Book review of Essential Oils for Allergies

I am not new to the world of essential oils and have been exploring this ancient wisdom for many years. I also love natural healings so I was eager to read this book. I have to say that this guide exceeded my expectations by being quite different in many aspects of its incredible concepts… it has great content, easy to comprehend format and most importantly substance.

My favorite section of the book is the one that explains how to tell if an essential oil is pure. Here, the author makes a strong connection between knowing plants and putting them together to good use. Differently from other books that I read about this topic, this guide balances the author’s knowledge with great resources that allows the reader to do research of his/her own.

I am very pleased with the amount of information in this book, and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes/remedies. This book definitely expanded my knowledge in essential oils. I would recommend it to anyone with allergies as well as to those who are trying a healthier lifestyle.

Interview with author of "Resume Psychology" Dirk Spencer

Resume Psychology is a science based approach to resume content to help people hack the black-hole of job boards and corporate career pages.

Resume Psychology provides ethical resume hacks to leverage the performance and behavioral norms of the recruiting process, the people behind the scenes and the technology while avoiding the pitfalls and traps of out-of-date advice.

The author reviews what to do on your resume to avoid being rejected automatically by the technology. Mr. Spencer shares a counter-intuitive writing approach which increases your keyword placement to improve how your resume is ranked against the competition. Dirk describes a resume section-by-section showing what helps, what hurts and what to do better.

         

•     Why margin size matters to your resume inside a job board

     ·              Best and worst bullet styles to use on the resume and why

     ·            The 4-keyword hacks necessary for higher resume scores

     ·           The Kiss of Death and the words to stop using on your resume

     ·           Why job descriptions may be the worst place to find keywords

     ·          The mistake spell check does not fix and how to avoid it

What inspired you to write this book?
There is a lot of bad resume advice out there. I had seen my share of friends spend upwards of $2K

dollars for a resume which landed them no-calls, no-emails, no-interviews and no-offers. These 

resume writers are not skilled in recruiting. Most are English majors with PhDs who are good people 

lacking the necessary insights to help their clients in the age of modern resumes.

 How long did it take you to write this book?

I spent 3 months dedicated to writing and editing the book.

What books and authors have most influenced you?

Dr. Williams, my college English professor. I dedicated the book to her. She taught me writing was a

science and she was right. She submitted for an Emerging Scholar Award in English for a poem I 

wrote following the “rules” as it were. She said she saved my papers for last – they were her dessert.

Do you have a current work in progress?

I just released my second book The Candy Maker Resume – Resume Writing Hacks. If Resume 

Psychology is the “what”; this book is the “how.” There are 2 more books in draft-mode; Interview 

Psychology – Preparation Attracts Offers and Using LinkedIn for Job Search (tentative titles).

                                                      About Author:

Dirk Spencer is a former government analyst, turned corporate recruiter and is the author of Resume Psychology Resume Hacks & Traps Revealed - Beat the Machine. Be Seen. Get Hired! A fact-based, science-focused approach to modern resumes. Dirk shares his technical and process insights to help people hack their resumes to be more effective when applying to job openings.

Mr. Spencer has presented Resume Psychology to several professional associations from Dallas to Denver, including: Pikes Peak Recruiter Network, Inter-City Personnel Associates, Executive Search Owners Association, American Society for Quality Conferences, National Investor Relations Institute, International Institute of Business Analysis, Intuit Women's Network, Texas Workforce Commission and Dallas Fort Worth Texas Recruiters Network (DFWTRN).

He has also volunteered his time to present Resume Psychology to Career Transition Groups such as: Career Jump Start FUMC Richardson, Carrollton Career Focus Group, Carrollton City Job Hunt 101, Crossroads Bible Church Career Transition, Fort Worth Career Search Network, FWCSN Resume Boot Camp Job Angels Network, MacArthur Blvd Baptist Church, Preston Trail Job Network, McKinney Workforce Networking, Southlake Focus Group.

Dirk has also presented Resume Psychology to diverse ecumenical groups as well: Jewish Family Service (JFS), Career Counseling Group of DFW Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT), Career Counseling Group of DFW Islamic Center of Irving (ICI), McKinney Trinity Presbyterian Church Career Transition Network, St. Philip's Episcopal of Frisco Job Ministry, St. Andrew UMC Sales Group, St. Jude Career Alliance a Chapter of the Catholic Career Development Community.

In his off-time the author does amateur nature photography, makes Christmas decorations year-round and folds origami-crafts.

