Review: The Addictocarb Diet: Avoid The 9 Highly Addictive Carbs While Eating Anything Else You Want by Bruce Roseman, M.D.

The Addictocarb Diet: Avoid The 9 Highly Addictive Carbs While Eating Anything Else You Want by Bruce Roseman, M.D.

Link to buy The Addictocarb Diet: Avoid the 9 Highly Addictive Carbs While Eating Anything Else You Want

Story Rating: 2 out of 5

Review:

The Addictocarb Diet is based on the idea that some types of carbohydrates are physically addictive, and if a person wants to lose weight, he/she must overcome that addiction and swear off those foods forever. Author Bruce Roseman believes that not all carbs are Addictocarbs, so it's okay to eat the non-addictive variety. In fact, he says that for the first three days of this diet, the only things that a person can consume are shakes made with milk, fruit, and flavoring powder like Slim Fast. Fruit juice isn't allowed because it's an Addictocarb. But fruits like berries and bananas are okay.

After the first three days of all shakes, all the time, Roseman says the addiction to bad carbs will be broken. At that point, it's acceptable to expand one's food alternatives to include vegetables, meat, cheese, etc. The only off-limits foods are the 9 evil Addictocarbs, which are bread, potatoes, pasta, flour, rice, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, and soda pop. Kiss these foods goodbye because this diet is intended to help people lose weight immediately, then keep it off by avoiding the 9 addictive carbs forever.

This book was similar to other low-carb diets, with some key exceptions. For one thing, Roseman is a huge fan of fruit, which is often restricted under low carb plans. This diet also allows people to substitute some of the off-limits Addictocarbs with other items that will serve the same purpose as so-called addictive varieties. For instance, pasta is a no-no, but Roseman allows dieters to eat a brand of pasta called Dreamfields. And while flour is off-limits, it's alright to eat Wasa Crisp & Light 7 Grain Crackerbreads, which are made from wheat.  They can even be crushed and used as bread crumbs in recipes.

Although this diet program seems like the familiar low-carb regimen, it's more confusing than regular low-carb. The book didn't provide a satisfactory explanation for why Dreamfields brand pasta is non-addictive and safe to eat, while other pastas are terrible. Roseman points out that one serving of Dreamfields contains 5 grams of fiber and 7 g of protein, which apparently makes it superior to other pastas. Out of curiosity, I checked my kitchen cabinet and found a package of Fresh Market organic whole wheat penne. It also has 5 g of fiber and 7 g of protein, just like Dreamfields. It's made out of durum wheat just like Dreamfields. Both pastas contain 41 g of total carbs. What's so special about Dreamfields? He does say at one point that if you must eat pasta, you can eat whole wheat, so why specifically mention a brand that doesn't appear to be whole wheat?

Another problem was that you aren't supposed to consume sugar because it's one of the Addictocarbs. At the same time, the author says that Slim Fast and other meal replacement powders can be added to the shakes that make up a central component of the diet. These meal replacement powders are often high in sugar. I went back to my kitchen and pulled out a can of Slim Fast powder. Sugar is the second ingredient on the label, yet sugar is one of the 9 forbidden Addictocarbs that I must avoid forever? What's the difference between the sugar in Slim Fast and the sugar in my sugar bowl that I want to put in my coffee? Which, by the way, is also confusing because Roseman says we can put a scoop of Slim Fast in a cup of coffee, but no sugar. Huh?

And speaking of the shakes that are supposed to break dieters' Addictocarb addiction, Roseman says that regular milk can be used in them, as well as nondairy alternatives like almond or soy milk. I ran back to my trusty kitchen and checked the label on a container of Silk soy milk. Cane sugar is the second ingredient. One cup contains 16 g of sugar.

Overall, this diet plan doesn't seem to add much to the world of low-carb eating, except for a few of its recipes. There were some in the back of the book that sounded good, and which I intend to try. There's even a guacamole that's garlic-free, apparently created for those of us who would like to both eat guacamole and have a love life. But beyond some recipes, this version of low-carb eating left me confused and frustrated. While it would be nice to enjoy a low-carb diet that still includes pasta, wheat crackers, and processed sugar, it's bizarre that those items are simultaneously forbidden and encouraged in Addictocarbs.

Reviewed by Peter 

Review: The Art of EatingThrough the Zombie Apocalypse by Lauren Wilson

The Art of Eating Through the Zombie Apocalypse by Lauren Wilson

Story Rating: 3 out of 5

Link to buy The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse: A Cookbook and Culinary Survival Guide

Blurb:

Just because the undead’s taste buds are atrophying doesn’t mean yours have to!

You duck into the safest-looking abandoned house you can find and hold your breath as you listen for the approaching zombie horde you’ve been running from all day. You hear a gurgling sound. Is it the undead? No—it’s your stomach.

