Stars: ★★★★★

Chicken Soup for the Soul (2013)
400 pages
Self Help (Motivational and Inspirational)

Another great Chicken Soup for the Soul book for parents. I love that this one is written by moms and dads of all kinds and not just for one or the other. I especially enjoyed the stories by men as it’s less often that you hear about the joys of parenting from men.

It was only a few stories in that I read the FUNNIEST story. So funny I was cracking up laughing in the bathroom (because that happens to be where I was reading it.) Anyone in the house must have though I’d gone crazy I was laughing so hard. I’m pretty sure I had trouble breathing.

STOP – Before you read on, swallow your drink, put down the breakables and prepare for extreme laughter!

Excerpt from Baby Steps by Rob L. Berry

“The moment when I realized I was in way over my head will be forever etched in my memory. […] After reaching the changing table, I was confused by my inability to get my son to lie flat on the table. His legs seemed oddly strong for a seven-day-old. I turned the light on to discover that I had picked up my cat instead of my son. I knew it was time to get some sleep, or to get some therapy. Or maybe both.” – Chapter One, Page 10

Not all the stories are humourous although there are plenty of them. Some are touching, some are a bit sad and some will bring you good memories of when your child(ren) did something similar.

You have got to love the cartoons that are included in most Chicken Soup for the Soul books, they are always SO funny!

From Beginning to End

There are 14 chapters on different life lessons or aspects of parenting:

1. Becoming a Family
2. All in a Day’s Work
3. Is There a Manual For This?
4. Parenting Faux Pas
5. Stop and Smell the Roses
6. Learning From Each Other
7. Treasured Moments
8. From the Mouths of Babes
9. What Goes Around Comes Around
10. Love Conquers All
11. Saying Thank You
12. Giving Them Wings to Fly

When you are having a tough day as a parent, pull out this book and take a few moments to read the stories. Reading these stories will remind you of the good times you’ve had as a family and allow you to appreciate your family.

Buy This Book from Amazon.com and Help Support SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews

*As an Official Soup-er Blogger, I or a member of my review team received this book for evaluation purposes. Some links above may be affiliate links. All review are honest.

The post Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

Collins Information Services, Inc. (April 2009)
Health and Wellness/Fitness
172 Pages

A Bit of Background

I received this book years ago when I wasn’t really ready to start losing weight. As such I read some of it but when I got to the part about making a journal, it just seemed like too much so I didn’t read farther.

It sat on my shelf quietly and occasionally I’d see it there and think, “Gee I should really get back to reading that book. I was supposed to review it and besides, I really need to lose weight.” Then I’d walk away and it would stay there.

Less than two weeks ago, I decided I was ready to take action and actively lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. As part of that, I remembered the book and went to take it off the shelf and give it another try. I read it in two days.

I WISH I had read it back then and acted on it as well. I might be a healthy weight today. Sadly the book doesn’t seem to be in print anymore although you may be able to find a used copy. The author has a newer book out which probably contains some of the same information in a new format but I’m not sure as I haven’t read it.

NOT a Diet

One thing I’ve known for a while even though I hadn’t done anything about it, is that to lose weight and KEEP it OFF, you can’t diet. You have to make changes to your lifestyle that you can sustain once you reach your desired weight. The author lost weight and more importantly KEPT it OFF by following a plan she designed for herself using her knowledge as a registered nurse and certified consultant in weight management.

Individual Personalized Plans

Georgene shows us her five step process that allowed her to create her own personalized plan that was just right for her needs, health and lifestyle. She shows you how to create a plan that’s right for you so you can get the results you want and that will make it easier for you to stick to.

Sharing Her Story..

..makes me more confident in her approach than a book written by a health professional who has never been overweight. The first chapter tells her story and throughout the book as she shares more, you can tell she is opening up about her REAL life and not just sharing generic statements than anyone could make. Reading about her struggle, although not the same as mine, helped me to see it IS possible to lose a lot of weight and keep it off.

The Chapters

Chapter 2 has some information on obesity discrimination, health risks and such. Some of it is interesting but it’s not the best part of the book. It quotes American stats and topics and some of it may be outdated anyways. It’s a small section. Chapter 3 is about preparing to lose weight and is important.