Readers can find more about Dirk Spencer's work here: Amazon; Createspace

and connect with him at: Linkedin; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; Slideshare; Flickr; Website and Blog

Book Review of The Urban Boys and Interview with the Author K. N. Smith

This book is well-crafted, gripping, full of exciting twists and turns with a great, captivating story-line. Its complex intrigue and detailed descriptions do not slow down the fantastic cadence that kept me looking forward to the next page. It is suspenseful, mysterious, nourish in a plot, character, and language (“…glowing energy that dripped from those huge leaves caused a solo ambition”).

The story is definitely a brick packed dense with all that is valuable; a beautiful friendship, family, humanity, simplicity, and love. In her poetic voice, the author takes to an amazing journey filled with different people, different emotions, and different discoveries.

“The Urban Boys” offers something for everyone! Although fictional, the book clearly tests the boundaries of fact and fiction; one can't help but believe that the scenarios the author create might actually unfold in the real world. The tale like this pulls the reader to respect and honor people around him/her and reminds one that humans are open to more than the material world as well as capable of overcoming evil by love and wisdom. I highly recommend this read.

                                                             
                                                                                                             About Author:

K.N. Smith is an American author and passionate advocate of childhood and family literacy programs throughout the world. She continues to inspire students of all ages to reach their highest potential in their artistic and educational pursuits. Her creative, lyrical flair sweeps across pages that twist, turn, and grind through elements of paranormal and action-adventure in diverse, exciting, edge-of-your seat narratives. She lives with her family in California. 

What was your inspiration for this book?

The inspiration for this novel was actually born of my desire to see more young people reading. When my daughters were in high school, I was a volunteer parent tutor and I could really see the need for tutoring with the students, especially in English and math. I thought if I could entertain, I could educate along the way. With that, my lyrical writing style does stretch the imagination a bit, but it's all for a good cause.

What is your favorite scene in your book?

The scene where the dark stranger finally tells the boys what the heck is going on. It’s the one scene that pulls the entire story together. Beyond that, I loved the final fight scene because there is so much going on. I had to visually map it out remembering who got knocked to the left and who got kicked to the right. It was a blast! 

Readers can find more about K.N. Smith and her work

and connect with her on Facebook; Twitter and her Website

Review of The Great Apocalypse by author Daniel Thompson

This book truly satisfied my love of beautiful writing with an engaging story and fully-developed complicated characters. The author writes with clarity, concisely and yet with excellent examples at the beginning of each chapter. To provide the in-depth explanation to his readers, he also includes many interesting and delightful illustrations.

The plot consists of a mixture of history, religion, mystery, and philosophy as well as ethical reasoning and compassion which are, unfortunately, diminishing in today’s world. But there is also a beautiful sparkle of hope behind every scene. As the author states, “The predicted events may not happen in one’s lifetime. Yet, the idea of a higher power reviling hidden knowledge, on letting us in on a heavenly secret, does much to help us to combat the desperate notion that we are insignificant beings in an uncaring universe.” 

I usually don’t read books more than once, but I'm glad I have this book as I will certainly read it again. “The Great Apocalypse” informs, entertains and sustains.

        About the Author 

Daniel Thompson is a microtonal composer and the author of The Great Apocalypse, the first book of the Sparlock of the Multiverse Trilogy. His stories often take the form of philosophical thought experiments that challenge some of our most cherished assumptions.

His life has taught him much about the conflict between faith and reason. Growing up in a Jehovah's Witness household, he became an ordained minister at the age of ten. Much of his youth and early adulthood has been spent giving Bible sermons and preaching in remote parts of the United States including Northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the Badlands region of South Dakota. He may have even knocked on your door. If so, he apologizes for disturbing you.

Eventually, his desire to lead a rational, productive, and moral life led to conflicts with the arbitrary demands of his religion. He officially resigned his membership and was subjected to their institutionalized shunning policy that forbids current members from associating with former members.

In his writing, Daniel Thompson explores the consequences of certain religious ideas, especially predicting the end of the world. He enjoys exploring old ideas in a fresh context.

Read more about Daniel Thompson and his work

   

Review of "Paint It Black" by the author Rom Gayoso

This is a well-written book that lays out the author's quest to understand how creative and effective problem solving are achieved. His conversational and engaging style bring the reader along to a better understanding of the processes that lead to life-changing moves on what one loves … on what fascinates one’s spirit ... guiding a person to go after what really matters to him/her.
The book is divided into seven different parts/cases with characters that are experiencing reorganizing of their thinking into a new story about the problem they are trying to solve. My favorite is the fifth story – “El Otro Lado” – which describes the challenges a potential immigrant faces in the process of deciding to come to a “land of opportunity” or staying in his or her homeland.
“Paint It Black” is packed with interesting, real-life examples, conversations, anecdotes, and techniques. I think many people may be able to transform attitude into action; insight into better decisions and intuitive intelligence into improved timing by internalizing the strategies outlined in this book. I highly recommend it!