When the zombie apocalypse tears down life and society as we know it, it will mean no more take out, no more brightly lit, immaculately organized aisles of food just waiting to be plucked effortlessly off the shelves. No more trips down to the local farmers’ market. No more microwaved meals in front of the TV or intimate dinner parties. No, when the undead rise, eating will be hard, and doing it successfully will become an art.

The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse is a cookbook and culinary field guide for the busy zpoc survivor. With more than 80 recipes (from Overnight of the Living Dead French Toast and It’s Not Easy Growing Greens Salad to Down & Out Sauerkraut, Honey & Blackberry Mead, and Twinkie Trifle), scads of gastronomic survival tips, and dozens of diagrams and illustrations that help you scavenge, forage, and improvise your way to an artful post-apocalypse meal. The Art of Eating is the ideal handbook for efficient food sourcing and inventive meal preparation in the event of an undead uprising.

Whether you decide to hole up in your own home or bug out into the wilderness, whether you prefer to scavenge the dregs of society or try your hand at apocalyptic agriculture, and regardless of your level of skill or preparation, The Art of Eating will help you navigate the wasteland and make the most of what you eat.

Review:

This is the type of book that is best skipping around instead of trying to read straight thru. The author has taken a popular cultural theme and has attached it to a humorous version of “live off the land” survival book. To someone not into the zombie apocalypse, the material gets old fast. I do commend the author for combining the two themes and coming up with a book that rides the current zombie wave.

Reviewed by Joseph

Review: Toasts: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion by Nancy Tupper Ling and June Cotner

Toasts: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion by Nancy Tupper Ling and June Cotner

Link to buy Toasts: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion

Story Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:

            Over the teeth and through the gums,

            look out stomach,

            here it comes!

Toasts have come a long way since that classic was written. It might still work fine for a frat party – if you're living in 1955 – but if you're living in 2015 and your social activities extend beyond standing around a keg with a bunch of guys in bedsheets-turned-togas, you might need a more refined sentiment. In which case, June Cotner and Nancy Tupper Ling, the authors of Toasts: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion, have got you covered.

This book is full of toast ideas for every conceivable occasion. They include weddings, embarking on adventures, celebrating holidays, mourning losses, and everything in between. It's important to note that there's a fine line between toasts and prayers in this book, and certainly some offerings cross into prayer territory. Prayers are the appropriate choice for some occasions, like baptisms and Christmas celebrations, though, so it makes sense that they're available.

This book's toasts come from a variety of sources. Some are sentiments taken from the works of well-known authors like William Faulkner and Mark Twain, while others are original material presumably written for this book. Each of the two authors makes at least one contribution. What this all means is that you can find a well-known piece or something brand new, depending on your preference. If there's one particular author you don't like, then there are literally dozens of others to pick from instead.

The toasts offered here come in a variety of lengths and tones, which means there's literally something for every occasion and taste. For instance, in the Business Events section on page 45, this short, tongue-in-cheek toast is offered from Mary Lenore Quigley:

            At our meeting's end,

            May we still be friends!

Meanwhile, in the Graduations section on page 114, a lengthy toast from Joan Stephen is far weightier and offers a host of advice to new graduates.

In addition to the toasts themselves, this book offers a little etiquette lesson in its opening pages. For instance, before offering a toast to the person being honored at an event, the toaster (Can that be correct? Would he/she really be called a toaster?) is supposed to publically thank the host of the event for holding it.

Overall, this is an excellent resource for finding appropriate toasts for every occasion. The "toaster" (giggle) doesn't necessarily have to memorize the selected sentiment, but can find something that fits the occasion and modify it at will. If you're going to be best man at a wedding and don't know where to look for the right toast, start here. If you're going to be a godfather or godmother and wish to toast the baby at a baptism, here's a solution to your problem. If you're anyone who has to offer a toast of any sort at any event, but you're afraid of putting your foot in your mouth, then please do yourself and all the people at the event a favor and let this book give you some much-needed help. The cost of this volume is a small price to pay to avoid alienating your family and friends by saying the wrong thing in front of them all.

Cheers!

Reviewed by Amanda

Review: The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV by Pete Crooks

The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV by Pete Crooks

Link to buy The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV

Story Rating: 2 out of 5

Review:

This book has a long title that sounds like it is going to be full of all sorts of action, but I found this was not the case. In fact, this book moved so slowly I found myself putting it down for a while before I could continue on with the story. The people in this book were not the most likeable and it was difficult to find any redeeming qualities in them.

The best part about this book is the introduction written by Joe Kenda. I found myself wishing he had written the rest of the book as well. Mr Crooks has a rough writing style that was too bad because I was interested in the book and really wanted to like it more than I did.

