Swamy's Reviews

2010-09-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all the authors and publicists for my present inability to focus and clear the backlog of books pending for review. Other pressing matters and ill health have made it impossible for me to read any book with focus and I am not clear at this point of time when I can get back on track and take up the pending books. I sincerely apologize to my readers, authors and publishers / publicists for this mess up.

Swamy

2010-05-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Title: Plus-Sized Yoga

Sub-Title: Beginners Yoga for People of All Sizes

Author: Donald Keith Stanley

Publisher: DK Creative

ISBN: 978-0-9825449-9-0

Genre: Non-Fiction / Health / Yoga / Self-Help

Presentation: Soft Cover, Landscape mode (size 8 1/2" x 11")

The book attracts your attention with its size, in tune with its title. It is a plus-sized book but is quite readable. It is not meant to be carried around in your coat pocket or purse but can be comfortably read at home. Almost all the exercises (Asanas, Mudras etc. ) are meant for practicing at home.

The book has 225 pages and has three main parts. Part One - In a Class by Yourself has 64 pages and has two meanings, one that each of us is unique and it is always good to remember that when we feel too much stereotyped and also because at home in the privacy of your room, you are indeed in a class of your own, with the author preferring to communicate in spirit and through the book! The first part has an Introduction, the Benefits of Kundalini Yoga, Terms to learn, Practicing Kundalini Yoga at Home, Mudras, The Body Locks, Breathing, Mantras, How to Meditate, The Importance of Relaxation and Tuning In - Connecting to the Teacher Within.

Part Two has some postures (Asanas), Kriyas (Breathing Exercises), Meditations and an interesting topic, "I don't have time to meditate" Meditations etc.

Part Three is titled, Be Happier Now! and deals with physical and psychological issues of being Plus-Sized, issues of Self-Judgment, dealing with judgment of others etc.

All in all, it is a very interesting book and will be useful if you are interested in Yoga, Meditation, Breathing Exercises etc. The system presented in this book is attributed to Yogi Bhajan (the author is a student of that Yogi). While I am familiar with many of the concepts presented here, I hasten to add that I am not a follower of this or for that matter any system of Yoga that deals with physical Asanas, Mudras etc. I am a follower of Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion) and am a Reiki Master / Spiritual Healer etc. I only use breathing techniques for relaxation and if needed for energy improvement. Thus, I have not tried and tested the specific techniques given in this book but as the author mentions in his acknowledgement the techniques have indeed been tried and tested by quite a few people mentioned by name.

If you are looking for a safe and effective method for improvement of health (physical and more importantly emotional), this book may appeal to you. I suggest that you check it out at a near by book store.

I would have preferred this book to be half its size so that it can be carried to a class if needed or some of the Mudras and breathing techniques could be used while travelling. I also suggest that such books are malso made available in electronic form (esp. suited for a mobile phone) so that you have access to the information on the move.

2010-04-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

Title: Mikey Helps Toot-Toot

Sub-Title: Personal Development for Children Series - Positive Thinking - With supporting notes for parents / teachers and children

Authors: Amal & Santa Simothy, Hitul & Seema Thobani

Illustrator: Anca Budeanu

ISBN: 978-0-9563260-0-3

Publisher: Kidz4mation

Genre: Fiction / Children

Presentation: Soft cover, illustrated and plastic coated

This booklet is one of the six booklets and deals with the power of positive thinking. Mikey wants to play with his friend Toot-Toot (the baby elephant) but Toot-Toot is sad and depressed. When asked for the reason, he says he does not know. "I don't know Mikey. I just feel sad," said Toot-toot. "I want to be happy, but how can I?"

Mikey's friend Genie comes as usual for help. He suggests to Toot-Toot to think of something that makes him happy. Toot-Toot loves his ground nuts (pea nuts) and follows Genie's advice.

Mikey was happy that he had helped Toot-Toot.

This booklet and two more titles, "Mikey Aces His Test" and "Mikey Says 'I Can Do It'" are closely inter-related and talk of the power of positive thoughts, positive attitude etc. To the children, of course, the different stories help in reinforcing the concepts but the parents and caregivers may be forgiven if they feel confused about the need for three booklets on one idea.

The printing and the illustrations are on par with the remaining booklets in the series (very good). The booklet is recommended alone or as a part of the whole series published by the same team.

2010-04-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Title: Mikey Says 'I Can Do It'

Sub-Title: Personal Development for Children Series - Overcoming Limiting Beliefs - With supporting notes for parents / teachers and children

Authors: Amal & Santa Simothy, Hitul & Seema Thobani

Illustrator: Anca Budeanu

ISBN: 978-0-9563260-2-7

Publisher: Kidz4mation

Genre: Fiction / Children

Presentation: Soft cover, illustrated and plastic coated

In this booklet, Mikey overcomes his fears and doubts about climbing to and playing on the top branches of his friend Tiggle, where his other friends Jake and Louie. Mikey wants to follow them but is afraid and overcome with self doubts. His friend Genie comes as usual to Mikey's rescue and teaches Mikey the power of thoughts and beliefs and how negative thoughts can be overcome by positive beliefs. Here is a short excerpt from that booklet:

"So Genie, are you saying that it would help me if I told myself that I could climb to Tiggle's top even if I felt that I couldn't?" asked Mikey.

"Yes Mikey!" replied the Genie. "When you do that, you will feel happy. That's when the magic inside you starts to happen!" JUST FEEL THE MAGIC AND TELL YOURSELF YOU CAN DO IT!"

Well, as expected Mikey believes in his friend Genie and through the positive affirmations, starts feeling better and climbs to the top of Tiggle to join and play with his friends.

The printing and the illustrations are of the same standard as the other booklets in the series.

I was wondering about the need for this particular booklet and how it is different from the other booklets "Mikey Helps Toot-Toot" and "Mikey Aces His Test" since those booklets also deals with self doubts and the power of positive thinking and positive affirmations. To the children, of course, it is another story and helps reinforce the concept.

Recommended for children and their care givers.

2010-04-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

Title: Mikey Takes a Moment

Sub-Title: Personal Development for Children Series - Meditation and Relaxation - With supporting notes for parents / teachers and children

Authors: Amal & Santa Simothy, Hitul & Seema Thobani

Illustrator: Anca Budeanu

ISBN: 978-0-9563260-4-1

Publisher: Kidz4mation

Genre: Fiction / Children

Presentation: Soft cover, illustrated and plastic coated

In this delightful and in my view, most useful of the series booklet, Mikey and his friends are taught a technique to relax and be calm through music and visualization. Pari, the Peacock is known for keeping calm amidst all the chaos of the modern world and at the request of class teacher, Mr.Nutwell, the Owl, she shares her techniques for meditation and relaxation with the children.

Restlessness and stress are known to reduce the efficiency of learning and working. Meditation, visualization etc. esp. when accompanied by soothing, relaxing music are known to be very effective in helping people, including young children calm and stress free.

Breathing plays an important role in stress reduction and the authors could have covered that too.

The illustrations and printing are as usual good.

The booklet and in fact, the whole series (of 6 booklets) make excellent reading for children and their caretakers.

2010-04-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

Title: Mikey Aces His Test

Sub-Title: Personal Development for Children Series - Positive Attituide - With supporting notes for parents / teachers and children

Authors: Amal & Santa Simothy, Hitul & Seema Thobani

Illustrator: Anca Budeanu

ISBN: 978-0-9563260-3-4

Presentation: Soft cover, illustrated and plastic coated

In this booklet, Mikey prepares well for his school test on the subject of forest history, but is worried that he won’t be able to remember what he read. Thus he is anxious and is unable to relax and play with his tree friend Tiggle. His friend Genie comes as usual to his help and advises his young friend to practice the principles of positive affirmations. He suggests that Mikey write down a piece of paper that he is going to remember all that he studied. He also advises Mikey to imagine that he has done well in his test and that he has passed the test! Mikey does as suggested by Genie and thanks to the power of suggestion, affirmations, positive thinking etc., does very well in the test.

Mikey is very happy and suggests to his friend Toot-Toot to follow a similar technique for his future tests.

I felt that he could have shared the secret before the test and saved Toot-Toot the bother of a reexamination but then I realized that boys would be boys!

The power of positive affirmations is nicely brought out in this delightful story. However, the authors could have cautioned the parents and the children that these work only when the preparatory effort has been put into any work or test and not otherwise! As presented, it gives an impression to the child that there is some sort of a magic formula available to ensure success, while the truth is that the magic lies in hard work and self belief.

Another great booklet for young children and their caregivers.

2010-04-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

Title: Chik-Chick's Cap

Sub-Title: Personal Development for Children Series - Raising Self Esteem - With supporting notes for parents/teachers and children

Authors: Amal & Santa Simothy, Hitul & Seema Thobani

Illustrator: Anca Delia Budeanu

Publisher: Kidz4mation
ISBN: 978-0-9563260-5-8

Presentation: Soft cover, illustrated and plastic coated

This particular booklet is on the theme of accepting oneself, having a good self image and raising one's self esteem where needed. Chik-Chik the rabbit has one ear missing and felt that she was ugly and tried to hide her problem by wearing a cap. However, Pari, the peacock, school friend Mikey, the monkey and Tiggle the tree help her accept herself by accepting her as their friend.

The printing is excellent - colorful, eye catching, on good art paper, plastic coated to withstand little grimy hands! The illustrations are good. Contrast between the background illustrations and the text could be better (through a different selection of shades and colors probably).

The authors rightly bring out the importance of having a good self image and the need for self acceptance. The book helps children and parents, friends etc. to appreciate how they can help raise the self esteem and thus help those in need.

Recommended for children and their care givers.

2010-04-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

Title: Tiggle Takes off

Sub-Title: Personal Development for Children Series - Gratitude - With supporting notes for parents/teachers and children

Authors: Amal & Santa Simothy, Hitul & Seema Thobani

Illustrator: Anca Delia Budeanu

Publisher: Kidz4mation

ISBN: 978-0-9563260-1-0

Genre: Fiction / Children

Presentation: Soft Cover colorfully illustrated and plastic coated

This particular booklet is on the theme of being thankful, gratitude. Mikey (the monkey child) goes daily to play with his favorite tree Tiggle, but does not think any time of thanking his friend. One day, this gets to Tiggle and Tiggle starts weeping at the way he is being ignored by his friend. His friend Genie agrees to have a talk with Mikey and instead of preaching the morals and thus putting off his friend Mikey, Genie adopts a rather novel, practical approach to bring home the lessons of being thankful, being grateful, not to take one's blessings for granted etc. Needless to say, the story ends on a happy note and both the friends Mikey and Tiggle are very happy.

The printing is excellent - colorful, eye catching, on good art paper, plastic coated to withstand little grimy hands! The illustrations are good. However, I could not but help noticing something interesting - both Mikey and Tiggle are very happy but they forget to thank their friend the Genie! This just goes to show the difficulty in being thankful all the time!

The authors rightly bring out the importance of being thankful for all the blessings in our life in their note at the end. But the real power of gratitude comes out when we start being grateful for everything around us, the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly... May be they could revise their advice in the next edition.

The booklet will make excellent reading for children and their caregivers.

2010-03-21T01:49:00.000-07:00

Title: The Skinny on Credit Cards

Sub-title: How to master the credit card game

Author: Jim Randel

Illustration: Malinda Nass

Publisher: Rand Publishing / www.theskinnyon.com

ISBN: 978-0-9818935-4-9

Genre: Non-Fiction / Personal Finance / Self Help

Presentation: Soft cover

Recommended for: All of us who want to know about and manage our credit cards

Do you have a credit card? Did you ever feel like having one? Were you approached by credit card marketers with attractive offers? Were you harassed by the credit card companies and or their collection agents? Do you know the difference between a credit card and a debit card? What is a charge card? What is a Balance transfer card? What is Credit rating? How does credit rating affect your ability to raise a loan from a different bank? Why rolling over the outstanding loans is not such a good idea?

Those and many more questions are answered in an interesting, easy-to-read style. If you have about 2 hours time (I needed less actually, just about an hour and ten minutes), you can read this book and get your knowledge updated. If you are struggling with the debt of credit cards throwing your life out of gear, you will find excellent advice from Jim Randel, the author on the steps that you can take to reduce your card debt. For example, the question about the problem with rolling over (carrying a balance forward to the next cycle) is explained on Panel 77:

“I’m sorry, Beth, but there is one more point that I need to make.

When you carry a balance on your credit cards, there is no longer an interest-free period between the date of purchase and the date your payment is due. In other words, you start paying interest the day a new purchase is made. I am sorry to say Billy, that you are already paying interest on that new motorcycle jacket you bought this morning.” Almost every panel is accompanied by an interesting visual.

Beth and Billy are the two characters (wife and husband) and Jim Randell is the advisor, who becomes a family friend.

As can be seen, it is explained in an interesting and easy to understand manner. There are no page numbers, but panels and each page has 2 panels like the frames of a power point presentation.

The book thus follows a very interesting, innovative approach to communicate with the reader and gives information that is accurate and up-to-date in an easy to read manner.

The author and the publisher deserve our congratulations and appreciation.

2010-03-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

Title: Riley's Lost Tooth

Author: Dianne Cantrell

Illustrator: Heather Castles

Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group

ISBN: 978-1933651620

Genre: Fiction / Children

Presentation: Hard Cover with Dust Jacket

I had the opportunity to review Dianne's earlier book, "Good Bye Baby Max" and when the author asked me whether I would be interested in reviewing the present book, I was very happy.

The book is colorfully illustrated and the story is simple but delightful. Riley, a small girl of about 5 years loses her first tooth. When she shares that news with her grandma, the pups in the house get worried and start searching for the lost tooth. A tooth fairy appears and assures them that it is a natural process and Riley will in fact get a regular, permanent tooth in its place.

The story is told in simple sentences and it would be a pleasure for the child to read or for the parents to read. One sample:

“We must find her tooth.
She was here earlier today,
maybe she lost it
when we all went out to play.”

One more excerpt:

No, really,” she said,
“all children lose their teeth.
Permanent ones then grow in
if they don’t eat too many sweets.”

The book is well written and the illustrations are beautiful. The book will definitely appeal to all children (including children at heart like this reviewer) and their parents / grandparents / elder siblings and other care givers.

Strongly recommended as an educational gift.

2010-01-17T05:34:00.001-08:00

Title: Weight Loss Success!

Sub-Title: How I Lost Weight and Kept It Off for Over 30 Years and How You Can Do It, Too!

Author: Joan Marie Verba

Publisher: FTL Publications (www.ftlpublications.com)

ISBN: 9780982523216

Genre: Non-Fiction / Self-Help

Presentation: E-Book, Paper back etc.

This is a short book of just 32 pages but short is sweet in this case and is packed with very interesting and useful advice. The author herself has successfully gone through a program and more importantly could stay on that and keep her weight from increasing again! So, the book is in that sense very authentic and her sincerity comes through.

She stresses that any weight loss program has to be so designed that you can stick to it for the rest of your life. She stresses on the obvious but often overlooked fact that one cannot go back to their earlier life style after successfully losing weight if one wants to keep it that way!

The style is highly readable and you can read it in one sitting.

Highly recommended for all weight and health conscious people or their friends who want to gift the book.

2010-01-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Title: The Magical Adventures of Krishna
Sub-title: How a Mischief Maker Saved the World

Author: Vatsala Sperling

Illustrated by: Pieter Weltevrede

Publisher: Bear Club Books (www.innertraditions.com)

ISBN: 978-159143110-7

Genre: Mythology / Folklore / Hinduism

Presentation: Hard bound with beautifully illustrated dust jacket

Recommended for: Children of all ages who can read or are willing to listen

When an opportunity arose for reviewing this book, I was pretty excited to see how a well known mythological / historical tale will be presented to the western world by the Indian author (from her name I knew that Vatsala is from India or has absorbed all the Indian traditions and values). I received the book in India, from USA. Reminds me that the earth is round!

Since the book is short, it could be read in just one sitting of less than an hour. The main story of Krishna's birth and His killing of His demon uncle Kamsa (the author spells it as Kansa, both sound similar though Kamsa comes closer to the original Sanskrit sound), is told in about 25 pages including beautiful color illustrations. Children, who can read will love the text and the colorful illustrations and younger chidren would love to sit in the lap of the adult and watch the colorful figrures while the story is being read and explained to them!

Krishna's birth and His exploits in killing the many demons that were sent by His uncle Kamsa to kill Him are narrated well by Vatsala. Her style is simple and at the same time she holds the reader's attention.

The illustrations by Pieter Weltevrede add great value to the excellent narration.

The result is an excellent introduction to Krishna Tatva and Krishna Consciousness to those not yet exposed. To others, it would be one more opportunity to enjoy the nectar of Krishna's love for the whole creation.

I have the following observations and comments.

Nanda, the husband of Yashoda is conspicuous by his absence. Probably Vatsala thought he has no role in the story, but I felt that he deserved a place and for the sake of completion of the story.

Another character that I would have liked to see in this book is that of Puthana (Poothana if you prefer that spelling), a she demon, who came in disguise to kill baby Krishna by feeding him her breast milk laced with poison painted on the nipples. Krishna, of course knew all about her and killed her by sucking her milk and her prana (life force). Why the author left that story is not known.

What she did not mention is that He gave salvation to all the demons that He killed.

Vatsala mentions in the book that Radha is an incarnation of Lakshmi, the consort of Narayana, Vishnu. I have not come across that interpretation and on the other hand, I have read that Lakshmi is an amsa (part) of Radha, who is Feminine Aspect of the Supreme Deity, Krishna being the Masculine Aspect and they reside in Goloka. Their partial aspects are seen as Brahma, Vishnu / Narayana and Siva with their respective consorts etc.

These are not of course important and don't interfere with the reading and enjoyment of the book.

In any case, this beautiful book will probably whet your appetite to read more about Krishna.

I have great pleasure in recommending this book to children and parents, teachers, other elders and care takers of children.

2009-12-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

Title: Calm Amid Chaos - An Executive Guide To Reducing Stress Through Meditation

Author: Charles Graybar

Publisher: Serenity Hill Press

ISBN: 0-9740265-6-5

Category: Non-fiction / Management / Self Help

"Calm Amid Chaos - An Executive Guide To Reducing Stress Through Meditation" is a practical guide to meditation by Charles Graybar. The book is authentic in that it is written by a man who himself has been a successful business executive and who thus understands the pressures and pains of the average American Business Executive / Leader. That he failed several times to meditate and finally succeeded should give all of us who fail to meditate (including this reviewer), the perseverence to persist and succeed.

Most of the meditation practices described by Charles Graybar (Chuck to his friends) are based on eastern approaches. But they don't demand any change in the religious beliefs of the meditators and thus the book should be acceptable to people of all faiths.

The book's editing left a lot to be desired. Fortunately, the author's message comes through with little distortion.

If you have been looking for a simple, practical guide to help you learn meditation, this is for you.

2009-11-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

Title: Centaury for Virgo, Rock Rose for Pisces

Sub-Title: More than 400 Flower Essences for your Zodiac Path – The Complete Home Reference

Author: Debbie Sellwood

Publisher: Polair Publishing (www.polairpublishing.co.uk)

ISBN: 978-1-905398-13-3

Genre: Self-Help / Health / Mind/ Body/ Spirit

Presentation: Soft cover

I received this book for review nearly 6 months ago and it was not getting read due to various reasons. When I took it up recently, I found it interesting because of its connection to astrology and health. Having a little knowledge of astrology and numerology and having a fairly good knowledge of Bach Flower Remedies / Essences, I read the book with interest.

I found Debbie’s approach to astrology quite good and she has brought out the characteristics of people born under different sun signs quite well. In practice, one’s character and mental / physical health are governed by many more factors including moon’s position in the natal horoscope, the effect of various aspects and transits etc. So, while the classification of the flower essences into the 12 zodiacal signs is OK, a personal horoscope should be cast and read to get a more accurate picture. That may also give a good indication of the right healing system to be used at a given time.

I am familiar with Bach Flower Essences and found Debbie’s recommendations quite in tune with Bach’s own teachings. Dr. Edward Bach did not suggest combining his flower remedies or selecting them based on astrology, numerology, palmistry or any other occult sciences. He stressed on helping the patient select his or her own remedy or combination and emphasized the simplicity of his system so that if needed, the patient could select the remedy.

He also declared that his system of treatment based on the 38 flower essences and Rescue Remedy is self sufficient and covers all mental states. But many others mystics developed their own plant, flower, gem, crystal and animal essences. A similar trend is seen in Reiki where hundreds of variations of Reiki have been developed. It is like art where simple line drawings have given way to complex combinations of colors.

