Game Plan: A Proven Approach to Work, Live, and Play at the Highest Level Possible—for as Long as Possible by Mike Mancias Book Review

In Game Plan, Mike Mancias has released a helpful guide in getting the most out of your body. He begins the book by asking readers what they want to get out of their body today, next week, new month, and next year. He shared how he met LeBron James while he was playing in the NFL. He was looking for help in his training. At first, he wanted to train better and recover quicker. Then it grew over time he wanted to be the GOAT for as long as he could. Now, his goal is play in the NFL with his son. He has also helped train Usher, Myles Garrett, just to name a few. His program has assisted them in maintaining their longevity. 

 

He begins by asking readers what do they want to get from their body today and do I have a team to support me. He encouraged readers to write down their 6 reasons and hopes that they have to accomplish with their bull’s-eyes. He discussed what to eat in this book. He asked readers to ask themselves why did they choose what they eat or will choose either it being a snack or a meal. It’s critical to think about eating in terms of longevity and most of us doesn’t think about that we are focus on the now. He explained how sometimes we could not be hungry we could really be thirsty. Overeating could be linked to us being tired and sleepy because we failed to get a good night’s sleep. He breaks down proteins, carbs, fats, and water. He recommended that we drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. He suggested to eat 5-6 small meals a day. One of the benefits of this is protein will be accessible to your body. He also covered different types of exercises to do and samples of the moves. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is looking for ways to improve their health. This isn’t a typical diet book and it’s meant to be a resource for longevity health. It was interesting to hear about how he trained some of the well know celebrities and has helped them with this plan. There are tons of helpful food charts and pictures of exercises and an explanation on how to property do them. This book is very helpful and beneficial and contains countless information on getting healthier. 

 

 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0063316439

 

CSB Jesus Daily Bible Review and Giveaway

 

Order your copy of the CSB Jesus Daily Bible today!

• Read through the Bible in a year—and keep Jesus at the

center of each day.

• The NEW CSB Jesus Daily Bible includes a 52-week, Christ-focused, guided reading plan that you can join at any point during the year.

• Day by day, you'll thematically study Scripture through a weekly introduction, helpful articles and infographics, and a weekly summary to help you understand Jesus’s central role from Genesis to Revelation.

• See how every page of God’s Word points to the bigger story of Jesus.

• Every page of God’s Word points to the bigger story of Jesus. And every day, the CSB Jesus Daily Bible will help you see how.

• Read through the Bible this year—and keep Jesus at the center of each day.

My Review:

This Bible is written in the style of the Christian Standard version. It is very easy to read along with. The author, Dwayne Mililoni has been a pastor for over 25 years he has studied the scriptures. He is currently serving at Open Door Church and he is cofounded of the Pillar Network. The author begins the Bible with a special introduction describing how the Bible was written by over 40 authors over two millennia. The Bible was written to explained how Christ died for our redemption and took our place for our sins. Some of the guidance he had for readers is to listen to what you read, think about what you read, mediate, worship, seek the Holy Spirit, and find Christ. This Bible is distinctive in the fact that is geared to help you read the Bible in a full year. It is built on a 5-day reading plan so that means if you miss two days you still got plenty on time to get caught up. You could also use those two extra days to reread what you read. This is just my idea because I know some readers would prefer to read 7 days a week. But this would be a good workaround for those and would probably help you to learn even more. Each week has an introduction about what you are going to be reading about and there is a special summary at the end of the 5 days recapping what you read. He also has another introduction on the side of the pages explaining who, what, when, where, and why. There are colorful maps and a concordance. 

 

 

 

 

I thought this Bible was very unique in providing readers with the days broken down on where to begin each day throughout the Bible. You didn't have to flip to a special reading chart to see how much to read. There is a checklist you can use but I believe it made it super informal to know what to read. This translation of the Bible is broken down where every day people can understand and not get confused with what the message is in the scriptures. The weekly summaries are wonderful and helped you to recap what you learned. I believe if readers will use this Bible for the entire year, they would see their relationship with Christ grow and you might even catch something new you haven't seen before by reading some of the notes from this pastor. There is even some application section to help readers apply what they learn. 

 

 

 

 

The Bible itself has a golden color ribbon to make it easy to bookmark your spot. The Bible contains black color text with the exception of blue headings. It has a two-column text format and 9.5-point font. It has a presentation page if you're giving it as a gift. It comes in a beautiful blue color with gold design on the cover for the hardcover edition. But there are a few others available in leather and cloth over board. 

 

 

• Order your copy of the CSB Jesus Daily Bible today! 

Learn more at: Purchase The Csb Jesus Daily Bible - B&H Publishing

Disclosure:

Many thanks to Lifeway Christian Resources for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

Giveaway: 1 copy of CSB Jesus Daily Bible

(Note: This is limited to US winners only.)