Reviewed by Joseph

Review: Screw the Valley by Timothy Sprinkle

Screw the Valley by Timothy Sprinkle

Link to buy Screw the Valley: A Coast-to-Coast Tour of America’s New Tech Startup Culture: New York, Boulder, Austin, Raleigh, Detroit, Las Vegas, Kansas City

Story Rating: 4 out of 5

Review:

Timothy Sprinkle's "Screw the Valley, a Coast-to-Coast Tour of America's Startup Culture" will be of particular interest to entrepreneurs and venture-capitalists. As a general business guy, occasional investor, and sometime follower of financial news, I can attest to the more-general appeal to others interested in learning more about the challenges and opportunities innovators and startups face. The tone is conversational and relatable to a general audience, and a reader won't need a degree in
Finance to compare the pros and cons of launching a startup in Austin, Texas versus Boulder, Colorado.

Mr. Sprinkle has been reporting on this topic for a variety of magazines and websites for 15 years and has an expert, insider's knowledge of the topic. Through personal anecdotes, as well as quotes and interviews with experts in each of the regions covered, he does an excellent job highlighting the cultural and business environments of New York, Boulder, Austin, Raleigh, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Kansas City. He also explains the support and roadblocks startups can expect to receive from the various local governments and business groups. He makes an excellent case that Silicon Valley is not
the only, or even the best, place to launch a new business or locate willing, expert business partners.

The advance review copy I read had a number of grammatical errors, especially in the Introduction (which I would advise readers to skip.) Hopefully they will be corrected before final publication. Other than this quibble, a reader interested in the topic will learn much about how these deals get made, and how many vibrant startup hubs there are in the U.S. outside of where we might typically look.

Reviewed by Trevor

Review: Nashville Songwriter: The Inside Stories Behind Country Music's Greatest Hits by Jake Brown

Nashville Songwriter by Jake Brown

Link to buy Nashville Songwriter: The Inside Stories Behind Country Music’s Greatest Hits

Story Rating: 3 out of 5

Blurb:

Nashville Songwriter gives readers the first completely authorized collection of the true stories that inspired hits by the biggest multi-platinum country superstars of the last half century—recounted by the songwriters themselves. Award-winning music biographer Jake Brown gives readers an unprecedented, intimate glimpse inside the world of country music songwriting.

Featuring exclusive commentary from country superstars and chapter-length interviews with today’s biggest hit-writers on Music Row, this book chronicles the stories behind smash hits such as:

Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind”
Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Southern Voice,” and “Real Good Man”
George Jones’s “Tennessee Whiskey”
Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” and “Cowboy Casanova”
Brooks & Dunn’s “Ain’t Nothing ’Bout You”
Lady Antebellum’s “We Owned the Night” and “Just a Kiss”
Brad Paisley’s “Mud on the Tires,” “We Danced,” and “I’m Still a Guy”
Luke Bryan’s “Play It Again,” “Crash My Party,” and “That’s My Kind of Night”
The Oak Ridge Boys’s “American Made”
George Strait’s “Ocean Front Property” and “The Best Day,”
Rascal Flatts’s “Fast Cars and Freedom,” and “Take Me There”
Kenny Chesney’s “Living in Fast Forward” and “When the Sun Goes Down”
Ricochet’s “Daddy’s Money”
Montgomery Gentry’s “If You Ever Stop Loving Me”
The Crickets’s “I Fought the Law”
Tom T. Hall’s “A Week in a County Jail” and “That Song Is Driving Me Crazy”
Trace Adkins’s “You’re Gonna Miss This”
David Lee Murphy’s “Dust on the Bottle”
Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor” and “Fly Over States”
And many more top country hits over the past 40 years!

Review:

We have all heard a phrase or sentence and thought "That would make a great country song title!" Well, prepare to have a lot of those while reading this book. Even if you are not a fan of country music the process of writing a song is intriguing. The book is arranged from oldest to newest and is easy to follow.

Reviewed by Joseph

Review: The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet: The 150 Most Delicious, Most Nutritious, 100% Vegan Recipes for the World's Healthiest Drink by Tracy Russell

The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet: The 150 Most Delicious, Most Nutritious, 100% Vegan Recipes for the World's Healthiest Drink by Tracy Russell

Link to buy The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet: The 150 Most Delicious, Most Nutritious, 100% Vegan Recipes for the World’s Healthiest Drink

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review:

Best Green Smoothies is more than a collection of smoothie recipes. Russell is a hardcore believer in a whole food vegan diet, and green smoothies are an important component of that lifestyle. All the recipes in this book are vegan, which means they don't contain milk or yogurt or any other animal products. That separates this book from many others on the market.

This book begins with an explanation of the benefits of green smoothies, including how this is a convenient way to eat more fruits and vegetables without having to spend half the day gnawing on raw kale. Russell also offers instruction on how to make a basic green smoothie (include one "base" fruit, one "flavor" fruit, liquid, and greens) and even how to fix a smoothie that turned out badly.

