I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A group of Finnish sailors must survive a Nazi death camp in WWII Poland in author Liisa Kovala’s “Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate.”
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The Synopsis
As the first Russian bomb drops on Oulu, Finland in early 1940 during the Winter War, Aarne Kovala is a young boy with a great love of the sea. While the war rages, Aarne takes fate into his own hands and joins the Finnish merchant marines. He spends his days delivering war materials between Finland, Poland, and Germany. But when Finald’s ties with Germany are severed after the signing of the Moscow Armistice in 1944, Aarne and his fellow sailors are arrested by the Nazis and sent by cattle car to the infamous Stutthof concentration camp deep in the Polish forest. Surviving Stutthof is a tale of survival, hope, and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit.
The Review
This was such a compelling read. The author vividly brings their father’s experiences and memories to life on the page, the tension and heavy atmosphere of each chapter bringing the life of this man to life with honesty and conviction. The haunting tone of the time period and the detail in which these experiences were relayed offered a unique perspective on the life led in this Polish death camp and how people survived during WWII.
The heart of this book lies in the close examination of both the best and worst of humanity, as well as the horrors that the author’s father survived during his teenage years. The atrocities the Nazis inflicted on the prisoners in Stutthof and the cold, callousness in which they were treated are shocking to read, and the heartbreaking yet inspiring moments of humanity between the prisoners of the camp and the protagonist left a lasting impression on readers as the story progressed. The almost narrative style of writing and the author’s exploration of his father’s experiences from the beginning of the war through his time in Stutthof were powerful in engaging with the story.
The Verdict
Haunting, powerful, and engaging, author Liisa Kovala’s “Surviving Stutthof” is a must-read nonfiction biography. The emotional toll the story takes, along with its themes of human nature and survival, will stay with readers long after the book ends, keeping them invested in keeping the memory and history of this era alive so that we may never forget what happens when humanity’s worst are allowed to take control. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Liisa Kovala is a Finnish-Canadian author and book coach. Like Water for Weary Souls is her second historical novel. Sisu’s Winter War was her debut (Latitude 46, 2022). Surviving Stutthof (Latitude 46, 2017), recounts her father’s experiences as a Finnish merchant marine imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland. It was short-listed for a Northern Lit Award in 2018 and was translated into Finnish. Liisa is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada and the Canadian Authors Association. Liisa also writes the Hygge House Cozy Mystery series as A. L. Jensen (debuting in early 2026). Her work explores her Finnish heritage and celebrates the northern landscape she calls home.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I have been an entrepreneur since I was 19 years old, starting in software development and sales. I have reinvented my businesses over the last 30 years evolving in technology, from software to network integration, to Managed Services (MSP) to now an (MSSP) – www.ipservices.com
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What inspired you to write your book?
My teams and myself in the early 2000’s felt strongly about IT process documentation, things like configurations and changes to IT infrastructure and software systems. This led us on a journey to discover the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and we developed a methodology we branded VisibleOps and wrote the original VisibleOps handbook and started the IT Process Institute – www.itpi.org / with he mission of providing IT science backed methods through research, benchmarking, and the creation of prescriptive guidance, thus the VisibleOps series of best practices guidance for IT Processes, Security, Operations, Private Cloud, and my latest VisibleOps Cybersecurity and soon to be released VisibleOps – AI focusing on AI governance with security and risk management in mind. So my passion fo technology and managing it with proven best practices and practical guidance is my inspiration. Manage by fact, not belief!
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Practical guidance on how to improve a companies cybersecurity posture, starting with leadership and then implementing layers as prescribed by the Zero Trust methodology. It starts with leadership, then recognizing IT Processes matter because no security breach happened without a change or a need for a change, a bit of a riddle. The reality is either a threat actor breaks into a network or system and changes something, or they convince someone with access for need for a change i.g. – phishing, smishing (social engineering), clicking on a link or a nefarious website.
What drew you into this particular genre?