By including a large variety of nearly 400 essences (the words remedy and essence are used interchangeably), the author has no doubt opened a good resource to those adventurous enough and willing to explore new vistas. However, self-treatment (which was the aim of Dr. Bach) becomes very difficult for a lay person in such a scenario. Even a practitioner would find it difficult to select the most appropriate Essence from that variety and one problem would be that the client would end up with a cupboard full of essences!

The index of emotions given at the end of the book should hopefully guide the patient and the practitioner better!

If you are comfortable with the extra variety (the book covers more than 400 essences), this book would definitely be a good addition to your personal library.

The reviewer is a holistic / spiritual healer with exposure to astrology, numerology, homeopathy, tissue remedies, Bach Flowers, Reiki etc.

2009-11-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Title: Enjoy Your Money!

Sub-Title: How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It

Author: J. Steve Miller

Publisher: Wisdom Creek Press

ISBN: 978-0981875675

Genre: Non-Fiction / Money / Self-help

Review:

Many years ago, working as a Quality Control Engineer, I read "The Goal" by Eliyahu Goldratt & Michael C.Gray. I loved their approach – teaching complicated management concepts in a novel format. I used to devour a novel a day those days!

Later, I reviewed a similar business novel on Lean Manufacturing (see my review of that at http://swamyreviews .blogspot. com/search? q=Lean+Strategies ). It did a great job of explaining the concepts of "lean" and the benefits of "lean" to business enterprises. So, when an opportunity arose to review the present book, I was quite enthusiastic. I am happy to report that my enthusiasm was not misplaced!

Many years ago, I read and enjoyed The Only Investment Guide You Will Ever Need by Andrew Tobias and greatly appreciated its wisdom. I have been a lazy investor and thus in a way protected myself from the bull and bear cycles of Indian Stock Market over the years and thus felt somewhat vindicated by the strategies that Miller recommends. If I could go back and relive my life, I would follow many of Millers' recommendations beautifully brought out by his main character, an older school teacher named Mrs. Kramer. Her wisdom applies across borders and across cultures.

Enjoy Your Money is one of the best and most complete resources for money management at the personal level. Yet, the concepts are equally applicable to any business of any scale. The book is divided into four parts: Investing Money, Saving Money, Making Money and Enjoying Money (including giving it away to causes that you believe in). You need to make money, save money and invest today's money for a secure future. Then, you need to find the right value systems in life (money is not the end; it is a means for the end). That message comes through quite lucidly.

I loved the movie script or play format! It worked for this book, transforming a large amount of research into an entertaining and easy read. The characterization of the participants is quite good and the style is very good, holding the reader's attention quite well. The book is well edited and nicely printed with just a couple of errors that won't affect your enjoyment or understanding. The Epilogue is quite surprising! I won't spoil your own enjoyment by revealing it.

The book gives many other useful resources (websites, other books etc.) and thus points you in the right direction if you want to explore further. The biographical sketches (from Warren Buffett to Sam Walton to Led Zeppelin) are informative and inspiring.

In summary, this is one of the best books on money management that I've ever read. I strongly recommend it to one and all.

2009-11-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Title: Coconut Water for health and healing

Author: Dr. Bruce Fife

Publisher: Piccadilly Books, Ltd.

ISBN: 978-0-941599- 66-5

Genre: Non-Fiction / Health

Presentation - Soft Cover

The water of a tender (green) coconut is a natural electrolyte, rich in potassium and other minerals needed. It is thus a natural sports drink. I knew that much before I accepted this book for review and was curious how a book could be written about that!

I was in for a pleasant surprise when I received this beautifully printed book with a colorful cover and found it well edited, printed well with a good collection of photos to drive the points home.

In 10 chapters, a few appendixes and 223 pages, the author succeeds in educating us about all the health benefits of coconut water. Did you know that Coconut water cured the cataract of eyes of a person? Well, I did not know that! Did you know that coconut water is a good way of detoxing without many problems associated with plain water fast and fruit juice fasts?

There are many more uses of tender coconut water and many of the same benefits are obtained from packaged coconut water too. Coconut milk is not to be confused with coconut water. Dr. Fife has given several recipes at the end of this book that use coconut water, coconut milk or desiccated coconut etc. Fresh tender and mature coconuts are of course available in many parts of the world and can be used.

All in all, this is a highly readable book on the several health benefits of coconut water. I am lucky to be in a country where tender coconuts are sold roadside and also packed coconut water is available in departmental stores just in case, I need to travel to places where fresh coconuts may not be available.

Bruce Fife, N.D. is the author of 18 books including The Coconut Oil Miracle (formerly titled The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil), Coconut Lover's Cookbook, and Eat Fat, Look Thin, The Detox Book, Saturated Fat May Save Your Life, and Health Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation etc. He is the director of the Southern Colorado chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation and serves as the editor of the Healthy Ways Newsletter.

I am glad to recommend this book for all interested in health of themselves and or their family members, friends etc.

2009-11-03T03:15:00.000-08:00

Title: Southcrop Forest

Author: Lorne Rothman

Publisher: iUniverse

ISBN: 978-0595-49588-7

Genre: Fiction / Children / Science / Ecology

This book is presented as a novel but is in fact a good introduction to the interdependence of various life systems in our world. The story is set in Canada and involves many trees and a colony of crawlers with a single intelligence (soul). The Colony of crawlers (caterpillars) calls itself Fur and is able to communicate with the trees, starting with Auja, a young Oak and then through her with others. Fur is persuaded by the trees to leave Southcrop, go to Riverside Farm, collect some mysterious fungal spores, cross Oak River and carry the spores to the forests of Deep Sky. The journey of Fur through the forest, the many problems faced by Fur and how Fur pushes itself against its own impulses to give up makes good reading.

Through the interesting and fairly readable medium of the story, the author presents an interesting account of the various trees, birds, animals and insects that inhabit the forests. He brings out the danger to the ecology that human greed is bringing and succeeds in his message for a more holistic approach from us towards the environment. The story ends with a startling discovery by Fur but that is best left for you, the reader to find out.

It is an interesting concept and the author has succeeded in making a readable book. The book is recommended for children in high schools and their educators, parents etc.

2009-10-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Title: The World's Easiest Astronomy Book

Author: Hitoshi Nakagawa

Publisher: One Peace Books

ISBN: 978-0-9785084-4-9

Genre: Non-Fiction / Popular Science / Astronomy

Presentation: Paper Back

The book certainly lives up to it's title. It is simple to read and holds the reader's interest well. It is a small book and can be read while waiting for a flight or while travelling to the office etc.

You may find it useful when your children or grandchildren come to you with questions about space, solar system, moon and stars etc. Of course it is a good gift for giving to children to read at their own pace.

It is well printed and is strongly recommended to individual homes and schools.

The author is a Japanese Aerospace Development Specialist turned high school teacher. The reviewer is a physicist with interests in many fields including astronomy.

2009-10-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

Title: Overpower Pain

Sub-title: Strength-Training Program that Stops Pain without Drugs or Surgery

Author: Mitchell T. Yass, PT

Publisher: Sentient Publications

ISBN: 978-1-59181-075-9

Genre: Non-Fiction / Health

The author is a physiotherapist (physical therapist) and personal trainer. He has helped thousands of patients avoid unnecessary surgery and drugs through strength training. In this book (and through several articles and lectures) he shares his approach to pain relief by physical therapy, strength training (of muscles).

The book is well illustrated with photographs of various exercises that he recommends to overcome specific problems.

When I had a fall in 2006 I was unable to put my weight on my left leg and had to be hospitalised for about 10 days. After x-ray tests established that there was no fracture and after drugs helped with the initial pain management, I had the benefit of seeing first hand how a good physiotherapist can help in rebuilding the range of muscle movements through exercises of the affected muscles. When I was reading this book, I could thus relate very well with the explanations of the author in Chapter
3.

The approach is quite technical at places and some readers may not be able to follow the same but the main part of the book in Chapter 5 that covers the work out sessions (and which is well illustrated) will certainly hold the attention well.

In any case, it is imperative that any such exercise program should be taken up after a thorough evaluation by a physiotherapist (physical therapist) and a qualified training instructor.

The book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on pain management. Readers of this review may also check out

"The Journey to a pain relief - A hands on guide to breakthroughs in pain treatment" by Phyllis Berger

(http://swamyreviews.blogspot.com/search?q=Phyllis) and

"Painfree 1-2-3" by Dr. Teitelbaum (it disucsses many approaches to pain management).

Contents of the book:

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Weight Lifting isn't just for Bodybuilders

Chapter 2 - Be Safe, Be Effective, and gain Muscle Strength

Chapter 3 - What it means when you are in pain

The Neck, The Lower Back, The Shoulder, The Elbow, The Wrist, The Hip, The Knee, The Ankle, The Foot are covered in separate sections

Chapter 4 - The golden rules of weight training

Chapter 5 - Enough talk - Let's get to work

Under this he covers The Chest, The Abdominal Group, The Back, Upper Back, Lower Back, Entire Back, Biceps, Forearms, The Thigh, The Calf, The Shoulders, The Triceps

Chapter 6 - Stretch, Don't Strain

Chapter 7 - A workout schedule that works for you

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Glossary

Appendix A

Appendix B

Notes

About the Author

2009-10-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Title: The Hunt for Planet X

Sub-Title: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto

Author: Govert Schilling

Publisher: Copernicus Books (An Imprint of Springer Science + Business

Media)

ISBN: 978-0-387-77804-4

Genre: Non-Fiction / Popular Science / Astronomy

Presentation - Hard Cover with dust jacket

This book is an excellent, highly readable account of the discovery of trans-Saturnian Planets of our Solar System, especially Pluto and the Planet X. X stands for ten as well as unknown. When Pluto was discovered in 1930, it was not the tenth planet but was the mysterious unknown planet that was theorized to exist based on the orbital fluctuations of Uranus (Neptune was discovered earlier but even after taking into account its effects, Uranus had orbital fluctuations suggesting the existence of one or more planets beyond). Later observations showed that Pluto was not alone but was a member of a group of bodies collectively named Kuiper Belt. In 2006, Pluto was demoted as a regular Planet, in the face of opposition from many astronomers. You should read the book to know more about all the debate and the factors that weighed with the astronomers.

The science and the human drama (the fierce competition, the national pride, the hunger for credit etc.) have been nicely brought out by Govert and the illustrations and photographs add a lot of value to the book.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book strongly to all lovers of science in general and astronomy in particular.

Govert Schilling is an internationally acclaimed freelance writer on astronomy from Netherlands.

The reviewer is a physicist and a metallurgist, with interests in astronomy and other sciences. He is an author and editor besides being an avid reader and reviewer of books.

2009-08-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

Title: Yoga in America

Editors: Deborah S. Bernstein & Bob Weisenberg

Publisher: www.lulu.com

ISBN: 978-0-557-04633-1

Genre: Non-Fiction / Yoga

The book is a collection of articles on Yoga, written by various experts and edited by Deborah and Bob. The content and style of the articles is so variable (especially since each contributor was given full freedom) that the editors had their task cut out to bring some semblance of continuity in the book. Even after their best efforts, the result is a little disconcerting to the reader. But if you persist and finish the book, you are sure to get a really wide perspective of the state of Yoga in America.

If you are already into Yoga, you may find confirmation of what you are doing and also fresh perspectives of the other systems of Yoga practices. If you are new to Yoga, you will get a sort of guided tour and you can pick the style that appeals to you.

I would have edited the book a little differently at some places and there are a couple of errors that slipped the keen eyes of the editors, but overall, they have done a very good job of keeping errors out.

I recommend this book to you in either case. You may also like to take a look at the three other books on Yoga that I reviewed, viz. "The Hatha Yoga Pradipika", "The Gheranda Samhita" and "Music as Yoga"

2009-08-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Title: The green Green Pear

Author: Manjula Narayanan

Publisher: Authorhouse

ISBN:978-1-4389-6957-2

Genre: Fiction / Children

Presentation: Paperback

The green Green Pear is on the face of it a colorfully printed story book for children, but it has a very deep message for all the children of the world including the children lurking behind the adult facades in many of us. Self image psycholgy, the need for self acceptance and the need for being one self are brought out beautifully by the author.

One brief excerpt:

"So in a similar manner the green Green Pear went about wishing he could be many different things. He wished he could smell like a flower. Or feel like silk. Or taste like candy. Could he look like a butterfly? Or sing like a bird? He wondered..."

The page had nice illustrations of a flower, silk, candy, butterfly and a bird. The total effect is really pleasant.

For the children there is of course an added bonus of learning colors, shapes, flowers, fruits, animals and sounds. Thus education goes along with entertainment. It is excellent as a gift to the child for exploring by oneself or for reading to a child.

The book is designed and printed well on acid free non-glossy paper. The illustrations by the author are eye catching in a pleasant way.

A short note to the parents and to the teachers and a little biography about the author would have added value to the book. I am giving a brief biographical note from the material sent by the publicist.

Manjula Naraynan is a writer and illustrator living in Chennai, Southern India. She has a degree in corporate secretaryship from the University of Madras. She plans to follow The green Green Pear with two more titles in her Color Trilogy for children.

Since the story is meant for little children (the book does not specify but I would think 5 to 8 years would be the ideal age group for this type of book), it could have been brought out as an audio book or a video book or a DVD could be produced and added as a bonus (at a slightly higher retail price of course).

I am happy to say the child in me enjoyed the short and sweet story in the book.

I strongly recommend this to teachers, parents and other care givers of children.

2009-06-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Title: Customer Service Pocketbook – 2nd Edition
Authors: Tony Newby & Sean McManus
Publisher: Management Pocketboooks “Words that speak volumes”
Publisher’s website: www.pocketbook.co.uk
ISBN: 9781903776001
Presentation: Softcover, pocketbook, landscape mode

The first edition of this book was authored by Tony Newby in 1991 and became a very popular guide for customer service. After his death, the book was revised by Sean McManus and the 2nd edition was published in 2002.

Download a free chapter of The Customer Service Pocketbook at Sean's website.

The cartoon on the front cover catches your eye (the lady bending over backwards for providing customer service with the Customer 1st slogan prominently displayed in the background). There are more inside to add a light touch and to bring home the message. The print design is very attractive and you will feel like reading and re-reading the book. In the space of about 100 pages, the book manages to highlight the importance of customer service.

The topics covered include:
- Why Customer Service Matters
- What’s Different About Good Service?
- Effective Customer Communications
- Turning Complaints Into Opportunities
- Empowering Great Customer Service
- Measuring Customer Service
- Personal Action Planning
- Appendix: Notes for Trainers
- Recommended Further Reading

The subject is dealt well, concisely and at the same time, not leaving any essential topic. The book reads like a mini-seminar on the subject and of course the Notes for Trainers gives specific and helpful hints how to structure the one day training programme based on this book.

The graph on page 7 could have done better (the x-axis has no scale and does not show any particular parameter). The book is otherwise edited well and the print quality is excellent.

It will be a good addition to the personal library of managers at all levels and will also be a good candidate as a handout / introduction to the subject.

2009-04-18T23:46:00.000-07:00

Title: Tarantula Tide
Author: Sharon Tregenza
Publisher: Floris Books
ISBN: 978-086315-673-1
Genre: Fiction / Children / Mystery
Presentation: Soft Cover

The title is a mystery and the story is also a mystery involving two children Jack and Izzie (Isabel) set in Shetland, a group of islands off Scotland. The theme is animal smuggling and the story starts with Jack and Izzie discovering a tarantula whome Izzie calls Octavia. Though the main characters don’t realize who the culprit is, the readers can guess by the middle of the book and it is satisfying to know that one’s surmise is correct. The real mystery in the book is about Jack’s dad and that comes as a surprise. The story has a happy ending with Jack and his photographer mother vowing to come back to the enchanted place.

The story is well written and is not too fast nor too slow. The style is good and the book is generally well edited. However, some sections slipped through the editor’s watchful eyes and I will be sharing the same with the author for correction in future editions.

All in all, a good read.

2009-04-17T04:23:00.000-07:00

Title: Children from the sea
Author: Lookman
Publisher: Nightingale Books
ISBN: 9781903491638
Genre: Fiction / Children / Fantasy/ Adventure

The cover photograph is rather odd and the story is odd too. It is a fantasy of children being converted to dolphins, staying in the sea for a few hundred years and getting reconverted into children thanks to a kiss from an adolescent girl, Katie.

Katie is forced to relocate from England to a small village in Spain because of her father’s business. What she thought would be a boring life turned out to be quite an adventure thanks to the dolphins / children, the eldest being a little elder to her. It would not be fair to reveal what happens after they get transformed into children and the ending is rather interesting.

Lookman was born in Surrey in 1950, a time when children roamed freely and adventurously and made their own entertainment (not having so many gadgets to distract them as now). His interest in Sufism led to his use of the pseudonym Lookman, after the wise sage in Qur’an. The Sufi leanings of the author come through in the story and if you are a fundamentalist in any religion (something alien to Sufism), you may not relate to the story.

The story is interesting enough to keep reader’s interest and the style is good enough to keep you going. Some passages in the story are moving and the account of religious persecution strikes a chord even today!

Though the book is meant for children (I would say the suggested age group is 10 to 15), it may appeal to elders too, especially those whose inner child is still alive and active. Give it a try and decide whether it is for you. I would rate it GOOD.

2009-04-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Title: Shared Stories From Daughters of Alzheimer’s
Sub-title: Writing a Path to Peace
Edited by: Persis R. Granger
Publisher: iUniverse Star
ISBN: 9780595297269
Genre: Non-Fiction / Health/ Memoirs
Presentation: Soft Cover

This book is a collection of personal stories shared by daughters of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The shock, the anger, the grief, the stress etc. are brought out with sincerity and honesty by the different authors. The editing by Percis R. Granger is by and large excellent and the book is highly readable (though my sharp eye caught some slips, they won't interfere with the reading). The book is not easy to read because of the emotions that are shared but is a valuable addition to the growing literature on Alzheimer's disease, a progressive and as of today incurable form of dementia, whose final diagnosis can only be made through a postmortem!

More and more people are becoming victims of Alzheimer's (partly because of increasing life span) and caring for them when they fail to recognize themselves and their care givers is no easy task. Relationships get affected apart from financial difficulties. Sending the person to an institution for care is one of the toughest decisions and the stories give an intimate look at the emotional trauma of the care givers. The book is thus moving at many places. In a country like India, where elders are supposed to be taken care of by children and there is no real infrastructure for their separate living, the relationships are affected severely due to the stress and strain of chronic illness and consequent burden on the care givers. Some of the stories in the book will thus strike a chord for such readers too!

Though the book focuses on Alzheimer's, any chronic illness that makes the person dependent on others causes similar problems and thus the book would be relevant to patients and caregivers of other chronic and debilitating diseases.

The book has a foreword by Pat Jimison, an introduction by Kathleen Adams and resources section at the end. However, alternative, holistic treatment options if any are left out and it is hoped that the future editions and a website will carry such information (as of now there is no specific website for the book). A lot of research on the role of antioxidants and herbs in delaying the onset of or improvement of Alzheimer's is now coming up and the book / website could have covered that.

I went through many emotions as I was reading this book since my own mother passed away in 2003 at the age of 89 and I felt (and feel even now) that I could have been a better son as far as her care is concerned. Her presence in the house was not stress free and many times I felt helpless! Journalling as suggested in the book is a good and effective way of coming to terms with the emotions that one cannot process immediately.

I recommend this book to all caregivers and even to chronic patients to give them an idea of the life ahead for those in early stages of Alzheimer's.

2009-04-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Title: The Whispering Fields
Author: Joseph Collins
Publisher: Foremost Press
ISBN: 978-0-9818418-4-7
Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
Presentation: Soft cover

The Whispering Fields is a work of fiction, a fantasy where dogs and other animals talk, sing etc. and as mentioned on the cover, we may think of it as an epic, since it is conceived and constructed on a grand scale and is quite poetic though written in prose (there are quite a few poems in between the prose).

Toby is a dog that is abandoned by its human master and after failing to find him, after waiting in vain for some time hoping against hope for his return, he starts a long journey of trying to fend for himself, makes a few good friends, loses two of them in rather strange circumstances and makes a determined enemy who wants to switch his spirit with Toby! Toby and his two other friends finally find the paradise (The Whispering Fields promised in the folklore) that they are searching for. The ending is not what the reader imagines it to be and even Toby and his friends did not realise that their search really ended till almost the end.

The style is reasonably good though not unput-downable and a few editorial slips caught my eye. But they are so few and so minor that the reading is unaffected. The narrative is rather too detailed at places and the poems did not strike much of a chord with me, mainly because poetry is not my cup of tea.