To call Best Green Smoothies a cookbook would be inaccurate, since all the ingredients are raw. The only appliance in use here is a blender, the choice of which Russell does discusses early in the book. It turns out not all blenders are created equal. To characterize this as a diet book would also be incorrect. Russell doesn't advocate replacing all meals with smoothies or going on a smoothie fast. Although there are sections of the book dedicated to different types of smoothies, including detox varieties, Russell points out that any radical diet is doomed to fail. Instead it's better to gradually switch to a healthy diet of whole foods that includes green smoothies, and this will lead to greater health and fitness.

You might be wondering at this point whether a vegan smoothie recipe tastes good. I had the same question, so I decided to give one a try. The Super Antioxidant Blast Green Smoothie sounded like a good choice because it called for pomegranate and banana, both of which I had in the house. It also called for 3 cups of baby spinach, which I didn't have. So the first substitution was two cups of organic kale, which I had purchased in case I wanted to try the smoothie book. The recipe also called for one pouch of frozen acai puree. I don't know what that is, and I couldn't even ask at the grocery store because I can't pronounce acai. So I substituted extra pomegranate and hoped it was something like acai.

The smoothie turned out okay, under the circumstances. First, I mixed the fruits and it looked dark pink from the pomegranate. Then I threw in one cup of the kale and everything turned an icky gray color. So I threw in the other cup of kale and everything turned green, which was way better than gray. The taste was all right, especially since I had feared the kale would be overwhelming. It wasn't; the banana was. So I threw in a splash of vanilla extract, which made things better, but the banana was still omnipresent.

Russell prefers smoothies to be room temperature, but that sounded unappealing, so I refrigerated all my ingredients before blending and threw in a couple ice cubes. Also, the texture might have been improved if I'd been using a more powerful blender. My blender is more than 20 years old and dates from when my now-husband and I got our first place together. Probably a more powerful blender manufactured in this millennium would have done a better job crushing the pomegranate seeds. There was also a psychological hurdle here. I'm not a vegan or even a vegetarian, so making a smoothie using just water without milk or yogurt felt wrong. Certainly this wouldn't be an issue for a vegan, however.

My plan is to try another smoothie tomorrow and substitute an apple for the banana. I must make another smoothie tomorrow because I've still got a fridge full of kale. A bunch of it cost 99 cents at Kroger, and it's too hard and leafy to eat on its own without blending it.

Speaking of extra kale, this book had the same problem as most recipe books, namely it calls for a little bit of a lot of different ingredients, and then you're stuck with the leftover ingredients. For instance, a number of recipes here call for ¼ of an avocado. What do you do with the remaining ¾ ? Once you're full of veggie smoothie, you might not be in the mood to eat the majority of an avocado, and it tends to turn brown in the fridge. If you need one stalk of celery, what should you do with the rest? And where do you get only one tablespoon of chia seeds? Don't even get me started on the mountain of kale lurking in my fridge as I write this. It's like a rainforest in there.

Aside from this complaint that I have with nearly every recipe book ever written, The Best Green Smoothies offers a lot of great ideas in an easy-to-digest format. Bon appétit!

Reviewed by Peter

Review: And Give Up Showbiz? by Josh Young

Link to buy And Give Up Showbiz?: How Fred Levin Beat Big Tobacco, Avoided Two Murder Prosecutions, Became a Chief of Ghana, Earned Boxing Manager of the Year, and Transformed American Law

Story Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review:

After reading the complete title of Fred Levin's life story it reminds me of watching a movie preview and later finding out the best parts were in the five minute coming attraction. With the title giving a short description of how he became famous and rich the book seems to be titles the way Fred Levin wants his story told. In describing all of Fred's difficulties they all end with "happily ever after" story lines. Very few detractors are interviewed compared to the people who all shout his praise.

The book is an interesting read but mostly pro Fred Levin. It would have been interesting to hear more from people who lost against him so that the reader could get the two sides to the stories.

Reviewed by Joseph

Review: Finding Zoe: A Deaf Woman's Story of Identity, Love and Adoption by Brandi Rarus and Gail Harris

Finding Zoe: A Deaf Woman's Story of Identity, Love and Adoption by Brandi Rarus and Gail Harris

Link to buy Finding Zoe: A Deaf Woman's Story of Identity, Love, and Adoption

Story Rating: 4 out of 5

Review:

Finding Zoe is a memoir about the life of author Brandi Rarus, a woman who lost her hearing as a child then went on to become Miss Deaf America, have three sons with normal hearing, and adopt a little girl who is deaf. Throughout her life, Rarus experiences communication problems in her dealings with members of the hearing community, but it's not until she embraces the deaf community that she can finally communicate freely with others.