Growing up I always enjoyed technology, even though it was not popular in the late 70’s early 80’s = this ultimately led me to open a technology business and from there the story evolves from being a technologist, techpreneurnuer, to researching best practices, and now cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Linked-In has been the most helpful, I also have a large Instagram following.
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Start with something you are passionate about, then make sure you do your research an truly are a subject matter expert – from there think about the altruistic impact of what you are writing, how does it make the world a better place!
What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
Yes, I am now researching and writing a new book my VisibleOps Series – Titled: VisibleOps AI – AI Governance with Best Practices
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About the Author
Scott Alldridge holds an M.B.A. in Cybersecurity and is a Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), ITIL Certified expert, and Harvard Certified in Technology and Privacy, and is a nationally renowned expert. Scott is a distinguished leader with over 30 years of experience in IT management and cybersecurity, specializing in protecting critical IT systems that businesses rely on today. As the CEO of IP Services, Scott has played a pivotal role in delivering advanced managed IT and cybersecurity solutions across various industries. His strategic use of the TotalControl™ framework aligns technology investments with business goals, ensuring enhanced security, operational excellence, and resilience.
In his role as President of the IT Process Institute (ITPI), Scott co-authored the renowned VisibleOps series, with over 400,000 copies sold globally. His expertise spans IT management, cybersecurity, risk management, regulatory compliance, and cloud computing. Scott is also a recognized thought leader in modern cybersecurity strategies, including Zero Trust and Integrity Management, which are critical to safeguarding today’s complex IT environments.
Through his leadership, Scott has guided organizations in strengthening their security postures and navigating the complexities of today’s threat landscape. His contributions, including white papers, keynote addresses, and innovative frameworks, continue to shape the cybersecurity industry and influence best practices for protecting essential IT systems.
Please check out my podcasts, articles, blogs, and more on my author website:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author J. Traveler Pelton shares the stories of those she worked with and helped over a long career as a social worker in the book “You Could Not Make This Up, Even If You Tried: Memoirs of a Social Worker Book Three.”
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The Synopsis
In this third book of the Social Work Memoirs series, I once again reflected on the faces of the people I had known, interacted with, and hopefully helped over the years. I did it to try to uplift those who are social workers themselves and to help others who don’t understand a little bit more about the mindset of social work. If I can bring a smile to your face, or make you stop and consider what I did that you could do better, I think it will have proven worthwhile to have written. If I convince someone that they want to join the ranks and see the world a different way, that’s fabulous. Once again, names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty, and I promise you won’t find anything more fascinating than true life in our world.
The Review
This was an insightful, compelling, and emotionally charged read. The author writes with an honesty and depth that homes in on the life of social workers. The writing style does a great job of balancing almost conversational writing with a more natural, nonfiction storytelling style that relates the author’s experiences in a straightforward yet engaging way.
The heart of this book was in the emotional depth of the stories being told and the humanity behind each story. The author touches upon both humorous, heartfelt, and heartbreaking tales as she experienced everything from false reports from unruly neighbors, chilling cases of abuse, and so much more. The variety of stories she delves into is also unique, as she shares moments of personal meetings with clients, house calls, and much more.
The Verdict
Thoughtful, insightful, and personally written, author J. Traveler Pelton’s “You Could Not Make This Up, Even If You Tried” is a must-read nonfiction memoir and a great addition to the series. An emotional and in-depth exploration of the world of social workers and their experiences, as well as the perspectives of those who work with social workers, the book offers a fresh and honest discussion surrounding social work. It provides a valuable insight into what it takes to keep families together and what people should avoid doing if they want to be part of those families. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
J. Traveler Pelton was born in West Virginia in the last century. She lives on a small farm with her husband, 7 alpaca, chickens, 5 Pomeranians, 14 canaries and tolerates T-Bears Siamese cats and irascible parrot Giz. She loves to find out what all her friends are studying. She is the mother of six adults, a grandmother of eight, a great-grandma of 1, a Clinically Licensed Independent Social worker, a retired adjunct professor of social work at her local university and an avid reader. She studies science, technology, Biblical studies, and human behavior. She is quick to draw parallels between different fields of thought and weave the ideas into a cohesive ideology that is at once practical, usable, and thoughtful. Her books are the result of blending her life experiences with bureaucracy, studying science and nature, counseling, and faith. She greatly enjoys the intersection of fantasy and possibility and hopes you enjoy it as well. We will see you on the other side of the imagination tree.
