Book: “Trust Your Vibes (Revised Edition): Live an Extraordinary Life by Using Your Intuitive Intelligence,” Sonia Choquette, Hay House, 2022
Audio Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I had listened to the original audio book called “Trust Your Vibes” a number of years ago. I am lucky to say that Sonia Choquette has rewritten this 20 year old book so that it is a newer version with updated information and experiences.
I was impressed with the first book and yet this one somehow tops even that one. I am not able to remember how many chapters the first book one had but this one has 34 chapters which are basically useable tips and techniques to increase you Intuitive Powers.
Overall, I am really impressed with this book and give it a 5 out 5. I highly recommend that you take appropriate actions and try to incorporate the practices into your daily life. Even if you only learn a few of them, you will be like the Chicago Businesswoman who was selected as the “Business Person of the Year” where she shared that her secret to success was using her Intuitive Intelligence.
In fact, I liked the book so much, I might listen to it another few times to glean more information and insights.
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If you wish more information on Sonia Choquette, feel free to visit her online website at https://soniachoquette.net or on her Social Media platforms. She has written many books, appeared at numerous workshops and conferences through Hay House and other organizations like Mindvalley. She offers quite a few courses, as well. Finally if you wish to have more a inspired connection, she has a private members Facebook group called “Good Vibes Tribe” and offers personal readings.
Book: “Daily Self-Worth Journal for Women: A 60-Day Guide to Self-Improvement, Kris Jobson, Books Go Social, 2022
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I think it is important to start off with who Kris Jobson is. On LinkedIn, he is described as, “Creator, Artistic Director, Director, Choreographer, Producer, Writer, Dancer, Model, Actor, and Speaker.” He is definitely a creative whom I can relate to. I understand creatives because we tend to go inwards to find our source of inspiration. It is important to figure out who you are in order to expose yourself to the outside world in creativity.
I think it is important to note, as he does, that this is not to be used as medical treatment. There are people qualified to help you with trauma and many other issues or problem areas of concern.
I am reviewing both journal books for men and women because other than the cover, the orientation for both books are the same.
I feel as if much of this work is based on Kris’s internal dialogue based on counselling sessions. This is purely conjecture but his knowledge seems to have come from somewhere or perhaps years of studying and researching.
The areas he covers from self-love, self-confidence, to letting go and balance are all important key areas of life. I found the book repetitive because you were doing similar exercises for the different areas from writing out certain phrases, to breathing exercises, repeating affirmations and going inwards. I felt as if these would be assignments that a counsellor would give you after each session.
For a journal, there are some good areas to address individually and in a quiet place and space. I think you have to work the program like AA, NA, or OA to get to the root of the problems.
Having reviewed the book, I give the books both 3.5 out of 5.0 for his concern in wanting to help people and providing a framework for reflection. If I were the publisher, I would have reoriented the journal to cover more areas of concern and with an index or appendix that people could go to for the repetitive sections like the personal declaration sections and other continuing sections.
You may also follow Kris Jobson on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. He has his own website under his name.
Book: “Lose Weight Get Toned!, 15 Minutes Daily Strength Training for Slim & Tightened Body”, Jannah Adams, Books Go Social, 2022
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I would like to start off by talking about the author, Jannah Adams and her credentials. She is a dietitian and fitness educator. She has written a book about strength training. She goes into what it is and how it differs from other forms of exercise. She reviews the benefits of strength training for your body.
Jannah reviews some of the safety aspects as the focus of this book are newbies to weightlifting or strength lifting. She distinguishes between the two areas, but personally, I see them as being the one and the same thing. I suppose it depends on what you are focussing on when initially exercising with weights.
The book does show some pictures of the various lifts. I, however, do have to critique this area because, if it were my book, I would have hired a photographer to do actual poses from initial, middle and final movements instead of picking pictures off of the internet.
Finally, she talks about what to eat while strength training.
A review of Jannah’s profile says she has helped many people with strength training to lose weight and particularly women.
Overall, I found the book a good start for someone who does not know their way around a gym. Aside from me preferring better photos, I found it disjointed from a writing point of view. I felt as if snippets of information were taken from various internet sources and placed together. I felt from a writing point of view that she tried to be all inclusive but, in my opinion, it felt disjointed and not fluid.
I give the book a 3.75 out 5.0 review for Jannah’s effort to bring this information to the forefront.
Either there are a few people with Jannah Adam’s name or there is no real cohesive social media presence on the internet. I found a few people with her name but I could not confidently confirm it was the same person.
I found that Amazon had the best information on her and her background. Jannah has also seemingly written a couple of other books along this similar theme that you may want to check out.
Book: “Daily Self-Worth Journal for Men: A 60-Day Guide to Self-Improvement, Kris Jobson, Books Go Social, 2022
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I think it is important to start off with who Kris Jobson is. On LinkedIn, he is described as, “Creator, Artistic Director, Director, Choreographer, Producer, Writer, Dancer, Model, Actor, and Speaker.” He is definitely a creative whom I can relate to. I understand creatives because we tend to go inwards to find our source of inspiration. It is important to figure out who you are in order to expose yourself to the outside world in creativity.