All in all, I found the book sufficiently interesting to keep going and would recommend the same for all animal lovers (especially dog lovers) and those who like fantasies that convey some good morals. The message of the book is valid for human beings too.

2009-02-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Title: Rupture
Author: A. Scott Pearson
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-933515-23-6
Genre: Fiction / Medical Mystery

Rupture is a medical mystery. An implant, that is supposed to save the lives of patients by preventing the rupture of aneurysms starts becoming a killer. The best efforts of the surgeons fail. And the mystery becomes deeper when a blame game starts. The main players Dr. Eli Branch and the pathologist Dr. Meg Daily get sucked into the malevolent plot of a company that tries to protect its interests at any cost. In that process, a lot of information is presented about surgical procedures, stem cell therapy etc. A few other topics, not so good are also touched upon (necrophilia for example). If you are rather squeamish, better keep away. The story ends well with the hero Dr. Eli Branch becoming a national hero and suggests the rather controversial topic of a permanent cure for juvenile diabetes by stem cell therapy.

The book is written in an excellent style. The details of the medical surgical procedures and the details about the cells, stem cell therapy etc. are interesting to those with a little background. Even if one does not understand the terms, one can probably appreciate the story for its suspense and human drama.

Since I received an uncorrected copy (ARC), I cannot comment about the final print quality. I did not notice any major editorial mistakes but some editing might have been done to improve the text.

My impression of the book is that it is a very good read. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to more offerings from the author.

2009-02-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

Title: We're in This Boat Together
Sub-Title: Leadership Succession Between the Generations
Author: Camille F. Bishop, PhD
Publisher: Authentic Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-934068-37-3
Genre: Non-Fiction/Management/Leadership/Team Building
Presentation: Soft Cover

'We're in This Boat Together' is a 2-in-1, a business novel and a dissertation about the Leadership Succession Between Generations or the Generation Gap and its effects on leadership. The experiment with the format is laudable but the result is a little unsettling. Read on for my perspective.

When the request for review came, I asked for and got a peek into the first few pages of the book ending with the prologue. I skipped the preface etc. and read the prologue and was thrilled. Here is a book on management with a good focus on leadership transition between the generations written like a business novel and the prologue was so good in style! I accepted the review request and got the printed book.

The book is printed well, the paper quality is good, the type is clear and the readability is good. As already mentioned, the starting is good, rather racy in fact!

The book is about the team building exercise through a river rafting expedition, an exercise to which a team of four from the IT Department of a mid-size company was sent by the management. The team starts as four independent individuals wondering why they were sent for this and ending up as a well knit team at the end of the expedition, in which they were subjected to challenges that test their willingness and ability to work as a team in a crunch situation. The team finds a real life parallel in the office when leadership transition takes place. The concept is good and the parallel of the river with its rapids is highly apt to life in general and change management in particular. Thus the author is to be commended for taking up a worthwhile topic in change management. Leadership transitions are brought on by several factors and the leadership transition brought on by generation gap is an important element. There are other factors of course that affect leadership styles.

The book adopts a rather novel approach. The text keeps alternating between the smooth flow of a novel and the not-so-smooth flow of a good dissertation on the effects of generation on leadership. The smooth flow of the novel like presentation is interrupted by the highly academic dissertation on the leadership styles of the different generations. Much as the author tried to present that part in a simple and readable style, the transition is too abrupt. This continued through out the book.

Having read and enjoyed management books written in the novel format (who hasn't read The Goal?), as well as a non-fiction essay format, I found the sudden changes in the style and the pace rather unsettling. It is as if the author was affected by the river!

I hope the author will attempt a smoother transition between the two formats in a future edition. I believe that it is possible to convey all serious topics on science and management through the novel format.

2008-12-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

Title: Nick's New Heart

Sub-Title: The True Story of Love, Strength, and Courage

Author: Susan May

Publisher: Tiger Iron Press

ISBN: 0-9787263-2-4

Genre: Biography, Medical, Coping

Presentation: Hard Bound with dust jacket

I love medical books, especially the ones written by laymen and those written for laymen by doctors. So, when a chance came to review this book, I agreed readily and I am happy that I agreed!

Susan writes well and the editors also did a wonderful job in keeping the flow smooth. The story is gripping and the saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction" is so true in this case. The problems with Nick (Nicholas) start early, almost immediately after his birth and continue into the childhood, culminating in a heart transplant surgery 17 years ago! The book is about the drama, the trauma and the wonderful doctors and the support groups that helped the baby live and that too with a fairly high quality of life!

There are a few typos but they won't distract you, the reader (I could not help seeing them because I am a reviewer and editor myself). I was left wondering why Susan did not write this book earlier when pediatric heart transplants were not that common and when her book could have reached out and gave new hope and courage to thousands of affected parents all over the world. Now, pediatric heart surgeries including heart transplants are much more common and there is lot more information in the form of books, articles etc. I was reading a wonderful letter from Dr. Devi Shetty of Bangalore (Bengaluru now), a leading pediatric cardiac surgeon who has performed 4000+ surgeries on children and the letter was addressed to the children. Ask me for the link to that letter if interested. He does the surgery free!

All in all, reading this book was moving and inspiring. I recommend the book strongly if you or some one you know have any interest in health matters, especially relating to children, surgeries etc.

2008-12-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Title: Quondam An Ancient Mirror Tale

Author: Jayel Gibson

Publisher: Synergy Books

ISBN: 978-1-933538-83-9

Category: Fiction / Fantasy

Presentation: Soft Cover

Quondam is a fantasy of worlds, with magic, dragons etc.

"Quondam is a kingdom under the stranglehold of a fallen wood nymph, Queen Karid, who has ruled ruthlessly for an eon since she was forced by the gods into human form as a punishment. She's thrilled to have blood in her veins, and equally happy to spill anyone else's to ensure perpetual dominance.

Karid sends fire-throwing assassins through a portal to Ædracmorae and wipes out much of that realm's ruling family in order to prevent a prophecy from coming true, which says that a house of serpents will ally with a house of dragons. It isn't enough though, as the queen is seriously challenged back in Quondam by an overlooked niece of the king, the hot-tempered Cwen of Aaradan, back from earlier books with a chip on her shoulder.

Although she is strong, Cwen has much to learn about when to apply judgment and how to see the perspective of others. She finds a chance to redeem herself from her past acts, saying, "`I have been selfish, even ruthless, but this one act will give my life meaning and sweep the blackness from my soul.'" Action is the prime driver, but it is a pleasure to see Cwen and other characters develop and evolve on the way to fulfilling their objectives. The thoroughly power-mad Queen Karid is the exception--she's a fountain of evil deeds from the beginning. Gibson carries over her examination of crossed species in Queen Karid's fear of a dragon/human hybrid with royal blood known as the Islander. He eventually faces a no-win decision, staking his own priorities against the kingdom's.

The book's romantic scenes are about desire, resistance, domination, and lingering bonds--not so unusual among people, but unsettling when applied to a pair of dragons. Just as the female dragons in the kingdom of Quondam are a bit stronger than the males, so too are a number of remarkably resolute women generally more determined and focused than the men. The subtle and healthy message of can-do capability resonates.

Fans of the series should appreciate the way Gibson moves into the meat of the story right away."

That was the blurb from Amazon. I came to the book without reading the earlier books and thus felt that the story was moving a little slowly in the beginning, but it picked up later on. The author's style is good enough to hold the reader. There is enough magic, enough evil and enough good to keep the reader going.

A good read. Not unstoppable and not unput-downable but interesting enough to read and complete.

I read the book a few months back but could not post the review due to various factors. My apology to the author.

Swamy

2008-10-31T16:03:00.001-07:00

Title: New Birth or Rebirth?
Sub-Title: Jesus talks with Krishna
Author: Ravi Zacharias
Publisher: Multnomah
ISBN: 9781590527252
Genre: Fiction, Imaginary Conversation, Religion
Presentation: Hard Bound non-standard size(approx. A5)

When the blurb about this book was sent to me by a publicist, I was curious to take a look at the book from the perspective of a Hindu (myself) and see how the author a Christian would present the innermost truths of two great religions of this world. I did mention to the publicist that my review may not be all that favorable but she was gracious to accept that and send me the book for review. The book reached me during my transition days, weeks and months after my retirement from a full time job, which took 42 years of my 60 years on this earth plane. Retirement caused major changes in life style and the review process got slightly disarrayed. With apologies to the author and the publicist, I present here my belated review.

I am in a way shocked and disappointed that a so called scholar of religions could be so biased and dogmatic. The back cover says that the author has three doctoral degrees and is an acknowledged authority on comparative religions, but this book is not a fair comparison at all. It is a blatant attempt at proselytising and showing the most ancient religion in a poor light and try to 'convert' educated people to his brand of christianity.

As I went through the book, the bias and the prejudice of the author was showing up so often that it was difficult for me to continue and finish the small book. I will give specific examples of that later.

For now, I would say this: if you are a believing Christian, this book is not needed. If you are a Hindu, this book is not needed. If you are an atheist, this book is anyway nonsense. Then to whom is this book meant for? To preachers, who are financed by the church to convert people to christianity.

A more detailed review will come later if I can bring myself to finish the book.

Swamy

2008-10-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

Title: Invent your Retirement - Resources for the Good Life

Author: Art Koff

Publisher: Oakhill Press

ISBN: 1886939764

Genre: Non-Fiction, Seniors, Self-Help

Presentation: Soft cover

I received the book way back in 2006 for review and due to several factors beyond my control, the book was lying unread and unreviewed. In June 2008, I retired from a full time job, which was keeping me engaged for nearly 42 years of my 60 years on this earth plane. While sorting out various papers, this book caught my eye and now that I am retired, I thought that this book will show me some new avenues for spending my time usefully. So, I went through the book and here is my review of it, with profuse apologies to the author and the publicist who sent it to me and waited patiently all these years for the review.

First the pros: The book is well structured and does the job intended by the author, namely give various options to the retired person (or who is planning to retire shortly). It also helps family members and friends who read this book to discuss the issues facing the prospective retiree more intelligently and meaningfully, with compassion and understaning. The style is fairly good and the information (mostly a lot of resources) is useful.

The main draw back (or scope for improvement) in this book is that the majority of the resources listed are internet based and thus the reader will need to enter the URLs (addresses of the various internet sites) manually and there is scope for error. If this book was published in electronic format (as a ebook), the links could have been embedded into the ebook and just clicked upon. An ebook also lends itself for easy upgradation since the links to various web pages may change often.

But for this small drawback, the book is a good addition to the many existing books on retirement.

2008-10-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

Title: The Perfect Board
Author: Calvin K. Clemons
Publisher: Ovation Books
ISBN: 978-0-9790275-6-7
Genre: Non-Fiction, Business Organization
Presentation: Hard Back with Dust Jacket
Received for Review on: 24th June 2008

The Perfect Board is all about the Board of Directors of an organization, and is a comprehensive resource on how to be a good director and thus help in making the Board perfect. The author is well equipped to write the book, having served on the boards of directors as well as being an executive vice-president, executive director or director of several associations.

The book takes an interesting form. The beginning and the end are like a novel, with good narrative. The main part of the book is like a good manual, telling the reader what to do and what not to do. The author uses a well qualified and sincere lady as the main character (seeker of knowledge) and a retired, highly knowledgeable expert as the teacher.

The book is well written and well printed (easy to read and easy on the eyes). I did catch a few typos but let me assure you that they are very minor and don't affect the understanding.

If you need to understand what being a director involves, or if you were always curious to know what exactly your directors did (and more importantly are supposed to do!) or if you are a student of business organization course, this could be a good and useful read. The book takes just a couple of hours to read and is handy to carry in your bag, briefcase or coat pocket. Since the contents page covers all the important points, lack of an index is not a big handicap. The bibliography at the end provides more resources if you need.

All in all, an excellent book on the subject and highly recommended.

About the reviewer: The reviewer is a graduate physicist, metallurgist and held senior positions in a large organization till recently and more importantly served on several committees, and associations as an office bearer and is thus familiar with most of the rights and responsibilities of the Executive Committee or Board of Directors. He retired recently after more than 4 decades of service on pension and is sharing his own knowledge through lectures and articles.

2008-10-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

Title: The Eye of Icarus
Sub-Title: Book One of the Space Frontiers Series
Author: Michael D'Ambrosio
Publisher: Helm Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9801780-2-9

The book is the first of a new series from the author, who has already published a trilogy. I did not read any of those books and this is my first experience of reading a book from this author. I was thrilled to read a fast-paced book, which was difficult to put down!

The story is simple and straightforward - the victory of good over evil. However, it is told with a great style and thus I never felt bored. The characters are quite well developed, the science part of it was sufficient to make it a SF.

Since this is an online review, I won't give the excerpts from the story etc. since you would probably reading this review at a site, which has a link to www.amazon.com and you can browse through the book there.

I enjoyed reading the book and I strongly recommend it if you are a SF fan.

2008-04-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Title: Unholy Domain
Author: Dan Ronco
Publisher: Kunati
ISBN: 978-1-60164-021-5
Genre: Science Fiction
Presentation: Hard Back with Dust Jacket

For those who read Dan's first novel, "Peacemaker" this will be a must read sequel. For others, it will be a good introduction to Dan's excellent writing skills and an invitation to go and get Peacemaker and look forward to a sequel to Unholy Domain.

Dianne Morgan continues her stop-at-nothing attempts to take control of the whole world through her Domain and is being opposed by an equally ruthless opponent Adam Jordan. Adam tries to mold common man's aversion to technology after the bitter experience with Peacemaker (a ghastly malevolent computer program that was intended to shut down all internet systems and give Dianne power over the world but which was aborted albeit with a huge loss of people and property) into a religious cult and he too stops at nothing to gain control over people (that is the aim of all power hungry people isn't it?). David Brown, son of Ray Brown, a colleague of Dianne is the hero in this sequel which takes off where Peacemaker ends and we know what happened to Ray Brown in this book. But new readers need not worry since the story is self-standing without reading Peacemaker.

The story is excellently written and the style is as usual gripping. The editing and printing are again excellent. All in all, an excellent read and we are kept anticipating the release of Dan's sequel to Unholy Domain to know what happened to David Brown and to Adam Jordan, whom Dianne succeeds in capturing and whose religious cult is more or less broken thanks to some brilliant technological successes of Sentinel, the next generation Artificial Intelligence System developed by Domain.

Dan's books are disturbing because what he describes is possible and plausible with today's technology. So, if you are either a technophile or a technophobe, read Unholy Domain.

2008-04-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

Title: Archy The Flying Dolphin And The Vampire's Curse
Author: Alan Williams
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 9781425131517
Genre: Fiction/Children/Fantasy

About the Book (From the Back Cover): Archy The Flying Dragon & The Vampires' Curse is a children's fantasy/adventure... a roller-coaster ride of fun and excitement, where eleven year old Thomas Parkinson and his sister, Suzy, embark on a perilous voyage of discovery, where they confront the most powerful forces of evil and where danger lurks around every mysterious corner.

My impression: It is a good read, and as expected, the forces of good and love win over the forces of evil (which help to bring out the universal love and are not thus really evil!). It being a fantasy, don't expect logic (I had to keep repeating to my grown up adult ego). I could not appreciate the parents flying off to Honolulu leaving the children in that isolated place with their Uncle, but then I am an Indian and my values are different.

Editing and printing: Good.

Recommendation: Good reading for children of ten years and above.

2008-04-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

Title: Virus Games
Author: G. L. Sheerin
Publisher: Synergy Books
ISBN: 978-1-934454-04-6
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Children

About the Book (From the Back Cover):

Peter Dempsey hates computers. He detests looking at monitors, can barely type with two fingers on a keyboard, and considers his PC 101 class a torture chambers. But when a fateful bolt of lightning gives him the ability to see just who lives and works inside our computers, Peter might have to change his mind.

Peter befriends the "packets" who live in his computer and begins to learn about the secret world alive inside the Internet. Packet World isn't always friendly, though. A new super virus has just been unleashed, and Peter and his packets realize they might be the only ones who can stop the "bullies" from shutting down the internet, and Packet World, forever.

My own impression from a reading of the book:

Though the author himself is a computer expert, he has not fully succeeded in using the power of the story to teach how computers and internet work. While he might have succeeded in holding the attention of young techno-phobes like Peter through the use of some ingenious substitutes for the normal technical terms, he has not attempted to convert the story into a good lesson on the working of internet, data packets, Protocols etc. He could have used the book to discuss computer viruses, how they are detected, how they are studied and how they are deactivated etc.

Editing and Printing: Good.

Recommendation: The book is a good effort to make technical topics like computers interesting but the end results could have been better.

2008-04-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

Title: F.A.T. Balance Diet
Sub-Title: 10 Steps to Weigh Loss Freedom
Author: Kevin Jones
Publisher: Fitness Lifestyle
ISBN: 978-0-9768998-3-9
Presentation: Paperback
Genre: Non-Fiction/Health and Fitness

The title is catchy in the sense that it gets read as FAT Balance Diet and almost all the struggle of those who are trying to lose weight is with the fat in the body. The author has imaginatively created an acronym from that simple word. F.A.T. stands for Frequency, Amount and Type. And it is applied to Food and Exercise, the two key factors that affect our intake and expenditure of calories and thus decide our weight.

An innovative approach of using life stories of ten different people to explain the important concepts of life style management (weight and fitness management finally comes to that only) makes the book very readable. In fact, I liked the stories far more than the following explanations, which are readable but appear like lecturing at places. I felt that the life stories could have been expanded a little more and the points incorporated therein.

The book is edited and printed well, except for one error on page 102 (Iris decides to take stairs instead of elevator and not as written).

The book comes with a glossary, 50+ recipes (typical american recipes since the book is meant for US readers though the principles are useful to others too) etc. and is a good value for the money.

I would have preferred to see this as a hard-cover book and also as an e-book, with links to an online journal.

That in spite of good advice from many people including US government, nearly 65% of people are overweight indicates that life-style management has become a big issue in USA. It is hoped that this book will help some of them regain the control over their lives.

2008-03-31T02:30:00.000-07:00

Title: The Secret of Transitions
Sub-Title: How to move effortlessly to higher levels of success
Author: Jim Manton
Publisher: Robert D. Reed Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-931741-91-0
Genre: Business / Career
Presentation: Paperback

This book is about finding your true passion or love (as the author prefers to call) in your work and career. It is the author's own journey from the president of a large organisation to a coach. It is about finding what really motivates you and gives you a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Coaching, mentoring etc. may help you and the author shares some good stories how he could help some very successful people reach higher levels of success.

As is my habit, I opened the book and found myself reading a highly readable account of the author's role as a mentor and coach f0r a successful and ambitious lady when she was making the transition from the position of a manager to COO of a business. I was reminded of the business novel "The Goal" (which is in my opinion the best among such books). Then I read the present book from beginning to end. While the book is readable, the author is at his best when he is narrating the story about his mentoring Allison (the ambitious lady who wants to become COO). The story is told from Chapter 8 to chapter 16. In my view, this is the best part of the book.

Each chapter has a summary at the end which tries to give a gist of the management principle that the author is trying to share.

The book is printed well. The editing is good with only a few slips which luckily don't distract the reader.

The last Chapter about the importance of silence is metaphysical and may not appeal to those interested in the mundane world of business success. Otherwise, the book will appeal to all those who are trying to raise their career to new heights.

I would have preferred to see such a book in hardcover edition since it may be visited again and again.

2008-03-27T02:34:00.000-07:00

Title: Defeating the 8 Demons of Distraction
Sub-Title: Proven Strategies to Increase Productivity and Decrease Stress
Author: Geraldine Markel, Ph.D.
Publisher: Managing Your Mind, LLC
ISBN: 978-0-9791279-4-6
Genre: Non-Fiction/Personal Management/Self-Help
Presentation: Soft cover

All of us get distracted at times. However, when the distractions become one too many and thus disrupt our work, our homes, our live style etc., stress is the result. Our jobs and our family life get affected adversely. All of us would have wished at some time or other that we had a good mentor and coach to guide us how to deal with the battle against the demons of distraction. This book is an answer to our wishes.

In a short space of 10 Chapters spread over 138 pages, Geraldine Markel takes us through a seminar on the 8 Demons of Distraction and successful strategies to fight and defeat the demons. The book can be read in about a day of say 8 to 10 hours with short breaks for tea and lunch. Thus it is like attending a 1-day seminar. However, you need not travel and spend money on hotels etc. In the comfort of your home, you can read and reread the book and thus save a lot of time, energy and money!

