Review: Leadership: 15 Minutes of Motivation for Workplace Warriors Lesson #1 by Sheila Guion

Genre: Non-Fiction/Inspirational

Description:

“Ladies, Do You Need a Leadership Makeover?

Looking fabulous is only half the battle. Developing the leader within you makes you attractive both on the inside and outside.

In the time it takes to apply your lashes, blush, and lipstick you can add career-enhancing tools to your leadership tool-box.

Who Says Leadership Has to Be Boring?

Retired Marine Veteran, Sheila Guion (formerly Perdue) answers the 911 call to bridge the gap in leadership training for women (who now make up more than 50% of the current U.S. job market).

She reaches out to women too busy for big books, long lectures, and boring content on leadership.

Leadership: 15 Minutes of Motivation for Workplace Warriors is for managers, supervisors, and the go-to-people who want the best leadership experience, but minus the combat boots, pushups, and Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs).

These short, but powerful, leadership lessons will boost your confidence, courage, and effectiveness as The Boss.”

Author:

“Sheila Guion (formerly Perdue) is the U.S. Marine Veteran who loves the art of creative story-telling.

Her true leadership stories resonate with women Veterans, and women who have no military background.

She reaches out to women too busy for big books, long lectures, and boring content on leadership.”

Appraisal:

Yeah, I realize that the target audience for this book is a specific gender and I don’t fit. I’m not sure that matters. I think there are beneficial lessons reading this short take on leadership could provide, regardless of gender. And also, some people, regardless of gender, are going to be left wanting more. I’ll explain.

Both the book description and the author’s biography mention that her thing is books that are short and to the point. This one is the length of a short story or an average size magazine article. It uses an example of something that happened to the author, how things didn’t go as planned, and what she did to turn the situation around. It’s inspirational. There is some advice. Things like “develop mental toughness,” which is good advice for a leader. But nothing concrete on how to go about doing that. Given the apparent goal of a short, quick, and inspirational read, I think it succeeds. But if you need direction on how to go about developing mental toughness, I guess you’ll need to find a longer book elsewhere.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 2-3,000 words

Seeking the Star / Traci Borum

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Literary Fiction/Inspirational/Christian Fiction

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: NO Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Traci Borum is a writing teacher and native Texan. She's also an avid reader of women's fiction, most especially Elin Hilderbrand and Rosamunde Pilcher novels. Since the age of 12, she's written poetry, short stories, magazine articles, and novels.

Traci also adores all things British. She even owns a British dog (Corgi) and is completely addicted to Masterpiece Theater--must be all those dreamy accents! Aside from having big dreams of getting a book published, it's the little things that make her the happiest: deep talks with friends, a strong cup of hot chocolate, a hearty game of fetch with her Corgi, and puffy white Texas clouds always reminding her to ‘look up, slow down, enjoy your life.’"

To learn more about her check out her website or stalk her on Facebook.

Description:

“One December night, in the sleepy Cotswold village of Chilton Crosse, a drifter named Ben collapses on George and Mary Cartwright’s snow-covered doorstep. As Christmas cheer spreads throughout the village with a Dickens-themed festival, Mary nurses Ben back to health, but she becomes curious about the secrets he seems to carry.

On Christmas Eve, one of Ben’s secrets accidentally comes to light, forcing him to confront the darkness of his past and to rediscover the faith he once knew.”

Appraisal:

Chilton Crosse is such a unique little town. If a scrooge actually ended up anywhere near this town he would be transformed in short order. Ben is not a scrooge, he is a broken man. Luckily his path ends in front of the Cartwright’s house in the middle of a snowy December night, where he collapsed from exhaustion. Mary had been working on her needlepoint when she heard a thud from outside. Waking her husband, George, from his slumber was no easy matter. Neither was bringing in the tall vagabond-looking man, who had been more or less dropped at their doorstep suffering dehydration and hypothermia.

Revisiting this picturesque village and its colorful characters was enjoyable. It’s like catching up with old friends. So was watching the hustle and bustle of the whole town getting ready for Christmas and their Dickens Festival the last week of December. Of course there is no way to hide the fact that Mary and George have a strange man staying at their house. When questioned at choir practice for the Christmas church program, Mary tells a lie! Perhaps the only lie she has ever told in her life… She says Ben is her nephew who has come for a visit.

So, who is Ben and what is he running from is the focus of this novel. To get to the bottom of his story Mary must be careful to not scare him away by prodding. She can tell by the look in his eyes that he could take off any time and that his pain is soul deep. But she feels in her heart he was brought to her for a reason and she must bide her time and be there for him when the time is right. George and Mary invite Ben to stay through the Christmas holidays as he gains back his strength. Needing something to occupy himself with Ben starts working with Ned the local handyman. In Ned, Ben finds someone he trusts and confesses he is not Mary’s nephew. Ben is a quick learner with carpentry skills as the two men build a crèche for a nativity scene to be erected in front of the local church. This is the shortest of the three stories so far, but no less inspiring. This is a wonderful Christmas story with fitting quotes from Charles Dickens at the beginning of each chapter.

FYI:

Seeking the Star is the third book in the Chilton Crosse Series. I believe this story could be read as a stand-alone. Each book so far has not relied too heavily on the other stories.

Format/Typo Issues:

Nothing to speak of.

Rating: **** Four stars

Heaven Enough / Ken La Salle

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Literary/Romance/Inspirational

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Availability

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: NO Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Author and Playwright, Ken La Salle grew up in Santa Ana, California and has remained in the surrounding area his entire life. He was raised with strong, blue collar roots, which have given him a progressive and environmentalist view. As a result, you'll find many of his stories touching those areas both geographically and philosophically. His passion is intense humor, meaningful drama, and finding answers to the questions that define our lives. You can find out more about Ken on his website.

Description:

Matt Murphy and Diva were married for nearly twenty years, yet he did not "know" her. A poet and lover of culinary delights, she is struck by a car and killed instantly—randomly—on the wrong side of town.

When her brother, the "monk," appears for the funeral, Matt is set on an unprecedented course. The two find Diva's computer filled with preparations to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Over 2600 miles from Mexico to Canada...and she was leaving without her husband.

Matt takes it upon himself to hike the trail and sprinkle her ashes along the way. What happens in the first two hours is dumbfounding.

What happens next changes his life forever…

Appraisal:

An engaging, thought provoking, and well written story. Matt begins as something of a stereotype (a boring accountant). So the decision to hike the PCT is completely out of character, and yet, because of the shock and grief and guilt he feels over his wife’s death, it seems to make sense.

Most of the story evolves on the trail. I recently watched the movie, Wild, which also features a journey along the PCT. Although the trail does change Matt, this tale is quite different from Wild. I never quite knew where Matt’s journey was going to lead him, and the ending was surprising, sad, and yet uplifting at the same time. The only criticism I have is that Matt’s stuffy accountant personality is overdone in places, but never enough to make me consider quitting, and nowhere near enough to stop me from recommending the book.

Ken La Salle’s writing is easy on the eye and the book is well edited. Although it doesn’t strictly fit in any one category, there are elements of Romance, Literary Fiction and Inspirational writing in this book. If you enjoy any or all, I think you’ll enjoy Heaven Enough.

Format/Typo Issues:

Very clean.

Rating: **** Four stars