I hate the word "diet" as I have never been able to stay on one for very long. Over the last few months, I have added a daily exercise routine that doesn't bore me to death, but without a diet plan, I am only maintaining my weight instead of dropping those unwanted extra pounds. I need to do something to help me eat healthier.

Changing Fate Through Reincarnation
By Gerald Sze
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Pub. Date: November 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-1938690150 
Pages: 328

Review:

A few months ago, out of the blue, I received Changing Fate Through Reincarnation in the mail. I review many books a month from authors, publicity groups, and publishers, so occasionally I forget about agreeing to review a book, but it turns out that I didn't agree to review the book at all. I received an email from Two Harbors Press's publicity a few weeks later asking me to review the book in exchange for my honest review.

Even though I'm a Christian, I do occasionally read about other religions. Changing Fate Through Reincarnation is a mix of Buddhism, Western science and Han Chinese that the author has weaved together to help others have a more meaningful life. Have you ever heard of Karma? The basic principle is that if you’re nice to others, nice things will happen to you. The premise of the book is that a person can completely change his or hers life in the present by changing the way he or she thinks and how he or she reacts to everything and everyone.

The Anger Workout
By Les Carter, Ph.D. and Frank Minirth, M.D.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-1401675431
Pub. Date: October 30th, 2012 (Reprint)
Pages: 256

Review:

I signed up to review this book, courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review, because anger is part of everyone's lives. Some people can control their anger easily, while others have a difficult time with it. There is not one person that can say that they don't get angry over something every week. With the failing economy, the job market collapsing, and the continuing increases in gasoline prices, there are many things to be angry at.

The Anger Workbook was originally released back in in 1993 and has now been reprinted in an updated version. The authors, Les Carter and Frank Minirth, have written an interactive workbook to help you live a better life by going through thirteen steps toward anger management. Anger is not just slamming doors, screaming at a random stranger, or getting into fights. It is about shutting your feelings down, non communicating with others, feeling frustrated, and being over aggressive.

The Way of Oz: A Guide to Wisdom, Heart, and Courage
By Robert Y. Smith
Illustrations by Dusty Higgins
Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
ISBN: 978-0896727403
Pub. Date: September 1, 2012
Pages: 288

Review: 

It seems there is a new self-help book being released every week that is suppose to magically change your life if you buy it. I am one of those people that fell into the hype, but I have found the majority of the books offer nothing new, just common sense that every human being already knows.

Even though I wasn't in the mood to read another so-called self-help, I went ahead and signed up to review The Way of Oz: A Guide to Wisdom, Heart, and Courage by Robert Y. Smith, only because it showed Dorothy, Toto, Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow walking on the yellow brick road toward the Emerald City.

Author Robert Y. Smith shows how you can learn about life lessons through the original L. Frank Braum's fourteen Oz children books, which teaches kids to read, write, and communicate with others. The first two chapters is a biography of L. Frank Braum and the Oz books. The author then focuses on the characters and plots from the books and how they can be applied to our daily lives.

How to Start and Make a Conversation: How to Talk to Anyone in 30 Seconds of Less
BY: Christ Gottchalk
FORWARD BY: Deanna Anderson, M.ED, CCC/SLP Speech Language Pathologist
PUBLISHED BY: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60138-383-9
Pages: 288

 Before there was Facebook and Twitter, there was a thing called talking - actual face to face communication. In the book How to Start and Make a Conversation you'll learn how to talk to anyone in thirty seconds or less. You may think this is easy and just text somebody, but in the competitive business world, or just life in general, good communication skills are required.

The book's target readers will be mostly shy men and women who have a hard time getting up the nerve to talk to someone, but it can easily be used by students, teachers, business owners, etc. The author quickly takes you through the basic reasons of why conversation is important in our society. There are many reasons why someone can struggle with communications, like social anxiety, fear of rejection, self-esteem, etc. Throughout the book you'll learn about how important body language is; speaking to a stranger in thirty seconds or less; how to make small talk; how to leave a conversation; communicating at work; making friends; the romantic art of conversation; and learning how to communicate in the social media world.