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

What an Amazing Compilation of Poems

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Sing to me of Words

Received 5 out of 5 stars

Review:

What an amazing compilation of poems that made me want to sit comfortably on the back porch, in my favorite chair, sipping tea and reading this delightful book. When I read Sing to Me of Words, I felt peaceful, freedom, love, blessing, and as if the author was in tuned with her creator. Kimberly Lynn Duboise delivered gracefully in a book full of enlightenment, journeys, and emotional stages. I journeyed with her to beautiful fields where caterpillars digested themselves and became butterflies, “Free” to change and become more. I watched with her as “Blessings” covered the earth and led us to wisdom’s gate.

Kimberly has shown great skill in her writing. I definitely recommend this book to those who want to relax, love, grow, and becoming one with themselves. 

Goal Setting vs. Positive Thinking

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The Power of Goal Setting
Received 3.5 out of 5 stars

 Review: 
A consistent theme could be seen in reading “The Power of Goal Setting.” The theme was not about goal setting, but regarding the laws of attraction and focusing on the things you want. Donna did a great job with providing examples and providing a sample goal plan. The book even had places in it where people could fill out their goal statement, obstacles, and action steps. This portion would be very helpful for youth who have never completed a goal statement. Although positive thinking goes hand in hand with goal setting, I believe the book was far more focused on the thinking aspect of goal setting than the actual title that so boldly adorned its front cover. What I had hoped for in reading this book was that the author focused a bit more on the steps of goals setting and displayed ways to alter goals when plans did not work out.

 The book was good for its audience and very encouraging; however would have been better received with a different title.

A Spark Ignited

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A Spark Ignited

Be A Spark

Received 4 out of 5 stars

Review:

The beginning of the book started out a bit slow. However, Ms. Maria Mudassir caught by full attention by the third poem called “Angel in the Dark.” Her writing spoke to me and took me on a quest to uncover the differences and similarities between the princess and the witch or to identify them both as one. The piece was very thought provoking and arranged as if it was an enigma poem.

As I continued to read, I found myself enjoying “The Scattered Pages.” The poem displayed the cruel realities of the world in regards to life that often turns into lesson-oriented realities. I was amazed how a young woman so young could have written poetry so beautiful. Maria showed that great poetry definitely has no age limit adorned to it.

I also recommend reading the following poems in Be A Spark: “Try Living in Me, The Scattered Pages, Who Said Kids Don’t Make Sense, Fog Eclipsing The Eye of My Mind, Dreams Outdoes the Use, and One True Love.” 

The Potential To Be Great

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Element of Freedom
Received 3 out of 5 Stars

Review:
O'nika Barnette's book, Element of freedom, has the potential to be great. In the book, she wrote about things that could inspire others, such as: Not being a victim anymore, being strong and motherly like a black queen, and rising above all the chaos and "ashes." These were relatable topics, especially the topic regarding rising above everything. Something I had hoped for in reading the book was what I call the art of pulling people emotionally into the poems. I wanted to feel like I was a black queen, exerting my motherly instincts to protect my kingdom in every possible way; I wanted to rise above the ashes as if "I Rise" was a modern day rendition of Maya Angelou's poem "Still I rise" with a James Weldon Johnson "Lift every voice and sing" feel to it; I also wanted to show my transition of not being a victim anymore.

O'Nika did show an ability to make comparisons or relate objects to each other; however her message would have been more heartfelt if she had created an emotional connection to the readers and her words were arranged in a way that would also create the same connection.

I look forward in reading other works by O'nika and seeing her transition as a poet.