Chapter 4 however is all about the process. There are 5 steps to the process but each of the steps takes a little while to complete. This is fine however as it takes time to lose weight, so no one should be expecting to complete 5 simple steps and magically be smaller.

Chapter 5 covers exercise and Chapter 6 has a bunch of tips. Chapter 7 is about plateaus and setbacks while Chapter 8 covers special occasions, travelling and dining out. Chapter 9 covers maintenance.

How This Weight Loss Book is DIFFERENT

The main reason why this book is so different than other weight loss books I have read, is that she doesn’t just give you some tips on eating healthy and exercising and send you off. She has figured out what is needed to ensure success and more importantly, continued success. She has you figuring out what your goals are (other than just to lose weight), what is stopping you from getting there, what has worked and not worked in the past and what your emotions are regarding food. She then has you address these issues.

She uses journals to keep all her insights about herself in one spot. When I first read the book years ago, I was thinking something along the lines of that journaling may work for her but I don’t think it’s necessary and I don’t intend to do it. I thought about my answers but I didn’t write anything down.

I see now that it is necessary to write these things down, so you can easily look back on them whenever you need to and to have a record of where you were at, at different parts of your journey. She uses the journal in many ways and I honestly can’t wait to get started. I feel like this is what I need to keep going. That’s not just something I’m saying, I fully intend to start on my weight loss journal as soon as I’m done writing this review.

Weight Loss Mathematics

The book covers all math related topics such as calorie counting, exercise METs and all the calculations that go with them. It’s the best explanation of how calories and weight loss works I’ve ever seen.  It cleared up all the questions I had.

Tons of Helpful Information

The exercise section had some good information on types of exercise, and how it works in conjunction with lowering your caloric intake to help you lose weight. The weight loss tips were great little bite sized tips. Some I knew but a few were new to me. Most of the information was helpful to anyone who lives anywhere.

If her new book does not contain much of the same information as this book, then the author should consider reprinting the book.

Buy Obesity Free Forever (used only) from amazon.com and Help Support SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews

*I or a member of my review team received product from a company or PR agency for evaluation purposes. Some links above may be affiliate links. All review are honest.

The post Obesity Free Forever: Losing Weight from the Inside Out by Georgene Dana Collins appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

Shadow Mountain (Mar 2013)
200 pages
Recipes/Handicraft

Summary: In their debut cookbook, the sisters show families just how simple putting dinner on the table can be. Six Sisters Stuff has nearly 100 easy to follow recipes that use ingredients commonly found in your pantry. Each recipe includes easy-to-follow instructions and photographs that eliminate any guess work. Also craft ideas and fun family activities.

Who Are The Six Sisters?

The six biological sisters are Camille, Kristen, Elyse, Stephanie, Lauren and Kendra and they have a blog at sixsistersstuff.com sharing their love of cooking, crafting and creating. There blog has become one of the most popular food/craft blogs with an average 5 million page views per month.

A Delightful Surprise

I’ve read and reviewed a lot of recipe books and one thing I’ve found is that they usually have some recipes our family wants to try, but also LOTS of recipes that just aren’t right for our (picky) family. It’s not that there is anything wrong with the recipes, they just contain ingredients we have no interest in eating, or require expensive or rare ingredients or tools or just take too long to prepare. Sometimes the ingredients themselves we like but not the way they are prepared.

I think I can safely say EVERY SINGLE RECIPE in the Six Sister Stuff book is something our family would eat. Here are just SOME of the yummy recipes I want to try:

• Black Bean Taco Soup
• Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
• Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos
• Grilled 7-Up Chicken
• Creamy Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes
• Snickers Apple Pudding Salad
• Mini Maple Pancake Muffins
• Root Beer Float Cookies

Come to think of it, most of the recipes I want to try are made with chicken and/or bacon, and/or ranch, 3 of my favourite foods. There are quite a few Mexican/Spanish type dishes. There are a few healthier ones too.

As a matter of fact, my husband wanted to make Parmesean Sesame Chicken Strips (pg 36) one night while I was gone but he couldn’t find the sesame seeds at the store so he made it with sunflower seeds and he added bacon bits and he said it turned out very good. I didn’t try any but it’s odd for him to follow a new recipe when it comes to meal time foods (as opposed to desserts.)

