21 Days: The Random Thoughts of a Brother in Mourning

21 Days: The Random Thoughts of a Brother in Mourning by Donald Richard Dragovich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A deeply personal account about death, faith and questioning God...

Mourning and grief are natural human responses to the death of a loved one. The onset of grief is from the moment an individual becomes aware of the death of a loved one. At this point they begin the process of grief, which has no set time, as grief affects everyone in different ways. The intensity of the feelings associated with grief depends on the circumstances of the loss, the closeness of the relationship and the conditioning of the person who has experienced the loss.

21 Days: The Random Thoughts of a Brother in Mourning by Donald R. Dragovich is literally the random thoughts of the author about death, faith, and God. The book description better explains: ‘21 Days is the chronological countdown to David’s death as described by his brother, Donald. His written thoughts document what was happening to his brother David as he quickly succumbed to esophageal cancer. Donald describes his emotional turmoil in dealing with his brother’s untimely and unstoppable death. He asks a powerful, rhetorical question that makes everyone ponder their mortality. What would you do if doctors told you, you or a loved one only have twenty-one days to live? How would you react? Donald reacted by questioning his faith in God and God’s power over cancer during this countdown.

Donald’s brother David was given twenty-one days to live on September 29, 2015. In dealing with the reality of his oldest brother’s death, Donald expressed his feelings by writing down what happened each day and how he felt. He describes how he cursed at God, questioned God’s divine intervention, and even God’s existence because no prayers were answered, no miracle cure and no death reprieve were in sight. Donald refers to the esophageal cancer that David had as an evil demon. He shows his anger and disgust with cancer and how it destroys not only a person but a family. He expresses his torment and anguish as he counts down the days, but in the end, ultimately embraces his spirituality.

When the inevitable became more and more real, Donald found his faith and accepted his brother’s fate. When Donald found his faith in God, it was a comforting, coping mechanism helping him deal with the inevitable death of his oldest brother. Donald describes other instances of spirituality that he has personally experienced and how he turns these tragic events into faith-renewing experiences.’

There is no set period for the process of mourning, which extends from the onset of grief to the time when the bereaved has come to terms with the loss and adjusted to the changes that occur in their lives as a result of the death. This period is different for everyone. Always a difficult subject to deal with, but I think the author did a great job that will help many people of faith who are in mourning. Highly recommended.

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Culture Code Champions: 7 Steps To Scale & Succeed In Your Business by Bill Higgs

Culture Code Champions: 7 Steps To Scale & Succeed In Your Business by Bill Higgs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Developing leadership skills and much more...

Culture Code Champions: 7 Steps To Scale & Succeed In Your Business by Bill Higgs demonstrates that businesses should not only be concerned about the quality of goods and services they produce to generate profit, but also pursue policies that sell their enterprises by contributing to the quality of life in the working environment.

Businesses also have responsibilities to protect and improve society. The entrepreneur can earn more profit by displaying a high degree of corporate responsiveness, which is the ability of an organization to relate its operations and policies to the environment in ways that are mutually beneficial to the organization and society.

Culture Code Champions is more than just a business book; It’s a multi-layered life-improvement book, an inspirational guide showing people how to implement the necessary habits that will help them to sell and perform better than the competition. It’s a short book that packs a powerful punch. Highly recommended.

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The Seven Epaulettes of Leadership by Shawn Abrams

The Seven Epaulettes of Leadership by Shawn Abrams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An informative and insightful read...

Since the establishment of business, organizations have searched for clues to help identify and select successful leaders. They have searched for people of vision with that rare combination of attributes that help them serve as motivator, business driver, and authority figure. The concept of leadership has been widely observed and frequently studied, but a thorough understanding of what defines successful leadership has always remained just out of reach, until now.

