Category Archives: Nonfiction

21 Days to Happiness 3 Day Happiness Challenge and E-Learning Pre-Launch

Blogger's Favorites, Guest Post, Nonfiction, , , ,

One of the books that seriously shook up my world (in a great way) was Ingrid Kelada’s 21 Days to Happiness which I reviewed last year. I love how simple and practical the concepts are and how the book contains things like apps and videos to use to help. The book itself feels very interactive, so I’m sure the new e-learning series will be even more engaging. I can’t wait to try it out!

Ingrid is joining me with a guest post as part of a 3 Day Happiness Challenge to give us all a bit of a happy boost as we head into the holidays.

Happiness Challenge - make a list of things you're thankful forIngrid Kelada’s 3-Day Happiness Challenge Day 3: Make a List of Things You’re Thankful For

Have an Attitude of Gratitude

Welcome to day three of the Happiness Challenge! If you missed the earlier stops in our three-day challenge, you can still pop back to Day 1: Smiling for Happiness and Day 2: Go Outside to complete those challenges and get extra entries in our giveaway.

Today’s Happiness Challenge will help put things in perspective as we go into the holiday season. Your Happiness Challenge is to make a list of things you’re grateful for. It doesn’t have to be long. Try to write down three to five things you appreciate about your life right now.

Why does this work?

Focusing on the positive reminds us of the things that make us happy. We are safe. We are loved. We have lives filled with comforts and access to amazing experiences. When we remember those things, those positive thoughts dim the worries we might be feeling and help us reevaluate our lives. We get a boost of happiness just from noticing good things.

The truth is, we won’t be completely satisfied by external events or circumstances. To find happiness in life we must first be at peace internally. External events and circumstances can bring us happiness in the moment, but they do not have a lasting effect on our inner self. Life brings a mixture of good and bad circumstances to everyone. To rely on life’s experiences for our source of happiness would mean living life in a constant emotional roller coaster ride. Wouldn’t it be better to learn to have a steady feeling of contentment rather than be at the mercy of circumstances and be tossed from the high and low feelings like a ship in a storm?

That’s where gratitude comes in. The inner contentment that survives the roller coaster ride of life has its roots deep within our being. When we train ourselves to recognize the good things, to stop and be grateful, we are stopping the roller coaster, stepping off, and looking at our lives in a different way.

Simply taking a moment to be grateful boosts our mood and makes us feel happier. Try it now!

Participate in the Challenge!

The giveaway below offers you a chance to share your Happiness Challenge and celebrate the release of the  bestselling book 21 Days to Happiness as a new interactive e-learning experience.

3 winners will receive our 3 Days to Happiness E-Learning for free! That’s a 30$ value!

If you don’t win,  you’ll still have the option to get the 3-Day to happiness program at the crazy low-price of 9$ for a limited time! It will be available soon at www.KCCPositivePsychology.com

21 Days to Happiness: Increase your Happiness, Productivity and Energy – available in 4-formats: paperback, eBook, audiobook and online e-Learning program…something for everyone!

Amazon | Audible | Goodreads | E-Learning

Struggling to find work-life balance? Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated or just want to increase your happiness, you can learn how in just 10 minutes a day!

For some of us, feeling busy or stressed has become the new normal. Others feel okay, but just want a boost to productivity, energy and motivation. Instead of hoping for happiness, what if happiness is something you DO, something you CHOOSE every day? The good news: it is and the solutions are simple. Psychologist and happiness expert Ingrid Kelada provides a step-by-step guide to help you increase your personal happiness and feel more motivated. You can learn how with simple 10-minute strategies. Each day of the 21-day journey focuses on one key area of your life, including:

  • Time: how to break the cycle of chaos and manage your time effectively.
  • Body Language: exploring the surprising links between body language and happiness
  • Relationships: how to make the most of the number one predictor of happiness.
  • Work: how to use your strengths and talents so that you are engaged and motivated.
  • Money: what you should spend your money on to feel most satisfied.

In this interactive approach, each “Day” features resources like apps to try, videos to watch for deeper understanding, space for journaling your observations, and tools to help you master these new habits in just a few minutes per day.