For the Crafty Foodie

I can’t properly review the craft sections since I am NOT crafty and will probably never use them. Here is some of what you will find:

• Pallet Bookshelves
• 14 Days of Valentines
• Do It Yourself Ice Cream Cone Piñata
• The Ultimate Kid Wash
• $6 Wire Hanger Christmas Ornament Wreath

Activities Too

• Spring Cleaning Checklist
• 50 Fun Date Ideas
• 100 Healthy Snack Ideas
• 101 Funk Easy and Cheap Indoor Activities for Kids
• Build Your 72-hour Kit in 52 Weeks
• 40 Read Trip Ideas For Kids

The one about building a 72 hour kit was very good. If you don’t know, it’s a kit that is for emergencies that has what you need to survive for 72 hours like food, water, meds, etc. Instead of spending lots of money and time to build it all at once, you add something every week for a year. I don’t think I’ll do it this way but it gives me a good idea of what I need to include as well.

Suggestions to Make the Book Better

The only thing I’d suggest really is to make the book lay more flat. I had to put heavy things on top just to get it to stay open to the page I needed. That’s one thing that really irks me with recipe books or any book where you are following instructions. The instructions are clear, the photos are beautiful, but it needs to stay open.

4 x 4 Family Dinner Challenge

The Six Sisters are challenging you to have dinner with your family 4 nights per week for four weeks. Will you take the challenge?

The post mentions doing it in March but you can certainly do it for the four weeks from when you decide to join in. There is no specific sign up form or anything, just comment on the 4×4 challenge post if you are joining in.

The post Six Sisters’ Stuff: Family Recipes, Fun Crafts, And So Much More appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

Stars: ★★★★☆

Social Media Marketing/Analytics
306 pages

Summary: With so many social media monitoring and measurement tools available, it can be overwhelming to figure out which tool is right for you when it comes to calculating the success of your social media marketing efforts. This fun and friendly guide helps you determine which tool will serve you best for understanding your online audience.  – dummies.com

As an analytical person, statistics and analytics interests me on almost any subject. I was intrigued when I was offered a chance to read Social Media Metrics for Dummies because I was in the midst of using social media more for blog promotion and I wanted to know how I was doing.

The book WAS over my head in some ways and is aimed more at a business that has customers and money to spend on analytics programs but that doesn’t mean I didn’t come away with good information. I just had to dodge in between the techy speak.

Part 1: Metrics? What the Heck is That?

This section covers the basics of what metrics are and how they are measured. Also specifically how metrics are used for businesses. there is also talk about how not all metrics are created equal and how to determine which ones to pay more attention too.

Then we are helped to find a metrics service to use and we learn how to use what you find and how to track your metrics.

In this part we look at different services, first at Google Analytics and then as a few others ones.

Part 2: Navigating The Measurement Jungle

Have you ever heard of the six stages of grief? Well this is the Six Stages of Metrics Grief. Sometimes your stats can be depressing, especially if you aren’t where you want to be. See the stages.

Learn the difference between how individuals vs. organizations use metrics. Learn about dashboards.  How content factors into metrics and how to track different types of content (video, audio, photos, downloads etc.)

Part 3: Putting Your Metrics on Steroids

Now you know the basics, time to become a metrics guru: Testing, Tracking/Converting, Metrics History, Metrics for Feeds, etc.

Mobile and Email Metrics are also covered in this section. This is something I’m not ready to delve into very much but will com in handy. Some of the stuff in this chapter was over my head.

Part 4: Keeping Your Finger on the Pulse of Living, Breathing Metrics

Here you’ll find Metrics Mistakes and how to avoid them including fake metrics, surface metrics, metrics pitfalls and about not gaming the system.  Also how to make metrics work for your brand including tracking social sharing and seeing how people find you. The chapter on branded metrics is way beyond the scope of a blog and therefore I mostly just skimmed that section.

Part 5: Taking the Deep Dive into Advanced Metrics

It was at this point I was thinking, weren’t we already talking about advanced stuff? I actually found some of the topics covered in this section LESS advanced than some of the ones in the last chapter.

This part covers page load times, video metrics, phone call data, social buttons, offline marketing and QR codes. It goes over making your Calls-to-Action work for you and how to use metrics to see if it is working. Also how to set goals for your metrics.