Her co-author of the Clan Falconer fantasy series is her grandson T-Bear. T Bear Pelton is a self-proclaimed gamer, a Christian active in his home church, a Native American, a storyteller, and a novice blacksmith. He lives with his grandparents, his Amazon parrot, and four Siamese on a small alpaca farm while working full time and dreaming of times when magic still existed. Enjoy this fantasy with him and for just a little while, suspend daily life for a dream of dragons and wizards, beautiful ladies and knights, magic and faith. Travel then with us to another time, another place, and another dimension. Come to the future, after the Great War, when tech and magic combine with faith and fear.
Their farm, Springhaven Croft, is home to alpacas, dogs, Siamese cats, canaries, an eclectic group of chickens and an irascible Amazon Parrot named Gizmo. Traveler’s webpage is travelerpelton.com; she also has a FB page called Traveler Pelton. Come visit real soon! She loves your reviews and to hear from her fans.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Mark Kenneth Morgenfruh shares the power of leading a business by working with people and not focusing on the company’s optics and bottom line in the book “Never Fire Anyone: A Leader’s Guide on How to Lead People Not Companies.”
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The Synopsis
Delightfully obvious, just like All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. This book takes some unique and colorful perspectives on Leadership, Business, Talent, Communication, Artificial Intelligence, Contradictions, DEI, Giving Up, Slowing Down, Forgiveness and the Stupidly Obvious. A lot we may already know, but forget to practice.
When you grow up in Vineland, NJ you grow up everything Philly. Broad Street Bullies. Today’s Brotherly Shove. Sarcasm that can almost pierce skin. It really is the City of Brotherly Love. Tough Love. Mark Morgenfruh lives and writes in blunt, colorfully-worded, provocative and logical Philly-style prose. Not everyone’s cup of tea, to be sure.
But if you can get past the initial cold-water shock, and believe kick-ass leaders can be taught to stop the avoidant “happy talk” that’s fatal to teams and organizations, the level of success you’ll have is obscene.
Let’s disagree. Let’s even get angry. Then when all the cards are on the table, let’s talk it out and solve problems, lead others with clarity, and go have an ice-cold beer when it’s all done for the day.
The Review
The first thing that stood out about this book was the author’s straightforward writing. The unapologetic way the author confronts the need to step up as a leader in business was powerful to feel, covering everything from the bias that exists when hiring, to being able to be empathetic to others in a work environment, and even how to confront and properly work with those who may be underperforming in their duties.
The author’s honesty and bold writing style really do a great job of connecting with readers. Authenticity and accountability seem to be two cornerstones of the author’s leadership philosophy, tackling the truth behind why DEI in the workplace is so important and why it needs to be appropriately utilized to maximize potential and foster a culture of growth. The book also tackles topics such as AI integration and so much more.
The Verdict
Detailed, compelling, and thought-provoking, “Never Fire Anyone” by author Mark Kenneth Morgenfruh is a must-read nonfiction book on leadership and business. The practical applications managers can apply to their leadership skills, and the way the author relates to those in management positions and connects with them to confront the things that make life difficult, make this book invaluable and well-written. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Mark Morgenfruh is an HR practitioner with more than 30 years of experience across mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, compensation and benefits, cultural transformation, organizational development, performance metrics alignment, and HR technology. He is a trusted Senior Advisor to multiple organizations, offering expertise in human capital due diligence, post-close integrations, total rewards design, and HR strategy, delivery, and technology.
Since 2017, he has successfully operated his own consulting practice, building on a foundation of leadership experience from executive roles in prominent global and domestic organizations.