If the above sounds like a sales pitch, I may be forgiven but I was really impressed with the simple, lucid and reader-friendly style of the book. I was delighted with the case studies presented by the author and was inspired by the success stories when the people practiced the strategies presented in the book. So, if you practice what you read, you too are sure to succeed. Here are a few chapter titles: The 8 Demons of Distraction, Your Attention Reservoir and Arsenal, Defeating the Technology Demon, Defeating the Others Demon etc. Chapter 10 is a good summary of the strategies.

Normally management and self-help books are not easy to read, especially since I have a rather short attention span! However, the highly readable style of this book held my attention sufficiently so that I could read it in the space of a few days after a long day of work.

This book would make a good present to any one (employee, home maker, business man, student), who finds that distractions are affecting their lives adversely. So, buy it for yourself and or some one you care for.

About the Author: Geraldine Markel, Ph.D. is an educational psychologist who is a coach , speaker, and author. She served as faculty in the School of Education, University of Michigan, and has coauthored four books on learning and performance for adolescents and adults with ADD and /or learning disabilities.

2008-03-25T03:17:00.000-07:00

Title: UnBreak your Health
Author: Alan E. Smith
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
ISBN: 9781932690361
Genre: Non-Fiction/Health/Information
Presentation: Soft Cover


Unbreak your Health by Alan E. Smith is a good compilation
of various complementary and alternative healing systems,
some of them based on medical systems (like Ayurveda, TCM,
Homeopathy in lower potencies...) and others non-medical
(acupuncture, Reiki, Bach Flowers, EFT...), also called
energy based healing systems.

The author does not claim an expertise in any of the
fields but has made a wide and fairly deep search partly
to help himself and then to help others.

The user experiences and testimonials are taken from
various sources including the respective websites. The
selection of websites could have been wider. For example,
in the case of Homeopathy, www.hpathy.com, arguably the
largest portal could have been included. Similarly while
making a passing mention of Bach Flowers (the author
assured me that he is planning to add a separate section
on Bach Flowers in the revision), www.bachcentre.com could
have been mentioned. In the case of Reiki, there are many
other wonderful sites, including www.reikipath.org, a
free site.

The book is quite useful and with some minor improvements,
will be even more useful for patients, and their health
professionals and care givers.

About the reviewer: Though not a qualified medical doctor,
the reviewer is a qualified Reiki Master and is also an
amateur homeopath of long standing. His other interests
are Tissue Remedies and Bach Flower Remedies, crystal
healing, spiritual healing etc. He is actively involved
in teaching and healing.

2008-03-25T02:50:00.000-07:00

Title: How to Get Your Husband to Listen to You - Understanding How Men Communicate
Authors: Nancy Cobb and Connie Grigsby
ISBN: 978-1-59052-742-9
Publisher: Multnomah Books (A Division of Random House Inc.)
Genre: Non-Fiction/Women/Marriage/Self-Help/Communication

This book should be compulsory reading to all women who are contemplating marriage and who plan to raise children. It could be recommended reading to all men too! Rather strong views you say? Bear with me for a few minutes and you will agree with me.

In an excellently readable book, authors Nancy Cobb and Connie Grigsby get to the fundamental reason for the big divide between the two genders - communication problems. Using many day-to-day examples, they bring out beautifully the different ways women and men communicate and how a mismatch between the communication processes leads to a breakdown of the communication process and thus the relationship! Since this is an online review, you will be able to read excerpts of the book either at Amazon or using Google's tools and I won't burden you with excerpts.

Some books hold you with their clear, lucid, highly readable style. This is one of them. Add good editing and good printing and you have a winner.

2008-03-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Title: The Future Happens Twice - The Perennial Project
Author: Matt Browne
Publisher: Athena Press
ISBN: 978-1-84401-830-7
Genre: Science Fiction

The earth is in danger and the human species may not survive the danger. So, a project is conceived to send humans to another earth like planet 82 light years away. The only problem with that is that humans cannot survive such long journey which will take thousands of years. Other problems of engineering, reliability etc. could be overcome but how to ensure the safety of the human beings over thousands of years of space travel?

A controversial solution is being attempted, viz., cryo-preservation of human embryos, which will be thawed and hatched by Artificial Womb Devices and the babies will be brought up by humanoid robots which have Natural Language Processing capabilities. And before the actual spaceship can be launched, the whole solution needs to be tested in a perfect simulation inside a space craft which, however does not fly in space. The future needs to be tested now. And hopefully repeated as envisaged and scripted now in the real future. Embryo splitting is necessary but is illegal. And the identical twins need to be born years apart and not know that they are test tube babies.

The book is about the simulations, the problems of managing a project in a secret facility, the ethical and legal issues involved, how they are overcome etc.

The book is the first of the trilogy and the author succeeds in maintaining a tight story line and suspense of what is going to come. Thus, reading the large tome of 700 plus pages is not difficult.

The editing and printing of the book is quite good. I would have preferred a hardcover but understand the cost implications.

Author Matt Browne holds a M.S computer scientist and works for a large organization. He brings his knowledge of Computers and Language Processing, Robotics etc. to a good and plausible space scenario.

A very good read indeed. I look forward to the remaining two sequels in the trilogy.

2008-03-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

Title: Immortal

Author: Traci L. Slatton

Publisher: Bantam Dell

ISBN: 978-0-385-33974-2

Genre: Fiction / Religion / Inquisition

Presentation: Paperback

Immortal is the story of Luca Bastardo, who was lost as a baby by his parents and
grew up as a street urchin on the roads of Florence. Luca is not any ordinary human,
he belongs to a special race of beings, who have very long lives and thus look young. They are thus mistaken to practice witchcraft etc. and are subjected to inquisition, burning at stake etc.

Luca undergoes a number of experiences, most of them bad but some good in his nearly
200 years of life (though he looks like about 30 years when he is burnt at the stake). He meets many artists and painters, alchemists etc., including the famous Leonardo da Vinci. The history of Florence in the years 1300 to 1400 AD is interwoven in Luca's story.

I am not an expert on Italian history, architecture, art etc. and cannot thus judge
the accuracy of what is presented here by the author. To a query from my end, the author confirmed that she has taken a lot of trouble to make the historical aspects of that period as accurate as possible. However, the story is sufficiently appealing and the style sufficiently smooth to keep me reading the fairly big book and we don't need to be experts on Italian history or art to appreciate the book.

Some of the events described are rather adult oriented and thus the book is not
suitable for children and also if you are squeamish (some scenes are rather violent).

Check out the excerpts from the book at www.amazon.com and also through Google
Excerpts.

I cannot comment on the editing and printing because what I got is an ARC (Advance
Reading Copy), not the final print edition. I would suggest that you check the book
at a physical book store and decide about buying. I am reasonably confident that you
would find the book interesting.

2008-02-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

Title: Let us Share - A Conversation on Growing Older

Author: Lou Dunn Diekemper

Publisher: Synergy Books

ISBN: 978-1-933538-76-1

Genre: Memoirs

The book is titled as a conversation, but is a monologue since the reader has no way of taking part in the conversation (if all of us start writing back to the author, she will be swamped).

The book is an attempt by the author to share her perceptions on a variety of topics. The topics are presented in a whimsical way (at least I could not find a pattern).

The style is good at some places and is like a sermon at others. Some of the many topics are likely to resonate with the reader.

I started this book and another at the same time, on 28th of November, 2007, and while the other book was finished in 2 or 3 days, this book was not an easy read. I persevered and completed it now.

I would strongly recommend you to browse the book at a book store or check as much as possible online using Google's book search, and then decide whether it is for you.

2008-02-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

Title: Good-bye, Baby Max
Author: Diane Cantrell
Illustrator: Heather Castles
Publisher: Bridgeway Books
ISBN: 9781933538952
Genre: Children's Books/Illustrated Story

Good-bye, Baby Max is a beautifully written and equally (or more importantly) beautifully illustrated book for children in the suggested age group of 4 to 8 years. For the children in the younger part of this age group, the parents or elder children and other care givers can help in reading and also deal with the emotions that may arise.

Story outline from the back cover: Mrs. B's class excitedly awaits the birth of three baby chicks. When Max is unable to crack open his shell, the children's loving teacher assists them in expressing their feelings of loss and planning a special good-bye.

An excerpt:

Silence falls over the room.
Liz and Rob begin to cry.
"Don't worry," says Mrs. B.
"We will find a way to say good-bye."

"We had a funeral for grandma!" Riley exclaims.
"Maybe for Max we could do the same?"
Jeremy joins in. "We had a memorial for Uncle Jim.
People sang songs and told stories about him."
So they plan a funeral to have the next day,
With songs and prayers and kind words to say.

End of excerpt.

The illustrations are beautiful and help to invoke the right feelings.

The book tells children some important things about life: Life is a struggle and everyone doesn't make it. It is OK to cry and mourn those who fail and fall down. But life is about accepting the loss and moving on and seeing the emergence of new life.

The children can be encouraged to read, explore and analyze the emotions that well up.

The book has A Note to Parents and Educators from the author, which puts the story in the right perspective.

The book is edited and printed well.

I would have liked to see the book in a CD form with the story set to music. I hope the publishers will think of bringing it out even now.

DIANE CANTRELL is a former kindergarten teacher who currently works as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Life Coach. Diane lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband, Rich, and their three dogs.

HEATHER CASTLES is a children’s book illustrator who likes inchworms, dandelion puffs, and leopard print purses. Heather and her husband, Ben, live in Australia.

S.V. Swamy is an avid reader, editor, author and reviewer with a small child in his heart.

2008-02-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

While I posted all the book reviews from my blog http://swamyreviews.blogspot.com to my other blog, http://swamysbookreviews.blogspot.com, I find that you cannot locate an individual book through search function. So, it looks as if I have to put each book under its title separately.

Till I do that, I would request you to continue using this blog.

Thanks

Swamy

2008-02-12T02:45:00.000-08:00

I have posted all the book reviews on my blog, http://swamysbookreviews.blogspot.com and will be using this blog to post my comments and reviews on many other things apart from books. As the reviews of other items build up, I may consider creating separate blogs to hold them.

Swamy

2008-02-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

Title: Pretzel on Prozac - the Story of an Immigrant Dog
Author: Ellen Palestrant
Publisher: Elusive Press
ISBN: 9781587368417
Genre: Animal / Memoir / Literature / Psychology / Immigration
Presentation: Soft cover

Pretzel is a pet dog of the author and when she immigrates to USA from South Africa, it also goes along. Unlike the other pet dog, Pretzel doesn't adjust well and later when the author's house is being remodelled, all the noises made by men and machines add to Pretzel's problems and it develops depression, anxiety etc. The vet puts Pretzel on Prozac, an antidepressant and the title of the book is derived thus. Pretzel becomes normal and after a few years, continues to be normal even after Prozac is withdrawn. Pretzel lives to a ripe 20 years of age.

The book is well written and is at places humorous and poignant. It would appeal to all pet lovers. It brings out well, the problems of adjusting to a new society and environment and shows how other animals are similar to humans if having difficulties of adjusting.

An excerpt:

"How excited Pretzel is to be in motion out in the open. His tail wags vigorously. This is his Lap of Luxury-the Sonoran desert blooming with lus, emerald green golf-courses paved with perpendicular lanes. This is where he struts. Only in the streets of Scottsdale does he take charge of Bailey (the second dog, which normally dominates him - reviewer), lead the expedition, and decide when it's time to sprint. Attached to both their leashes, we obey the dogs and go tearing after them."

The book is edited and printed well.

Recommendation: The book would appeal to pet lovers. Check it out online or at the local book store.

2007-12-28T01:21:00.000-08:00

Title: The Sinatra Solution - Metabolic Cardiology

Author: Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D, F.A.C.C.

Publisher; Basic Health Publications Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-59120-158-8

Genre: Non-Fiction/Health

This book is a really welcome addition to the growing field of metabolic cardiology (the role of food nutritional supplements to improve heart health - not a dictionary definition).

Author's Biography: The author Stephen T. Sinatra is a Board Certified Cardiologist, a certified bio-energetic psychotherapist and a certified nutrition and anti-aging specialist. At his practice in Manchester, Connecticut, USA, he integrates conventional medicine with complementary nutritional and psychological therapies to help heal the heart. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and is the author of several books, including Optimum Health, Heartbreak and Heart Disease, Heart Sense for Women, and Eight Weeks to
Lowering Blood Pressure.

About the book: The book gives detailed information, backed by many case studies and other published research papers the role of Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine, D-Ribose and Magnesium in maintaining and improving heart health and also diseases of the peripheral blood vessels, muscles and conditions like Fibromyalgia etc.

The introduction by Dr. James C. Roberts, M.D, F.A.C.C. is really excellent and gives a good idea of the subject. Chapter 8 and the Conclusion also are helpful in allowing you to decide whether the book will be helpful for you. Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 deal with the four supplements in detail. The book has a glossary, Resources, References and an Index.

An excerpt: In congestive heart failure (CHF), like other cardiovascular and many other disease syndromes, the actual root causes can be quite varied, from weakened heart muscle, to overly tight or overly loose heart valves, and so on. And while it is definitely appropriate that cardiologists (and other medical practitioners) use the conventional drugs mentioned to treat CHF - because they work - consideration toward adding powerful nutritional supports like L - Carnitine, coenzyme Q10, and D-Ribose is equally judicious.

Only by adding the these three nutritional supports will practitioners be treating symptoms as well as directing nutrition to the cellular level, where it can make a real difference on the underlying pathology. I have watched from the side lines as the simple addition of these nutrients has affected my patients' quality of life most positively... and has even helped them live longer than expected with their heart conditions.

(From Pages 93 and 94, Chapter 5)

End of the excerpt

I would suggest that you check out the Introduction, the Chapter 8 (Sinatra Solution) and the Conclusion.

About Writing, Editing and Printing: Very good. The subject is very difficult to explain in layman's language but the author and editors tried their best. Printing is very good.

For whom the book is meant: Patients and their care givers. Many health professionals will find this a good handy guide to the field.

Recommendation: An excellent buy for preventive and maintenance care of the heart and general health. Will make an excellent gift to your family members, friends and their cardiologists and of course to yourself too!

2007-12-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

Title: Laughing Sickness A Medical Mystery
Author: Anne Black Gray
Publisher: Bridgeway Books
ISBN: 978-1-933538-93-8
Genre: Fiction/Medical Mystery

The author grew up in semi-rural West Virginia, studied physics at Carnegie Mellon and then migrated to Southern California for a career in Aerospace Engineering. After retiring, she too up her second career (novel writing) at the same time that she was learning of the plight of victims of rare, hard-to-diagnose diseases. The needs of these patients became the inspiration for this, her first novel. The subject is very interesting and has been dealt with beautifully. It indeed reads like a good mystery and the reader is certainly kept waiting for the final diagnosis and to know how the patient fares.

The book gives the reader a good tour through the modern medical system, as experienced by Jessica Shepperd, the heroine of this novel, a sufferer from a hard-to-diagnose illness. She finds that when confronted with the apparently solvable problem, doctors who usually speak with science-backed authority can become irritable, evasive, dismissive and doubtful of the patient's mental soundness. If they can't find a physical reason, "it must be all in her head!" sums up the attitude of some of them.

Her illness changes her relationships with many, and she breaks up with her boyfriend, a doctor himself and who is a control freak. Jessica, on the other hand is obsessed with individual freedom. After a series of wrong diagnoses and after going on long disability leave (which affects her financially), she finally gets the right diagnosis (cataplexy) and hope is rekindled that the right treatment will enable her to lead an almost normal life. She also finds that she can write her experiences well and share with other sufferers. She also finds other people suffering similar problems and enjoys the friendship.

One small excerpt from the book:

Laughter and tickling inevitably cause attacks in over ninety percent of cataplectics.

Like her. May be all her life. When she was a little girl, if someone tickled her or told a joke, she fell. That could have been a precursor to her present condition.

She found little information on the physiology or neurology of cataplexy. It was simplistically described as a mistake, in conjunction with with narcolepsy, where the brain believes it's asleep and dreaming and, just as in normal dreaming, inhibits the body's ability to move. She read that narcolepsy and cataplexy are thought, but as yet not proven, to be autoimmune or autoinflammatory. Nothing was mentioned about sensations of switches flipping in the brain. Or about collapses after acceleration or deceleration.

End of the excerpt.

The books is extremely well written and beautifully printed. The style is engrossing and the suspense is kept up. I could put down the book only with a lot of difficulty and finished the book in 2 or 3 days. There is a lot of useful information about many medical conditions and diagnostic procedures. At the same time, it is entertaining too.

All in all, an excellent read.

2007-12-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

Title: The Journey to a pain relief - A hands on guide to breakthroughs in pain treatment

Author: Phyllis Berger

Publisher: Hunter House Publishers

ISBN: 978-0-89793-469-5

Genre: Non-Fiction/Health/Pain Management

The book is both a complete handbook of pain-management options and a detailed introduction to specific cutting-edge techniques. The physiology of pain, the effects of fear, stress and worry, and the importance of the right attitudes that help you in
tapping the body's ability to heal.

Physiotherapy, Acupuncture, magnetotherapy, homeopathy, herbal treatments, prayer, TENS, Electropuncture, Modified Direct Current treatment methods etc. are covered.

The author is a qualified physiotherapist and acupuncturist. She has considerable personal experience with the methods described while trying to get healed from pain.

The book has a very good preface and 12 Chapters on various topics, followed by 3 Appendices, End Notes, Glossary, recommended reading, Resources and an Index. Thus it is a comprehensive manual of pain management and will be useful for patients, care givers and health professionals too. Chapter 3 (Patient, Heal Thyself), Chapter 6 (The Pain Pathways), Chapter 10 (Multimodal Approaches to Chronic Pain) and Chapter 12 (Coping Skills) are especially useful. Other chapters deal with specific techniques like Acupuncture, Electricity in pain management etc.

I would have liked to see Reiki and similar energy healing techniques also discussed, since from my personal experience as a healer, I can attest to their effectiveness.

The book is very useful for sufferers and caregivers alike and is strongly recommended.

2007-12-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Title: Supercharging Quantum Touch - Advanced Techniques

Author: Alain Herriott

ISBN: 978-1-55643-654-3

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Genre: Non-Fiction/Health/Healing/Bodywork

Quantum Touch has become quite popular in the recent years and I was somewhat familiar with the topic but did not really know much about it. So, when an opportunity came to review the book, I was very much interested. The preface by Richard Gordon puts the whole book in the right perspective. The ability to sense the energy in one's own body or other is the key to the success of QT healer.

Mary Derr has also contributed to the development of some of the techniques and the whole subject has been presented in an interesting and easy-to-follow way by Alain Herriott. But you would first need a good exposure to the Quantum Touch method and the best way is to use the Quantum-ouch Interactive Video Workshop Package and get some hands on experience of the technique.

A small excerpt from the book:

Imagine a piece of flexible fabric, similar to the ribbing of a sock or cloth with an expandable weave that fits snugly. You can imagine it like an energetic "Ace" bandage. The woven mesh is made up of the basic building block colors: Copper, Silver, and Gold. This elastic light bandage blankets the area of the body where you hold the U-NAN pattern to maximize the healing effect in that area, making it last longer and affect the tissue at a deeper level. You can wrap the area internally, externally, or both. Visualize the are wrapped in this woven pattern and then "shrink wrap it" or make the bandage, snug, but not too tight.

Tip: The flexible body parts, like an elbow, should be wrapped more loosely to allow for greater movement. A disc or a vertebra, however, is not very flexible; therefore wrap it somewhat thickly, above and below the injury site. This gives added support to the weakened area. The same rule applies to broken bones.

End of the Excerpt.

I hope you get a good idea of the book from that. I was taught some similar techniques in my Reiki Classes (Reiki Surgery and similar techniques). I enjoyed going through the book.

The editing and printing of the book is very good.

All in all, it would be a good addition to QT practitioners and others interested in energy healing work.

I have no hesitation to recommend this book strongly along with other resources given at the end of the book. See www.quantumtouch.com and www.thelifeforceproject.org

2007-12-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

Title: The Foundations of Shiatsu

Author: Chris Jarmey

Publisher: Lotus Publishing, North Atlantic Books

ISBN: 978-1-55643-639-0

Genre: Non-Fiction/Health/Massage

I have only heard of the word Shiatsu but had no idea of what was involved. However, as a healer, I was certainly interested in knowing a little about the technique and I was thus happy when this book came to me for a review.