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The Inherited Mind: A Story of Family, Hope, and the Genetics of Mental Illness by James Longman Book Review

 

In The Inherited Mind, James Longman has written a book about his experiences with mental illness and how we can better understand ways to deal with it. He is an ABC News correspondent in London. He begins the book by sharing how when he was 9 years old, he was summoned by his headmaster when he was playing with one of his friends. He was told that there was an accident and there was nothing they could do to save him. His father had been killed in a fire. He didn’t know until he got older that his father was diagnosed with schizophrenia and a few other disorders. His parents had been separated since he was three. Later she told him that because of this she was afraid to leave him alone with him. When he was a kid, he believed that his father was a hero. He didn’t discover the real story of what happened to his dad until he was twenty-six and he was researching it for a news story. His father had experienced hallucinations and neighbors that were interviewed described how he was hearing voices. It was later confirmed that there was in fact a fire but that he jumped out the window. He explained how he was able to track down some of the assessment notes from psychiatrists that tried to help his day. They believed that he was suicidal and readers can actually read some of these throughout the book. He enclosed some credible sources on what the disorders are and how others have found help. 

 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone battle mental illness and they are feeling alone and depressed. This book has the potential to touch lives. I liked how in the book he revealed his own bouts with depressions and how some of this was linked to his sexuality. He wasn’t afraid to share details of his story. Readers will get to connect with his story along the way and get a glimpse into his family history with mental illness. I enjoyed how he reached out to different people in their respectable fields to gain and share the knowledge they have discovered. He touched on genetic traits, environmental factors, and is everything inherited, and the solution. This book is very eye opening and excellent resource for mental illness. 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from the publisher the for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

 

 

 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1368099475/

Gimme All Your Lovin’: The Blues, Boogie, and Beard of ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons by Christopher McKittrick Book Review

In Gimme All Your Lovin’, Christopher McKittrick explored the career of ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons and the changes they experienced as a rock band. The band consisted of vocalist and guitarist, Billy Gibbons, vocalist and bassist, Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard. Billy and Gibbons are largely known for their long beard appearance. In September 2006, the trio lost their contract to RCA. They are one of the oldest and most successful record labels around. This came after 14 years and four albums. They were worth $30 million dollars. After their first RCA album, Antenna failed to go platinum and didn’t have a hit single. The next three albums had about the same fate. They haven’t shot a music video since 1996. The book opened up about how the launch of MTV helped to set ZZ Top into the charts by their music videos. The book shared how La Grange had even hit pop and was featured in films such as Armageddon. It is one that is ranked a top rock song. 

 

 

What I found was interesting was to learn about the album XXX and how this album turned out to be a problem. It was released on their 13 anniversaries of the band. Billy is credited as a producer solely by himself. The album lacked clear detail about it being a celebration album. It was part studio tracks and then four tracks were live. They said in interviews that it was recorded worldwide at surprise club shows. There is no record of them performing any shows in about two years. There were no special headlines of any shows. People debated if the tracks were even filmed live. Some thought they used crowd sound bites. It has been said that Sinpusher lyrics were changed because he couldn’t remember the lyrics but he has performed this song live a bunch of times. I haven’t ever heard this story and it was interesting to read although fans will probably never know the truth. 

 

 

 

I would recommend his book to anyone who is a fan of ZZ Top and are curious to learn more about them as a band and learn some of the history. It was very well researched and might be the closes fans get to a memoir. Fans got to glimpse at their life and their ups and downs as a band and their struggled with fame. 

 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from Global Pequot the for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1493074431

Growing Up Urkel by Jaleel White Book Review

In Growing up Urkel, Jaleel White has written his very first book about his life in this brand-new memoir. He is most known for his role in the 90s hit TV show, Family Matters. This show was largely made right behind the success of the Cosby Show and he felt that they thought they needed a Black family show on ABC. He was twelve years old when he auditioned for the role of Steve Urkel and part of the reason, he did it was to buy himself a Sega Genesis. It was supposed to be a guest role for one episode in the twelfth episode out of a thirteen series order. He was displayed as a nerd in high water pants, suspenders, and glasses. He enclosed the first part of the script of the show and how he asked Laura to the dance. He had his famous dance that pretty much everyone has seen. He was so well received that they reshot the promos to make him become a full season cast member. He shared how he was asked to do a reboot and he’s turned it down. He believes the script would be the same and the show dynamics wouldn’t work in today’s times. He also has appeared in a Netflix show, The Big Show Show, Big Fat Liar, different Sonic cartoons/movies, and recently Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and many guest roles.

 

 

 

I enjoyed reading this book about his life and how he touched on some of his acting and what he learned along the way. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved Family Matters or have seen him in other roles. It was interesting to learn about his time on Dancing with the Stars and how it led to a child support battle that took half of his earnings. He believes that if he didn’t ignore her first email then the pain not would have led to all of the drama. I appreciated how real he was in his journey and fans will connect with his story.

