BOOK REVIEWS
By Maryel McKinley

STILL HERE:
Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying
By Ram Dass
“Still Here” is a powerful, poignant and inspiring book that embraces a lifetime of accumulated wisdom and experience of one of the world’s most revered spiritual teachers, Ram Dass. With headings such as — the wisdom of dependency, how to use low energy, healing vs. curing, working with pain, the mirror of suffering and the grace of disease — this outstanding book delves deeply into the core of life’s issues that until now have been either swept under the carpet, denied or looked upon with disdain rather than reverence. In western culture we have been taught to fear growing old to the point of even disrespecting our elders. “Still Here” is an excellent revelation about how to take back our power, that we really do grow better as we grow older, in spite of outside appearances, health challenges, and the process of aging with dignity.

Again, Ram Dass’ words of wisdom will be the pioneering and driving force that will lead the herds toward a more comfortable and enhancing life experience through self-discovery and acceptance of reality. By lifting a veil of fear surrounding the aging process, and by courageously and honestly sharing his deep insights and personal processing, Ram Dass allows us to enter his world and take with us some of the wisdom, courage and revelation he has encountered on his own path.
A must read for all, this book will also be valuable not only for adults, but even more so for the younger generation, to help dispel the stigma towards aging and bring back the honor of living a full, long life.
Thank you Ram Dass, I’m glad you are STILL HERE!

Published by Riverhead Books, “Still Here” is available by calling (800) 248-1008.

ATTITUDES OF GRATITUDE
How to give and receive joy every day of your life
By M.J. Ryan
Thank God, Goddess, Higher Power, Spirit, Universal Mind or whatever, whoever your own personal Deity is, for M.J. Ryan’s newest book “Attitude of Gratitude”. This perfect gift book is overflowing with simple short essays/stories of the gifts of gratitude. My favorite part is titled Gratitude Connects us to Spirit — with a quote from 19th Century Christian mystic, Meister Echhart “If the only prayer you say in your own life is ‘thank-you’, that would suffice”.
The power of Gratitude is awesome, and this beautiful little book reminds us in 50 big ways how to access gratitude in our daily living so as to be fulfilled and at peace. Author M.J. Ryan brilliantly put together a perfect gem, that in her words, helps us notice what is right instead of what is wrong. If this book can accomplish that goal for all who read it, a major shift for the highest good will certainly occur on this planet. Hurray and many thanks from this book reviewer to author M.J. Ryan’s “Attitudes of Gratitude”!

Published by Conari Press, this book is available at your local bookstores.

SHORTCUTS TO SUCCESS
The Absolute Best Ways to Master Your Money, Time, Health 
and Relationships
By Jonathan Robinson
If you want a sure-fire way to get on the fast track to success, motivational author-speaker, Jonathan Robinson, has the perfect way to start. His new book “Shortcuts to Success” far exceeds most books on the market geared toward prosperity mastery. This portable easy-to-read book can be taken with you anywhere so you can apply the suggestions given — suggestions that Robinson has refined and implemented in his years of teaching and speaking as one of the top motivational speakers in the country.

Shortcut secrets show the reader how to literally improve their life by mastering time, energy, health, relationships, succeeding at finances and more. “Shortcuts to Success” is the only book you will ever need to get where you want to go in as little time as possible.  A must buy for those on the road to prosperity, success and freedom.

Another great gift idea from Conari Press, this book is available at your local bookstores.



THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE YOUR OWN BUSINESS
Six Practical & Holistic Steps for Entrepreneurial Success
By Gladys Edmunds
The story of Gladys Edmunds’ success is practically a fairytale come true. At the age of 12, she desperately wanted a pair of Buster Brown shoes, but her parents couldn’t afford them. She took matters into her own hands and became an entrepreneur! Taking advantage of her ‘mature’ voice, Gladys called all the local businesses and marketed herself as a cleaning agency. Not only did she get those shoes; she established a lifelong precedence of enterprising genius.
“There’s No Business Like Your Own Business” offers six tried-and-true steps that Edmunds has developed over a lifetime of successfully owning her own business. As a teenaged single mother, Gladys started what is now a multimillion-dollar enterprise, Edmunds Travel Consultants. These steps will teach you how to take charge of your own thoughts, how to overcome obstacles, how to establish communication, how to develop a dynamic support system, how to achieve balance, and how to expand your horizons.

A practical, inspiring and well written book, “There’s No Business Like Your Own Business”, is a must for all who are in business and want to become more successful, and is definitely a must for those just starting out. Gladys Edmunds is truly an example of inspiration for everyone.

Published by the Penguin Group, this book is available at your local bookstores.



DREAMS OF THE HEART: BOOK ONE
By Susan Christine Hay
The first of a brilliant trilogy, “Dreams of the Heart”, book one, left me craving for more! As a book reviewer, I read hundreds of books each year, but nothing has captured my attention and enthusiasm as this masterpiece. I believe “Dreams of the Heart” will be one of the most important non-fiction works of the new millennium.
Author Susan Christine Hay derived the information for “Dreams of the Heart” from recurring dreams and chronicles in her journals, and has woven together an intense archetypal story that parallels ancient history in such a way that she unfolds a drama actually revealing how a misrepresentation of history as we know it, led to the denigration of women, shrouding history’s most influential men’s efforts to make a difference.

A story of incest, of good vs. evil, of ancient ways and mystical times, of family trees and generations of karma, leading up to the birth of Christ, you simply will not be able to put this book down until you have finished it, and then you will want more! This book reviewer envisions “Dreams of the Heart” becoming bigger than the “Celestine Prophecy”, and it is the perfect manuscript for a powerful and influential feature film.

I do not want to spoil the plot for readers, but I will say that book one has something to do with the life of Mother Mary, her family, her life with Joseph and the important role the birth of Jesus plays in reconstructing history. An absolute MUST read — you will literally hang off the edge of your seat with this profound, intriguing and exciting novel.

This book is available by calling (800) 593-2664.

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