What is Shiatsu? Shiatsu is a Japanese bodywork therapy - a natural healing discipline from the same ancient oriental medicine principles as acupuncture. Shiatsu works by stimulating the body's vital energy flow in order to promote good health. The practitioner uses palms, thumbs and fingers, elbows, and even knees and feet to apply pressure and stretching to the energy lines known as channels or meridians. Thus it is also similar to acupressure, Sujok and Reflexology.

A short excerpt (Page 65)

Two-hand Connection

The techniques that have the most profound effects upon the receiver's Ki are those that involve having both hands in contact with the receiver's body. The hands are your most sensitive Ki imbalance detectors and Ki projectors. Therefore it stands to reason that two hands should be twice as effective as one hand. Two hands are even more effective if they are separated while in contact, rather than one overlapping the other. ......

End of the excerpt.

It is somewhat similar to the hands-on healing practised by Reiki practitioners.

The book covers the theory and practice of Shiatsu. Also, a comprehensive overview of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as applied to basic shiatsu completes the picture.

The author Chris Jarmey is the Course Director / Principal of the European Shiatsu School.

I confess that I or for that matter any one else cannot become a Shiatsu healer by simply reading the book, excellent as it is. The practical work has to be learnt by working with a Master like Chris.

But if you are interested in learning the technique, you would get a good idea of what is involved by reading the book and thus this book is a good investment and helps you decide whether it is for you.

If you are a massage therapist, an acupuncturist or acupressurist etc., you may consider adding the techniques taught in this book to your practice.

The book is edited and printed beautifully and the number of photos are add a lot of value to the text.

Strongly recommended.

2007-12-07T02:50:00.000-08:00

Title: The Magic Violin

Author: Mayra Calvani

Illustrator: K. C. Snider

Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-933090-49-8

Genre: Fiction / Children

The book is about a 8 year old girl Melina and how she regains her confidence that she can indeed learn the violin through some stratagems of her wonderful teacher Andrea.

When Melina starts losing her self-confidence, Andrea disguises herself as an old woman and tells Melina that her violin will become magical. And the child trusts the old woman and regains her confidence, which is of course the real magic.

The story of course only hints at this stratagem of Andrea and thus the children who read will really enjoy the old woman and the midnight magic so beautifully described in the short but sweet story.

The book is printed well, edited well and the illustrations are very appealing.

All in all, an excellent book for gifting to a child in this festive season.

2007-11-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

Title: Secrets from the Sofa
Sub-title: A Psychologist's Guide to Achieving Personal Peace
Author: Dr. Kenneth Herman
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9780595414321
Genre: Non-Fiction/Psychology/Self-Help

Key Words: Psychology, Change, Coping, Improvement, Self-Helf

'Secrets from the Sofa' is an attempt by a board certified clinical psychologist to share the lessons that he learned from nearly 50 years of practice. In his long career, Dr. Kenneth Herman had the opportunity to listen to the problems of many people and thus gained a deep understanding of human nature and he shares with us the readers, that understanding.

Change is difficult but is not impossible. That is the message that this book gives. The blurb on the back cover says, "With motivation and determination, you will find that your personal peace plan can make a change for the better completely possible. Secrets from a Sofa can lead you to a happier, more fulfilling life. And if you really put your mind to it, it will." I agree with that statement.

The book has eighteen chapters spread over five parts. Part One is titled, "Understanding Why", Part two is titled, "Gearing Up", Part three is called, "Your Personal Peace Process", Part four deals with "Your Emotions and Feelings" and the final part is "Emerging Stronger"

Chapter six has detailed checklists to help you understand yourself better.

The book has a number of case studies and the style is easy and interesting. Names have been suitably changed to protect the privacy of the individuals. It is easy to relate to many of the problems (lack of confidence, indecisiveness, anger etc.) faced by the people in the book.

Additional resources are listed at the end of the book to help you explore specific topics in more detail.

The book is edited and printed well.

The book makes an useful addition to the many self-help books in the field and is recommended.

2007-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Title: Reiki Without Rules

Product Details:

Printed: 231 pages, 6.14" x 9.21", perfect binding, black and white interior ink

ISBN: 978-1-84799-866-8

Publisher: Lulu.com

Rights Owner: Keith Beasley

Language: English

Genre: Non-fiction/ Health/ New Age/ Self-Help

Reiki Without Rules is an excellent effort by a Reiki Master Keith Beasley to explain what Reiki is, the history of Reiki including the myths that circulate about the origins of Reiki, the need for symbols, the question of charging and all other details.

There are several books on Reiki and each author has rightly presented the material from his/her own perspective. Keith also does the same in this book and thus adds a sincere personal touch to the subject.

The printing of the book is good. A few editorial corrections (very minor) were in order.

The book will appeal to all those interested in Reiki, whether they are beginners or are Masters. I certainly enjoyed Keith's personal journey through Reiki.

I strongly recommend the book.

About the reviewer: Swamy is a Reiki Master from Hyderabad, India and has written articles on Reiki.

2007-09-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Links to Reviews published by Metapsychology

The reviews of the following books were originally published in metapsychology.net

Eastern Body, Western Mind
Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self
by Anodea Judith
Review by S. V. Swamy on Mar 14th 2006

When It Gets Dark
An Enlightened Reflection on Life with Alzheimer's
by Thomas DeBaggio
Review by S. V. Swamy on Apr 6th 2005

Hatred
The Psychological Descent into Violence
by Willard Gaylin
Review by S. V. Swamy on Apr 12th 2004

Pox
Genius, Madness, and the Mysteries of Syphilis
by Deborah Hayden
Review by S. V. Swamy on Jan 4th 2004

The Churkendoose Anthology
True Stories of Triumph over Neurological Dysfunction: Insights into the Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency
by Judith Bluestone (commentator)
Review by S. V. Swamy on Oct 1st 2003

The Cancer Monologue Project
by Tanya Taylor and Pamela Thompson (editors)
Review by S. V. Swamy on Aug 18th 2003

A Life Shaken
My Encounter With Parkinson's Disease
by Joel Havemann
Review by S. V. Swamy on Jun 25th 2003

It Takes a Worried Man
by Brendan Halpin
Review by S. V. Swamy on May 5th 2003

Bone
by Marion Woodman
Review by S. V. Swamy on Dec 22nd 2002

Limbo
A Memoir
by A. Manette Ansay
Review by S. V. Swamy on Jul 3rd 2002

2007-09-18T03:44:00.000-07:00

Title: Eastern Body Western Mind

Sub-title: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self
Author: Anodea Judith

Paperback: 488 pages
Publisher: Celestial Arts; Revised edition (August 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1587612259
ISBN-13: 978-1587612251
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds

Genre: Non-fiction / Psychology / Healing /

Key Words: Kundalini, Chakras, Psychology, Colors,

The title is rather intriguing and invites the reader who is interested in exploring his/her self. The author is a trained psychologist with additional qualifications in health and human services. She is also trained in bio-energetics, trauma recovery, yoga therapy etc.

The book starts with an introductory chapter that deals with human body, mind etc. and gives an introduction to the seven chakras. Each chakra is then dealt with in a separate chapter. The layout of the chapter on chakra one is given below:

Shades of Red

Unfolding the Petals

Growing the Lotus

Traumas and Abuses

Character Structure

Excess and Deficiency

Restoring the Lotus

Conclusion

A similar structure is maintained for all the chapters on the chakras, which are followed by a concluding chapter.

Since an imbalance of any one chakra leads to imbalance of the other chakras too, a tabular presentation is given in each chapter relating the attributes associated with excess and deficiency of each chakra in respect of some typical personalities (for example the first chakra has a table connecting it to the Schizoid Character Structure).

As a layman with a good interest in and a moderate exposure to psychology, I found the author's discussions of the various examples of personalities and the real life examples interesting and educational. As an Easterner with some background, I found her discussion of the chakras accurate. However, I felt that the attempt at an integration of these two aspects needs some more fine tuning, especially with respect to the style of presentation. I found the author's style rather heavy going at places.

The book is rather exhaustive in its approach and is serious reading. Thus it may be difficult for the prospective buyer to decide whether to go for it or not after a cursory examination in a bookstore. I would however recommend the book to those who have a serious interest in the subject.

I would have liked to see photographs, not line drawings of different psychological profiles listed, and I would have also preferred to see some before-and-after photographs of the same people after chakra work.

Since the book requires multiple readings to be really understood and appreciated, it would have been a good idea to go in for hard-bound edition instead of a soft cover.

2006 S. V. Swamy

S. V. Swamy, India.

Note: The above review was originally published at:

http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=3040&cn=139

2007-09-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Title: "A Secret of the Universe"
Author: Stephen L. Gibson
Genre: Fiction - religious & metaphysical
Publication Date: October 2007 (But it is already available at www.amazon.com and from the publisher)
Publisher: Truth-Driven Strategies
Price: $26.95
ISBN13: 978-0-9793880-0-2
URL: www.truthdrivenstrategies.com
Bound: 6 x 9 Hardcover
Pages: 576
About: This is a story about belief-in God, sexual ethics, morals, political ideologies-told through two friends' struggle to make sense of life's triumphs and tragedies, which they interpret through very different religious filters. When profound revelations lead each friend to uncover shocking historical "secrets" in support of his own world-view, their odyssey plays out on a global stage, with tragic consequences. Only by embracing the inherent mystery and pain of their quest do Ian and Bill make the discovery that really matters-a genuine secret of the universe.

More details of the book at www.truthdrivenstrategies.com.

You can find this book listed on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Universe-Story-Discovery-Eternal/dp/0979388007/ref=sr_1_1/002-6362047-3964044?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179499521&sr=1-1 and you can read excerpts of this book using Google's "Book Search" link at http://books.google.com/books?id=pEIc5SALBFwC&dq=isbn:0979388007.

My own idea about the book: The book is a novel with a few chapters of Non-Fiction interwoven that explores the concept of God from a Christian perspective and through the eyes of two child-hood friends who look at the same teachings from different perspectives.

My reading experience: The book has a fairly good plot and the style is good so that the reader's attention is held for the many hours that the book takes to read. Some of the concepts are not that secret for me since I grew up with different religious teachings and in the course of nearly 60 years on this earth's plane have been exposed to different ideas about truth.

Printing and Editing: Excellent

Recommendation: Strongly recommended, especially to Christians to get a wider perspective of the world. Readers of other religions too will find the book interesting since fundamentalism is not confined to any one religion but is a basic trait of human nature.

2007-09-01T01:43:00.000-07:00

Title: How to Name Paint
Author: Linda Chun Yan Wang
Publisher: NPA Party Productions
ISBN-13: 978-0-9791979-1-8
Genre: Art/ Self-Help

How to Name Paint is a step-by-step introduction to the art of name painting using art forms for the letters of the English alphabet that both children and adults will enjoy. The book contains step by step instructions to the author who is trained in China and the example creations are indeed very appealing. You can see sample pages of the book and other books, kits by the same author at her website, http://www.namepaintingart.com/books.html#

I enjoyed looking at her art creations, though I did not try out anything myself.

In her companion book, Each letter of the alphabet is painted in five different styles in The Art of Name Painting (76 pages Softcover ISBN-13: 978-9791979-0-1 8.5 x 11 inches)

If you enjoy art, esp. painting, you can certainly go for this fun activity.

2007-08-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

Title: Reality Check: What Your Mind Knows but Isn't Telling You
Author: David L. Weiner
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 9781591023029
Genre: Psychology
Presentation: Soft Cover
No. of Pages: 303

About the Book (From the Back Cover): What's "reality"? Each of us has a "virtual reality" consisting of our individual idealogies, opinions, attitudes, values, and beliefs that we have built up over the years. But what if you found out that what you thought was true really isn't? The author takes us on an entertaining romp through many odd and interesting new findings in various scientific fields - from neurobiology to physics to genetics - in order to dismantle some of our most common misconceptions about being human. By opening our minds to a scientific view of reality, rather than hanging on to our own comfortable (and mostly incorrect) beliefs, we can gain valuable insights and tools for improving the quality of our lives.

My own perception: While the book is informative, it is not really entertaining or it is not definitive. It tries to bring down the disadvantages of rigid mind sets but throws up too much uncertainty and leaves the egos without a good alternative prop. Also, science has been changing too fast and keeps revising so many things previously touted as definite truths, so, unless one is willing to keep a fully open mind, the book leaves you with a sense of confusion.

The book reached me in December 2005 and was one of the books partly read and kept aside. So, when I recently took it up and reread from beginning to end, the feeling returned that it is not an easy read.

The book has a few editorial slips, one being the wrong year of India's independence (it should be 1947 and not 1949).

The author's introduction to various religions including Hinduism could not be deep enough and if only he had delved deep into the teachings of Hindu Philosophy (not the ritualistic portions but the deeply spiritual upanishadic or vedantic portion), he would have probably seen things in a different perspective.

My recommendation: A good read but may or may not be your type. Check in the local book store or online excerpts and decide.

2007-08-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

Title: Emails from Hell - The Wrath of William Wendell
Author: David Earthman
Publisher: Synergy Books
ISBN: 9781933538457
Genre: Humor

About the book (from Back Cover):

“Have you ever wanted to respond to the Nigerian scam e-mails just to see how long the criminal would carry on the charade? A foreign dignitary promises to pay you a percentage of his millions if you just send money now!

Have you ever wanted to get in on the ground floor of a pyramid scheme? You sell vitamins and recruit your friends!

Have you ever wanted to reply to job postings and personal ads in an outlandish way just to see what happens?”

My own impression:

The book is the result of an attempt by the author to take his revenge at many of the spam (junk, bulk) mails and the scam mails originating (or purporting to be originating) from Africa. In that process, he has created a mythical character named William Wyndell, who wreaks havoc on the poor and unsuspecting spamsters and scamsters. He also tests the patience of innocent folks who just want to sell an unused wedding dress or some thing similar. The result is real fun to the onlooker (the reader) but a real pain in the ass to the recipient. You can read the excerpts of the book (the first chapter) at www.amazon.com and may be look at some more pages through google and at your local bookstore.

Some of the mails are a little offensive to read but in general the book will appeal to one and all. The book is edited and printed well.

I recommend this book as a good way to pass your time in airports or other places where you need to cool your heals while the system goes in its own way.

2007-07-25T02:51:00.000-07:00

Title: The End of Time
Author: Randall Towe
Publisher: www.lulu.com
ISBN: 978-1-4116-3846-4
Genre: Science Fiction / Christianity
Presentation: Paperback

"The End of Time" is a Science Fiction novel by Randall Towe. It is a good mixture of science, philosophy, religion etc. , and is a good story of the classic struggle between good and evil.

The book is based on the current world situation and at places reads like a commentator's narrative. But, overall, it is a good read and will appeal to Christians especially.

2007-07-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

Title: Building Personal Leadership – Inspirational Tools for Work & Life
Author: Joe Farcht
Publisher: Genesis Publishing, an Imprint of Morgan James Publsihing
ISBN: 9781600371653
Genre: Business / Leadership / Self-Development
Presentation: Soft Cover
No. of Pages: 356

About the Book (From the Back Cover) – “Building Personal Leadership is a book containing a treasury of tools and techniques to help the individual seeking greater success in their work and lives to realize their wants and dreams. The wisdom contained in this book will revolutionize your life if you are willing to absorb and apply its lessons. The best way to predict your future is to create it. You must take this book along on your life journey.”

If you always wanted to attend a seminar on Personality Development and Leadership etc., and could not attend the same because 1) It is too expensive and as an entrepreneur you could not afford the expense or 2) your boss did not think it worthwhile to sponsor your candidature, you can consider buying this book and spend a good weekend usefully. You will of course miss many of the other inputs of attending a live seminar (the free goodies, the food, the camaraderie, the networking etc.) but you will also spare yourself the expense, the troubles with the travel and a food which doesn’t suit you. If you buy the book at a fraction of the cost of such a seminar, you will also get many useful online bonuses, which as a reviewer, I am not going to get!

I first sampled the book at random at several places and after being satisfied with the contents and the presentation, read through the book in a linear sequence. I was of course exposed to several of the ideas and concepts presented by Joe in his book in the course of my long career (spanning over 4 decades) and my exposure to several speakers, books, Multi-media presentations etc. Thus to me, it was a good refresher course.

If you are a middle or senior level employee of medium and large organizations, you may find that you have already been exposed to several of the ideas presented in this book and thus you too may find that this book is a refresher course. It does its job refreshingly well.

If you are relatively new to life and business, you will find here at one place, almost all the information that you will need. Use the book and the online bonuses and I am sure you will be benefited.

I found the printing and editing to be of high quality. I have no hesitation in strongly recommending the book.

2007-07-08T05:07:00.000-07:00

Title: Hermanisms – Axioms for Business & Life
Author: John L. Herman Jr.
Publisher: HSB Press
ISBN: 978-097902041-4
Genre: Business / Memoir
Presentation: Soft Cover
No. of Pages: 288

Hermanisms is the result of a number of years of experience of the author John L. Herman, who considers himself a failure expert – that is, not some one who fails at business (though he did fail at quite a few businesses and learnt his share of lessons), but someone who understands why a business fails. Having learnt the lessons from his own failures and successes as well as the many clients whose businesses he helped sell and thus salvage some thing out of a sinking proposition, the author decided to share his ideas through this book with those interested and willing to learn. He has already written another book “The Innkeeper’s Tales” again business wisdom through the story format.

The front cover of the book greets you with Hermanism # 55 - Are you Making Money… or Wasting Time? Which is explained in detail from P.203 to 206. Turn the book over and on the back cover, you will see a few more Hermanisms:

- Know math or no money (21)
- Failure isn’t fatal (33)
- Facing reality is sobering. Ignoring reality is like being drunk. (38)
- Make the right business regardless of money. (77)

And if you are holding the physical copy of book in your hand, you will like its get up, the fine print quality and the very high level of editing. You can also quickly browse through some more Hermanisms and I am confident that you too will find the book attractive and useful, as I did. Even if you are seeing the book online after reading this fine review, I am sure you can read excerpts, see the images of the front and back covers etc.

Though it will be good to read the book from cover to cover, it is by no means necessary. Open the book at random and enjoy the witty and eloquent wisdom of Herman. In fact, I read several such samples at random before deciding that it is worth investing in my time as a busy reviewer and read it in full. As the father of an entrepreneur (my second son is a successful businessman after a few initial failures and could succeed mainly because of the financial support extended by me and my wife), I found his ideas matching with my own at several places.

I strongly recommend the book to you if you have any interest in business or even if you want to apply the lessons to life.

2007-06-26T21:01:00.001-07:00

Title: High Performance Health
Sub-title: 10 Real Life Solutions to Redefine Your Health and Revolutionise Your Life
Author: James W.Rippe
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: W Publishing Group (May 29, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0849901820
ISBN-13: 978-0849901829

The credentials of the author are very good. He is a board certified cardiologist, he is the author of several books including “Healthy Heart for Dummies” and is also the editor of “Irwin and Rippe’s Intensive Care Medicine” and “Lifestyle Medicine”. He is also the founder and director of Rippe Lifestyle Institute. This book is based on research on thousands of patients treated at that institute and also at Celebration Health, owned and operated by Florida Hospital, the largest hospital in USA.

The book has 2 parts. Part 1: Diagnosis and Understanding has 10 chapters and Part 2: Action Plan has 2 chapters. I am giving below the chapter titles for your information:

1. You will protect what you love
2. Achieve your best health now
3. Mastering the basics
4. Build your high performance health team and environment
5. Transform your life through high performance thinking
6. Revitalize your health through emotional well-being
7. Stop to rest and heal when your body and spirit need it
8. Overcome the seven main barriers to high performance health
9. Use high performance health as a springboard to high performance living
10. Find your purpose and embrace your destiny
11. Ten steps to achieving high performance health
12. A personal journey to high performance health

You may be able to browse through the book and read some excerpts online or at your nearest brick-and-mortar bookstore.

I found his approach quite holistic though he doesn’t use that word, which has been overused and abused and also has come to acquire a connotation with alternative medicine. The book has a very engaging style and is highly readable. The author comes through as a sincere and caring human being. The editor Mary Abbott Waite deserves to be congratulated and well deserves the thanks of the author, which he offers in a special Author’s note. The reader would benefit from the appendices and notes. A companion workbook available may also be worth taking a good look at.

Dr.Rippe could have added more value by integrating the alternative medical (and non-medical healing) systems also in to his holistic approach to health. Modern medicine has its limitations as he surely knows.

I strongly recommend this book from Dr. Rippe.

