A Woman’s Book of Inspiration edited by Carol Kelly-Gangi

Blurb:

What does it mean to be a woman? These excerpts are a testament to women everywhere, today and in the past, who embody a spirit of everything from courage to understanding, from nurturing to hope. Includes: Amelia Earhart: "Please know that I am aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." Madeleine Albright: "I especially treasure the young women who say that my example has inspired them to raise their sights so that they now feel that serving as secretary of state or in even higher office is a realistic goal." Isabel Allende: "I can promise you that women working together—linked, informed, and educated—can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet." Gloria Vanderbilt: "I've always believed that one woman's success can only help another woman's success." George Eliot: "Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms." Margaret Thatcher: "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." And many more!

Review by Rose Thornton:

I enjoyed this book, although I would not count it among the greatest I have ever read. A Woman’s Book of Inspiration is inspiring on a surface level; not a lot of depth to it, but I assume it is what it was meant to be—a light, encouraging collection of thoughtful wit. For this, it met its mark and I can recommend it.

Among my favorite quotes in the book are:

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.”

—Helen Keller

“Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.”

—Doris Lessing

“Tact is the art of making people feel at home when that’s where you wish they were.”

—Ann Landers

“What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.”

—Martha Graham

Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Length:  128 Pages

Print Price:  $5.25

Buy Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Womans-Book-Inspiration-Carol-Kelty-Gangi/dp/143514841X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429319372&sr=1-2&keywords=a+woman%27s+book+of+inspiration

Degrees of Strength by Craig Ross & Steven Vannoy

Blurb:

Improve performance, increase responsibility and accountability, build agile, capable teams, and do it with one quick read. What would you pay for greater responsibility and performance momentum within your team? Degrees of Strength shows you how. Short enough to read in one plane ride, your team will be inspired to solve the problems that have slowed success, even those tenacious ones that have plagued your team or family for years. This is a story rooted in the professional and personal life. A regional VP's job is on the line, and her family is, too. She needs to find a way to turn her team's performance around and has no money to throw at the problem. It's real. We've worked with these people. What follows is the struggle of change as her team fights with each other—and with themselves—to implement the new technique. In the end, they win more than they could have imagined.

Review by Rose Thornton:

When I first began reading Degrees of Strength by Craig Ross and Steven Vannoy, I considered it one of the most boring books I had ever picked up. I was intrigued by its title and blurb about a successful technique developed by Ross and Vannoy. However, the realization that an ability to invent a great technique does not automatically enable one with a great ability to write about it started to grasp my mind, and I struggled to stick with the book. However, something about it made me not want to give up on it, although it was awkward in its wordiness and slow in its movement. About half way through, the book took a turn, somewhat like happens to the progress toward success when the technique is used, and this book became well worth reading. I began to see ways I was already using this technique in my own life, and ways to further enforce its use in positive avenues. It’s underlying message is that every person is in control of their own actions and reactions through their own basic thinking processes, which come from either degrees of weakness or degrees of strength, and every person has the potential to choose to draw from the strengths and gain moments of acceleration toward success. I will recommend this book for everyone, especially those who need an injection of, “I am bigger than the circumstances in my life” from time to time.

Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Length:   124 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $14.62

Digital:  $8.95

Buy Link:

http://www.tower.com/tower_search/search_1.cfm?keywords=degrees%20of%20strength

Suddenly Southern: A Yankee’s Guide to Living in Dixie by Maureen Duffin Ward

Blurb:

Moving South? Feeling a little out of place? Craving pizza from home and faking a passion for sweet tea? Not generating much Southern hospitality? Wondering if you'll ever fit in?
Well, honey, here's your complete guide to living in Dixie, providing migrating Yanks with tips on living, eating, greeting, driving, walking, talking, and what food to bring to a funeral. From his 'n' her Southern Hair Dos (and Don'ts) to The A to Z Dixie Dictionary, Suddenly Southern includes everything you need to know about living south of the Mason-Dixon Line, including:

·         Recipes that range from mint juleps and hoppin' john to recipes for disaster

·         "Know Your Bugs by Their Mugs," a handy identification chart

·         10 ways to say, "Now that's ugly" in Dixie

·         How to walk from the store to the car without dying, a Fun-in-the-Sun Survival Kit

·         100 Southern Things Worth the Trip

From Southern tailgate food (deviled eggs and cheese straws) to minding your BBQs, from pronouncing pecan to knowing when your cat's a true Southerner, from knowing when you're fittin' in to knowing when you're not, this is the ideal guide for anyone moving, planning a move, or just plain ol' interested in this fascinating American region. With this book on your shelf, they'll never be able to say "Yankee, go home" again.

Review by Rose Thornton:

Suddenly Southern, by Maureen Duffin Ward, is a light and funny read, informative as well. Although it’s a bit hyperbolic in places, having grown up in the South I can affirm that it is spot-on for the most part. It is based on Ward’s actual experiences in adjustment as a transplant from the North to the South. One of my favorite parts of this book is the look at NASCAR, which starts out with, “Dirt track racing got its official start in Daytona in 1948, and it got its unofficial start from Southern moonshiners after World War II. They made their own booze to avoid paying taxes and raced around the farmlands at breakneck speeds to make sure all their customers could celebrate happy hour. ‘Now, that looks like fun.’ And a sport is born.” Ward continues from there to explain the various elements of NASCAR racing in a humorous, yet accurate way.

This is a great book for traveling, especially if going South. The reader can enjoy the comical aspect as well as become educated on southern peculiarities without the demand for deep-thought and analytic skills that some books require. Enjoy it on your next vacation!

Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, & Rochelle

Length:   176 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $12.99

Digital:  $9.46

Buy Link:

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Suddenly-Southern/Maureen-Duffin-Ward/9781451603965