Part 6: Predicting Future Metrics

Find out where metrics is going in the future. Mobile App metrics and cutting-edge metrics ideas. Also talk about knowing what new things deserve measuring and more on new trends.

Finally, Part 7 which I didn’t mention above is the usual Part of Tens that you find in all For Dummies books. In the case of Social Media Metrics for Dummies you’ll find Ten cool ways to use metrics (metrics for things like fitness, finance, productivity or relationships) and ten useful metrics services and metrics tools.

You can check out three excerpts available from the Wiley website (see right-side.)

*I or a member of my review team received product from a company or PR agency for evaluation purposes. Some links above may be affiliate links. All review are honest.

The post Social Media Metrics for Dummies by Leslie Poston appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

So here’s my post saying I’m joining in the Bloggiesta.

My Bloggiesta To-Do List

1. Write (at least) 2 book reviews
2. Transfer my blog to WordPress (if I have time, I’ve done it twice before so I know how, I just need the time)
3. Participate in (at least) one #bloggiesta twitter chat
4. Find 3 new book blogs to follow
5. Post (at least) 3 reviews I’ve already done to GoodReads
6. Post (at least) 3 reviews I’ve already done to Amazon

The post Bloggiesta March 2013 appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

All quotes below are from the respective news pages. Click over to read the full story.

Leanna Landsman: Kids Should Read Nonfiction Too – Tennessean

“Our school is giving students more nonfiction assignments and wants parents to make it a priority at home. My seventh-grade daughter loves vampire books, “The Hunger Games,” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” but says nonfiction is boring. Why are schools pushing nonfiction?”

In the Stacks: New Nonfiction for Adults – Juneau Empire

“New nonfiction for adult readers ranges from a book on innovative education by Salman Khan (of the KhanAcademy), a wonderful biography of husband and wife duo Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss (of the children’s book “The Carrot Seed”), and “Philosophy bites back,” a collection of podcasts on the greatest thinkers of the past.”

The Big Switch – Nonfiction for Fiction Readers – Montclair Patch

“I noticed recently that when folks ask for recommendations for books, one of the first questions I ask is whether they are “fiction” or “nonfiction” types. Usually people feel pretty strongly about this, and whether they admit to crossing over once in a while, they are generally pretty comfortable categorizing themselves (or the person they are buying for) as one type or the other. “

The post Nonfiction in the News 2/28 appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

Stars: ★★★☆☆

Self-Published
Language

I’ve been trying to teach my children Spanish (as well as teach myself more of it) ever since they were born and I’m always looking for new resources. I had decided to make more of an effort in 2013 to learn Spanish although to be honest, I haven’t done very well.

Lighting Fast Spanish makes it easy for me by breaking things down into subjects and giving you conversation starters which will get you actually using the vocabulary instead of just reading about it.

For example we are encouraged to speak Spanish while sorting our laundry by asking our children (in Spanish) which item of clothing they like best, what an item is called, what colour it is etc. The vocabulary words you need are included in the book.

It’s not a complete guide to learning the language or anything, more like a starter guide, designed for kids and families. Reading these activities gave me other ideas for ways to make everyday activities a Spanish learning experience. Learning doesn’t have to involve copying out grammar or repeating phrases from an audiobook.

What would make the book better would be a better layout as it’s not appealing to the eyes but it gets the information across.

If learning a second language was on your New Year’s Resolutions list and you need some help with that goal, Carolyn Woods sells other language books other than Spanish.

Buy Lighting Fast Spanish from Amazon.com

*I or a member of my review team received product from a company or PR agency for evaluation purposes. Some links above may be affiliate links. All review are honest.

The post Lightning-Fast Spanish for Kids and Families by Carolyn Woods appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

Authors: Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe

Stars: ★★★★★

McGraw Hill
226 pages
Marketing

Summary: In 2006, Stephen and Fritz dropped 500 Mentos mints into 100 bottles of Coke in front of a video camera and uploaded it. The video went viral (SUPER popular – fast) in a matter of hours and were on TV about it as well.  More than 100 million people have watched The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments. In this book, they explain how you can make a video guaranteed to “pack a punch” by following the four core principles.

Includes Mores than 100 QR Codes

This is the first book I’ve seen that makes use of QR codes on more than just the back of the book.

