Book Reviews
Book reviews for rare and collectible books, business books, positive thinking, and other topics are accepted on this site. Send reviews by e-mail. No attachments. The review must be in the body of the e-mail. Proper English and appropriate language will only be accepted. Include your full name and contact information. If your book review is accepted we will provide you an e-mail address where you can send a jPeg of the book cover. For accepted book reviews, we will only publicly post your first name, or nick name, and a single link to an appropriate URL.
Book Reviews by Calvin
1. Heaven: Pushing Up Daisies Ain’t So Scary
2. Soaring With Eagles
3. The Slight Edge
4. Who Moved My Cheese
Book Review:
Heaven: Pushing Up Daisies Ain’t So Scary
Heaven: Pushing Up Daisies Ain’t So Scary is a fantastic book for anyone seeking information about heaven or is just looking for another reason to become a Christian. This book tells about the joys, glories and other positive facts on heaven. This book not only answered my questions about heaven but gave me additional info that I never knew about this wonderful place.
After reading, I found this book very useful and intriguing. Even before reading I was and am a Christ follower, this book only strengthened my belief. I feel that this book would be a good read for believers and non-believers. Throughout the book, my existing viewpoint on heaven, golden streets and buildings, surrounded by clouds, was changed quite a lot. Now I see it as so much more. I would recommend this book to a non-believer in hopes that their viewpoint would change for the better and to have a positive effect on them and people close to them. I would recommend this book to existing believers to strengthen their faith and provide additional knowledge about heaven.
If there is a question about heaven you may have I can almost guarantee it will be answered. I thought I knew just about everything about heaven before reading Heaven: Pushing Up Daisies Ain’t So Scary. I was proven wrong within the first few chapters. Some of the phrases and or words can be confusing but it was easy to gain an understanding later. In my opinion, some of the phrases sounded a little silly, but I had to remind myself that they existed to make the book more appealing and humorous.
I found this book to be an exciting read and encourage people to give it a try. Although this book is short and sweet, it is jam packed with knowledge, info, and positive reassurances about heaven. Whether you want to read it by yourself or with others, this book is sure to bring delight.
Book Review:
Soaring With Eagles by Bill Newman
This book is a must read for anyone looking to be successful in their life. Throughout the entirety of the book, Bill Newman uses an eagle to represent the way that successful people live their lives. Eagles are used because of how they live their lives, fearless, intelligent, and all around successful. From this book I learned so many different things about eagles and how our lives can line up with theirs.
It was said in the book that there is no mistake bigger than not going on. A person needs to make certain that they are able to get up one more time than fall down. A successful person does not quit and neither does an eagle. Bill also says to set objectives in your life, something to strive for. In another way, you need commitment, motivation, and discipline, but most importantly, you need to think like a winner.
Another great point Bill makes is to face obstacles head on and do not back down. You will face adversity in life but do not let it deter you. Like an eagle, successful people take control and do not allow others to control them. Successful people also find the problem and decide how to solve it. You also need a vision to work toward. Without a vision it is easy to lose focus and give up. Once you have a vision, keep your focus on it or you will lose it.
Having goals is just as important as having a vision. Having goals is much more beneficial to you than not having goals. Goals allow for a clearer path to make decisions and be decisive. Goals keep you from living in the past but instead in the future. Goals also need to be prioritized and put into order. It is very important to understand what you will have to overcome to achieve your goals.
I personally enjoyed this book greatly. Not only did I learn more about eagles and how they are successful, but how to improve my own life. I love how Bill Newman aligned our lives with eagles to better our understanding of success. The book is full of good advice and ideas to improve one. I love the fact that it was made in a comparison with the American eagle who does not look at defeat or failure. Bill is constantly telling me in so many ways that I have the ability to soar.
Book Review:
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
This book was wonderful. Jeff Olson did a fantastic job on this book. The purpose of this book was to use the information you already have or have access to to reach success in your life. Jeff begins by telling a true story of a shoeshine lady and how he felt that if she tried she could be much more successful. He also says that after meeting the shoeshine lady and then leaving to get on his flight, he began to write this book.
Your attitude is one of the most important aspects of thinking. Not only that, but so is your philosophy. Throughout the entire book Jeff constantly reminds readers that a positive philosophy leads to a positive action which leads to a positive result which leads to a positive lifestyle.
Successful people know what to do to become successful and they do it whether they feel like it or not. Successful people form positive habits that fuel instead of fight their success. They pursue and utilize The Slight Edge by staying focused. Success is not about always being comfortable, convenient or easy, but instead takes patience, endurance, and consistence.
All in all, Jeff Olson did an outstanding job on this book and I would recommend this to anyone looking for the key to success. I enjoyed this book greatly and it has certainly given me a better view on success and how to obtain it. After learning about The Slight Edge and how to have it work for me and not against me has and will help me to improve my life and to have success follow in my wake.
Book Review:
Who Moved My Cheese
Author: Spencer Johnson, M.D.
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Publishing date: September 8, 1998
The book starts off in Chicago where a group of friends are conversing after their high school reunion. The topic in the conversation switches to how each person is dealing with major change in each of their businesses. One of them, Michael, tells the group about “Who Moved My Cheese?” and how it affected his life. He begins to tell the story. It begins in a fictional land where four characters, two mice and two little people, which live in a maze searching for cheese to nourish and keep them happy. The mice, Sniff and Scurry and the little people, which are similar to humans, Hem and Haw all live in this labyrinth in search of cheese.
The author uses the cheese as a metaphor for the things we want in life or things that make us happy. At one point the cheese runs out and Hem, Haw, Sniff, and Scurry are forced to look for more. A decision must be made as to stay and wait for more cheese or to go look for more. The story is about the different decisions made by the four characters and how they adapted to change. Hem and Haw decide to stay because that is what is comfortable to them. Sniff and Scurry however decide to go look for more cheese and face change head on. The story follows them throughout their choices and how they affected them and the course of the story.
The story then switches back to the group and their thoughts about the story. They converse about how they may take the story’s advice and adapt instead of avoid change. After some thought they admit to how they each will try to adjust and adapt to the change and difficulty surrounding them. They all decide which of the four characters, Hem, Haw, Sniff, and Scurry, would represent them the best.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. From the beginning I thought it was just going to be another self-help book. Instead it turned out to be more. Before reading, my views on change were that I would deal with it as soon as I felt like it and I had a more negative outlook on change. Now I have more courage to face change head on and to accept it, not run from it. Now I also feel more inclined to try harder in many aspects of life and if change comes out of nowhere, to try and be prepared and handle the situation in a calm manner. I enjoyed this book and am sure that anyone that reads it will too.