Face Maskculinity

 Face Maskculinity, Paul-Wesley Bailey, 2020

 

Eric is a member of Congress, and a rising star in the national Democratic Party. The White House seems to be the next step, until an affair with Sue, another member of Congress, derails his political career. Sue is a satanist, and introduces Eric to satan. Why limit yourself to being President of the United States, when you can be dictator? For a while, Eric is married to Destiny, who he turns into his sex slave.

Robert is your average twentysomething living in Long Island. He lives with his mother, he doesn't own a car and he works a dead-end job at a local supermarket. He meets a woman named Destiny (the same one). After a night of sex, Robert is violently ill. He recovers, and discovers that he has incredible physical powers.

Eric's takeover of America, through a cult called Eye for an Eye, is complete. He and Sue are in the White House. Millions of people are dead. Robert and Destiny are the only ones who can stop him. Who is still alive at the end? (The author leaves room for a possible sequel.)

This is a really good story. It has lots of action and religion and sex. There is also lots of good writing. This book almost, but not quite, reaches the level of being an excellent book (it gets 4.5 stars). Yes, it is very much worth reading.

Nurse Executive Study Guide 2024-2025

 Nurse Executive Study Guide 2024-2025, Winona Hant, 2023

 

This study guide for the Nurse Executive position contains a number of good suggestions for anyone taking a standardized test. If you don't know the right answer, see if you can eliminate one or two of the possibilities; a wrong answer is better than no answer. Read the question thoroughly. If it's a timed test, don't spend too long on any one question. Most of all, take a deep breath, and relax.

 

As with any supervisory position, the book explores areas like management, finance and reducing staff burnout. Specific to the medical field, the practice test in the back of the book (with answers and explanations) looks at things like diagnosing and assessing a patient, and reducing medical errors as much as possible.

 

This book feels very straightforward and easy to understand. Anyone interested in taking the Nurse Executive exam would be well advised to start their preparation right here.

Genesis to Revelation

 Genesis to Revelation: Abraham's Promise - Finding Christ and Seeing God, Michael McPadden, 2023

This book starts with a spiritual jolt. "Everything you and I were ever taught about the story of the creation of man and the universe from the Bible is wrong." The author asserts that the present-day church has become irrelevant because it does not understand its own teachings. The blame for such a situation goes to the early translators of the Bible, especially those who created the English King James Version, about 500 years ago.

If they encountered a section of Scripture that conflicted with the church's worldview at that time, instead of questioning that worldview, they just changed the meanings of the words to fit that preconceived worldview.

In the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, the names "Adam" and "Eve" are never mentioned. The man was created from the dust of the ground, but the woman is a product of the man's physical body. Why? The woman is called a "helper" for the man, not "mate" or "companion." The book says that the woman was never given the breath of life, and is never referred to as a living soul. She is part biology and part programming code.

This is an eye-opening book. The author took the time to go back to the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible to see what the original authors really meant. It is very dense reading, but very worthwhile reading. 

The Unworthy

 The Unworthy, Michael Prelee, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, 2023

Part three of a series, this science fiction story is about a man named Nathan. Along with his crew, he is an interstellar "repo man," repossessing spaceships whose owners have fallen behind on their payments.

As mankind spreads out in the galaxy, it runs into planets that are not suitable for humans. Instead of changing the planet to fit humans, why not change humans to fit the planet? Xandra, the richest woman in the solar system, wants Nathan and his crew to find a ship that has been missing for the past several years. They are not told that "experiments" with uninformed human subjects, have been happening on the ship (think "crimes against humanity"). 

The crew gets control of the ship, and make a "jump" in the direction of Earth, or so it thinks. The ship's navigation system has been sabotaged, so they, literally, don't know where they are in the galaxy. Does the ship, and its evidence, reach Earth? Does Xandra get what she deserves?

Here is an excellent novel. It has everything a reader could want, including good writing, deep space and monsters. This is a gem of a story.

How to Set Financial Goals

 How to Set Financial Goals, Aryan Chaudhary, 2021

What sort of financial goals do you have in mind? Is it a short-term goal, like saving enough money to purchase a new, big-screen TV? Do you want to start an emergency fund, in case of sudden bills, or some sort of investment account? Is it a long-term goal, like saving enough money to buy a house? This book can help.

What happens if you don't set any kind of financial goals? You may become stuck in life, and your dreams will remain unfulfilled. You will fall into the debt trap, and life will teach you some unpleasant lessons. The chances get better of you dying broke. You will be forced to spend more and more time at work, neglecting your family.

Financial planning, ahead of time, will help neutralize any short-term "wants" and help keep you focused on your overall goal.

Now, start getting specific about your overall goal. What do you need? When do you need it? How will you contribute to it? To give a simple example, you want to create an emergency fund of at least USD6000 in the next 12 months. You need to figure out a way to put aside USD500 per month, every month.

This is an interesting book. Most of it is a workbook, with plenty of space to write down your progress toward your ultimate goal. Yes, it is very much worth considering.

The Paradox of Debt

 The Paradox of Debt: A New Path to Prosperity Without Crisis, Richard Vague, 2023

These days, all the talk about debt usually means "government debt." This book provides evidence that debt is not always a bad thing.

Did you know that the levels of private debt, including mortgages, credit cards and student loans, is several times greater than government debt? Debt can be a good thing. A married couple getting a mortgage to buy their first home, or a businessman buying equipment for his company, are examples of "good" debt. "Bad" debt drives periodic financial crises and fast-rising levels of income inequality.

According to the author, debt needs to be carefully monitored in areas like housing, trade and student loans (the book explains). His creation of the mythical LoanLand, to help explain some of these topics in very basic terms, helps a lot.