About 21 Days to Happiness Interactive E-Learning Program

Sometimes we need more than text on a page to make a message come alive. That’s what the 21 Days to Happiness E-Learning program is all about! The online learning program will make your happiness habits come alive in an easy, accessible way. Purchase the whole series or just a few modules and work through it at your own pace. Each module takes only minutes per day, giving you a chance to focus on a key component so you can add to your happiness toolbox. For more info and promotions check it out here: www.KCCPositivePsychology.com

Special introductory price for “3 Days to Happiness E-Learning Program” – the first three modules of 21 Days to Happiness Program – for only $9 through December 31. A 30$ Value. Christmas is the best time to work on your happiness or offer it as a gift.

About Ingrid Kelada, psychologist and happiness expert

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website

Ms. Ingrid Kelada is an experienced psychologist and happiness expert. Her goal is to inspire people and change their lives.

She is proud of her recent Amazon bestseller book 21 Days to Happiness. She is a speaker and has facilitated over 1000 workshops all over the world.

People find her to be pragmatic, inspiring and funny!

She has set up an online personality questionnaire store to help people identify their talents and interests and live their best life.

She lives in Montreal with her husband, son and dog.

With over 25 years experience, she offers her expertise and advice to a wide range of clients. She is bilingual and a member of the professional association of Psychologists of Quebec.

Catch up on the Other Happiness Challenges

11/19 – Happiness Challenge Day 1: Smiling with A Mama’s Corner of the World

11/20 – Happiness Challenge Day 2: Go Outside with Everyday Gyaan

11/21 – Happiness Challenge Day 3: Gratitude – The Story Sanctuary – you are here!

Enter the Giveaway for a Chance to Win 3 E-Learning Modules of 21 Days to Happiness

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Waiting Matters Series by Beth Steury

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Saving Sex for Marriage in a Fifty Shades World (Waiting Matters #1)
Beth Steury
Life Matters Publishing
Published on September 12, 2017

Amazon | Goodreads

About Saving Sex for Marriage in a Fifty Shades World
“A world that respects sex . . . ” Can you imagine a society molded around the principle that sex is a gift? An awesomely amazing gift from GOD? You know, the guy who created it? A place where people totally get that sex is more than simply a pleasurable physical act. Oh, everyone knows that sex is incredible. But because it’s so good, sex is protected from anything or anyone who would try to abuse it. Can you even imagine such a place? Barely, right? Because instead, ours is a “Fifty Shades of Grey” world where sex has been so trivialized that saving sex for marriage is labeled old-fashioned, unnecessary, unimportant. Even worse ridiculous or dumb. But I’m here to convince you that GOD’s design for sex is amazing. That waiting does matter. That sex is worth saving for marriage. Even in this Fifty Shades world.
My Review
This first book in the Waiting Matters series talks a lot about why waiting until marriage to have sex is important and why it makes sense from a Christian perspective. Steury is practical and firm but not unkind in the way she addresses the issue. Obviously it will mostly appeal to readers with a Christian worldview.

I liked that the tone of the book is very positive and encouraging. While Steury doesn’t leave a lot of room for excuses, she continually encourages readers to reaffirm a commitment to abstinence and never berates anyone for having made other choices in the past.

The Waiting Matters books make a nice introduction to reasons for abstinence (book 1) and practical strategies for maintaining a successful commitment to abstinence (book 2). They make a great companion to Steury’s novel (and soon-to-be series) Before I Knew You, book one in the Choices Matter series.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Content Notes
No profanity. Obviously the book contains some references to sex, but no graphic details.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Who, What, When, Where, How and Why of Saving Sex for Marriage (Waiting Matters #2)
Beth Steury
Life Matters Publishing
Published on September 12, 2017

Amazon | Goodreads

About The Who, What, When, Where, How and Why of Saving Sex for Marriage
Saving sex for marriage is the best decision you’ll ever make.

No matter who you are, how old you are, or where you live. Doesn’t even matter what’s in your past.

“But I already didn’t wait!”

