Review: Sprouted Soul: Whole Souled Poems by Doobie

Sprouted Soul: Whole Souled Poems by Doobie 

Link to buy Sprouted Soul: Whole-Souled Poems

Review:

Sprouted Soul Whole – Loved Poems by Doobie is a collection of rather short poems that describe the soul that learns to hurt and love over and over again. These poems range in descriptions from the use of sight all the way through various forms of weather. There is not a whole lot of description that can be given without giving away the poems.

Doobie provides very short poems that feel rather incomplete. These poems seem to just give a glimpse into the writer’s soul and what they feel when writing the poem. The best poetry comes from the heart and when a poet allows that emotion to shine so does the poem that they have written. Many of these feel as if the writer has forced the words to come forth making the poems lack the impact that the writer wants to convey. However, with all of that said it is obvious that Doobie has talent that as they write will come through so keep your eye on this poet. This particular set of poems receives a 3 out of 5 score simply because of the budding talent that is shown in these poems.

Reviewed by Unrequited Spirit

Review: All You Need Is Less by Madeline Somerville

All You Need is Less: The Eco-Friendly Guide to Guilt-Free Green Living and Stress-Free Simplicity by Madeleine Somerville

Link to buy All You Need Is Less: The Eco-friendly Guide to Guilt-Free Green Living and Stress-Free Simplicity

Rating: 4 out of 5

At the beginning of Madeleine Somerville's All You Need is Less: The Eco-Friendly Guide to Guilt-Free Green Living and Stress-Free Simplicity, the author says that there should be more emphasis on the "reduce" segment of the environmentalists' "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" war cry. To that end, she focuses on strategies designed to help people acquire and use less stuff. Some of those strategies are more realistic and practical than others.

Everything lands on Somerville's chopping block, from personal care items, to home cleaning supplies, to clothes driers. The idea is that all the everyday products we purchase at the grocery store can be replaced with less expensive, more environmentally friendly alternatives. For instance, you can shampoo your hair with baking soda, shave with coconut oil, clean your home with vinegar, and hang your laundry on a clothesline outside to dry.

It almost goes without saying that Somerville is an advocate for rain barrels, backyard gardening with heirloom seeds, and cloth diapers, but she goes a step further with a chapter about how to improve your relationships and "green" your pets. It's all written in a friendly, easy-to-read style that usually tries to avoid inflicting crushing guilt trips on readers. 

A few things particularly stood out about this book:

1) The author is deeply infatuated with vinegar. She uses it for everything from first aid to housecleaning to hair conditioner. She admits that after using apple cider vinegar as conditioner, her hair might smell a little vinegary if it gets wet and you stick your nose in it, but she believes it's a small price to pay for not having to buy actual hair conditioner that's full of chemicals.

2) Some of the author's ideas are excellent and entirely possible for some people. Drying clothes on a line outside, for example, would work fine during dry, warm weather for people who have backyards with clotheslines. People living in apartments and/or in Minnesota in January are still going to need a drier. Plus there are plenty that are beyond the realm of how much trouble the average person will go to. For instance, traditional leg waxing is out. Instead, you're supposed to mix up a concoction of hot, sticky sugar and reusable cloth strips. Uh, no.

3) This book isn't just about using less stuff – it offers a new lifestyle. A reader can pick and choose which specific techniques work for him/her, but an environmental zealot can use the book to transform every aspect of his/her life.

As thorough and interesting and potentially useful as this book it, it did have a fundamental flaw. Many of the tips and techniques don't actually result in using less stuff; they just change which stuff you're using. For instance, let's say you want to use a skin moisturizer. Somerville says that instead of buying moisturizer which is specifically for that purpose, you should use coconut oil. And if you've got a cat, you shouldn't buy regular cat litter, but instead either buy the more expensive natural kind or make your own using shredded newspaper that you wet then mush together then dry in a process that takes 1-2 days.

Basically, you're not reducing anything. You're still buying and using stuff. You're just using stuff that's not as good as the stuff that you used to use. It's not necessarily even cheaper. Take coconut oil, for example. It's expensive and it comes in jars that you have to throw away, just like the skin lotion that it's supposed to be replacing. So why bother? I've tried to use coconut oil as a skin moisturizer. It's greasy and it gets oily spots on my clothes. The author advises readers to avoid that problem by toweling themselves off after using it, but that adds another step to my post-shower routine. And I smell like coconut, which isn't bad exactly, but it's not as nice as the fragrance in my skin lotion. So, to recap, people are supposed to stop buying expensive skin lotion which moisturizes their skin and smells nice. Instead they should buy expensive coconut oil, which moisturizes skin but leaves a greasy residue that needs to be removed and smells like coconuts. What exactly is being saved here? Especially if the skin lotion you already use is a natural kind that doesn't contain parabens or test on animals.