2007-06-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

Title: The Monk’s Son
Author: W.R.Wilkerson III
Publisher: Ciro’s Books (www.cirosbooks.com)
ISBN: 978-0-9676643-1-6
Genre: Fiction / Religion / Novel
No. of pages: 280
Presentation: Paperback

About the book: (from the back cover)

“From great hell comes Paradise”

When Brother Dominic finds a baby hidden in a field, the real world crashes into the peaceful cloisters of an English Abbey. It is 1940 and German bombs threaten the country side.

The foundling, Steven, grows up in the abbey. Over time, the monks take in other abandoned children, including sixteen-year-old Michael, a defiant artist who upsets the community’s tranquility. The boy’s friendship challenges the monks’ sacred vows and takes Steven to the brink of death.

Michael leaves the serenity of the abbey and plunges into the turmoil of ‘60s London. But disastrous sexual encounters and his battle with the drug called Paradise drive his life to take darker and darker turns. Steven, meanwhile, is nurtured and strengthened by his faith and the abbey community. He takes his final vows and dons the monk’s habit.

When at last Michael’s world spirals out of control, he returns to the monastery in despair. His reunion with Steven brings them together in ways that they would never have thought possible.

My impression: The story is beautifully written, is gripping and the style quite fluid which holds your attention through out. The author succeeds in painting a vivid canvas of the events. The novel has many facets that appeal to different people, like orphanage, art, religion, philosophy, and the darker sides such as homosexuality, drugs etc.

My Recommendation: Strongly recommended.

2007-06-14T23:30:00.001-07:00

Title: Eric, Jose & The Peace Rug
Author: Dr. Helen B. Mcintosh
Illustrator: Carol Blumenaus
Publisher: The Peace Rug Company (www.peacerug.com)
ISBN: 978-0-9763949-8-3
Genre: Children / Story / Psychology
Presentation: Paperback

About the book (from the back cover):

Not only do Eric and Jose not get along – they hate each other. Theirs is a “simple-to-understand” story of conflict resolution, learning to talk to each other about the problem, talking through a plan to make things better, learning to be friends, and even teaching others “how” to become friends, including you the reader with a step-by-step plan that adults and children can understand.

My impression: The book, meant for children of all ages (especially school children) is beautifully illustrated and the story line is simple and direct. The message is clear and direct. If you want friends, you must be willing to listen to them and you should be willing to change. The message is equally valid for adults too as pointed out by the author.

The colorful illustrations add a tremendous value to the story and the book.

My Recommendation: Strongly recommended to all children, parents, other adults and schools etc.

2007-06-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Title: On Shapes and More

Author: Roni Rosenthal-Gazit

Illustrated by: Jehanne Silva-Freimane

Publisher: StoryTime World - publishing house

ISBN-10: 0-9792800-0-1

ISBN-13: 978-0-9792800-0-9
Genre: Children/Picture Book

This little book aims to teach children shapes such as triangles, circles, squares etc., by relating them to some every day objects which they can relate to. The text is presented in a nice rhyme-like manner which goes well with the colorful illustrations.

I enjoyed going through the little colorful book that teaches the shapes and how they relate to every day objects in life. Congratulations to the author-illustrator and publisher team for a very useful project to help the children learn the connections between maths (and science) and life in a fun-to-read and fun-to-do manner. Parents can encourage children and help them extend the knowledge of shapes to more every day objects in and around the house.

There are a few blank pages at the end of the book for the child to try out his / her own hand at drawing.

I would have preferred that the pages of the book were laminated to withstand the rough and tough use expected from active and energetic children. As printed, the pages are good enough for a few readings and a few trials of shapes from the children's hands.

2007-05-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

Title: Dr. Bach’s Flower Remedies
Sub-title: Tapping into the positive emotional qualities of the chakras
Authors: Philip Salmon and Anna Jeoffroy
Publisher: Lotus Publishing, Chichester, UK and North Atlantic Books
Genre: Non-Fiction/ Health/ Alternative Therapies/ Flower Remedies
ISBN-10: 1-55643-640-8
ISBN-13: 978-1556436406
Presentation: Soft cover and high quality art paper.

I requested and received this beautiful book from NAB’s publicist after seeing an excerpt on the net ( a .pdf file) and the printed book is equally good or even better in its get up and print quality. This book combines the wisdom of Dr. Edward Bach whose 38 flower remedies have established an excellent reputation from many users since their inception, with the Chakras of Kundalini and their effect on human mind and emotions. The authors are reflexologists and are also knowledgeable about Flower Remedies and Chakras. The remedies have been grouped into 7 groups corresponding to each chakra, its color and its qualities. I am giving below the table of contents for your ready reference:

1. Edward Bach
2. The Journey of Consciousness Through the Body
3. Chakras and Physical / Emotional / Mental Development
4. Balancing Positive and Negative
5. Crown Chakra and Remedies
6. Brow Chakra and Remedies
7. Throat Chakra and Remedies
8. Heart Chakra and Remedies
9. Solar Plexus Chakra and Remedies
10. Sacral Chakra and Remedies
11. Base Chakra and Remedies
12. Using the Remedies
13. Journal Keeping with the Remedies

Quick Reference to Remedies
Quick Reference to Remedies in Alphabetical Order
Some Suppliers of Remedies, Books, Audio Tapes and Posters
The Bach Remedies and the Chakras
Bibliography

Thus you can see that the book is a good welcome addition to the already extensive literature on Bach Flowers.

Water Violet, Heather and Impatiens are clubbed with Crown Chakra and are especially indicated for Loneliness. Similarly, Chicory, Vervain, Beech, Vine and Rock Water are clubbed with Brow Chakra and are indicated for “Overcare for the welfare of others” and so on. Each chapter has illustrations of the plants and flowers, discussion about the chakra and is followed by detailed discussion of each flower. For each flower, the illustration of the flower, Qualities of the flower, Chakra qualities are given on the left hand page and Positive qualities, Negative state and The Action of the Remedy are given along with the illustration for the chakra and the color on the right hand side page.

This book will be a welcome refresher to students and practioners of Bach Flower Remedies and of course will be a good introduction to the subject of flower remedies for others. Even though, I already knew most of what the authors wrote about the flower remedies, I enjoyed reading the book since it refreshed my knowledge and gave a few new perspectives on some of the remedies. I also enjoyed looking at the beautiful illustrations of the plants and flowers as well as the color indications for various chakras. Being a Hindu well exposed to some esoteric knowledge, I am of course already familiar with chakras and their role in our mental / emotional well-being.

I strongly recommend this book to students and practitioners of alternative medicine. Patients too will benefit if they lack access to a good holistic healer in their areas. I also recommend to such people to also make use of my free online course on Bach Flower Remedies at the following address: http://floweressencesintro.onlinecourse.com

2007-04-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

Title: Keeper of the Arts
Author: Jackie Grant Miller
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 141207784-2
Genre: Fiction/Martial Arts

Any one who watched Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon" (if not other movies) will be certainly intrigued by the apparently effortless way the Master defends him/herself from many attackers. And watching that movie and some of Jackie Chan certainly whetted my curiosity and so when an opportunity came along to review this book, I said yes. I also read / heard of other styles like Aikido, Jujutsu etc. and thus wanted to read about the different styles that the author was mentioning.

The book is a bridge between a fictitious account and a thesis. So, you need to persevere with it. The book is certainly informative but unless you are familiar with the movements of the different martial arts, it may be difficult to relate to them. The historical accuracy of the book is out of my purview since I am not an expert on the history of the different cultures.

The book evolved from a stage play titlled Dream Maker. Thus, what is obviously a very visual exression of the different martial arts had to be converted into prose and that is not easy, esp. in the absence of any photos or illustrative diagrams.

Try to browse through the book (either online or in a bookshop) before deciding whether it is for you.

2007-04-23T23:49:00.000-07:00

Title: Sex Secrets of an American Geisha
Subtitle: How to Attract, Satisfy and Keep Your Man
Author: Py Kim Conant
Publisher: Hunter House Publishers
ISBN: 0-89793-490-3
Genre: Non-Fiction/Sexuality/Sensuality/Relationships
Presentation: Paperback
No. of Pages: 240

I got an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of the book, "Sex Secrets of an American Geisha" from the author for my review. Though I left the sexuality part of my life behind for some time now and am on the spiritual path, I agreed to review the book, because I was always intrigued by the Geisha system and here is an American Geisha (in a spiritual sense of that word), willing to share her sex secrets with all of us! The job of reviewer is to read, review and present to the potential reader, the strengths and weaknesses of a book, so that the reader may make a better decision about investing further time and money on the book. Whether it is a Good Book or not is to be decided before continuing to spend one's money and more importantly one's precious time!

Py Kim Conant is not Japanese but is from Korea. She came to USA many years ago when she was young and like any young woman, was in search of a Good Man who can give her a good relationship. She failed and she failed miserably! But instead of giving up, blaming her fate, her destiny etc. (which is the typical Oriental reaction to failure), she set about finding out what a woman can do to attract men to her and
having attracted them, keep one of them as her Good Man. Through out the book, Py stresses on finding a Good Man so that you can have a good relationship. You, the woman, of course, also need to be a Good Woman, and she defines the Core Characteristics of a Good Man and a Good Woman.

In 13 Chapters (obviously she is not superstitious about that number), she shares many valuable tips and tricks (used in the positive sense of the word, not to cheat or manipulate) on how to make yourself attractive, hot, sexy and so feminine that men get attracted to you. In 4 explicit chapters, she tells you many sex secrets so that you learn to love your body, your lover's body and be an expert lover. I read
such explicit sex manuals like the famous Kama Sutra, Ananga Ranga, The Perfumed Garden etc., many years earlier and could not but help compare this book with them mentally. I can certainly say without any hesitation that Py's book is certainly on par with them. Her description of the female G-spot and the female ejaculate is an eye opener to many men and women.

Having attracted the right man, who is a Good Man (Py keeps stressing about the Good Man and your being a Good Woman), how to take the relationship to the logical conclusion of a marriage or a long term relationship? Py shows you the way and leads you by your hand as your Elder Sister. And concludes with an excellent recommendation of how to keep the relationship healthy. All through the book, she
confesses her own mistakes without any fear and comes through as a sincere and genuine person, a good guide.

I noticed a few typographic errors but since it is an ARC, it is quite likely that the errors would have been fixed before the release. In any case, they are very minor and don't detract from the message of the book.

A good Bibliography, References, Index etc. add value to the book. A good read indeed.

2007-04-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Title: Great Saints of South India
Author: R.Sreeramulu (Original telugu)
Translated by: Smt. Sonthi Anasuyamma garu
Publisher: Richa Prakashan (www.richaprakashan.com)
ISBN: 81-87062-75-4
Genre: Biography/Religion and Spirituality

Sai Ram. "Great Saints of South India" is a very good collection of short biographies of many great saints of South India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu). This is the second of 5 books given to me for review by Sri KVR Rao of www.telugubhakti.com, Devi Bhagavatam being the 1st.

The book under review was originally written in telugu by Sri Ravinuthala Sreeramulu and received a lot of acclaim. It has been translated into good english by Smt. Sonthi Anasuyamma garu, who has to her credit many other religious and spiritual translations including "Arunachala Mahatyam" written by Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi, of whom both the original author and the translator of the present book are disicples. Bhagawan's grace enabled them to do a good job of bringing out the biographies of great saints including Sri Tyagaraja, Sri Ramadasu, Sri Kanakadasa, Sri Purandaradasa, Sri Eknath, Sant Jnanadev, Namadev, Samartha Ramadas etc. Many Saivite and Vaishnava Saints are also covered. Thus it gives a good heritage of the southern india over many centuries. It is worth noting that God is beyond caste and creed, and you can read about the great saints of all castes in this slim volume. Biographies of a few women are also given, indicating that devotion and jnana are not the exclusive preserve of men.

The book is generally well produced but could have been better edited. A few stories are somewhat disjointed. One example is that of Karaikal Amma where the beginning of her life story is apparently in Kailasa but later it is portrayed again as if she went to Kailas in that birth and thus it is not clear who related this story to whom. A few other stories also left me a little confused. And notable absence in this book are biographies of Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Raghavendra Swami of Mantralayam, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, Sri Akkalkot Maharaj, Sri Sripada Vallabha and Sri Nrusimha Saraswati etc. And many modern saints are also not covered.

Except for such minor omissions and a few typographic errors, the book is well written and will be a good addition to the spiritual library of every sadhaka. Sai Ram.

India has produced many more saints and the book may hopefully be expanded in future editions to include some more great saints. I am thankful to www.telugubhakti.com for this opportunity.

2007-03-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

Title: The Splendour of the Supreme Mother - Devi Bhagavatham
Sub-title: A Compact condensed prose narrative
Author: Dr. V.V.B.Rama Rao
Publisher: Richa Prakashan (www.richaprakashan.com)
ISBN: 81-87062-46-0
Genre: Devotional/Hindu Mythology

Sai Ram. Sri Matre Namah. This book came to Shri K V R Rao of www.telugubhakti.com for review and at his request, I accepted this and took it as a command of Devi, The Supreme Mother. I also took it as a blessing from Sri Mata since earlier too I got a chance to read Her Glory in Telugu, and that too at the behest of His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Sankaracharya of Sri Hampi Virupaksha Vidyaranya Peetham, Sri Sri Sri Abhinavoddnanda Nrisimha Bharathi Swamiji around 1999 or 2000. At Swamiji's command, I read a fairly elaborate form of Sri Devi Bhagavatham written by Vidwan Saripella Viswanatha Sastry, published by Sri Rama Publishers. I also used to regularly recite Sri Lalitha Sahasra Nama Stotram, Sri Suktam, Sri Maha Lakshmi Ashtakam etc. for many years and thus took this as an opportunity to again read about Sri Devi, Sri Mata the Originator of us all. Sai Ram.

One thing which struck me is that the book is as described compact, rather too compact. Much of the detailed glory of The Mother had to be left behind in this attempt to condense and make the book compact. But many of the important features of Sri Devi Bhagavatam originally written in Sanskrit by Sage Veda Vyasa and which came through in the detailed Telugu transation that I had the good fortune of reading, did come through. So, if you, the reader are new to Devi and Her Divine Glory, this book under review is a good primer. And being in english, this book is more accessible to Indians and others who cannot read Sanskrit or for that matter the vernacular languages too. Thus it fulfills a good need.

In short, this book is a good introduction to Sri Devi Bhagavatam and it is Her grace that this review is being written on Sri Rama Navami, the end of Vasanta Nava Ratras, which are also dear to Devi (in addition to Sarannavaratras ending with Vijaya Dasami, which are traditionally considered very important for Devi Puja). As a Sai devotee, I again consider it auspicious that this review is being written on a day very dear to Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi (this day is celebrated as Baba's birthday by Sai Devotees), and as mentioned in this book, Sri Rama also worshipped Devi during this Vasantha Navaratras. Sai Ram.

Sai Ram. Now I come to some shortcomings with a view to offer a constructive criticism for improvement in future editions. The 6th skanda (Chapter) on The Order of Creation could have been prefaced by a suitable explanation from the author that what was described thousands of years earlier is a little different from the world as it is observed by scientific means now. A few statements that it takes thousands of years for light to reach from Sun to Earth could have been avoided (it takes 9 minutes for light to reach our earth from Sun).

The book also suffers from many simple editorial slips that could have been easily avoided with a little more care. If the author or the publisher is interested, I can share the editorial corrections that I made as I was reading the book. Sai Ram.

In the end, I once again offer my pranams to Sri Devi for this opportunity and thank the author, the publisher and Sri KVR Rao of www.telugubhakti.com for being instrumental in my humble effort. Sai Ram. Sri Matre Namah.

2007-02-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

Title: A Woman’s Guide to Saving Her Own Life
Author: Mellanie True Hills
Publisher: Healthy Ideas Press
ISBN: 0-9766008-0-3
Genre: Non-Fiction/Health/Self-Help
Key Words: Heart, Health, Women, HEART, Plan

A Woman’s Guide to Saving Her Own Life by Mellanie True Hills is a book written as a self-help guide to educate women in general and women of USA in particular , about the risks of heart disease and the steps that they can take to prevent such diseases or having come through, how to prevent recurrence and worsening of their health. The author was a high pressure executive and almost suffered heart attack and came out with an angioplasty (which was difficult because of the location) and is thus a survivor. She made a fairly intensive research of the various risk factors including heredity, life style, stress etc., and has developed a plan, which she has aptly named as HEART :

H : Healthy eating
E: Exercise daily
A: Attitude
R: Rest, Relaxation and Rejuvenation
T: Take Proactive Control of your health

The book is informative and well written with lots of charts and other inputs to help the reader chalk out her own action plan and see how it goes. Since she herself went through these problems, she comes out as a sincere person and her writing carries conviction. She is active as a speaker for the American Heart Association.

Since it is so informative, the book could have been hard bound to withstand repeated use. A few editorial slips were noticed but they don’t detract from the value of the book.

All in all, this will be a good read for women (and their men), especially this month (February is observed as a heart health month in USA).

2007-02-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Title: Miracle Stem Cell Heart Repair
Author: Christian Wilde
Publisher: Abigon Press
ISBN: 1-59975-054-6
Genre: Health/Medical/Heart Health
Key Words: Heart, Attack, CHF, Stem Cells, Stroke, Angina

This book, published in October 2006 is the companion book for the author's earlier book, "Hidden Causes of Heart Attack and Stroke" published in 2002. In case you have not read that book, I strongly recommend that you read that book and that too read that book first before taking up this one. I assure you that both are easy on the eyes (they use a bigger type face and are printed on off-white paper to avoid glare).

While Christian's earlier book focusses on the preventive aspect of health care, this book focusses on the repair of the damage already done. Stem Cell Research has shown good results in repair of scar tissue in heart attacks, reduced heart enlargements and helped patients of Congestive Heart Failure, helped patients with Angina, Stroke and so on. Thus this book offers hope to the so-called "No Option Patients".

Stem cell research has been in the news for the last few years and many debates are going on about the several issues, ethical and scientific about the use of stem cells in therapy. Christian has brought his journalistic skills (he is the host of a very popular radio talk show) and his deep and accurate understanding of the complicated subject and has presented the same in a easy to read and understand manner.

The author has taken the opportunity to update some of the information presented in the earlier book and thus has added value. The caution about the too low cholesterol and the associated risks of depression, stroke etc., is very timely.

The book is enriched by a number of references, Glossary of Medical Terms and an Index. I only wish it was hard bound to withstand repeated references.

I strongly recommend this book along with the other book for any one interested in heart health issues for themselves or for their family and friends.

2007-02-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

Title: Hidden Causes of Heart Attack and Stroke
Author: Christian Wilde
Publisher: Abigon Press
ISBN: 0-9724959-0-8
Genre: Medicine/Heart Health/Fitness
Key words: Heart, Health, Cholesterol, CRP, Homocysteine, Inflammation, Stroke, Fibrinogen

I received this book along with another book written by the same author and which attracted my attention and resulted in my making a review request. And I am so glad that the Publisher sent this book too, which I read first. The other book takes off where this book ends and is titled, "Miracle Stem Cell Heart Repair". But first things first. About this book.

This book is a little dated in the sense that it was published in 2002 and obviously the demand must have been good to require a second printing in 2003. So, it is nearly 3 years old, but rest assured that the information is quite uptodate and it is worth spending the few hours to go through the book.

The author, Christian Wilde is not a medical doctor but is well qualified to write on the subject since he is a sort of investigative journalist and when he had a problem with his own health, he did not just go by the doctor's prescriptions but investigated all the literature thoroughly and more importantly discussed with the leading researchers and cardiologists to ensure that his understanding is correct. The result is an outstanding and up-to-date book on the various risk factors that go to make up the problems in the field of heart health, resulting in Angina, Heart Attacks and Strokes. That the author and the editorial team did an exemplary job has been endorsed by the leading members of the medical fraternity. Thus you can safely use the information provided in this book to discuss with your own doctor (who is the final authority to help you with your health problems) in an intelligent and meaningful manner.

Christian covers all the important risk factors that may compromise the heart health including cholesterol, Hypertension, Diabetes, Smoking, Obesity, Fibrinogen, CRP, Homocysteine etc. You may be aware of some of them and may not be aware about some of them. This book is a handy reference guide.

I enjoyed reading the book and as some one deeply interested in holistic health, I was impressed by the information provided. I found the editing to be less than perfect at some places but fortunately, that doesn't impinge on the accuracy of information presented. The book has a good Glossary of Medical Terms to help us, references to the various research articles cited in the book and an Index.

I found the larger type font and the non-glare paper easy on the eyes. I would have preferred to see the book hardbound to withstand repeated use since I expect this book to be referred to often.

I strongly recommend that if you have any interest in heart health (either of your own, your spouse, parents or friends), you should buy this book and the companion book mentioned above by the same author.