 
                                                                                               About the Author

Rom Gayoso is a professional economist with 12+ years of experience in the Semiconductor industry and he teaches graduate Economics, Statistics and Management courses at local universities in Phoenix, AZ. His expertise is in Econometric Modeling, Competitive Intelligence and Scenario Planning; he is responsible for developing several forecasting models for a Fortune 500 firm. His materials have been presented both in the United States and abroad - at SCIP, World Future Society, Institute of Business Forecasting, Intelligence for Business Strategy, Executive MindXchange, Market Research Summit, and Future Trends Conferences.

Read more about Rom Gayoso and his work

Chester and the Eggie Boo by Author Nick Mackie

All aboard! Choo - Choo, Eggie Boo! A beautifully illustrated children's picture book by Nick Mackie Chester lives in an old railway station that has been converted into a seaside café and home. When playing with his toys Chester dreams of a past when real trains stopped at the station. The magic machine in Chester's bedroom is the portal into the fantastical land of Eggie Boo. Its special tickets transform the old station into a magical railway, with a mysterious train, and eccentric passengers.

About the Author

N.R Mackie is an award-winning animator, director and illustrator.

As a creative he has worked for many years in the animation industry at studios such as the Oscar winning Aardman Animations, 4:2:2 and Picasso Pictures.

Dino Zoo is his first novel.

Nick has won a BBC Talent award for animation, a Royal Television Society award, been in competition at Annecy, Edinburgh, Portland, London and numerous other international film festivals.

He once even won the funniest film in Belgium award!

He has also illustrated & written two pre-school children's books and contributed to others.

Nick lives in the sunny South West of England with his musician partner, their young son, and naughty border terrier.

He is presently thinking about plots for the next Dino Zoo book.


Chester and the Eggie Boo available on Amazon

Read more about Nick Mackie and his work

Review of "Coming Out the Other Side"

This book is an incredible window into the mystery of life, struggles and the pains that come unexpectedly and change everything; just like when the remorseless monster called cancer announces itself.  As the author Alfred Samuels writes: “… 20 minutes prior, I was someone who was a functioning and real part of society, then minutes later, I’m told that I’m no longer going to be a part of that.”

I loved a part of the book where he writes about his life before cancer. He was a bodyguard for many celebrities, dedicated to maintaining professionalism and hard work. He lived the life full of excitement. He lived fast. Time left for himself and those he loved was scarce. I think many of us can relate to such fast-paced life.

This story is quite frankly the most meaningful non-fiction book I've read in very long time. This book is very well written and I admire the spiritual perspective in which it was presented. It can teach one a whole new approach to staying positive even then when that’s the hardest thing to do. 

I also found it quite easy to read, understand and follow. Most importantly, its ultimate message was not one of sadness and despair over things we cannot change, but one of deep illumination, determination and hope. I highly recommend this book.

                                                                                            About the Author

Throughout his extensive career Alfred Samuels, was a bodyguard to some of the world’s leading celebrities. Throughout he was an active, mentally alert, mega fit individual, given the needs of his particular industry. However, without announcement his world came to an unforeseeable crashing halt. On a fateful day in January 2012, his doctor informed him that he had been diagnosed with advanced metastatic prostate cancer, stage four. This book is a record of his journey from Ignorance to Coming out the other side with a mission, to change the world’s perception and awareness to the dangers of prostate cancer. It raises the inevitable question, How aware are you? It is predicted by the American Cancer Society that in 2015, 27,540 men will die from prostate cancer. Of the same disease in the UK in 2012, 10,837 men perished. Yet these statistics could be so drastically reduced. Alfred never thought prostate cancer, would dare to enter his world, yet it did without favour or kind. If you think it cannot enter your world, then think again because it can and in the blink of an eye take you out. 

In a world where men are seen as invincible, there exists, an attitude of invincibility; fearlessness, proudness, being in-control and invulnerability. Take a stereotypical example: A man without trousers, exposed and vulnerable to the dangers of the world around him, cannot truly be a man, can he? In their efforts to project that image, all they do is cause severe and profound damage, to themselves and all those around them. This is not a bad thing but it leads us to the belief that the same can be said of prostate cancer, that naivety is no answer to education and awareness. My diagnosis did not need to be so drastic, had I been more aware of the disease. With that said, I refuse now to leave this planet, before completing my mission to change the Taboo, as relates to prostate cancer. 

Read more about Alfred Samuels and his work