Then a commitment to “renewed waiting” is the second-best choice you’ll ever make. Nothing makes more sense than stopping behavior that puts you at risk physically, emotionally and mentally.

“But it’s hard to wait . . . ”

Of course it is. Waiting is tough, but it’s not impossible. You can do it.

These practical strategies and candid conversations from the “Waiting Matters . . . Because YOU Matter” blog series will help you navigate the choppy waters of saving sex for marriage.

Because sex is worth waiting for. You are worth waiting for.
My Review
I liked that this book talks about practical strategies for walking out a commitment to abstinence. Often I hear people talking about how important a commitment to abstinence is without really talking about how to live out that kind of commitment. Steury also doesn’t mince words about what abstinence really means and how a relationship between two people committed to waiting until marriage to have sex should look.
Each chapter opens with a quote or question about sex that a person in a relationship might ask or believe about sex. Steury responds in a clear, concise narrative with explanations that are easy to follow.
I think this book would be a great resource for a church small group study or a lead-in to a discussion about boundaries and ground rules for teens beginning to have dating relationships. Of the two Waiting Matters books, this one was definitely my favorite.
While I think kids 12 and up could read this book, it’s probably best-suited to teens 15 or 16 years old up through college years.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Content Notes
No profanity. Obviously the book contains some references to sex, but no graphic details.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Be Affected by Riley Choquette

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Nonfiction, , , , ,

Be Affected
Riley Choquette
Published on June 6, 2018

Amazon | Goodreads

About Be Affected
Be Affected charges young men, especially in the Church, to embrace the value of dating as an aspect of divine image-bearing and offers practical advice on how to do it well. Written from the perspective of a young, single Christian man, this books offers a theological explanation of the importance and goodness of dating, highly-practical advice on asking for and planning effective dates, and honest encouragement for when things don’t go as planned.

From the Introduction:
Books about dating all face one of two problems: either the author is married, or the author is single. In the first case, it’s too easy to think ‘Well sure, that approach worked for you, but that’s just one story.’ What if the married author has fallen out of touch, and he or she doesn’t understand how things are these days? In the case of a single author, even more doubts arise: ‘How can I be sure whether any of this works, if it hasn’t worked out for you?’

That kind of thinking assumes that the goal of dating is finding a spouse, which is true. However, even though the ultimate indicator of success in dating is marriage, there are plenty of ways to be successful without yet having found a spouse. This book will detail some of those ways.

My Review
I really like that this book gives practical advice for early stages of dating. It’s easy to follow, quick to read, and has a lighthearted, approachable tone. I thought the section with ideas for first dates was great, and so was the checklist of things to do before going on a date. (I kind of wish I could go back in time and give that list to a few of the boys I dated, but that’s a whole other story!)

Another really helpful part was the section that talked about how to ask a girl for a date in the first place. I think the simple, direct, no-pressure approach is a perfect model for people as they approach someone they want to date. The emphasis on community– having friends and family to cheer you on and back you up or listen to you process how the date went– as so important really resonated with me, too. Having a good community around you makes a huge difference.

All in all, this book makes a great resource for young Christian men looking to begin dating relationships. I think most if not all of the counsel could apply to girls as well, though it’s addressed specifically to guys. I enjoyed reading Be Affected, and especially enjoyed the part of the book the title comes from, in which the author talks about the importance of being sincere and vulnerable, actually letting others get to know the real you in relationships. Great stuff.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
No racial details given. The author is speaking most directly to young Christian men looking to date women.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to kissing. Vague references to sex.

Spiritual Content
The author quotes a couple of verses, one about the how finding a wife is a good thing, according to Proverbs. He encourages readers to pray about any anxiety over upcoming dates or asking someone on a date. More than one section discusses abstinence as the best way to prepare for a marriage relationship and the basis for this lifestyle in the Bible.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, , ,

Born a Crime
Trevor Noah
Doubleday Canada
Published on November 15, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Born a Crime
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

My Review
The description above (from the back cover copy) makes the story sound so glamorous. And indeed, Trevor Noah has an amazing life story. And while the telling of it is often funny, Noah doesn’t shy away from the loneliness and prejudice he experienced especially in his early life. I enjoyed the way he weaves South African history and culture into each essay to give greater context to readers who aren’t familiar with his home. I also really liked the descriptions of and stories about his relationship with his mom. While it’s clear he disagrees with her on some important issues, there’s never any doubt that they love each other, and that she’s a powerful woman who worked incredibly hard to make sure he’d have every opportunity, even during a time when the government declared Noah’s very existence criminal.

