a lifestyle change over dieting. Changing the way you eat is very key in managing your health successfully, especially as you become an older adult. She discussed starting out workout regimens at a slow pace and gradually building your way up to working out for 30 minutes a day, five times a week. I give her major kudos for stating the recommended amount of weight loss per month, which is only about 4 to 5 lbs per month; 1 to 1.5 lbs per week. As a vegetarian, I was even more engaged in the book as she referenced vegetarians and displayed some vegetarian recipes in the back of the book. The last thing I loved was that she included her methods for outreach toward the end of the book. I am quite  sure a lot of outreach had to be included and that it was great that she included that information.  

In recently reading the book Thrive by Arianna Huffington, I thought this book was a great transition to what I had just read. The re-occuring information from both books seemed to talk about health and wellness, wisdom, mindfulness, and mediation.

Thrive

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Thrive

Received 5 out of 5 stars

This book was absolutely amazing. It was like it was meant for me to read this book. I felt my previous reads by Napolean Hill (Think and Grow Rich), Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Day), Charles E. Cox (Life is a Business), and On Death and Dying (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross) really prepared me for the book.

Arianna Huffington discusses mindfulness, mediation, well-being, wisdom, wonder, giving, and a host of other things. I really agreed with some of the key points in regards to technology, social media, and wisdom. The portion that really touched me in the book was her mother's sense of giving and her death. I found myself shedding a few tears toward the end of the book.

I commend Arianna for a book well written. "Onward, upward, and inward" as she would say.

'Til Death Do Us Part

Sequel to A Little Bit of Honey displayed below

'Til Death Do Us Part

Received 4 out of 5 stars

Review:

I was intrigued from the moment that I started reading the book. At first in reading the book, I did not know what to expect. My hope was to gain knowledge about relationships and also the New Jersey area. In being a native of another state, I immediately thought "This would be a great opportunity to finding out new and exciting places in New Jersey, seeing the setting was in New Jersey. 

Not only did the author provide me with places to possibly go in New Jersey, hopefully not fictitious places, but delivered a great writing style. Hey words flowed together to the point that I wanted to read the book when I woke up each morning, at lunch time, during down time, and when I went to sleep at night. 

The material in the book was very realistic and had the possibility of being true. During some of the points in the book I asked myself how the main character could have such a breakdown in communication with her husband of four years that it could possibly jeopardize their marriage. After thinking about this, I then started to think about reality. So many things similar to what was displayed in the book happen in every day life. People are married for years and then something small or insignificant occurs, causing a change in feelings and the way things occur.

I believe what the author was trying to display in this book is that communication is the key to friendships, work relationships, and even marriages. Without communication there is a breakdown of various structures that have the ability to be great, but become mediocre without it. 

Book preceded 'Til Death Do Us Part