non fiction

Non Fiction Review: Men’s Prayer Journal

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Mens Prayer Journal by Romal Tune
Mens Prayer Journal: A Place for Reflection, Praise, & Thanks
by Romal Tune

5 out of 5 stars


This simple journal is the perfect companion to a daily prayer time, with plenty of room for writing in thoughts or prayers, and a Scripture verse at the bottom of each page.

I like that there is NO introduction telling you how to pray, or how to use the book, or some long personal story about the author’s prayer journey. There are NO journal prompts or condescending “uplifting” stories about Christian life. It’s just blank pages ready for writing and a verse to inspire you. The simplicity of it is perfect!
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Non Fiction Review: Essential Chakra Yoga

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Essential Chakra Yoga by Christina D'Arrigo
Essential Chakra Yoga: Poses to Balance, Heal, and Energize the Body and Mind
by Christina D’Arrigo

5 out of 5 stars


This book guides the reader through an incredible journey using yoga to balance the energy in the body known as chakras. The first chapters give an overview of the seven main chakras, and how they affect your physical, mental, and emotional health. Each chakra overview includes positive affirmations about the area of life that corresponds to that chakra, such as emotions for the heart chakra, or expressing yourself with the throat chakra.
Then there are yoga poses, illustrated with simple drawings, that activate and clear each chakra for a smooth flow of energy throughout the body. Continue reading →

Non-Fiction Review: The Fascinating Animal Book

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The Fascinating Animal Book for Kids by Ginjer Clarke
The Fascinating Animal Book for Kids: 500 Wild Facts!
by Ginjer Clarke

5 out of 5 stars


Divided into chapters for mammals, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, this book gives amazing facts and information about each animal. Did you know that male lions will often sleep for 20 hours a day? Did you know that fireflies can speak to each other through the patterns of flashing lights? And that the smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird, which is only 2 inches long?

Every page is covered with beautiful photographs of animals in the wild. Each photo is vibrant and energetic, with the action of racing predators, diving birds, or a busy ant colony.
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Non-Fiction Review: How To Raise a Reader

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How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul
How to Raise a Reader
by Pamela Paul , Maria Russo

2 out of 5 stars


This book gives advice for encouraging a child to read at every stage of their lives into adulthood. There are guidelines for reading to newborn babies and toddlers, guiding a child to read on their own, encouraging a middle grader or preteen to love reading, and influencing a teenager in their reading choices. There are chapters for each age group with suggestions on when to let a child explore books on their own, and when to step in with a subtle influence and inspire them to read.

There were some things that I liked about this book. The writing style is good, but a little pretentious in places. The authors write as if they know everything there is to know about parenting, reading, and which books are best.
They criticized some of my favorite childhood books as being too “preachy” and “moral”, so right away they lost my respect for their opinions. They would have done better to be more accepting of different tastes in books, instead of being so quick to judge certain books as “boring” or unappealing to children. Well, those books were appealing to me when I was a child, and they are STILL my favorites! Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: The Path to Positivity

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The Path to Positivity by Caitlin Margaret
The Path to Positivity: Proven Positive Thinking Techniques for Getting Motivated and Living Your Best Life
by Caitlin Margaret

4 out of 5 stars


This book gives clear and practical steps for changing your mindset and changing your thoughts, emotions, and behavior to live a better life. There are techniques for dealing with fear, anxiety, negative people, and past hurts that influence your current experiences.

I really loved the intelligent writing style that breaks down complex ideas into small manageable pieces. Each section has actionable questions you can ask yourself to identify where you need to make changes and celebrate the things you are already doing well. Continue reading →

Cookbook Review: Bento for Beginners

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Bento for Beginners by Chika Ravitch
Bento for Beginners: 60 Recipes for Easy Bento Box Lunches
by Chika Ravitch

4 out of 5 stars

This recipe book has all the instructions you need to start using Bento boxes for work or school lunches or dinners. It begins with the history of Bento and the traditions behind this style of food packing, then gives advice on using traditional Japanese recipes or using more Americanized versions of Bento.

I love that there are so many options for Bento-style lunches! The reader has the freedom to substitute favorite vegetables and dishes, mixing them with the recipes in this book.
The recipes are all simple and easy to cook, using basics like rice, beans, chicken, and veggies. Each recipe has substitutions and labels for vegan, pescatarian, nut-free, and gluten-free. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: The Loneliness Companion

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The Loneliness Companion by Shrein H. Bahrami
The Loneliness Companion: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Self-Esteem and Finding Comfort in Yourself
by Shrein H. Bahrami

5 out of 5 stars


This book gives practical advice for connecting with others and finding fulfilling relationships. I love how the chapters are organized, beginning with why loneliness can be so crippling, how to pull yourself out of it, and how to cultivate healthy and meaningful relationships and friendships.

Each chapter ends with a page of affirmations and encouraging sentences that you can claim as your own life lesson or mantra. Instead of just a book that “tells” you about loneliness, there are meditations, activities, and journal prompts that get you involved in the process of finding freedom from loneliness. These steps are truly helpful! So many of the things in this book would help the reader to heal from past hurts, and look to the future with hope. Continue reading →

Cookbook Review: Whole Food Vegan Baking

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Whole Food Vegan Baking by Annie Markowitz
Whole Food Vegan Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Healthy, Natural Ingredients
by Annie Markowitz

4 out of 5 stars

This vegan cookbook includes recipes for Breads, Biscuits, Muffins, Scones, Cookies, Brownies, Bars, Cakes, Cupcakes, Pies, and Tarts. The introduction begins with some information about how to bake without eggs, butter, or milk, using vegetable substitutes like applesauce, nut butters, almond milk, or pumpkin puree to function as the oils and fats that bind a dough together. There are sections about types of flour and natural sweeteners as well.

Each recipe has information about whether or not the food is soy-free, gluten-free, or nut-free. There are excellent tips for storing your baked goods, as well as variations on the recipe to try out. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Beginner’s Guide to Weight Lifting

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Beginner's Guide to Weight Lifting by Kyle Hunt
Beginner’s Guide to Weight Lifting: Simple Exercises and Workouts to Get Strong
by Kyle Hunt

4 out of 5 stars

“The best way to change your life is to improve your health and fitness.” This book gives advice on using weight lifting to get a healthier heart, stronger bones, better mental health, increased metabolism, and better flexibility and balance. Beginning with goal setting and information about muscle groups, this book has everything a beginner needs to begin training.

I really like that this book includes a glossary for weight lifting terms that not everyone would know. There is really good advice about warming up, cooling down, muscle groups, recovery, and nutrition.
There are tips for how to find a good gym or set up a gym at home, as well as gym etiquette rules and how to choose the right weights.
There is an entire chapter just about warming up, and then there are sections for basic exercises, as well as routines for designing your workouts for 4 weeks. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: Aromatherapy for Self-Care

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Aromatherapy for Self-Care by Sarah Swanberg
Aromatherapy for Self-Care
by Sarah Swanberg

4 out of 5 stars

This book begins with general advice about self-care, and the role that aromatherapy can play in your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. There is a chapter about the types of essential oils and carrier oils, as well as lists of recommended materials and tools. I especially appreciated the section on how and where on the body to apply oils using acupressure points.

There is a list of Top Ten Essential Oils and their uses, substitutes, and how best to blend them with other oils. There is also a lengthy chart with many other essential oils and their healing properties.

The following chapters have recipes for essential oil blends to be inhaled or applied topically to the body.

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