Ultimately, I’d say this is a story of courage, packed with equal portions humor and heart. An inspirational read for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Trevor Noah has one white parent and one black parent. The book discusses some racial prejudice in South Africa through his childhood and young adult life.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Somewhat infrequent use of extreme profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Trevor’s mother and grandmother are both devout Christians. As a child he shared their faith but doesn’t as an adult. He shares stories of going to church as a family and attending prayer meetings and some stories about superstitions like cats being evil.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of domestic violence and stealing music and video games. At one point, Trevor describes an incident in which a woman is shot several times.

Drug Content
Trevor’s stepfather smoked pot and drank alcohol. He often became violent after drinking. Trevor describes some of these encounters.

 

Review: You Are Mighty by Caroline Paul

Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, , , , , , ,

You Are Mighty: A Guide to Changing the World
Caroline Paul
Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki
Bloomsbury Children’s
Published on May 15, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Being a good citizen means standing up for what’s right-and here’s just the way to start. From the author of The Gutsy Girl comes a book for those with a fierce sense of justice, a good sense of humor, and a big heart. This guide features change-maker tips, tons of DIY activities, and stories about the kids who have paved the way before, from famous activists like Malala Yousafzai and Claudette Colvin to the everyday young people whose habit changes triggered huge ripple effects. So make a sign, write a letter, volunteer, sit-in, or march! There are lots of tactics to choose from, and you’re never too young to change the world.

My review
You Are Mighty drew me in with its upbeat tone and practical steps for how to make a difference in your community and even in the larger world. I loved all the true stories about famous and little-known activists who stood up for causes they believed in and saw amazing results. More than that, I loved how simply this book breaks down the process of fighting for a cause. It makes me want to sit down with my own kids and encourage them to take action on causes that are important to them and to us as a family. I’m actually hoping to do some of that this summer, and we’ll definitely be using You Are Mighty as our guide. I highly recommend it.

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Cultural Elements
Discusses social justice issues across lines of race and sexual orientation.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: Ginger Kid by Steve Hofstetter

Book Review and Content, Memoir, Nonfiction, , , , , ,

Ginger Kid: Mostly True Tales of a Former Nerd
Steve Hofstetter
Amulet Books
Published on March 20, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Ginger Kid
In Ginger Kid, popular comedian Steve Hofstetter grapples with life after seventh grade . . . when his world fell apart. Formatted as a series of personal essays, Steve walks his readers through awkward early dating, family turbulence, and the revenge of the bullied nerds. This YA nonfiction is sure to be the beloved next volume for the first generation of Wimpy Kid fans who are all grown up and ready for a new misfit hero.

My Review
A fun, easy, read that’s deceitfully informative. Each essay delivers laughs and lessons together, from things Hofstetter learned about girls and relationships to his development as a comedian. I liked the gently self-deprecating, funny way the stories are related. The short sections are perfect for readers with short gaps of time for reading—perfect for me right now!

I liked that even though the stories often have a moral lesson to them, it felt very personal rather than instructive. The scenes about improv made me want to play the games he described or join a local improv group—they sounded like so much fun!

Ginger Kid is a great read not just for misfits but for anyone who has ever felt awkward in a crowd or wrestled with self-discovery. If you’re looking for a lighthearted read, add this one to your list for sure!

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Steve is from a Jewish family. He describes (very positive) experiences he had as part of a youth group for Jewish kids.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Roughly a dozen instances of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some descriptions of kissing girls. He alludes to more, describing one girlfriend as a “sexual person,” though he doesn’t specify further.

Spiritual Content
See cultural elements.

Violent Content
A bully threatens to hit Steve.

Drug Content
Some mentions of drinking alcohol.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.