This book runs the gamut of Rarus's life, from her childhood through college, the beauty pageant days, and her eventual marriage and family life. It addresses the triumphs and tragedies of having children, both the biological and adopted varieties. There's also background here about the history of deaf culture in the United States and the education of deaf children.

Surprisingly, a substantial portion of Finding Zoe focuses on Zoe's birth parents, the circumstances of her conception, and the series of decisions that ultimately led to her becoming a member of Rarus's family. This is a meaningful addition to the book because it enables readers to understand how disparate threads came together in improbable ways to create a lovely tapestry. In this case, tragedies like unplanned pregnancy, illness, and family strife were all necessary in order to achieve the ideal outcome: A family becoming complete with the addition of a beautiful little girl.

Overall, this book is well written and seems like a good choice for readers interested in deaf culture or adopting a special needs child. Readers who simply enjoy a memoir that exposes them to a different way of life might also want to pick up a copy. This reviewer's concern is that Finding Zoe's appeal might be limited because of the book's emphasis on the deaf community and the special challenges of adopting. If a reader isn't interested in either of those subjects, they might keep walking past Zoe in the bookstore.

Reviewed by Peter

Review: Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles by Barbara Stanny

Sacred Success: A Course of Financial Miracles by Barbara Stanny

Link to buy Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles

Story Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:

On its surface, Sacred Success appears to be designed to help women achieve financial security. It starts with author Barbara Stanny's story of how she spent years wearing figurative financial blinders while her husband threw away her money. When things eventually got so bad that she couldn't ignore the situation any longer, Stanny had to make some difficult changes. When the reader delves deeper, though, it becomes clear that this book is much more than just a primer on managing money.

Stanny says that girls aren’t taught to seek financial success, so by the time they're grown up, few women have a plan to achieve that goal. It’s not just about money, either. Certainly women need to have financial security just like men do, but Stanny points out that wealth isn’t usually the primary goal of most women. Instead if they took time to think about it, they would realize that their soul wants to achieve greatness in some way – often by helping others and improving their corner of the world. That revelation shifts the focus from simply earning money to identifying the pursuit that will fulfill a woman’s desire for greatness.

This book was a pleasant surprise. It was inspiring and well written and offered a clear step-by-step program to help readers reinvigorate their lives and find their purpose. Its title nearly prevented me from picking it up for fear of a heavy handed religious message, but that didn’t exist at all. Yes, it’s spiritual, but not religious. It’s nondenominational in its approach to the notion that God or the universe or whatever you believe in has a plan for you and it’s your job to figure that out. You won’t be happy or fulfilled until you are nourishing your soul by pursuing your purpose.

Another surprise here was that it didn’t really focus on money for a substantial portion of the book. That came later – after the more important work of figuring out a purpose, clarifying values, and determining how to avoid letting anything get in the way of that pursuit.

My only real complaint was that the book is marketed to women, while it can help anyone. Hopefully the focus won’t deter men from picking it up. We can all use a few miracles in our lives - whether they're financial or not - and Barbara Stanny has good ideas for helping readers manifest them.  

Reviewed by Peter

Review: Stuff You Should Know About Stuff by Tripp & Tyler

Stuff You Should Know About Stuff by Tripp & Tyler

Link to buy Stuff You Should Know About Stuff: How to Properly Behave in Certain Situations

Story Rating: 5 out of 5

Blurb:

Do you know how to properly conduct yourself in a public restroom?
What about while in the midst of a profoundly awkward silence?
Have you perfected how to get out of helping your friend move?

If you answered no to those questions, fear not. You need Stuff You Should Know About Stuff, the book that future anthropologists will no doubt call "the Rosetta Stone of handling trivial life situations."

From the sketch comedy duo who created the viral videos “Sh*t Nobody Says” and “Things You Can't Do When You’re Not in a Pool," Tripp and Tyler bring you the written word in Stuff You Should Know About Stuff, a guide instructing you how to navigate the treacherous waters of life’s odd quandaries.

There are even photos and illustrations for people who enjoy photos and illustrations and stuff like that. You can read it from cover to cover or you can choose to educate yourself only in conjunction with your bowel movements. Totally your call there.

Stuff You Should Know About Stuff places the priority on the trivial experiences of life, because that's where we spend most of our time; trying to recover from going for the fist bump when a casual acquaintance wanted a high five.

Review:

This is one incredibly funny book. These two guys are hysterical and are like the male equivalent of Erma Bombeck. I can only imagine what they are like out drinking on a Saturday night. They talk about real life situations that a lot of people won't even say out loud (like bare asses on hotel comforters-- a very legit concern in my opinion). 

Now while this book is written more for men, as a woman I still loved reading this. And when I mentioned a few examples from this book to a male friend I did get a few "F*ck yeah, they're right on." And the urinal illustration was confirmed as being 100% correct.

This book is highly recommended if you are looking for some real laughs. 