The Seven Epaulettes of Leadership by Shawn Abrams provides an easier way to determine the perfect leadership recipe for your organization across multiple behavioral dimensions. It’s a fascinating read that will help you to expand your thought process, teach you how not to be told how to “think” about something or someone, and to be creative in your search for alternative answers. A book that shows the true purpose and moral side of leadership, it’s an invaluable resource for both personal and professional growth. Highly recommended.

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The Ballad of Ricky Risotto by Marc Cavella

The Ballad of Ricky Risotto by Marc Cavella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nacho Libre meets Quentin Tarantino...

It' outrageous and hilarious, yet The Ballad of Ricky Risotto has the same kind of sweet poignancy its author Marc Cavella brought to his previous novel, ‘Tabernacle’. It’s a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novella with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted sports fiction with a generous sprinkling ‘barbed-wire-sharp dialogue, and old-school roster packed with outrageous personalities’. The story had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘t's 1979, and the world of professional wrestling is about to change forever. Small regional promotions are in danger of going extinct, gobbled up by greedy promoters from New York looking to monopolize the industry and make it acceptable to the masses… Ozark Championship Wrestling is determined to avoid that fate. They're about to produce their first Pay-Per-View show, which will make or break their fortunes. But there's one small problem: Their champion has no plans to relinquish his title at the match—hell, he might not even show up at all. And Waylon Pritchards—aka Ricky Risotto—is the only one who might be able to talk some sense into the champ and save OCW's tenuous future . . .’

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. Cavella pays as much attention to his sentences as he does to his plots, shifting or merging meaning with the use of a single word. His writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create a humorous atmosphere that will leave you laughing out loud.

This for me was a phenomenal read. It was one of those books that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning and realistic. The author’s use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity. It’s one of those stories that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.

Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.

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The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives: A Novel

The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives: A Novel by Tim Darcy Ellis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An engaging page-turner...

The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted historical fiction based on the life of renowned academic Juan Luis Vives. Skillfully constructed and set against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England and Spain, this story will have you turning the pages from beginning to end.

This was a captivating read that had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of intriguing moments that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique.

When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class historical fiction with perfect pacing. Highly recommended.


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Getting Unstuck: How to transform your life one step at a time by Cara Stein

Getting Unstuck: How to transform your life one step at a time by Cara Stein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Achieving a better you...

Over the years there have been many great self-help books written. Most of these inspirational books have a similar message, to teach you methods on how to improve your life by implementing various techniques. They all have a common thread running through them, by changing your habits or mindset you can become successful or reach your goals in life.

Getting Unstuck: How to transform your life one step at a time by Cara Stein is a very well written life improvement book. This book is intelligent, wise and packed to the rafters with practical common-sense advice. It becomes very obvious as you read through this page turner that the author is imparting her wisdom and understanding as to what happiness and success really means. It’s an excellent guide for putting things into perspective. Highly recommended.


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Emotional Intelligence: 100+ Skills, Tips, Tricks & Techniques to Improve Interpersonal Connection, Control Your Emotions, Build Self Confidence & Find Long Lasting Success!

Emotional Intelligence: 100+ Skills, Tips, Tricks & Techniques to Improve Interpersonal Connection, Control Your Emotions, Build Self Confidence & Find Long Lasting Success! by Kevin Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A helpful guide...

Our natural state of being, as one with Soul, is a harmonious state of Love, in which the only feelings are of continuous peace and bliss. Therefore, if we are feeling any feeling other than peace and bliss, we have got out of balance somewhere. This is due to our conditioned and faulty thinking, which emerges as tolerations, needs and limiting beliefs. Using our Emotional Intelligence equips us to identify the message that Soul is sending us through these feelings, so we can rectify our thinking and thus move always towards Love.

Emotional Intelligence: 100+ Skills, Tips, Tricks & Techniques to Improve Interpersonal Connection, Control Your Emotions, Build Self Confidence & Find Long Lasting Success! (EQ Mastery) is a basic guide that will help people who are looking to improve their emotional intelligence.


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