Recently publishing his first business book, Never Fire Anyone, Mark has started to distill more than three decades of observations and experience into his first of what he hopes will be many creative works. It is a brilliant new model and way to think about how we should stop leading “companies” and start to lead the people that are the cause of success.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Joe Vandermark shares the steps to take in order to create customer-obsessed teams to work with in the book “Team Up For Cloud Success: Building High-Performing, Customer-Obsessed Crews.”
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The Synopsis
Team Up for Cloud Success shows how lasting impact comes from building teams with heart, trust, and a relentless focus on clients. Drawing on decades of experience at Microsoft and beyond, Joe Vandermark shares real-world stories of wins and setbacks, offering practical frameworks for hiring with empathy, empowering people to lead, uniting across silos, measuring what matters, staying resilient, thriving remotely, and fostering a culture of learning. The book’s core message is clear: when teams trust each other, obsess over customers, and grow together, they don’t just deliver results—they create a legacy of success that endures
The Review
The experience and detail were very prevalent in this book. The author did a great job o balancing personal nonfiction storytelling in using his own experiences both in business and in life with the experiences that drove home his knowledge of business and technical insight as well. The book even includes technical aspects of business, such as using Azure, and the use of metrics and so much more all came to fruition in this quick-paced guide.
The thing that really drove this book forward was the emphasis the author put on hiring with heart and leading with empowerment, two concepts that are inspiring and engaging to get behind. The way the author applies these lessons to remote workers as well to build a team and the details given to working with a customer first mindset was great to see, as it promoted a more natural approach to business that created clarity and purpose within a team setting.
The Verdict
Insightful, honest, and driven, author Joe Vandermark’s “Team Up For Cloud Success” is a must-read nonfiction book on business. The knowledge, the engaging dialogue, and the personal connection the author is able to form with the reader makes this book the perfect guide for anyone looking to build a great team to drive business forward. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Joe Vandermark is a seasoned customer success and cloud technology expert with over three decades of experience. As a Managing Director of Cloud Solution Architecture at Microsoft, he specializes in transforming reactive support teams into proactive, customer-focused powerhouses.
In his first book, A Guide to Cloud Success, Joe outlines strategies for building high-performing teams that prevent issues before they arise. He expands on this foundation in his latest book, Team Up for Cloud Success, which focuses on practical tactics for creating resilient, client-obsessed teams that drive significant impact in the cloud.
Known for his unique blend of deep listening skills and a talent for making complex tech topics engaging, Joe is a trusted advisor to clients across various industries. He lives in Minnesota with his family and is committed to bringing empathy, authenticity, and a good dad joke to every interaction.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Paul DeRenzo shares a guide for teenagers and parents alike to help cope with anxiety and empower teens to build lasting relationships in the book “Calm Within Chaos.”
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The Synopsis
Teens growing up in the 21st century are living in a world where social media, new technologies, and rapid spreading of information make them feel more connected than ever before. With this connectedness also comes new social, academic, and personal pressures nobody could have imagined decades ago. It is not surprising that over 70% of teens report feeling stressed on a daily basis, according to a 2024 research report by the American Psychological Association.
Are you a teen caught in the whirlwind of anxiety, stress, or anger, and not knowing what you can do to get out of it? Or are you a parent/caregiver searching for ways to better understand and support your teen through these emotional struggles? In either case, Calm Within Chaos is designed to help you navigate these situations.
This book was inspired by countless conversations with teens – conversations that started with confusion, frustration, and feelings of being misunderstood but ended with clarity and hope. While emotional struggles are an unavoidable part of growing up, having the right tools to manage them makes all the difference. This is more than just an anxiety workbook for teens—it’s a powerful guide to emotional strength and personal growth.
This book isn’t just about learning to control your emotions—it empowers you to live more fully, make better decisions, and build lasting, meaningful relationships. Whether you’re looking to reduce stress, improve your mood, or understand your teen’s emotional world, Calm Within Chaos provides the tools you need to create lasting change. It’s ideal for those seeking stress management for teenagers, tools for anxiety relief for teenagers, and even stress relief for high school students facing academic and social pressure.