Reviewed by Elizabeth

Review: Jumping into the Parade: The Leap of Faith That Made My Broken Life Worth Living by Tim Brown

Jumping into the Parade: The Leap of Faith That Made My Broken Life Worth Living by Tim Brown

Link to buy Jumping into the Parade: The Leap of Faith That Made My Broken Life Worth Living

Story Rating: 3 out of 5

Review:

Tim Brown's Jumping into the Parade is a memoir that traces the author's successes and failures from childhood through adulthood. Following an aborted suicide attempt in his forties, he steps away from the ledge "both literally and figuratively" and manages to take control of his life. The book is one part recounting the stories of Brown's life, and one part inspiration for readers who seek to learn from his example, with a dash of faith thrown in to show how Brown sees God at work in his life.

This is a self-help book that's modeled after many others in the same vein. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing new here, either. Yes, Brown had hardships in his life. Yes, he was depressed and nearly ended it all. Yes, he pulled himself out of his difficulties and made a conscious decision to be happy. The thing is that there are so many books like this out there that it's unclear what this one adds to the mix. For instance, the last chapter summarizes the lessons taught in the book. These lessons include such items as, "Learn from your experiences" and "Don't fear your fear." Good advice, sure, but it's been repeated elsewhere and these aren't exactly earth-shattering revelations.

One thing that seemed surprising about this book is that it was written before the author had much chance to see how well the changes he implemented in his life will work in the long term. Many of the changes happened in the past several years, and some are as recent as fall 2013. That being the case, it seems premature to say that the author's problems are permanently solved. It's unexpected that as early as fall 2014 he's already prepared to teach his secrets to others.

Overall, readers might identify with some of the personal experiences shared by Brown in his memoir. The book is told in an essay format with very little dialogue or action scenes. Some might prefer that style, while others might prefer it if he had chosen more of a "show, don't tell" strategy. If readers can gain insights and improve their circumstances through this book, then the author's mission will have been accomplished. But there's not much here that hasn't been seen in other similar works, and fans of this particular genre might walk away disappointed for that reason.

Reviewed by Peter

Review: The One Week Marketing Plan by Mark Satterfield

The One Week Marketing Plan: The Set It & Forget It Approach for Quickly Growing Your Business by Mark Satterfield

Link to buy The One Week Marketing Plan: The Set It & Forget It Approach for Quickly Growing Your Business

Story Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:

Author Mark Satterfield puts his money where his mouth is in this book designed to help business owners attract new clients simply by following a series of easy-to-understand steps. First, he advises readers to identify their niche market and figure out what problem that niche market has that can be solved by the readers' businesses. For instance, if you're an interior designer looking for more clients, you probably know that many people would love your services, but they think they can't afford a designer. In that case, solve their problem by promising to help remodel on a tiny budget. From there, Satterfield helps readers launch an entire marketing plan focused on the niche market's problem that can literally be completed in a week. No, I didn't believe it either, but in reading the book, he made it seem entirely possible.

Satterfield seems to be putting his money where his mouth is here because he followed his own advice in writing this book. His niche market is business owners who want more clients. Their problem is that they think a full-on marketing plan to attract those clients is time-consuming and expensive. Satterfield solves that problem by offering simple, clear steps that cost little to implement and can net results in a matter of days. Nicely done!

The first half of the book gives the reader daily homework assignments to follow for five days in order to get the marketing plan off the ground. The book's second half is "strategic marketing boosts" which include ideas for blogging, social media, and creating joint ventures with other business owners. These aren't part of the basic marketing plan, so can be added on later if a reader chooses.

What's most appealing about this book is the step-by-step, fill-in-the-blanks format. Satterfield does the heavy lifting for readers in many cases. It seems to go back to his desire to solve a client's problems. If a reader of this book is a poor writer and worries about not being able to send out a coherent marketing email, Satterfield solves that problem by offering sample emails with blanks that can be personalized.

This is a recommended read for business owners looking to increase their client base. In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't try to follow the plan so I can't say for sure whether it works as flawlessly as Satterfield claims. Still, this book will remain on my shelf until I'm ready to embark on my next business venture. With Satterfield's help I identified my niche market as women who can't get what they want out of a relationship with a man. I'll solve the problem by booking clients who want me to come over after work with a bottle of wine and a bag of groceries. I'll cook, listen to their complaints about coworkers, and say they deserve to splurge on a spa day. There will be a foot rub after dinner. After they fall asleep on the sofa watching Letterman, I'll do the dishes, walk the dog, and let myself out. This is the best idea since the microwave oven and with this book's help, it will be just as successful.