 

“I received this book free from the Simon & Schuster for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1668068893

 

The Work Happiness Method: Master the 8 Skills to Career Fulfillment by Stella Grizont Book Review

 

In The Work Happiness Method, Stella Grizont explored the eight keys she learned to master a better working attitude and environment. She begins by sharing how she worked for a coaching and training company for ten years in brand strategy. She soon realized that she wasn’t happy and wasn’t living up to her full potential. She began to catch common colds and was depressed. It took her a while to rediscover what she wanted to do instead. She first went back to school to study happiness’s also known as Applied Positive Psychology. She was able to help other women launch their businesses and she helped Google and Johnson & Johnson. She was still struggling with anxiety. In the book, she shared the 8 keys: resilience, purpose, play, discovery, boundaries, just to name a few. 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters was about boundaries. She shared how burnout affects one in three people and they feel often burned out. This can lead to people wanting to quit their jobs. They experience exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. She revealed what the job demand resources model is and how it happens. We all face many demands that takes away our energy. It could be conflict, taking on too many tasks, and not receiving any help. Resources are things that can boost our energy. This could be making meaningful relationships and work. She has an excellent worksheet to use to track for a week everything that make us feel energetic and things that don’t. She looked at boundaries and how if we set them properly, they can assist us in finding balance. She explored the mechanics of stress and how our bodies can’t recognize threats as real or mentally. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book on finding work place happiness to anyone who is struggling with burnout or having trouble finding their purpose. I appreciated how she also opened up about her mother’s cancer diagnose and how this led her to being more proactive in her own health. She went into detail about her own anxieties and what if’s. This book was very well researched on happiness and how we can learn new techniques to help us at our jobs. 

 

 

“I received this book free from the Hachette for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Happiness-Method-Master-Fulfillment/dp/B0CBN7CCB1

Your Pasta Sucks: A Cookbook by Matteo Lane with JJ Goode Book Review

In Your Pasta Sucks, Matteo Lane, famous comedian has written a beautiful book to assist readers in cooking pasta and making other Italian dishes. He explained his relationship with pasta and how it’s been his best relationship. It’s always available in your kitchen and it won’t lie or ghost you. In the book, he shared how he loves to laugh and make jokes. He takes his pasta making very seriously though. He shared how he ate pasta at least three times a week growing up and his love has only deepened with time. He touched on his grandfather and how he had a secret family and he gave his other kids the same name where he wouldn’t accidently mess up. In the book, he enclosed key helpful items to keep on hand at all times. These are basil, cheese of all kinds, guanciale, pancetta, olive oil, salt, just to name a few. He also enlightened how to make pasta water and how this is key to salty water and makes the dish taste even better. He explored how to buy pasta, and the different shapes, and how to cook pasta. Some of the recipes in this book was: lasagna, Kate’s meatballs, penne alla vodka, two mac and cheeses, Cherie’s struffoli, fettuccine alfredo, and countless others. 

 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a new good Italian book. I really enjoyed the color pictures of the food and his personal photos throughout the book. I also thought it was cool that he added a personal story before a lot of the recipes and it helped readers to get a glimpse into his family. I liked how he did the measurements in grams and cups, lbs, and other standard measures. This is a beautiful cookbook with high quality photos that readers will enjoy. 

 

 

Check out his Instagram:

 

https://www.instagram.com/matteolane/?hl=en

 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from the Chronicle Book for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon!

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Pasta-Sucks-Matteo-Lane/dp/1797229567/

Wolf’s Hyde: A Novel by Dylan Collins Dunbar Book Review

 

Wolf’s Hyde is a novel featuring a horror story about werewolf’s that come out when it’s a full moon. Sherriff, Tanaka Chee is investigating the disappearance of people and murders. He soon realized that there can’t be a single man conducting out the gruesome horror and destruction of the bodies. He recalled a story his grandfather told him about Yee Naaldlooshii and this is an evil spirit that turns into a beast only at full moons. He called the monster, Norman Thatch. He shared how Norman’s daughter; Barbara was missing and has been and they believed that she was in fact dead. His officers tried to before and stop the beast and it tore through them like it was nothing. The murders had finally stopped. He handed in his badge after twenty years and he was determined to hunt him down and get rid of the beast. There was only one way to spread the curse of Yee Naaldlooshii and it had to bite you and you had to live through it. He thought he was possibly creating a pack of werewolves. The book occurs in Nazi Germany and Detroit and it goes back and forth explaining the different attacks and murders from the werewolves. 