Know what a QR code is? Skip this paragraph. If you don’t know what a QR code, it’s a little graphic (see right) that can be scanned by a Smartphone and instantly calls up a webpage or video. Scanning might give you a coupon to use for the product, or show a video of how something works or connect directly to a company’s website or Facebook page. If you have a QR code reader, go ahead and scan that one to the right to see SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews on Facebook.

Since the book is about viral videos, it naturally has to talk about other viral videos and videos that tried to viral but flopped. Reading about them is good but it’s hard to understand what they are talking about if you haven’t seen the video. So each time a video is mentioned, there is an accompanying QR code you can scan to go to a website that has the video ready to view. You can see the Viral Video Manifesto video list anytime you want.

This is a great feature but also meant that it took me longer to read this book than it normally would since I had to keep watching funny and interesting videos after a few paragraphs.

I’d like to share some of my favourites and what I learned from them.

Torn by Johann Lippowitz with Natalie Imbruglia (Mime Interpretation of a Pop Song)

What I Learned: Get right to the action, no long boring intros. Be unforgettable (rule 3). This was something never done before when it was made. Be yourself, people like to see REAL people.

Sony Bravia (Balls)

What I Learned: People want cool videos, not obvious advertisements. Don’t add product shots or logos everywhere. One note to the sponsoring company at the end is perfect and memorable.

Photo Booth Pranks

What I Learned: The reason why Candid Camera is so popular is because its captures a moment that happens quickly and we often wouldn’t see. Staged reactions are okay, but real reactions are golden.

LIBDUB – I Gotta Feeling

What I Learned: One constant shot or edits made only to move us forward in time are best. Multiple cameras and camera angles are more professional, but that’s not usually what goes viral. The camera should move so that it seems like we are really there.

There were so many more that I loved but it wasn’t just watching the videos I loved. It was reading about why they went viral compared to others that might be similar but didn’t go viral. I found it all very interesting and yet at the same time, everything I learned just made sense. Viral Video Manifesto was a great read.

The Four Principles:

1. Be True… Don’t fake it. Make it real.
2. Don’t Waste My Time… Get down to business right away.
3. Be Unforgettable.. Show us something we’ve never seen before.
4. It’s All About Humanity.. An emotional connection is the key to sharing.

*I or a member of my review team received product from a company or PR agency for evaluation purposes. Some links above may be affiliate links. All review are honest.

The post Viral Video Manifesto by The Coke and Mentos Guys appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

I haven’t joined reading challenges in a long time and I don’t plan to get all crazy with them but I DO have review books to catch up on, so why not connect with other bloggers while I do so with the Review Copy Cleanup?

This is my official sign up post as well as week 1 check-in since I already missed a week. I won’t list all the books I need to read because there are so many and I’m not sure what I’ll read in what order.

For now I’m finishing the books I’m already reading for the Wicked Valentine’s Readathon:

1. Viral Video Manifesto
2. Social Media Metrics for Dummies

I also have books I’ve finished but just need to review. Need to get those up ASAP.

I am also transferring to WordPress this weekend or next week so if you stop by again and it looks weird, that’s why.

The post Review Copy Cleanup Feb 2013 appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

I’ve been meaning to catch up on some reading and reconnect with the book blogging crowd and this is a great chance to do so. I am signing up two days in and can’t commit to lots of reading as I have lots of other things I need to do but I do want to get some reading done and check in on other bloggers who blog about books.

If you are visiting from the readathon you probably have not heard of my blog or if you heard of me back when it was called SMS Book Reviews but have forgotten about me. I’ve been around, still reviewing books but have been working on my other projects more and it’s time to get back to my love of reading.

As you may have guessed, I read nonfiction almost exclusively. I can’t name the last fiction book I read, it was sometime in early 2012 I think. So I don’t know if I’ll participate in challenges or not as they usually don’t apply to me as a nonfiction reader, but we’ll see.

Books I’m Reading From This Week:

• The Viral Video Manifesto by Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe (the Coke and Mentos Guys) – On page 49 of 200
• Social Media Metrics for Dummies – On page 106 of 288
• Taming Aggression In Your Child – on page 0 of 213

The post Joining the Wicked Valentine’s Readathon #WWReadathon appeared first on SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.