What you will find in this book.?
Science-backed explanations of how we develop and experience emotions, based on insights found in books like The Wisdom of Anxiety and Redefining Anxiety
Techniques to address emotional triggers and develop healthy responses, perfect for anyone looking for social anxiety help or seeking a teen anxiety solution
Exercises to build skills in identifying emotions, managing stress, and building resilience—similar to a practical anxiety journal for teens
10 interactive challenges, quizzes, and reflections to reinforce your understanding—ideal for parents, caregivers, or therapists looking for a teen stress relief book or health anxiety book that delivers real results
This book is meant to help teens immediately! Each chapter ends with a 7-day long Teen Inner Peace Challenge that will tell teens exactly how to apply the lessons from that chapter in their actual life. This will help them navigate complex relationships with friends and classmates, family members, and even their social media relationships. It’s a valuable resource whether you’re working with emotionally resilient tweens and teens or supporting kids anxiety book readers moving into adolescence.
Parents/caregivers can use these challenges as a guide to help them ask the right questions to their teen and play a part in helping their teen gain healthy control of their emotions. Whether you’re looking for a social anxiety book, a teen anxiety guide, or something akin to a mindfulness for teens with anxiety toolset, this book offers it all.
Don’t let another day pass in emotional turmoil. Grab Calm Within Chaos today, and take the first step toward emotional mastery, resilience, and a calmer, more confident life. Perfect for anyone searching for a teens guide to anxiety, a social anxiety book for adults trying to relate to their teen, or support in helping young adults with anxiety.
The Review
This straightforward and compelling book is a valuable resource for teens and parents alike. The author does an incredible job of speaking directly to the reader, not only by recognizing the emotions teens experience but also by providing tools that empower them to take charge of their own emotional care. The balance the author found in not only identifying the causes of these stresses or anxieties and the steps needed to face them, but also in speaking directly to teens and to the parents or caregivers who need the proper tools to interact with and help teens going through these emotional moments.
At the heart of this book was a focus on relationships as a whole and an exploration of the pressures and challenges teenagers face in the modern world. As someone who grew up in an age that had only just begun to acknowledge mental health and still grew up around mentalities of just “toughening it out”, it was refreshing to see the honest and compassionate yet interactive way the author dove into the challenges facing teens today, from social media and academic pressure to the sadly uncertain future teens face due to the growing political and social divides that impact everything form relationships to economics and so much more. The way the book encourages teens and parents alike to find common ground and create an atmosphere that fosters emotional growth together was a bonus.
The Verdict
Memorable, honest, and engaging, author Paul DeRenzo’s “Calm Within Chaos” is a must-read nonfiction self-help and emotional guide for teens, parents, and everyone in between. The detail and straightforward writing style, along with actual tools and practices teens can use to tackle these emotions head-on, will be perfect for readers to return to time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Your Mindful Moments, PLLC is the driving force behind this
book, dedicated to helping you take control of your emotional well
being. The goal is simple: equip you with practical tools for
managing stress, building resilience, and creating stronger rela
tionships.
Paul DeRenzo, the founder and licensed therapist behind Your
Mindful Moments, PLLC, has over 10 years of experience helping
teens and adults navigate emotional challenges. His approach
blends mindfulness techniques with cognitive-behavioral strategies
to help you develop emotional resilience, manage stress, and thrive
in everyday life.
Through his work, Paul empowers clients to embrace emotional
regulation as a lifelong skill. For more resources, articles, and
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Shamayne Olivia offers a guide for women to discover personal transformation using a unique system in the book “Shoes That Fit Her Soul Workbook.”