2006-11-28T01:19:00.000-08:00

Title: Big Idea's Veggie Tales Bible Storybook - with Scripture from the NIrV
Authors: Cindy Kenney with Karen Poth
Illustrated by: Casey Jones and Robert Vann
Publisher: Zonderkidz
ISBN: 978-0-310-71008-0
Genre: Children/Stories/Religion/

A good effort to bring Bible Stories to kids, I found that the book succeeds in bringing the Biblical Stories to the present generation of parents and children with a fresh approach. I also found that the values taught by the book are applicable all over the world to all cultures and religions in general, though some controversial statements like Jesus being the only one son of God could have been avoided.

Using the commonly available vegetables as characters is an interesting experiment in educational entertainment. I am not sure whether the suggested age group of 4-8 is appropriate since now a days, kids appear to be much smarter and may not enjoy a vegetable speaking to them.

However, even elder children will certainly enjoy reading the stories from the Bible and the accompanying values. Each story ends with an affirmation, 'God made you special and he loves you very much'. This is a very important contribution of this book to instill love in childen and the parental figures in their lives.

I would have normally recommended that the book be converted into a multimedia DVD or VCD, but I found that the book is actually adopted from the Videos.

In general, I liked the book and recommend it.

2006-11-26T00:33:00.000-08:00

Title: Inside the Space Race
Author: Lawrence E. Lamb, M.D.
Publisher: Synergy Books
ISBN: 978-1-933538-39-6
Genre: Memoirs
Key Words: Space, Aerospace, American Space Program, Fitness, Cardiology

I accepted this book for review with some trepidation, since I was not feeling totally fit for taking up a non-fiction book and since I was struggling to finish a book that I have been trying to read for the last few months. However, I found that this book is really well-written with an easy style, that takes the reader back into time, to an era that was exciting. I was in my Bachelor of Science Program when the space program was launched by USA and following the Soviet and American Space successes over radio (we had no TV at that time) was really exciting and inspiring.

Dr. Lawrence E. Lamb describes the successes and the difficulties associated with the American space efforts especially in the cold war era. He brings out very clearly the efforts of his own team in developing a medical evaluation program for selecting the astronauts for Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. He also brings out vividly the office politics involved in such programs where money and fame are at stake.

His account appears to be fairly objective, though I cannot certify that, having had no opportunity to read or hear all the parties involved. As a physicist and also with my own deep and abiding interest in health matters (I feel I too deserve the epithet, "Quack" because of my fairly extensive medical knowledge and because I have no formal training and certification to practise medicine), I enjoyed reading his detailed explanations of the problems with atrial fibrillation, the effect of bed rest on blood pressure etc. I hasten to assure you, however, that you don't have to be medically knowledgeable to appreciate what Dr. Lamb wrote. He keeps the whole thing fairly simple.

The book has a number of photographs of Presidents Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and other dignitaries who played a major role in the development of US Space program.

While reading the early experiments on the effect of high 'g' s (a 'g' is the force of earth's gravity, during take off of a high speed aircraft or spacecraft or during sudden deceleration, a person experiences forces many times the g) on the human physiology, Dr. Lamb describes the work done by others including the Soviets. However, I did not find a mention of the work done by other members of US Air Force, esp. Dr. Stapp and others, which helped the development of modern safety belts for cars, apart from indicating that the human body can withstand fairly high 'g' s . I felt that the account of the experiments of that era conducted by other departments would have added value to the book.

I found that the book has a few editorial slips. I would have liked to see a short biography of the author.

All in all, I feel that this is a good addition to the literature on an important era of US space successes.

2006-10-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Title: I Can Handle It!
Sub-title: 50 Confidence-building stories to empower your child
Authors: Susan Jeffers and Donna Gradstein
ISBN: 0-9777618-0-0
Publisher: Jeffers Press
Genre: Parenting/Children's Self-Help
Presentation: Paper Back
No. of Pages: 137

The book is a collection of 50 short stores and is aimed at Parents (and those who are in a parental position of helping and guiding children) and children. The stories have different themes, Fear, Guilt, Embarrasment, Frustration etc., but have one thing in common - all of them teach the child how she can handle it. Each story has the byline, "I can handle it" three times (the third time, it says, "No matter what happens, I can handle it") thus reinforcing the child's ability to handle a situation. Affirmations have better chance of succeeding in children since they are like virgin soil without the weeds of negativities. So, the seeds of affirmations have better chance of taking root.

While one may differ with the way a story is told, one will not differ with the theme of the book. Many of the stories are enjoyable to even the adults and resonate with the inner child.

My only reservation with this book is the soft-cover presentation. Considering that the book is meant to be handled by parents and children over many days (and considering the situation where the child may like to read it by himself), a hard cover edition with plasticised pages would have been more appropriate. However, the cost of production would have gone up and the aim of reaching as many children and parents as possible would have been defeated. A good e-book (with nice background music) would have been a good option.

I recommend the book strongly to all children and their caregivers.

2006-08-29T03:10:00.000-07:00

Title: Lords of Terror
Authors: Allan Cole and Nick Perumov
Publisher:Zumaya Publications / Zumaya Otherworlds
ISBN: 1-55410-285-5
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Presentation: Soft Cover
No. of Pages: 350

The cover is suitably alien and frightening, so that unless you are a fan of magic, other worlds, aliens etc., you know it is not for you. And if you are a fan, jump right in and get a satisfying feast to your imagination. Allan Cole and Nick Perumov take a seemingly simple story (the US-USSR Cold War) and weave a beautiful novel of violence, betrayal, espionage, and of course bravery, heroism.

An American civil space liner is blown up by a Russian warship whose best instruments (magical of course) and wizards are tricked by an unseen evil force to see a warship in place of the civilian craft. The resultant political crisis is exploited by several vested interests to push their own agendas for their own hideously selfish purposes. Only a few committed and courageous individuals including an engine devil and an orphaned boy try and obviously succeed in preventing an Armageddon. Read and be thrilled by the excellent story telling and you will spend hours engrossed.

The book is a good mix of science, space, aliens and of course the eternal conflict between the good and the evil.

I did not read any of the other books written by the authors but if this book is a good sample of what they are capable of, I hope to read their other books too in the near future.

2006-08-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Title: A History of Murphy's Law
Author: Nick T.Spark
Publisher: Author
ISBN: 978-1-4116-8469-0
Genre: Non-Fiction/History/Reliability

This book is of valuable help to those who always wondered about the origin of Murphy's Law, which became quite famous along with Parkinson's Law and Peter's Principle. When I read the press note, I was really interested and when an opportunity to review the book came, I was delighted. And I can confidently write that I was not disappointed after finishing the slim tome which is quite attractively printed and has a number of photographs to put the text in the right perspective.

That Dr.Paul Stapp, arguably the man who first expressed the law in a press conference, was also involved in making car travel in USA and many parts of the world, including India, where I live, was news to me. You, the reader of this review too may similarly find something new in the book. In any case, unless you too have been a researcher like the author about the origin of Murphy's Law, you will certainly be much more informed after you finish the book, which can be read while travelling in a bus, train or while waiting for your flight at the airport.

Nick certainly writes well, in a good, readable style and he has tried to be as fair as humanly possible to present all the sides of the story. Whether he has indeed become the leading expert on Murphy's Law is for you to judge after reading the book. In any case, in Nick's own words, the book was and is intended not just to be a reflection on the origins of Murphy's Law, but on the difficulty in making an assessment of any historical event that was not documented properly. From that perspective, the book has broad appeal I think to anyone who is a student of history or science.

I certainly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it strongly to you too.

2006-08-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Title: Summer Snow
Author: William T.Hathaway
Publisher: Avatar Publications
ISBN: 0-9738442-3-X
Genre: Fiction/War/Religion/Sufi
No. of Pages: 208

Summer Snow is a fiction by William T.Hathaway, a US war veteran and now a peace activist. The story takes place in Kyrgyzstan, which has borders with several other countries including Afghanistan, China and..... A nuclear bomb is stolen and it is suspected that Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations could be after it for inflicting extensive damage on US property and life. A group of Sufi women try to bring the story to a peaceful end through Transcendental Meditation, popularised by Maharshi Mahesh Yogi.

The story is told in an interesting way. The book is special in the sense that there is no hero. Jeff Madsen, the American veteran, who is dragged into the mess, is not the typical hero. The heroes if any are Djamila and Cholpon, the Sufi Master and her main Chela (disciple).

The novel is a good blend of war, religion and philosophy. Djamila integrates Sufi Islam and the TM of Hinduism. The peace which radiates from an advanced meditator is not fiction and can be experienced even today in some of the Ashrams (Hermitages) of India. Though in the story, Djamila fails to resolve the theft of the nuke peacefully (because the meditation is below the critical threshold and the sudden entrance of Al-Qaeda throws the process out of gear), the author succeeds in interesting the reader sufficiently to try out the meditation techniques described as instruments of peace.

The love scene between Jeff and Cholpon is described rather too vividly but it serves the purpose of highlighting the importance of sex as a breaker of the ego barrier albeit very briefly. The ending is tragic yet not contrived. I felt that the burying of the nuke is a too simplistic solution and a Master like Djamila should know that modern science has enough gadgets to locate even deeply buried nuclear weapons. She should have handed it over to her Government. Otherwise, the story is well told and holds the attention of the reader.

I enjoyed reading the book as a physicist and also as a student of spirituality. Though I don't practise the meditation techniques described in the novel, I know that they are real and potent. I recommend the book to all the readers who are interested in peace at personal, national and international levels.

Note: Though I am spiritually inclined, I am not a Yogi or Sanyasi (Monk). And you too need not be one to enjoy the book. I also apologise to the other authors and publicists for taking up this book ahead of their books, since this was the second of the two books which were at hand when I was hospitalised and did not have access to the previously received books. Now also, I am not yet sufficiently strong to take the several serious non-fiction books and so will finsih some more novels which are pending. Thanks for understanding.

2006-08-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

Title: Revelations
Author: M. Scott Byrnes
Publisher: Blue Stripe Books
ISBN: 0-9772674-0-7
Genre: Fiction/SF

"Revelations' by Scott Byrnes is a SF novel that holds your attention throughout its 279 pages. Here is the blurb from the inner flap.

"Huddled over her seismometer on the frozen surface of Mars, NASA geologist Kathy Palmer struggles to explain the image that just appeared on her monitor. Simultaneously, sixty-five million miles away, brilliant scientist Tim Redmond bolts upright in bed, inexplicably terrified. In a matter of days, these two strangers will unite in the face of a stunning revelation: our traditional perceptions of God are wildly inaccurate, and Armageddon is quickly approaching. Mankind's only chance of survival lies with Palmer and Redmond, who must sift through clues on Mars - and within religious doctrine on Earth - to solve a cosmic riddle s old as time itself. The two soon discover, however, that it's not just a perplexing mystery that stands in their way, but something infinitely more imposing - the pernicious being that's protected the secret for billions of years."

The story keeps shifting between the exploration of Mars and the unearthly attempts on planet earth to keep the secrets being revealed. The story is well knit and is a good mix of space science, religion and evolution/creation. Readers of Erich von Daniken's books such as "Gods from Outer Space" and "Chariots of Gods" will find some of the ideas described therein in the present book.

Though earth and its civilisations have seen several religions, the author sticks to Christianity only. So, readers of other denominations may find the story stretching their credulity rather too thin. However, if one keeps in mind that it is just a story, one can certainly enjoy the same.

The book is well written and well edited, well printed. Certainly a good read.

Note: This book reached me when I was in hospital and thus was one of the couple that were available for reading. So, my apologies to other authors whose books stayed unread.

2006-06-19T02:20:00.000-07:00

Title: Do-It-Yourself Natural Health: Natural Health Trio
Sub-Title: Acupressure, Aromatherapy and Herbal Therapy
Author: John Sherman, Ph.D., OTR, CST
Publisher: New Found Therapies Publications
ISBN: 0-9709411-2-9
Genre: Non-Fiction/Alternative Medical/Self-Help

This book is the latest by the author who has authored several other books on the subject over the last six years. It combines in one handy volume, three alternative treatment options for 60 common ailments and conditions. Acupressure, Aromatherapy and Herbal Therapy are covered. The acupressure points are clearly explained by using line drawings of the human body and indicating the points. Precautions where applicable are also given.

The author explains that acupressure is meant for immediate relief and is to be followed by aromatherapy and herbal therapy.

Depression is one of the sixty ailments covered but in my opinion, depression is a major health disorder and is to be treated by a competent health professional, not necessarily by a mainstream psychiatrist. The author of course advises that all the treatments should be undertaken only under the supervision of a physician.

The author rightly stresses the importance of correct breathing.

This book will be very useful to those who can't take allopathic medicines because of the side effects or cost. A pocket reference book dealing with 50 of the 60 ailments is available from the same author and will be a very invaluable aid.

2006-05-23T03:10:00.000-07:00

Title: Hypoglycemia The Other Sugar Disease
Author: Anita Flegg (Foreword by Dr. Ron Rosedale, MD)
Publisher: Book Coach Press (September 30, 2004)
ISBN: 0968034748
Genre: Non-Fiction/Medical/Diet/Self-Help
No. of Pages: 237

Having read "Overcoming Runaway Blood Sugar" by Dennis Pollock, I was wondering whether I should take up yet one more book on blood sugar problems, especially hypocglycemia (Dennis's book is also dealing with the same problem) , but then I took it up to see the difference in treatment of the same subject by a different author, who, incidentally shares with Dennis the unfortunate similarity of being a sufferer.

Anita's book under review treats the subject very comprehensively and gives the various forms of hypoglycemia and the causes for them. The treatment protocol is more or less similar and is largely based on elimination of refined carbohydrates and sugar (in all its forms like cane sugar, glucose, fructose, honey, etc.). A diet largely based on complex carbohydrates, fats of the right kind, proteins and fiber (very important) has been found to minimise the spikes in blood sugar and thus minimise the incidence of hypoglycemia and thus help minimise the onset of adult diabetes, which is caused by insulin resistance.

The book under review provides a good discussion of the various popular diets such as the no-fat diet, Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, The Zone Diet, etc. and suggests a diet aimed at hypoglycemics, which incidentally also helped many of them lose weight and which eliminated the mood swings etc.

The author gives the life stories of other sufferers in their own words at the beginning of each chapter and follows up their stories with a good analysis. This feature has added a lot of authenticity to the book. She discusses various problems like fatigue, fibromyalgia etc., associated with hypoglycemia, in Chapter 9, with the notable exception of hypochlorhydria (the symptoms of which were described by Michel in Chapter 4).

The work book at the end adds value to an already good book and Anita provides the reader with two or iterations (cycles) to check how they are doing. If the workbook is photocopied before being written up, the same can be used in the unlikely event of the reader not being able to reach the desired state of health in the first few cycles.

All in all, I found the book a good read with a good style and very good editing.

2006-05-23T02:42:00.000-07:00

Title: Mayday A Physician as Patient
Author: Allan Lohaus, M.D.
Publisher: Synergy Books
ISBN: 978-0-9755922-9-8
Genre: Autobiography/Medical/Self-help
Presentation: Hard Bound with dust jacket
No. of Pages: 114

About the Book (From the inner flap) - Mayday! is a medical odyssey journal revealing the thought, feelings, humor and spirituality of an American physician during months of hopitalization. Rising on swells of optimism and tugged down by pain, infections, operations and adverse outcomes, he drifts through waters too deep to stand in and too dark for him to see hidden dangers. The illness ends in New Zealand, two years later. This body, mind, and spirit experience of dying and returningto health is a personal and universal journey.

A little more about the book (as I understood after reading) - It is a good indepth account of the doctor's struggles with illness, fortunately for him, an acute problem and not chronic illness. He was operated for removal of some intestinal polyps and the post-operative infections and the resultant complications required three more surgeries to restore his body to a semblance of normalcy.

What I liked about the book - The intensely personal narrative and the good style. Since it is a relatively short book, it could be read in a day. Since I always had an abiding interest in medical matters (though I became a metallurigst), I enjoyed reading the details of the treatment and the operative procedures, his emotions as he was struggling with pain and a very real chance of prolonged illness or death!

What did not appeal to me - None.

What else I would have liked to see - A fuller account of his younger days, and his own mom's struggle with Hodgkin's disease etc. His estrangement from his biological father probably pushed him to mature spiritually since he searched and found his father first in senior friends and later in God through Christ. I would also have liked to read a more detailed account of his treatment.

2006-03-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

Title: Overcoming Runaway Blood Sugar
Author: Dennis Pollock
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
ISBN: 0-7369-1721-7
Genre: Non-Fiction/Health/Self-Help
Presentation: Paperback
No. of Pages: 217

Overcoming Runaway Blood Sugar is a good self-help book written by a layman for laymen. The author is a Christian Preacher and found the right keys to open the secrets of good health when he was struggling with wildly swinging blood sugar levels. Diet, exercise and weight management - these are the three keys for effective management of blood sugar levels in Diabetes Type 2 - also called NIDDM (Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) or Adult Onset Diabetes. Dennis rightly emphasises the main factors for the early onset of this type of diabetes in urbanised developing/developed societies. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise leading to obesity is the main cause of this type of diabetes. Refined carbohydrates (starches and sugars) without enough fiber is the main cause of the swinging blood sugar levels.

Dennis has a good style and the book is easy to read. He writes in a simple yet convincing style and he has done enough research to give the reader an accurate account of the factors that cause fluctuating blood sugar levels, which lead to diabetes if left untreated.

As a believing Christian, the author encourages Christian readers to believe in Jesus Christ. Readers of other religions can leave out that portion, if needed. The rest of the book is quite secular and provides a good road map for effective management of blood sugar levels, weight and general health through aerobic and resistance exercises.

For pure vegetarians (those who don't eat eggs, fish and meat etc.), the recipes and diet suggestions in the book are of limited use. However, by following the general principles of the low-carb diets and ensuring adequate fiber, vegetarians also can manage their blood sugar levels. What not to eat is more important in their case.

All in all, a highly readable and informative book for those who are diabetic and or overweight.

2006-03-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

Title: The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Sub-title: The Mysteries of Grammar and Punctuation Revealed
Author: Jane Straus
ISBN: 0-9667221-7-5
Published by: Jane Straus, www.grammarbook.com
Genre: Non-Fiction/Language/Grammar
No. of Pages: 110

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation is "An Easy-to-use Reference Guide and Workbook" and lives up to its description. Attractively designed and well-written, the book is indeed a good attempt to demystify the intricacies of grammar and punctuation. What I received is the New, Expanded Eighth Edition and so the author would have incorporated several improvements based on the feed-back from users of the previous editions.

The book provides clear rules and examples for Subject and Verb Agreement, Pronouns, Adjectives and Adverbs, Problems with Prepositions, Lie vs. Lay, and Effective Writing in the grammar section.

The Punctuation Section covers Spacing, Periods, Ellipsis marks, Commas, Semicolons, Colons, Question Marks, Exclamation Marks, Quotation Marks, Parentheses, Apostrophes and Hyphens, etc.

The book has a number of exercises and quizzes to test one's knowledge. The layout is attractive. I have no doubt that the book will be useful to all users of English language.

2006-01-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

Title: Transmutation
Sub-title: A novel about Eternal Love
Author: Lydia Bisanti
Publisher: Buenos Books America
ISBN: 1-932848-12-6
Genre: Spiritual Fiction
Presentation: Soft cover
No. of Pages: 116

Transmutation is a Spiritual novel by Lydia Bisanti. It is about transmutation of the individual man to a Universal Man. The hero of the novel, Rene Eagle goes through a series of personal catastrophes (as seen through normal eyes) which push him over the precipice and help his ego to refine/ dissolve/ sublime.

Transmutation is a word used in alchemy and in nuclear science. It means changing one element (a base metal like lead or iron) into another noble element (like gold). The Philosopher's Stone is a 'mythical' object which is supposed to help the alchemist to transmute a base metal like iron and lead to gold. Philosophically, it is the transmutation of an egoistic soul (which because of its limited vision is naturally selfish) into an Universal Soul (a soul which becomes the whole universe and thus has no scope for being selfish). The purpose of each soul is to transmute itself into the Universal Soul. To achieve that, the ego has to achieve a sacred union with that missing complement soul, to which it is compellingly drawn. Till then, shadows of such soul (egos that have some semblance to that real mate) will attract the individual, resulting in infatuations, addictions etc. The objectives of various prayers, meditations and other rituals is to prepare the individual ego for this sacred union, which is the real fulfilling union. Eternal Love is the natural result of such an union. Till then, the ego goes through several planes of existence.

