Self-Help Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: A Glossary of Life by Manny Garcia

Language is arguably the most important advancement of our species, the tool that helps us define and explain our experience and existence. While all words are useful, some are timelessly tied up in mystery, wisdom, philosophy and emotion. Author Manny Garcia has collected and defined some of these universally significant ideas in his new book A Glossary of Life: Deeper Meaning Behind Our Most Common Words, which is almost certainly unlike any text you’ve ever read.

If you’re expecting a narrative story, this isn’t the book for you. As the title implies, it truly is a glossary – one […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T07:51:32+02:00June 6th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: Leverage the Field for Success by John Jay McKey

A data analytics expert has created a new way to look at success in business, both in microcosm and from a universal perspective, in Leverage the Field for Success: Using Quantum Reality to Succeed in the Corporate World.

John Jay McKey invites the reader to examine work life, and indeed the whole of life, from the viewpoint of “the Field,” referencing scientific principles that have established that all matter is essentially not cells, but waves of energy. Many experiments have shown that phenomena such as shared and instant communication – as seen, for example, in the group behavior of […]

SPR2019-03-22T10:37:24+02:00March 22nd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Business Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: The Little Love That Could by Pamela Capone

Autobiographical anecdotes, humorous afterthoughts and messages of faith entertain and inspire in The Little Love That Could: Stories of Tenacious Love, Underdogs, and Ragamuffins by Pamela Capone.

As a self-professed “professional unpaid people watcher and evidence gatherer” by day and “an insomniac dot connector” by night, Capone shares her insights into life and living through a series of autobiographical anecdotes that are candid and humorous. Her tone is conversational, upbeat and quirky, but always heartfelt.

Capone shares her vulnerabilities and fears through her adoption as a child and the uneasy relationship she had with her “bio-illogical” birth parents in “The […]

Marta Cheng2019-03-21T12:58:56+02:00February 17th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Accepting Life on Life’s Terms: Taoist Psychology for Uncertain Times by Chris L. McClish

Basing his advice on the Eastern philosophy of the Tao Te Ching, counselor Chris L. McClish presents an appealing guide to self-help psychology in Accepting Life on Life’s Terms: Taoist Psychology for Uncertain Times.

An explanation of Taoism winds through the narrative, with an emphasis on accepting what is and what isn’t doing harm. McClish declares that it may be relatively easy to accept that we can’t control circumstances, but it is harder to control ourselves. Always exploring the roads less traveled, McClish has established a list of self-limiting factors he calls ACE: Avoiding, Controlling, and Escaping. He counters […]

SPR2019-01-23T12:06:30+02:00January 22nd, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Psychology Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Review: Practicing Mindful Living by Dr. Debra Webb

In Practicing Mindful Living: A 365-Day Workbook for Mindfulness Practitioners, Dr. Debra Webb offers poetry, meditations and consultation to foster awareness each day of the calendar year.

A blend of self study and sage advice, Webb’s book presents a special, intentional guide to activities and concepts that can aid the thoughtful reader determining the overall tenor of his or her day. The entries begin with a short, directed poem. Here is an example, the entry for February 19th:

Wobbling down the sidewalk,
Ponytail flying behind her
Determined to master
Peddling and steering
Together
Fall after fall
She asks for

[…]

SPR2019-01-22T10:29:31+02:00December 17th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Review: The Way of the Dog: The Memoirs of Eros, the Metaphysical Dog by Eva A. MacDonnell

The Way of the Dog: The Memoirs of Eros, the Metaphysical Dog by Eva A. MacDonnell is a refreshing story about Eros, a puppy new to this world and his experiences, told from his unique perspective. A surprisingly insightful read, MacDonnell’s book will make the reader think about their relationship with not just dogs, but all animals and humans alike. The innocence, wisdom, love, and instruction that resides within the pages of the book will shift how you look at the world.

MacDonnell paints a picture with the dialogue between the characters; when Eros is speaking to his mother, […]

SPR2020-02-05T08:44:07+02:00November 19th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Searching for My Heart: Essays About Love by Dawn Downey

Searching for My Heart: Essays About Love by Dawn Downey is filled with beautiful and personal stories of the different types of love one can encounter in the world, as well as the fight with one’s self to find that place we can call “home.” Following the author on her journey from adolescence to adulthood feels in a way like reading her diary, an intensely personal and honest examination of one person’s journey through life.

Downey’s focus is not necessarily on romantic love, but on the larger concept of love for all things, especially oneself. This is not a book […]

SPR2019-01-11T14:50:22+02:00October 14th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Essay Book Reviews, Self-Help Book Reviews|

Wisdom from the Dojo and Other Tales by Soke Larry Barr

Wisdom from the Dojo and Other Tales by Soke Larry Barr 10 Dan is an inspirational work of self-help using martial arts as a basis.

Filled with stories from the author’s experiences and lessons learned from Karate, it gives the reader something to reflect on in every chapter. From the story about the arrogant young karate student who learned that it’s the focus that matters and not necessarily his perception of his skills, to the one about our God-Given Potential, there is a new lesson to be learned on each page.

While the book is inspiring and contains many nuggets […]

SPR2019-01-11T14:50:31+02:00September 24th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|