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The Synopsis
Reclaim your sense of self and create a life filled with purpose with the Shoes That Fit Her Soul Workbook by Shamayne Olivia Kotfas. This empowering guide, designed for women seeking personal transformation, uses a unique eight-step “Shoe Model” to navigate self-discovery. From reconnecting with your core values (Sole/Soul) to healing past patterns (Heel/Heal) and crafting your life’s legacy (Stitching/Journey), each step offers reflective exercises, journaling prompts, and practical tools to align your actions with your authentic self. Learn to trust your intuition, set healthy boundaries, foster meaningful relationships, and embrace resilience through mindfulness and self-compassion. With bonus journaling pages for deeper reflection, this workbook is perfect for women ready to break free from limiting beliefs and live with intention. Whether you’re starting your journey or seeking to redefine your path, this workbook provides the roadmap to a more meaningful, authentic life. Start your transformation today!
Ideal for: Women pursuing self-discovery, personal growth, and emotional healing.
Features: Interactive exercises, goal-setting frameworks, and mindfulness practices.
The Review
One of the most challenging experiences a person can face in life is the feeling of not being seen or heard. Far too often in life, a person can reach a point where they feel their voice isn’t being listened to and their actions or words are ignored entirely. The contributions this makes to self-esteem and a person’s confidence are detrimental, and being able to find that voice again and make yourself known is so crucial to developing as a person. This is a problem encountered far too often by women, whether in the workplace or in society as a whole, and the authors’ workbook is the perfect guide that helps restore women’s confidence.
The author’s writing style is poignant, detailed, and to the point, and yet speaks in a voice that can relate to women on a personal level. The exploration of a person’s future through these eight steps (or shoes) and utilizing techniques that leverage positive affirmations, journal prompts, and even methods of meditation or self-reflection allows readers to feel a sense of accomplishment and engagement, with the book enabling them to put these steps into use actively. Another aspect of this workbook is the way the reader can return to it time and again, enhancing its readability and serving as a constant guide that can help readers whenever they feel this way.
The Verdict
Inspiring, highly creative, and motivating, author Shamayne Olivia’s “Shoes That Fit Her Soul Workbook” is a must-read self-help and improvement guide for women and readers everywhere. The book is the perfect jumping-off point for anyone looking to change the direction they are heading in or start anew. The fast-paced narrative and easy-to-follow steps are both insightful and introspective as readers begin their work. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Shamayne Olivia’s transformative and entrepreneurial journey started with a simple question: “Who am I?” Her decades-long quest to reclaim her identity led to profound insights and realizations that are the foundation of her company, Shoes That Fit Her Soul, LLC. Based on her personal experiences with generational trauma, Shamayne’s authentic message guides women towards personal and professional growth and living more meaningful lives filled with passion, purpose, and renewed confidence. Her workshop has empowered countless women with the essential tools to get unstuck and move beyond the behaviors and patterns preventing them from realizing their full potential. Her first book explores these intricacies, removing the layers to uncover the fundamental steps needed to recover one’s identity. Shamayne lives in the Texas Hill Country, near Austin, with her husband and their two cats, Wrigley & Ivy. Living nearby are two of her adult children and three grandchildren, fulfilling her love of spending time with family. In her spare time, she enjoys live music, visiting Major League ballparks, and traveling to the western states to experience nature, especially in the mountains, rivers, and national parks. It is there that she reconnects with her soul and discovers new ways to inspire her clients to become their authentic selves.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Kim Lengling shares the inspiring ways pets shape our lives in the book “15 Ways Pets Teach Us Kindness.”
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The Synopsis
What if your greatest teacher of kindness was sleeping at your feet?
In this uplifting mini-eBook, author Kim Lengling, a veteran, pet lover, and creator of Nuggets of Hope, shares 15 beautiful reflections on how pets gently remind us to slow down, forgive more, love deeper, and be kind to ourselves and those around us.
From tail wags to purring snuggles, our pets offer unconditional love, patience, and a powerful presence that can shift even the hardest days. Each short chapter is paired with a simple kindness prompt to help you carry their lessons into your own life, one paw print at a time.
Whether you’re a lifelong animal lover or simply seeking a little hope and inspiration, this cozy companion will leave you smiling, reflecting, and maybe reaching for your furry friend.