I think it is important to note, as he does, that this is not to be used as medical treatment. There are people qualified to help you with trauma and many other issues or problem areas of concern.
I am reviewing both journal books for men and women because other than the cover, the orientation for both books are the same.
I feel as if much of this work is based on Kris’s internal dialogue based on counselling sessions. This is purely conjecture but his knowledge seems to have come from somewhere or perhaps years of studying and researching.
The areas he covers from self-love, self-confidence, to letting go and balance are all important key areas of life. I found the book repetitive because you were doing similar exercises for the different areas from writing out certain phrases, to breathing exercises, repeating affirmations and going inwards. I felt as if these would be assignments that a counsellor would give you after each session.
For a journal, there are some good areas to address individually and in a quiet place and space. I think you have to work the program like AA, NA, or OA to get to the root of the problems.
Having reviewed the book, I give the books both 3.5 out of 5.0 for his concern in wanting to help people and providing a framework for reflection. If I were the publisher, I would have reoriented the journal to cover more areas of concern and with an index or appendix that people could go to for the repetitive sections like the personal declaration sections and other continuing sections.
You may also follow Kris Jobson on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. He has his own website under his name.
Book: “Affirmations for Empaths: A Year of Guided Journaling,” Judith Orloff, Sounds True, 2022
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I actually read this book in a very short period of time but that is because it is a journal that you need to work at. The author, Dr. Judith Orloff, is a medical doctor who is a board-certified psychiatrist. Her passion in life is to help empaths deal with issues, problems and concerns as they go through life being highly-sensitive and aware.
The affirmations are ways of being energy shifters from negative to positive or to reinforce positive ones you have started or already have in your foundational being.
I like what she writes about and it is evident that she has direct experience and understanding with and of dealing with empaths. The book was quick to read because I did not do any of the writing parts. It is meant to be done over a 52 week period during the entire year.
The questions are insightful and self-provocative in a good way. I reviewed only the digital book but apparently the actual book is 248 pages so it should have enough room to write answers to the questions but I can not guarantee this as I do not have a physical copy of the book. For this reason, I would recommend buying the actual physical book and writing in it on a regular basis to help reinforce good belief systems of self-caring and self-acceptance.
There are eight sections which you progress through from treasuring yourself to honouring intuitions. With each affirmation written out that you are to reinforce, there are a series of questions that you ask yourself about it and journal on that topic.
One of the most important points Dr. Judith Orloff makes in the book that stood out for me was, “I do what’s possible to make a goal happen, then surrender the results to Spirit to work its magic in my life.”
I found the journal to be a very good self-awareness and transformational process that you can do at your own pace. I give the book a 4.5 out of 5.0.
Dr. Judith Orloff also has her website under her name with much more information. She is also the author of several books written in the same vein.
Book: “The Greatest Manifestation Principle in the World: How Quantum Physics and Spirituality Can Enable You to Manifest Your Best Life,” Carnelian Sage, Think-Outside-the-Book, Inc.,2nd edition, 2022.
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
This second edition book by Carnelian Sage is worth it. The beginning of the book starts off with praise from various people but then overall, it is a very quick read and is full of very good information spread throughout.
I have found many of the points are based on my years of study into quantum physics, the law of attraction or manifestation and also spirituality. I have actually gleaned much of the knowledge from reviewing good NDEs or Near Death Experiences. Strange as this may sound, people come back from the other side with great insights, knowledge and messages. Once put together, they are a wealth of knowledge and information.
I found myself highlighting many passages in various colours not because the information to me was necessarily new because, I kept on saying, “Yes!”
I won’t give the messages away of the book. I think it is more important to read it and absorb the wonderful knowledge. It is, in many respects a culmination of gathered information over the years.
Based on how I feel on many decades of reviewing spiritual type of books, I give this book a 5 out of 5 and highly recommend it. Just so you know, Carnelian Sage is a pseudonym for her identity and she has written 10 other books along the same genre and vein.
For more book reviews, check out my wordpress website under Mary Mikawoz specifically under the category of Book Reviews.
Book: “Grand Theft Weight Loss – How Stealing Scientific Discoveries Outside The Diet Industry Helps You Lose Weight,” Michael Alvear, BooksGoSocial, 2021
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
Henry Ford revolutionized the auto but he did so by borrowing from other industries. He looked at sewing machines and watch industries where they used interchangeable parts. He looked at continuous flow processes in flour and in canning industries. “He mimicked assembly line techniques from meat-packing plants and breweries.”
In a similar fashion, Michael Alvear has borrowed ideas, information and developments from other industries that have been around, in some cases for decades, and applied them to the diet industry.
First and foremost, Mr. Alvear says the very most important thing to determine is the right question to any problem. Once you have the question, you can look at the information and process it appropriately. For example, in the billion dollar industry of dieting, the only message seems to be a variety of diets but they all say, “eat less and move more.” If that worked, there would be one diet and it would work for all of us. We would all be skinny or fit but in actuality, it does not work.