Overall, All You Need Is Less contains a lot of excellent tips. It's helpful to keep it in perspective, though, and remember that every little bit you do will help the planet. You don't have to follow all these guidelines to make your life a little greener. Realistically, there are a finite number of hours in the day to grow your own food, make your own baby wipes, and give your partner deep tissue massages instead of buying him/her anniversary gifts. And as for me, life's too short to have hair that smells like vinegar.

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

And Tango Makes Three gets banned

It's about time someone took a stand against gay penguins. Those characters who march around on the bottom of the world in their rainbow-colored tuxedos need to be knocked down a peg. And Singapore is just the country to do it. 

According to a BBC News story, the Singapore Library Board has banned a children's book that tells the true story of a pair of male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who team up to raise a penguin chick. Not only did the Library Board ban the book, but they ordered all existing copies to be destroyed. Good idea. You can't let a book like that accidentally fall into the public's hands. This is clearly a shocking story that flies in the face of traditional penguin family values.

The Board's action isn't universally popular, and there are petition drives to have the decision reversed. The gay penguin lobby seems pretty well-organized in Singapore. Oh, and the lobby for all humans who want the government to stay out of their bedrooms is on the case, too. You see, in Singapore, gay sex is still illegal, and there's a push for that law to be overturned.

It's stories like this that make the right to free expression and freedom from censorship so valuable. Sure, some people are offended by the gay rights movement. Sure, some people are offended by the gay penguin book. It's called And Tango Makes Three, by the way, if you want to buy it to read or buy it to cluck your tongue at the perverted exploits of homosexual waterfowl. But the beauty of freedom is that it's up to you to decide what literature or movies or music you want to be exposed to. So take advantage of your freedom and pick up a book that's been banned in at least one country. Then savor the thrill of being a rebel.

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

Review: Forever Fat Loss by Ari Whitten

Forever Fat Loss by Ari Whitten

Link to buy Forever Fat Loss: Escape the Low Calorie and Low Carb Diet Traps and Achieve Effortless and Permanent Fat Loss by Working with Your Biology Instead of Against It

Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

You know you've read a good book when you finish it and have a list of people you want to pass it along to. But you also know you've read a good book when you don't want to lend it out because you might not get it back. Such is the dilemma you'll face with Forever Fat Loss.

Full disclosure: I'm a sucker for the zillions of health and diet books that promise easy, quick, permanent, fool-proof results. Sadly, those promises never pan out. Sure, if you can completely avoid carbs or fats, or slash your caloric intake, you'll probably lose some weight. Or pass out during your wedding. Or die. Whatever. Those promises are unrealistic for most people with a normal amount of willpower, and they're potentially unhealthy. What to do?

Enter Forever Fat Loss. Author Ari Whitten had me at hello when he said people can eat as much as they want and shouldn't waste their lives at the gym. It's interesting advice from a personal trainer, but who's judging? He says that diets of all sorts, including low carb, low calorie, and low fat, are doomed to failure in the long run because they don't work in concert with the body.

This book points out that a key reason so many Americans are overweight is because of the typical American diet of processed foods. Laboratories are devoted to adding just the right chemicals to processed foods in order to make them unnaturally irresistible and pleasurable. This, in turn, encourages us to overeat.

Whitten has specific, clear guidelines to fix the problem. First and foremost, avoid processed foods. Eat simple, whole foods. Don't buy a milkshake at a fast food restaurant where most of the ingredients came from a lab. Want a shake? No problem. Toss organic yogurt, raw honey, and actual frozen berries into a blender. Sounds pretty good.

The book has a number of other guidelines designed to re-set your body to the weight it's supposed to be. Unlike what's found in most diet books, almost all of these seem both sensible and manageable. The only questionable one was his restriction on nuts, seeds, and legumes. He offered some rationale behind it, but it wasn't compelling. The guidelines state that people can eat some of these items if they really want to, but Whitten recommends limiting them. He advocates eating substantial protein in the form of meat and eggs, but since the environment would be healthier if humans ate less meat, my diet will continue to include unsalted nuts, seeds, and beans. That's one of the advantages of this book, though. It doesn't say "You get only 1500 calories per day!" or "No carbs!" Instead, it's all about listening to what your body is telling you. And my body is telling me to eat almonds.

Overall, this is an excellent book whether you're looking to lose weight or just embark on a healthier lifestyle. It's written in a simple, clear style with easy-to-follow guidelines and even some sample meals that show how "normal" a diet can be without processed foods. Now go make yourself a healthy milkshake and settle in with a copy of this book.

Reviewed by Peter