This was such a heartfelt and compelling read. While a short book, the author’s words and message pack an emotional punch that any pet parents or animal advocates will instantly understand. The poignant, often introspective yet heartfelt messages of hope that these passages bring to life on the page for readers are both reflective of life as a whole and strike a resonating chord for those of us who have both lost and loved pets throughout our lives.
The themes and messages this story plays with are memorable, from taking the time to live in the moment and utilizing our dog’s ability to stay grounded to remember that, to taking the time to pause what we are doing and take in our surroundings, much like our dogs do when they stare out a window or go on a walk. The author’s ability to offer daily prompts to help promote these ideas, combined with the reflective nature of these passages, will keep readers engaged throughout the book.
The Verdict
Emotional, heartfelt, and compelling, author Kim Lengling’s “15 Ways Pets Teach Us Kindness” is a must-read nonfiction book of thoughts and motivational inspiration that will keep readers grounded. The important lessons, love for pets and animals in general, and overall connectivity of the book’s themes are perfectly elevated by the book’s ability to draw readers back in time and time again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
As a multi-published author, Kim shares her love of nature, animals, living with PTSD, and her mission of tossing Nuggets of Hope into the world through writing and her podcast, Let Fear Bounce.
She is the lead author and coordinator of a collaborative 3-book series titled When Grace Found Me and two stand-alone anthologies, When Hope Found Me (released November 2022) and Paw Prints on the Couch (released August 2023.)
In addition to writing, she hosts the podcast Let Fear Bounce, spotlighting people who make a positive difference in the world, whether by writing, film production, philanthropy, teaching, founding non-profits, and more.
You can regularly find Kim drinking copious amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Jeremy P. Boggess shares the steps that can be taken to better ourselves and our world by examining the changes already occurring around us in the book “Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow.”
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The Synopsis
In our world today there are monumental and exponential changes occurring. These changes are happening not just in the local, international, or global arenas, but even within ourselves. Let us explore the necessary actions and responsibilities that will help guide us through these changes within ourselves and our world.
It is important to look beyond isolationism or globalization for the reasons of these changes. Politics, the different governments in the world, and our environment are significant contributing factors, but we must also look at the entire world around us. We must also look at the society where we live, our human behaviors, and all of humanity.
The purpose of this book is to have you ask a variety of engaging questions, both of yourself and about the world around you. I want to help you explore the deeper questions so you can, find answers that will ultimately help you survive these intense upheavals.
The Review
This was such an insightful and engaging read. The author does an incredible job of taking the time to thoughtfully and carefully examine the growing tension and chaos of our world from both a societal and an introspective look. The reader can sense the tension mounting as the author delves into the rapid increase in chaos. This phenomenon is evident in the news and in everyday interactions with people. It was fascinating to see the interconnected way that global, societal, and individual roles influence how people interact with one another come to life on the page.
What struck me as interesting from the outset was how the author addressed the need for flexibility and adaptability. From teaching resources and addressing the teacher-to-student ratio that has disrupted educational services, to exploring how inequality in any society can lead to instabilities within that society, the author emphasizes the need to change how society and individuals process and utilize information, rather than clinging to the ways things used to be. The author did a fantastic job of using an informative yet relatable tone in their writing style to engage readers and explore solutions that could bring a more hopeful future than the one the world is currently facing.
The Verdict
Insightful, engaging, and memorable, author Jeremy P. Boggess’s “Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow” is a must-read nonfiction and philosophical book. The knowledge and balance of fact with vision that the author provides for readers, along with the introspective mindset the reader is left with, which allows them to look inward and explore their own role in this future, will have readers returning time and again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Ever since I was a small child, I have felt that there would be a chain of events set in motion and my task would be to help us through these changes.
I was born in 1971 in the United States of America, where I was raised. I have been in Europe since 2016. In the 2000’s I had hoped in continuing to make contributions in the United States by running to Idaho State Senate several times as an independent. While running for office I self-published my first book of philosophical observations “Thoughts & Responsibilities” in 2008. I do have college and university degrees in business, but I have been since a very young age interested and studied philosophy and sociology.