This is an interesting book. For those who are into charts, there are many of them. Yes, this is worth reading for those who want to learn about the financial world.

The Undeniable Power of Movement

 The Undeniable Power of Movement, Nicole Mott, 2023

In this hyper-speed, 24/7 world, multi-tasking seems like a good idea. It is a very bad idea. You will simply do more than one thing at a time, and do them all badly. A much better idea is to focus on doing one thing at a time, and do it to the best of your ability. If necessary, write a daily to-do list. Another myth is that checking items off of a to-do list means that you are staying busy. How many of those items have to be done today, and how many can wait for another day? If you are dealing with too many requests for your time or expertise, learn how to say No.

When working toward a goal, whether it is personal or work-related, there will be distractions. The book shows ways to work through them. It also shows ways to keep up your self-discipline, even if there are no distractions.

 How is your mindset? Do you have a growth mindset, willing to adapt to changing conditions on the inside? Do you have a fixed mindset, unwilling, or unable, to emotionally change? Which one is more helpful?

All of this talk about changing your brain is a waste of time if your health is not good. The author advocates High Intensity Interval Training (look it up) and intermittent fasting. For instance, a person eats only during an eight-hour period, and fasts the rest of the day. This does not allow a person to fill up on junk food during their eating time; eating healthier food is still expected.

This is an excellent book that is very easy to understand. Even if a person can't get "all the way" in this book, getting just part of the way will be a big improvement. Very much worth the time.

I Spy Halloween Book for Kids

 I Spy Halloween Book for Kids, Little Artists Press, 2023, ISBN 9798861141109

This coloring book, intended for young children, presents pictures of five items, along with each letter of the alphabet. The next page has the right answer. Since this is a Halloween-themed book, it concentrates on things like bats, ghosts and mummies.

The pages are thicker than normal, and there is nothing written on the left-hand, back pages, so coloring bleed through is not a concern. This book is recommended for a child who just wants to color in their room, and also to keep the child entertained on those long holiday to visit the relatives. Get out your crayons, or colored pencils, and start coloring! 

Crossword Puzzles for Kids Ages 9-12

 Crossword Puzzles for Kids Ages 9-12, Maky Publishing, 2023, ISBN 9798395688866

Like the title says, this is a book of crossword puzzles for older children.

There are ten clues per puzzle (each puzzle is on a separate page). Each puzzle deals with a different subject, like countries, food, space, jobs, recycling and pirates.

This book will help improve a child's memory and critical reasoning skills. It will also help a child's vocabulary. Nearly anything that gets a child to use their brain is a good thing. This book may spark a life-long interest in crossword puzzles. It may also keep the child entertained on those long trips to Grandma's house. Yes, it is worth the money. 

Unemployable

 Unemployable, Alysia Silberg

This is one person’s journey from extreme poverty to Silicon Valley.

 The author grew up poor in late 20^th century South Africa. In the 1950’s, her father was a well-known makeup artist in Hollywood, on a first-name basis with many big stars. He returned home to become a chemist (pharmacist). Dad may have been an optimistic person, always willing to help a neighbor. He wasn’t much of a businessman, frequently refusing payment for prescriptions. Mom, a former dancer who was forced to retire because of injury, resented the constant lack of money. The relationship between them was difficult, at best.

The crime rate in South Africa was very high; car-jackings and robberies were an everyday occurrence. The chemist shop included a costume rental business; Dad used his makeup skills to make people look their best. After Dad died in an auto accident, Mom and the author applied for, and received, Permanent Resident status in Canada. Aside from the Canadian winter, the author thrived in Canada. After five years, Mom wanted to go back to South Africa.

By this time, the author had become a college professor. She met a man named Darren, and they started a successful real estate “flipping” business. That led to starting a digital marketing firm that was very successful. Many worldwide corporations that wanted to enter the South African market went through them. While creating an app that would make things easier for a company’s sales force, the author received a first-hand education in seeking investors and dealing with venture capitalists (VC’s). Now, the author is a VC, helping other new entrepreneurs. She lectures around the world, and is an unofficial UN ambassador.

This is an excellent book. It is very inspirational, and shows that, if you have that entrepreneurial drive inside you, even the most unpleasant upbringing is not an insurmountable obstacle. The book includes a reading list for anyone who needs further inspiration. It’s also very easy to read.

The Tea Lover's Bible

 The Tea Lover's Bible, Lydia Merrill, 2023

This is a very comprehensive look at the world of tea.

The book explores tea's history; it was first discovered several thousand years ago in China. There are many kinds of tea grown all over the world; the book considers all of them. It is much more than just the black or green tea found in your local supermarket. Tea leaves are better than tea bags. Tea has lots of health benefits. 

Several countries around the world, especially Japan and England, take tea, and its proper serving, very seriously. The book includes several food recipes that have crushed tea leaves as one of the ingredients. It's also possible to put crushed tea leaves in cocktails and other drinks. 

Have you ever considered growing your own tea plants, so you can have a personal supply of tea leaves? They require specific environmental conditions, and harvesting the leaves is pretty labor intensive, but why not try it?

For those who are passionate about tea, this book is a Must Read. For those who have not yet discovered the world of tea, this book is equally recommended.

Rising Stars of the Rising Economies

 Rising Stars of the Rising Economies, Ayman Kabli, 2023

This book presents short profiles of over 200 young people, from all over the rest of the world, who are following their entrepreneurial dreams.

In countries ranging from Croatia to Sri Lanka, these young people exhibit the tenacity and drive to succeed. Their businesses go from fashion design to biomedical engineering. They won't let a lack of educational opportunities, or lack of an entrepreneurial culture in their country, get in their way.

For any young person with a dream, or a business idea, who does not live in America, this book is highly recommended. It is very inspirational, and may just provide the spark to create the next Richard Branson.