Will Self Books

This book took me from inside myself, made me stand outside my own awareness, and look at my life. I look at life differently. We all have growing to do, this book will grown you up. I recommend "God Will Teach Me To Fly" to the person that has everything, except self-love. In hopelessness, distrust, anguish,then eating, drinking and sleeping pain, after that life, there is more. I'm glad to know there is life after death. Praise be to God! G. Williams, Indian

Written by a Ph.D.who lost all his teeth due to chemotherapy, I found this book to be uplifting and to provide a postive motivation for me. Having recently lost most of my teeth (and more) from my mouth I had sort of resigned myself to eating only very soft foods or things created in the blender. Fortunately, Ddr. John E. Philpott has for years had an interest in gourmet cooking. This recent book (published in 1999) offers a generous sampling of cleverly named delights ranging from soups and sauces to full-bodied entrees of seafood, poultry and meat. I have just ordered a second copy of this book to give to someone who needs a boost after serious surgery. The cover of this book states: "Over 150 Delicious Reason To Smile". Hopefully others will find at least one reason for them to smile and a tasty one at that.

The title of my review comes from the great Catholic Mystic/Theologian Meister Eckhart who said those words in the 13nth century. Proof positive that there have always been those who have known about 'the Secret'.

I think we all do in the deepest part of our hearts and souls. But part of being human is having that rather nasty habit of forgetting. We forget that there can be no sides on a round planet. We forget that we shouldn't do things to others that we wouldn't like done to ourselves. We forget that we don't just have a Soul, we are the Soul. And the thing that we forget the most is to be grateful and appreciative.

This incredibly small, but detailed book, explains why being grateful and appreciative for everything that is going on in your life could be the catalyst for major change.

There's a New Thought aphorism that's been around forever that says, "Whatever we think about, we bring about." I like that. I really like that. But one of the teachers in the movie, The Secret, put his own little twist on it, "Whatever we think about and thank about, we bring about."

Think about that one for awhile.

This book stresses the Truth that whatever we focus on becomes our reality. That is a hard thing for most of us to swallow. But again, these deeper Truths are, I believe, 'hardwired' into us. It is impossible to separate the perceiver from the thing perceived. It's impossible to seperate the creator from the created. As Henry David Thoreau brilliantly observed, "We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are..."

So when we remember to focus on gratitude and appreciation, a funny thing begins to happen, we begin to experience even more things to be thankful about. Pretty soon we not only become more grateful, we actually "become" gratitude Itself.

I have this one exercise in one of my classes where on the first day of beginning this exercise you think of two things you are grateful for and you write them down. Then on the second day, you double that amount and so on. By the seventh day you are writing down 128 things you are grateful for. There are some people who balk and complain about this exercise and who claim they don't have a 128 things to be thankful about. I just sit there in my chair and listen and after they're through ranting I'll say, "Of course you don't have 128 things to be thankful about, you have a million and one things to be thankful about..."

You can be grateful for EVERYTHING that is in your life right now. I do mean, EVERYTHING. My beautiful Aunt who I love deeply was diagnosed with 'an inoperable brain tumor' this last September. I've noticed that since she's been diagnosed with this, she's gotten a lot softer, a lot more appreciative, a lot more grateful for the simplest things. She knows that she's been given the gift of life and every day she breathes in and every day she breathes out is a gentle reminder of this precious gift that we all take for granted.

Maybe what we've really forgotten in this highly technological society is the ability to enjoy the simple. We think that simplicity is plain and ordinary when in fact simplicity is the key to living an abundant and wonderful life. A baby is simple. A small child is simple. A beautiful flower shining in the sun is simple. Their brilliance eludes us because for some bizzarre reason we feel that if it's more complicated, if it's more difficult, than it must be better.

Nope.

Read this simple yet stunning book and even though it's only about 72 pages, make it last. Sit with each and every paragraph and reintroduce these beautiful, simple ideas back into your life. Don't worry. Don't hurry. Don't scurry about thinking that you've got to make your life happen. It is happening. You are a human being not a human doing.

Be grateful that you have clothes on your back, a roof over your head, food in your belly, and a few pennies to rub together. Be grateful that you've come to this review at exactly the right time.

I'm grateful that you stopped by.

Peace and Bright Blessings to You...
May 2008 be great!

john, 'the Light Coach'

I work for an agency that supports people who have someone they love recovering from schizophrenia, bipolar, psychosis, and/or other forms of mental distress. I have found this guide to be very helpful as both an education tool, and as a supportive manual. The information complied in this book can help families and people coming off drugs feel less afraid, less alone, and more informed about choices regarding medications. Traditionally, good information about coming off psychiatric medications has been difficult to find- This book fills a much needed gap. It is accessible, well-written, and highly informative. Anyone considering going off their medication would find the material useful and thought provoking. Anyone who works in the mental health field needs to have this book in their organization as a resource. For years people have been trying to go off their medications with little or no support from the system- let's change that.

After reading this book, I, for the first time, had confidence in my own inherent healing power! The authors do a fabulous job explaining the various options available to deal with many common illnesses. In great detail, they describe how to use a variety of alternative remedies, so that you are empowered to actually try them. Better still, they have created a healing kit, which can be purchased, so you have all the basic remedies you need to treat your families most common ailments. The section called Supporting the Healing Process is extremely powerful! Here the authors discuss the importance of the caregiver and the principles of care for deeper healing, including: caring for the senses, nutrition, fluids, warmth, rest, baths, touch, and healing objects. A simple , well organized and inspiring book. Consider reading this to raise your own consciousness about health and healing.