The author succeeds in bringing out these concepts well, which are not really new to eastern minds. The story is well told and grips the reader through out. Rene becomes Siva, the three-eyed God (the third eye representing true knowledge and wisdom), though the author doesn't use that specific name.

The book could have been edited better, but fortunately the communication comes through. I strongly recommend this slim volume if you have any leanings towards spiritual matters. Even without the spiritual connection, it makes a good read.

2006-01-21T23:33:00.000-08:00

Title: Fighting Time
Author: Oskar Frankfurt
Publisher: Llumina Press
ISBN: 1-59526-514-7
Genre: Science Fiction
Presentation: Soft cover
No. of Pages: 204

Fighting Time by Oskar Frankfurt is a SF novel set forth in contemporary America but spanning into a few thousand years into the future and at a few places, into the past too. The book deals with gene therapy and its application to immortality and cancer treatment. It also deals with all the scientific, ethical, moral dilemmas that go with path-breaking research in any branch of science. There is not much of science in it for the hardcore SF fan. However, the ethical and moral issues of immortality, of premature human trials due to pressures etc. are nicely brought out.

The style is rather pedantic. At places, it reads more like a book on philosophy and ethics. The author uses the technique of dreams and their interpretation to make the characters speak of their sub-conscious thoughts and fears. A book within a book is a novel technique, atleast to me.

The story is not really that strange. It is predictable at many places. However, it is told in sufficiently good style to hold the reader's attention.

The book deserved better editing than what it received.

All in all, a good read if you are of the scientific bent of mind.

2006-01-02T00:45:00.000-08:00

Title: Tattered Flesh, Resilient Spirit
Author: Craig H. Collison, M.D.
Publisher: Llumina Press
ISBN: 1-59526-169-9
Genre: Medical/Self-Help
Presentation: Hard-bound with dust jacket
No. of Pages: 171

When I read the press release about the saga of survival of the author, a medical man himself from flesh-eating bacteria's ravages, I was very much interested in learning more about the interventions that helped him. So, when an opportunity to review the book came up, I was very happy. And I am not at all disappointed with the result.

The author succeeds in holding the reader's attention all through with a fairly detailed and at the same time, highly readable account of the main factors that proved critical in his pulling through a gruesome and potentially fatal illness. The excellent medical care, the support of the family, esp. his wife Michelle and his own grit pulled him through the ordeal. Faith and prayers played an important part (that is the support part) and Dr. Collison is now quite willing to share these aspects with all patients and thus help them in their own recovery.

I would have preferred to see a more detailed account of the disease and the reconstruction (with possible figures, sketches and photos), since a picture is worth a thousand words. Also, the author could have discussed the possible source of his infection to alert the readers about similar possibilities. The photographs of his family inside the book could have been in color.

The book is very well written and the editors should be complimented. A few typos remained in the book, possibly escaping the proof editor's eyes. I felt that the price is a little on the higher side.

2005-12-27T06:55:00.000-08:00

Title: DragonSpeaker
Author: Laura J. Chipman
Genre: Fiction/Magic/
Reading level: All Ages
Paperback: 76 pages
Publisher: PublishAmerica
ISBN: 1424101360

DragonSpeaker (it is written together though the book cover shows the two words separately) is a book for the child in each of us. It is a story of magic, of fire-breathing dragons and how a small girl of 10 is called to save them fromextinction. The dragons use the fire not only to punish evil people, but also to roast apples! Jamie Mathews is a DragonSpeaker, one who can speak with dragons. She is consistently called through dreams to her true purpose of life and is helped by her grandma. She goes out on the adventure accompanied by a bully Billy, who ends up becoming her friend.

When Jamie unites the tear drop pendant with the original stone of Magic from which it has come out, she discovers her oneness with the mountain and thus the whole world. She is also united with her parents who went to save the dragons and were trapped in the mountain. The book conveys a deep spiritual message to each of us, that we all need to discover our true mission in life and fulfill the same to achieve happiness. It also conveys the idea that the magic in each of us will be restored when we become whole and complete.

The book is well written and appeals to children of all ages. I liked this book for its different take about saving of dragons as opposed to the others dealing with slaying of dragons.

2005-12-11T03:30:00.000-08:00

Title: The Hurried Woman Syndrome - A Seven Step Program to Conquer Fatigue, Control Weight and Restore Passion to Your Relationship
Author: Brent W. Bost, M.D., FACOG
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 0-07-144577-3
Presentation: Hardcover with dustjacket
No. of Pages: 340
Genre: Non-Fiction/Health/Women/Self-Help

I was intrigued about the title and set out to find out what the good doctor meant by that. And I am really happy that I read this book, courtsey McGraw-Hill. Though I am a man, I could relate to many points explained by Dr. Bost in the book since my own wife was and is going through some of the symptoms so vividly described. And, as Dr.Bost explains, there are many symptoms common to both sexes, caused by too much hurry and worry. My spiritual mentor who is also an Ayurvedic Healer always refers to the three ingredients of several health problems: hurry, worry and curry, the last referring to the spicy food which is consumed for stimulation and for satisfaction of the taste buds.

The book deals with the group of symptoms (that is why the Syndrome comes into use) commonly affecting a large number of women in USA (and probably many other developed and developing countries too). The Hurried Woman Syndrome deals with the adverse effects of chronic stress produced by trying to do too many things at a time, typical of a successful life.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part, titled, "UNDERSTANDING HURRIED WOMAN SYNDROME" has 5 chapters:
1) Life as a Hurried Woman
2) Stress and How it Affects Your Brain and Your Life
3) Are You a Hurried Woman?
4) Using Cognitive-Behavioral Coping Skills and
5) The Role of Antidepressants.

I learnt a lot and also got confirmation of some ideas which were building up in my own mind over the course of the last few years.

The Second Part is "YOUR SEVEN-STEP PLAN FOR BETTER LIFE BALANCE" and consists of 8 chapters (yes, not seven as is obviously expected!). They are:

6) Step 1 - Create Balance in your Body
7) Step 2 - Find the Right Caloric Balance
8) Step 3 - Exercise, No Matter What!
9) Get Started on the Program (I thought that by that time, the reader is already on the program)
10) Step 4 - Rekindling the Fire
11) Step 5 - Identify your Priorities and set Reasonable Limits
12) Step 6 - Get the Best of Stress and finally
13) Step 7 - Organise Your world.

Two Appendices and a Index follow. A fairly comprehensive coverage and a good road map for a workable program.

The book is VERY WELL WRITTEN and is highly readable. And as is to be rightly expected from McGraw-Hill, very well edited. However, as a Quality Assurance Professional and as an Editor, I was delighted that I could catch a few slips! But let me hasten to assure you that the book is of real quality and you will get the message clearly. The printing is good and the readability is good. The conversational style adopted is quite effective.

The author sticks to mainstream medical knowledge and suggests cognitive-behavioral therapy and herbs as adjunct or alternative for treatment of depression. He doesn't advocate the several alternative / complementary treatment options for stress and depression. In a way, that is to be expected since he has been trained in the mainstream medicine and also since he got good results with a number of his clients with the program suggested.

The book is very informative and will help not only the Hurried Woman but also her harried family members (yes, every one suffers when the lady of the family suffers, husband, children, even parents, friends etc.), recognise the hurried woman amongst them and help her. Just check out the first and the third chapter. If you recognise yourself or your wife/mom/sister etc., in that description, I would recommend that you go ahead and buy/gift the book. It may just be right thing that the doctor has prescribed. However, like all books of self-help, you need to practise what is written. Reading and understanding is the preliminary step.

About the reviewer: I am a physicist and a metallurgist, not a medical man. Thus I am a lay reader as far as health books are concerned. However, I have been deeply interested in health (partly because of my own health challenges) for long. I have studied Homeopathy, Biochemic
(Schussler's) Tissue Remedies, Bach Flower Remedies, Reiki (I am a certified Usui Reiki Master Healer), Crystal Healing etc. I would strongly advise you to seek the advice of a health professional before trying out the program outlined in the book.

2005-11-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

Title: The Oculi Incident
Author: Regis Schilken
Publisher: TurnKey Press
ISBN: 0976498138
Genre: Fiction/Religion/Christianity/Mystery
No. of Pages: 348
Presentation: Paperback

This novel attempts to portray the ever-raging conflict between good and evil, between altruism and greed, through a religious setting. The story takes place in a Catholic Church. A cross is sent for renovation to a nearby monastery. Brother Anthony who is doing the renovation disappears suddenly without a trace. Nothing much is made of the mystery because it is not too uncommon for Fathers and Brothers to get bored of the monastery life and disappear to surface under a different name and lead the so-called 'normal' life. No one is beyond temptation.

7 years later, suddenly a 'miracle' starts taking place in the Church where the restored cross is installed. Tears start forming from the eyes of the statue of Jesus Christ. When investigation is attempted, deaths start taking place and threats are held out. The connection between the renovation of the cross (and the body of Jesus) and the present miracle is lost on the people because of the time gap.

Pastor Paul Logue’s gut instinct keeps telling him that the few drops of water that fall from the eyes of the statue suspended in the old, Gothic Church are probably a diabolical human ruse or possibly a display of Lucifer himself. But for simple believers and to his Bishop, the word miracle arises in the mind and it spreads like a raging fire fanned by the media’s unquenchable desire for sensationalism. The unique occurrences at his church quickly become national phenomena. Money pours into church coffers as droves of curiosity seekers, tourists, and religious believers visit Saint Martin’s to glimpse the miracle cross and to leave behind extremely generous donations. The mystery is finally solved by the help of a policeman and his live-in partner, a school teacher. They are aided by an young woman in the police department and an intelligent technician working for the villain.

The author succeeds in conveying a few ideas through the characters of this interesting book. Firstly miracles do take place. But all apparent miracles are not necessarily real and thus need to be investigated thoroughly. The forces that are trying to bring about the miracle, human or otherwise will not keep quiet when the investigation is attempted and will try to thwart the same through threats, murder etc., It is not necessary for a human being to believe in Church to be good, and it is entirely possible for an evil person to be in the robes of religion, since normally suspicion doesn't point there.

The story is written well and till half of the book, the suspense of who could have done the killings is well maintained. Though the villains are identified fairly early in the book, the plot keeps unfolding nicely and a good climax is presented. The end is quite mysterious.

The physics behind the formation of the water drops is fairly simple and is well presented. To lay people, the science could indeed be mystifying and magical. I felt that graphic descriptions of love making are out of place in such a book. The story stands quite well without such descriptions. The characters are well developed and look plausible. The effects of war and violence combined with the innate greed could certainly make a man inhuman.

All in all, it is a good read.

2005-11-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

Title: The Alcohol Blackout
Sub-title: Walking, Talking, Unconscious... and Lethal
Authors: Donal F.Sweeney, M.D. with Robert A. Liston
Publisher: Mnemosyne Press, Santa Barbara
ISBN: 0-9747943-0-9
Genre: Non-Fiction/Medicine/Neuroscience/Law/Psyciatry/
Pesentation: Soft Cover
No. of Pages: 221

What happens when one consumes alcohol? Several things can happen. A sense of euphoria, a high, then loss of coordination, blackout, passout etc. All other stages except blackout are well understood and are well documented. Common people also are aware of almost all these stages but when it comes to blackout, it seems that the knowledge and awareness is rather low. Dr. Donal F. Sweeney, M.D., a board certified doctor of internal medicine, chest disease and addiction medicine, set out in this book to fill this gap in the knowledge. Together with Robert A. Liston, a former newspaperman and magazine journalist, Dr.Sweeney deals with a complex subject in a faily clear and cogent manner.

The authors define what is a blackout and explain what factors probably cause the blackout, the difference between a blackout and a fadeout, the difference between a blackout and a passout, the probable mechanism of a blackout and its implications in the legal systems of a country. They forcefully argue the need for further research into a subject that is not well undestood by the community of scientists (including doctors and psycologists, psychiatrists etc.), lawyers, police and the judges. A good number of cases involving alcohol induced blackout are presented. The difference between immediate memory and short term memory is crucial in understanding the phenomenon of alcohol blackout. The case of Henry, who was operated for epileptic seizures and was left with only immediate memory and no short term memory made interesting and poignant reading. The parallel between alcohol blackout and Henry's lack of memory is really striking. The comparison between drug induced blackout and alcohol blackout is also interesting, esp. because of the difference in terms of the type of memory and duration affected.

While the treatment of memory and its formation and the description of brain anatomy and the role of neurotransmitters etc., may need rereading and or additional reading (for which the authors do supplement the book with a list of resources), the subject matter and its treatment is not beyond the understanding capacity of an educated layman.

Dr.Sweeney is frank and forthright in his views on the subject and while he is no lawyer, his analysis of Paul Cox's case, made me think that he could have made an excellent lawyer or detective if he ever wanted! I feel that he would make an excellent expert witness now for many cases of alcohol blackout related crimes.

The print quality is average and the editing could be better. You will be able to check out the contents, excerpts etc., at a local book store or at Amazon and similar on-line bookstores and so will be able to make a fairly quick decision to buy the book or not.

I would strongly recommend this book to you if you need to deal with the problem of alcohol blackout in any capacity, including as a friend, a policeman, a lawyer etc.

About myself: I am a physicist and a metallurgist, not a medical man. Thus I am a lay reader as far as health books are concerned. I have tasted alcohol out of curiosity but luckily came of a possible addiction at an early stage. I never experienced a blackout myself. However, I have taken up this book because I am interested in health (partly because of my own health challenges) for long. I have studied Homeopathy, Biochemic (Schussler's) Tissue Remedies, Bach Flower Remedies, Reiki (I am a certified Usui Reiki Master Healer), Crystal Healing etc. I would strongly advise you to seek the advice of a health professional when trying to understand and implement any knowledge gained from books.

2005-11-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Title: The Time Has Come - The Book of Grace - Part One
Author: Barbara Oleynick
ISBN: 978-0-9755922-5-0 and 0-9755922-5-4
Publisher: Synergy Books
No. of Pages: 188
Category: Fiction/Spiritual
Presentation: Hardbound with dust jacket

The photograph of a small baby with chubby cheeks and beautiful eyes calls to you from the front cover of this book. If you are called or destined to respond, you will read this book, like I did. This books gets to the core of the reader, the heart. It certainly did to me. Made me cry at several places with its intense narration of the lack of love and the consequent cruelty of a man to a fellow man (I am using that word in its most general form, which encompasses man, woman and child). The author certainly knows how to grip the reader's imagination and she made me feel as if I was there when all that she describes was happening.

Well, let me give a brief peek into the story. The story is about Grace, God's grace to be specific, which was sent to earth in the form of Grace, a baby born to an unwed child of 14, Rachel, who didn't even know that she was pregnant and who didn't know how she became pregnant. And the baby's arrival is known to a wise old woman Gyada and is heralded by the appearance of a bright star. She was waiting for a long time and her role is to teach her. The baby is abandoned by the child mother and is picked up again through a Divine Plan, by Albert, a large hearted man, whose wife Henna is equally loving. The two brought into the world children, who in turn are loving, thus emphasizing the role of good upbringing. But even where love is lacking, God sometimes has His/Her own plan like in the case of Rachel. Rachel proves a loving and forgiving daughter and a wonderfully loving sister to Stefi, whom she brings up like a mother since her biological mother is addicted to drugs and uncontrolled sex. Rachel's mother kills her younger daughter Stefi in a fit of uncontrolled rage, possibly drug induced. She repents and is forgiven. Rachel is directed by the same Divine force that is responsible for Grace's adoption by Albert and Henna to go searching for her baby and naturally is welcomed with open arms by the couple.

Rachel grows up to become a qualified medical doctor and Grace becomes a miraculous healer. She saves another baby Jeffrey, the grandson of Albert when he was just a few months old. When she is about ten years old, Grace performs another healing miracle by healing a man with multiple stab wounds. She continues to help others and the climax for this particular part comes when she saves a train from being blown up in a terrorist attack, set in 2008.

Barbara is at her best when she is narrating scenes of love and interestingly scenes of great sorrow like when Rachel was delivering her baby not knowing what is happening, another small child being attended in the Emergency Room by a desperate team whose members cry when they fail, Stefi's death and Rachel's desperate attempts to save her sister and similar incidents. When she comes to the part where she describes the decaying social order, the increasing incidence of crime, the way children are being ill-treated etc., she sounds more like a preacher and like a narrator of a documentary film. The philosophy that she tries to share is really not new and is more eastern though the western world did have similar thinkers but lost most of that knowledge in the mad rush for materialism. Now the eastern societies are pursuing similar agenda and the societies are paying the price. Barbara seems to send a message through her novel that if sufficient number of people work more from her heart than from their minds (which are more logical and self-seeking) and thus share the love (sharing material possessions comes as a natural act when the heart is full of love), the world can still be saved from a total disaster.

You will read this book if you are destined to read. After reading, how you will feel is dependent upon how much dogmatic your belief systems are. If you are spiritual and believe in the oneness of Universe, you will resonate with some of the ideas presented by the author.

As I wrote, the author has a good style and really grips you in the first part of her book. The later part is as mentioned a little more in a documentary or reporter style. Still, fairly readable.

The editing of the book left much to be desired. It didn't interfere too much with my ability to understand but left me wondering at the state of English in US colleges and universities.

Swamy

About me: Swamy is a part of my given name, Venkateswara Swamy Swarna. Swarna is the family name and is the name of a small village in Andhra Pradesh, India, from which my ancestors hail. Venkateswara Swamy is the name of the presiding Deity at Tirumala Tirupati, the richest temple of India and the second richest religious institution in the world. It is the tradition in Hindu families to name the children after Gods and Goddesses, with the optimism that the child does develop the divine qualities. I am clarifying this since Swamy is also used as a respectful title for Sadhus, Sants and Sanyasis (monks) in India and thus sometimes I am confused with such monks. I am not a monk. I am a physicist and a metallurgist, a Quality Assurance specialist and am presently working in a full time job in a large organization, at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The views expressed are of course my own and my organization has no connection to it.

2005-11-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Title: Lean Strategies for Product Development
Sub-Title: Achieving Breakthrough Performance in Bringing Products to Market
Author: Clifford Fiore
Publisher: ASQ Quality Press (www.asq.org and http://qualitypress.asq.org)
Publisher's Catalog No: H1205
ISBN: 0-87389-604-1
No. of Pages: 96
Genre: Non-Fiction/Management/Industrial Efficiency/Product Development

"Lean Strategies for Product Development" is a small, beautifully printed soft-cover paperback that you could pick up and read while waiting for your flight in the airport and may be finish by the time you reach your destination after about an hour. However, you may need to reread it a couple of times to really appreciate and fully absorb the important concepts presented therein. In 11 chapters spread over just 62 pages, Cliff succeeds in presenting lucidly some very important concepts and methodologies for faster and better product development. These are aptly called Lean Strategies since they tend to make the organization lean by reducing flab and wastage of resources. An analogy that comes to mind is how a small torpedo boat is much more nimble when compared to a bulky aircraft carrier, or how a lean and fit man can outrun and outmanouver a flabby, overweight opponent in boxing. The need for faster, leaner product development teams that can come up with smart and cost-effective designs to withstand intense competition is very well brought out.

The book resembles the well-known business novel "The Goal" in style, though the story line is not as strong as that book. The tone is quite conversational and most of the time, the text is easy to follow. The examples are quite meaningful and with only a little rereading, it is possible for the strategy to be understood. The contents and a sample chapter of the book can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

http://qualitypress.asq.org/perl/catalog.cgi?item=H1205

In addition to the 11 chapters, the book has appendices including a Glossary, Product Development Approach Summary, Examples of Waste, Value Stream Map Examples, Common Product Development Problems, Product Development Maturity Path, References and at the very end, a very useful index.

I especially liked the chapters on Modular design, Platform Design and The Lean and Six Sigma Connection. I also liked Cliff's emphasis on the imperative need to capture knowledge (Knowledge Management if you prefer). I feel many of the existing organizations, even large ones, neglect
this area. As Ken Hawkins, the Project Engineer of Donetics in the book rightly remarks, knowledge goes into a black-hole, never to come out again!

As an editor, I found a few places where I felt that the text could have been edited better. But in general, there is no difficulty in understanding the message.

All in all, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to individuals, organizations and libraries.

S.V.Swamy

About the reviewer: Swamy is a Physicist and a metallurgist by education and has spent almost all of 37 years in Quality Control, Quality Assurance with special emphasis on various aspects of material testing. His other interests include training and general management. Presently he is actively involved in Human Resource Development and Corporate Communications in a large organiza- tion in India. The above views are his own and do not in any way reflect the views of his orga- nization.