Reviewed by Peter

How to Talk to Hot Guys: The 9 Secrets of Getting and Keeping the Guy of Your Dreams by Mehow with David Crowther

How to Talk to Hot Guys: The 9 Secrets of Getting and Keeping the Guy of Your Dreams by Mehow with David Crowther

Link to buy How to Talk to Hot Guys: The 9 Secrets to Getting and Keeping the Guy of Your Dreams

Story Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review:

So apparently there's something called the "pickup community," and there are actually people who call themselves "pickup artists." Who knew? Mehow, the author of How to Talk to Hot Guys, is one of that community's best and brightest. It would be interesting to learn whether most members of this community identify as such, and whether they have a formal, organized group, kind of like the National Rifle Association with condoms instead of ammo. But I digress….

How to Talk to Hot Guys is designed to help women attract men. It's for readers who want to talk to hot guys in order to start relationships, as well as those who are looking for a one-night hookup with Mr. Sexy at the end of the bar. The techniques are essentially the same. You zero in on the man of your dreams – or at least a guy who doesn’t physically repel you – and engage in witty banter designed to keep the guy interested and a little off balance. In the process, you have time to determine if this is a guy who you'd like to spend time with. If he is, you can use your sense of humor to turn him into your helpless sex toy. Or the father of your children. Whatever. At that point, it's your call.

It's a great premise for a book. With the right zingers, the most desirable man is putty in your hands. Mehow even offers some suggestions for screening men to make sure you're getting a good one. After all, how many sane women want to embark on a drunken, drama-filled adventure with a non-famous, not-as-attractive version of Charlie Sheen? He also offers tips for women to help them avoid turning off decent guys. After all, how many sane men want to embark on a drunken, drama-filled adventure with a non-famous, not-as-attractive version of Lindsey Lohan?

This book has some flaws, though. First off, the conversation scenarios demand comedic timing and wit that most people don't have access to on the spur of the moment. Sure, if you're writing a book and you have months to think up clever come-backs, it looks easy. It probably wouldn't come as easily during real life conversations. Also, there are all sorts of rules and situations that were impossible to keep straight. Like when's the right time for "tease stacking" versus "sass" versus "harsh implied frames"? And what are "calibration" and "emotional value" again?

Finally, some of the recommended techniques seemed like they wouldn't attract a man so much as make him think you're either out of your mind or a total bitch. For instance, if a guy you've just met tells you, "I stopped playing football after college," a recommended response is, "Is that when you grew a vagina?" Now, that might be a good response for someone you already know fairly well, but walking up to a stranger in a bar and saying that might instead elicit a WTF? response from a lot of guys. Of course, if a man is put off when you talk about his late-onset vagina, then perhaps it's better to know that upfront before wasting too much time on him.

Reviewed by Peter

Review: Pretty Little Killers by Daleen Berry and Geoffry C. Fuller

Pretty Little Killers by Daleen Berry and Geoffry C. Fuller

Link to buy Pretty Little Killers: The Truth Behind the Savage Murder of Skylar Neese

Story Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review:

This book tells a tale of a horrific murder and teaches the lesson to trust no one. If this story was presented in a movie many people would say "Come on, are you kidding me?" But this very aspect is what makes this book a page turner. Can these girl killers and their victim be for real?

What sets this story apart is the social media angle. There have been murders committed in the past where someone sends an email to another about the crime. Some killers have kept written diaries describing all the gruesome details. But in this instance all the tweets, texts, and calls make this even more interesting. Following the social media you can see a diary as the murder was planned, executed, and covered up. And after reading this book you have to wonder what were these girls thinking.

In my opinion they absolutely would have gotten caught at some point. The electronic forensic trail was leading right towards them without anyone confessing. The murder takes place on July 6, 2012 and by February 2013 both girls had been sentenced. Most murder cases don't have guilty pleas and case closure this fast unless there is overwhelming evidence. In many cases that are solved the killer just can't keep their mouth shut. In this case the killers just couldn't stay off of social media.

Reviewed by Joseph

Review: What Do You Want To Create Today: Build The Life You Want At Work by Dr. Bob Tobin

What Do You Want To Create Today: Build The Life You Want At Work by Dr. Bob Tobin

Link to buy What Do You Want to Create Today?: Build the Life You Want at Work

Story Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review:

It took some time to figure out exactly what this book is attempting to do. On the surface, it reads like a collection of stories from Dr. Tobin's own work experiences. It was unclear how those anecdotes could offer much help to others. But because I'm reviewing the book, I had to dive deeper to try and decipher the central unifying theme among those stories. And, pleasantly enough, there is one.

Part of what threw me off and caused some confusion about the purpose of this book was the title. "What Do You Want To Create Today?" suggests entrepreneurship and creating a new business or pursuing some artistic career path. But it's not. It's primarily about taking the job you've already got and making small changes to turn it into the job you want where you can start loving your work.

Some of the changes suggested in the book are more about re-working your own attitude than any physical shift. For instance, the chapter "Tough is Good" focuses on the idea that sometimes the hardest projects are the most rewarding. People who are bored by the same old, same old are more likely to make mistakes, but if you're mentally engaged, your work is better.