Dieting is an illusion that says some foods are good and others are bad. Depending upon the particular diet, it gets confusing because they contradict each other from pro-protein to anti-carbohydrate and anti-fat diets.
Research shows that the harder you try to lose weight, the harder the body tries to fight back. Further research shows that your metabolism can slow by 15% which explains the constant lose weight quickly and then gain it back even though you are sticking to a diet.
Michael Alvear uses a number of techniques from other industries to help a person lose weight. I know a lot of people with eating disorders around the issue of food intake so although a lot of the techniques are interesting, I wonder if they will work.
We can control what we put in our mouth but what our body does in the process of metabolizing it is another issue. We have genetics and we have the environment. How much does each serve to affect us?
There are bigger issues involved. Why can’t we just accept ourselves as we are and believe in HAES which stands for “Health at Every Size.” When will society just accept that people come in different heights, weights, shapes, colours and features. We would never expect a Chihuahua or Poodle to act and look like a Great Dane or a Husky and yet when it comes to people, we need to somehow fit some magical mould of what it means to be “perfect” including people going to extremes with getting surgeries and starving themselves to death.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 for stepping out of the diet industry box in an effort to bring in some other angles to look at.
Book: “Walking Through This: Harness the Healing Power of Nature and Travel the Road to Forgiveness” Sara Shulting Kranz, Harper Horizon, 2020.
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
I found this book by Sara Shulting Kranz to be interesting. I found that her in-depth knowledge of trauma and PTSD is based on the fact that she has had to deal with it and go through it herself.
She understands more than just an empathetic listener. I won’t repeat her life story other than to say that she has gone through a lot. We all do but that is what is so wonderful about this book is that she gives you steps to deal with the trauma.
Sara gives you written meditations that you can read and then practice. After you are done the guided meditation, she gives you some questions to consider as you take your information gleaned from this process and reflect upon any and all insights. She asks that you write about it.
I find it interesting she mentions a little fact that since 2012, the number of people meditating in this world has tripled. That is significant and shows that there is value in following through with inner work including listening to your intuition.
After learning the six steps, she asks you to forgive yourself, the perpetrator and also the world.
In the meantime, Sara has also implemented a number of practical techniques of walking in nature including retreats through the Grand Canyon or standup paddle boarding on water. From Sara doing her work, she is able to give practical advice and not that just of a psychologist or counsellor who doesn’t have any personal terms of reference and can only reflect back to you what they have heard without any concrete suggestions or relevant life event experiences or tasks to pursue.
I give this book a 4.25 out of 5 for being a useful book that was interesting to read. She is on social media like Instagram and Facebook. She has her own website as well.
Book: “The Self-Love Superpower: The Magical Art of Approving of Yourself (No Matter What),” Tess Whitehurst, Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., 2021.
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
Book Available September 8, 2021
I was quite interested in recognizing how self-love could be a superpower simply by approving of myself/yourself. Overall, I found the author to be quite knowledgeable about many spiritual and psychological matters. I found she has incorporated many works from previous authors that I have read and whose books I have previously reviewed. It was nice to see these concepts being congealed in such a well-developed way.
I believe the author to be quite young as her references indicate someone of a younger age. This is not a problem other than many of the cultural and societal references she discussed were not in my sphere of knowledge or influence. So, for that reason, I would recommend this book for younger or middle-aged people.
One of the best insights or lines she has is, “I am choosing to need nothing, expect nothing, and even be nothing. And so I am open to everything.” She goes on to say how liberating it is to have this kind of thought. This is in line with Buddhist philosophy of non-attachment.
Overall, she does come up with some very good ideas but again, they are ones I have read in many other books but it is nice to see it collated here as an inclusive manner.
Tess also goes over chakras which for me was just a review. It seems most books I pick up nowadays include something about the chakra system. If you are new to this, then definitely read this.
Overall, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 based on the attempt to have a cohesive nature of spiritual philosophies and ideas in one book.
Book: “Press Here! Sensual Massage for Beginners: Your Guide to Pleasure and Intimacy,” Sydney Price, Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds, 2021.
Book Review by Mary Mikawoz
Book Available July 27, 2021
For once, I am going to do a short review of a book. I would rather have this book speak for itself. The title clearly gives the subject-matter away – “Press Here! Sensual Massage for Beginners: Your Guide to Pleasure and Intimacy.”
It is a good first step in those who are either young beginners or who are older and may have had hang-ups from religious doctrine and societal upbringing. It is non-gender specific so many variations of massage before love-making can be learned and practiced to be inclusive of many combinations.
The book has a number of drawn images to explain important body parts.
It also includes a number of flow charts to explain the steps in how to proceed, however, as I was using an e-reader, they were hard to follow because of the restrictions of the page formatting. If you know you may have to go back and forth between pages to follow the arrows, you will understand it a lot easier.
I would recommend this book for people who are willing to explore their sexual experiences.
I give the book a 3.75 out of 5 for attempting this delicate subject. However, I would have appreciated more information in explaining the actual various techniques of massage.
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