This music speaks to me, and it speaks for me. I could never have articulated the words to reflect my feelings as brilliantly as Michael McLean does but once I heard the words in the songs, I immediately connected. Especially on the feelings of loneliness and fear. I also felt the heartache the young unwed mother felt in giving up her child, all out of love for that child. The music and words, and the stories behind the songs, have helped me better understand my own feelings and then develop much needed hope for a good outcome. Thank you Michael!

He knows the brass hates him as he is a British bulldog with no regard to his superiors, procedure, or the media when it comes to solving a case or for that matter keeping apolitically correct silence when some Home Office idiotic suit lectures. His boss can't fire him because he is so successful, but tries to exile him whenever a remote area asks for help.

Thus for opening his mouth during a mandatory class, this Scotland Yard detective finds himself leaving London for tiny Thornhill village in Wiltshire to investigate a missing-person. Apparently Marianne Mardy vanished; her husband Dr. William Mardy has not reported her missing; no one has. Since the local police suffer from duck disease up their arse, he is sent to rusticate make that investigate a possible murder so that his boss can have some needed R&R make that the gossipers can rest easy. In Thornhill, the outsider affirms the local police are uninterested in what happened to Marianne. As he keeps digging, he runs into corruption and soon begins to comprehend what happened to Mrs. Mardy when he learns HOW THE DEAD LIVE, but has problems with insuring justice not legal mumbo jumbo truly occurs.

This is a reprint of the third Factory Scotland Yard thriller written by the late Derek Raymond (see HE DIED WITH HIS EYES OPEN and THE DEVIL'S HOME ON LEAVE; neither read by me). Written two decades ago, the tale is a terrific British police procedural Noir narrated by the unnamed detective who is as excellent at solving cases as he is at annoying his boss. Sub-genre fans will appreciate this engaging one sitting detective tale that exposes the underbelly that society pretends does not exist.

Harriet Klausner

Do you want to say to yourself, with unwavering conviction, "Hey I'm good at this. People listen to me, and they pay attention when I speak?"

Your listener is more apt to listen to you, when the strength of your idea is communicated in a way that they feel comfortable with.

This book is a tool that teaches readers that instead of trying to get your listener to do what you want, adjust your own communication style in a way that is easy for your listener to hear, understand, appreciate, listen to, and want to act upon.

While there are always exceptions, men exchange bottom line information. And women tend more often to communicate to build relationships.

A wonderful example that the author offers to show how to communicate to men is:

"Your colleague has been unable to attend a meeting. He comes to your office after the meeting and asks, `How did the meeting go?' This is an open-ended question, and as such it implies that he wants a full, general explanation of the meeting. Do not be misled. He does not want a full, general explanation; what he wants is: `It was a successful meeting. We decided to postpone the sales presentation for a week. John will get back to us about the details.'"

This doesn't mean giving up being who you are. It just means that if you want to experience feeling understood, respected and appreciated you must adjust your communication style in a way for your interlocutor to best receive want you are sharing.

This book is fun to read because Marian Woodall considers enough scenarios to support her points, that even if you don't do some of the social taboos that she has identified in this book, you will recognize yourself as having done them several times in the past - and that is certainly life affirming.

Sweetland offers a new angle on the metaphysical truth that happiness is a life-long journey that comes from creating, and not a state to aspire to in the future. In other words, what we do now and how we look at life now make us happy. He explains that the "I CAN" consciousness must be infused with the "I WILL" determination and developed through a plan of action, in order to reach our goals. Success is thus not a destination but a journey, from station to station. He lists the main reasons for unhappiness as a guilty conscience, self-pity, envy, selfishness, timidity, worry and the absence of a spiritual consciousness. He discusses the role of the subconscious mind and how it is activated by enthusiasm and explains how the subconscious follows the pattern established by the conscious mind. He throws light on the difference between potential and kinetic energy and the law of cause and effect and emphasizes that one must visualize in order to materialize. With deep psychological insight and in an informal, engaging style, he brings across the common sense and the ancient truths that we all carry within ourselves, for example that happiness comes from giving happiness. The last chapter contains specific formulas for specific objectives, i.e. affirmations for inter alia better health, domestic harmony, concentration, overcoming habits, public speaking, self-mastery, etc. This is one of the best motivational books I have read, positively inspiring and illuminating.

"I Will Never Give Up" is an autobiographical book by Derek W. Clark that more than lived up to this reviewer's expectations. I had expected an interesting memoir about a man I know to be a great singer and songwriter but it delivers more than just an astonishing account of the author's life. He also shares the lessons and insights that his life experiences have taught him. This book is truly inspiring on several levels.

The author could have turned his book into a hard-core tale of abuse and added the normal hurtful mutterings of blame by another victim of child abuse. However, he chooses to take the reader on a more inspirational journey. He shares some of positive attributes learned from his younger years of survival in a sensitive look back at a brutal past.

The emotional energy of this book is amazing stuff. It will cause the reader to experience great emotional lows and highs as we follow the neglect and abuse of a young man and his eventual rise above the past traumas to a place of true forgiveness. The book cannot help but touch some part of you in the process.

The book's power comes into focus as you see the author beginning to fight back for control of his life. He questions the very basic concepts of life itself including the role of the church, parents, and even God. The author does not force his personal life views on you and he doesn't worry about being politically correct either with the views expressed. The book comes across as an honest and authentic attempt to share one man's life experiences and why he is who he is today.

If you have ever been or know of someone who was a foster child this might be a great gift to give him or her. They might find a good role model for their own lives. This book will give them hope for their own journey.

The American Authors Association (AAA) gives this book its highest book rating of FIVE STARS! This book also gets my personal endorsement!