Many of the ideas and suggestions here are pretty basic when you think about them, but taking the time to sit down and think about them is the advantage of having a book in your hands. The notion behind "Get rid of the jerks" is simple enough, but how do you get jerks out of your cubicle when you don't have the power to fire them? Some suggestions are offered, including strategies the author has personally had success with.

One downside of the book has already been mentioned. Its title might be misleading and might cause some readers to pick it up in search of entrepreneurial advice. Another downside is that it's unclear whether the average person's work life will be vastly improved by implementing these suggestions. Yes, it's nice to think that if you ignore a jerk, he'll go away, but does he always? In my experience, that depends on the jerk. And the idea that following this book's simple suggestions – for instance how you should focus on dreams instead of spinning your wheels putting together shorter-term goals – seems overly simplistic. It's also got a very heavy focus on the author's personal experience, which might or might not translate into anyone else's work situation.

Overall, this is a decent career-centered book that has some nuggets of good advice to offer people who want to improve their work lives. Before quitting your current job in disgust, it might help to pick up a copy and see if you can make some changes that will make your situation more palatable, or even enjoyable. And if those don't work, there's still time to quit that time-wasting crummy job tomorrow.

Reviewed by Peter

Review: Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally by Bob Zmuda and Lynne Margulies

Andy Kaufman, The Truth, Finally by Bob Zmuda and Lynne Margulies

Link to buy Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally

Story Rating: 4 out of 5

Review:

This book starts with death and ends with the possibility of a staged resurrection. In the chapters in between the story told lays the groundwork for the Second Coming of Andy Kaufman. Some of the explanations of why Kaufman would do something as faking his death for thirty years seen plausible due to Kaufman's oddness and idiosyncrasies. But other stories seem to take the premise over the top and are not so believable. Three quarters of the book present an interesting read into the mind of Kaufman. These parts are truly enjoyable. Lining up the dots seems to be the thrust of how Kaufman pulled off this stunt.

What is interesting is that as I read the book promoting its' theories, the more I remembered the movie 'Eddie and the Cruisers". Kaufman died in 1984 and the above mentioned movie came out in 1983. The rock star has been supposedly dead for twenty years and indeed at the end of the movie Eddie lives. Maybe Andy Kaufman had seen this movie and thought to himself "wait! Wait! You're stealing my idea!" So maybe if we wait a little bit longer Andy will return. We've already been waiting thirty years.

Reviewed by Joseph

The Path Redefined: Getting to the Top on Your Own Terms by Lauren Maillian Bias

The Path Redefined: Getting to the Top on Your Own Terms by Lauren Maillian Bias

Link to buy The Path Redefined: Getting to the Top on Your Own Terms

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

It's hard to decide what to say about this book. The author Lauren Maillian Bias is described as a "serial entrepreneur," which seems to mean that she has started up multiple companies. These start-ups and the fact that they're all in different industries is noted on practically every page of the book. The reader is also not allowed to forget that Bias accomplished all of this before age 30.

Yes, her accomplishments are impressive, but the tone of the book, combined with the emphasis on the author's high-powered personal connections grew very old very quickly. Bias seems to be quite full of herself. Take this sentence as a sample of what you'll find throughout the book: "I worked really hard for nearly ten years and now I'm part of a powerful ecosystem of like-minded people who dream big and do big like me." (Yes, the words "I" and "me" appear multiple times in practically every sentence.)

This book is supposed to offer readers advice about achieving their own success, yet it reads more like a memoir designed to chronicle Bias's own achievements. For instance, a great deal of time is spent emphasizing the importance of having networks of important, influential friends. Bias calls these people for help, works with them to bring about future business ventures, and sits next to them on philanthropic boards of directors like one for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's all a bit too much for readers who are looking for suggestions to help start a new dog walking business or open a restaurant. Let's face it, if you're checking a book about entrepreneurship out of the library, you're probably not already sitting on boards of directors and starting up new ventures with a guy who runs a successful national skin care brand. In other words, explaining how to use high-powered connections probably isn't going to help people who pick up this book.

Speaking of unrealistic, Bias's first big success was a winery that she started at age 19. Allegedly it started out as a real estate investment. How many 19-year-olds have money to invest in real estate? So if you already have a network of rich, powerful friends and you're trying to figure out how they could be useful to your next business venture, this book might be up your alley. Alternatively, if you're looking for short, pithy ideas that guided Bias's success, look no further. For instance, she wraps up the chapter about negotiation with tips like these: "Be confident." And "You can't always put compensation first, especially when you're a rookie."

Overall, some sensible business advice can be gleaned from this book, but many of the stories recounted here probably don't pertain to regular people living normal lives. There are better books out there if you're looking for step-by-step practical instruction about starting a business or improving your odds of career success.

Reviewed by Peter