 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story mixed with murder and mystery and science fiction. I liked this book and I thought he was a wonderful writer that kept your attention to the story. It was interesting to read along with how the sheriff was unwavered to stop the werewolf and prevent more people from dying. I liked how he also backed up the original of the werewolf and Nazi and crafted an interesting horror story. Readers will be engaged to read until the very end. 

 

 

 

 

 

Dylan Collins Dunbar is a professional touring musician and he has played with artists such as: Chris Stapleton, Patti Smith, Elle King, and a few others. And now he is an author. 

 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from the author for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon!

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Wolfs-Hyde-Dylan-Collins-Dunbar-ebook/dp/B0DHYD4JXS/

Delicious Longevity: Practical, Science-Based Guide to Holistic Wellness and Lasting Health through Nutrition by Dr. Sara Redondo Book Review

In Delicious Longevity, Dr. Sara Redondo has written an excellent resource in helping readers to improve their overall health and strive for better longevity and aging. She begins the book by opening up about her mother and how she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She had never smoked. She was battling this while Sara was in medical school. Her mother kept it from her as long as she could. She died when she was 56 years old. She felt depressed and struggled with anxiety and didn’t want to talk to anyone. She finally discovered the power of integrative medicine and this explores the entire spectrum of our health. She found a doctor who had cancer and found healing by using integrative medicine. This book is written to guide you to become your best self and she tried to provide readers with the tools to do so. She explained how one study discovered that 1 in 5 deaths can be correlated to poor nutrition. What we eat at 40 affects our quality of life when we are in our 70s. She also touched on her newsletter and how she shares supplement recommended included in just that email newsletter. In the book, she touched on sleep, different types of diets and their benefits, fasting, sugar, processed foods, hydration, proteins, and omega-3.

 

 

One of my favorite chapters discussed kidney stones and how 1 in 11 people will experience it at least once in their lifetime. But more than half have recurrence of them. I have personally experiences stones a few times in the last several years. Many of my family members including my parents have had stones. My dad has one kidney due to him donating one of his to his brother. So, I try and find things to help prevent them for our families. Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salts that tend to hurt when you pass them. Dehydration is a huge factor and just doing one simple thing can help to prevent them and this is drinking more water. One of mine that I caught was in fact a calcium stone. This is the most common type. I would love to find more resources on this topic. Another problem with dehydration is headaches and lot of people have problems with that as well. It has been established that dehydration can cause you to age more quickly and make you feel fatigue and tired. She shared some recommendation on how much water we should be consuming at different stages of our lives. 

 

I also liked the suggestion on the Mediterranean diet and I’m curious to learn about the benefits of this type of diet. My doctor has even recommended this type to me. One of the most important key components to this healthy eating is extra virgin olive oil. It has healthy fats and can help with anti-inflammation. You must also eat fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, just to touch on a few. Eating this way can help lower your risk of being overweight and obesity. It can help you to prevent long term weight gain. It can also help prevent diabetes. There have been numerous studies conducted that this diet can help reduce your risk of cancers. It can improve your sleep quality and latency. I’m really thinking about trying this diet. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this excellent resource on improve your overall health and increasing your longevity. There are tons of benefitable information throughout the book. I liked how she discussed different types of diets and what to eat. There are charts to replay the critical information and to make it easier to put it all together. I was constantly highlighting key areas to revisit again and again. You can tell this doctor has done her research and scientistic data to back up the topic. Following the tips are going to help you to achieve lasting health. 

 

 

“I received this book free from the author for my honest review.”

 

Check out her website: 

www.zenithwithin.com/

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out coming soon in 2025!

 

Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex by Michael Todd Book Review

In Relationship Goals, Michael Todd has written a book that discussed marriage, dating, and even singleness to help us to grow in our relationships. He wants to help readers to win in relationships and he encouraged us to read the Bible and set goals to improve our relationships. Godly relationships consist of sacrificing for others, displaying kindness, integrity, forgiving others, and loving others. Scriptures declare that we must first love God with all our heart, soul, and mind see Matthew 22:37-38. We are also called to love our neighbors as ourselves (verse 39). He explained how we are supposed to have good relationships with others even if you are introverted. One of the keys, he uses is asking himself does this relationship help me. When we meet the right person, they will help us toward our purpose in life and they will believe in us and love us and they will fit. But if they are moving you away from God, run. He shared how he met his wife when he was 15 years old at a mutual friend’s birthday party. He did everything to make sure she noticed him. This led to a spark and they dated for 8 years except when they experienced an 8-month breakup and he explained what happened. They eventually reconnected and got married in 2010. 

 

 

 

 

I liked how he talked about lot about singleness and how in this time of our life could be the most important time. The reason why is because it’s a time we can focus on what God wants to reveal to us about ourselves and who we are. We are become self-aware and find purpose. This can help us to become whole before we commit to someone else. This is a critical time to heal from our past pains and deal with our fears. You can use this time to get closer to God and getting to know Him.

 

 

 

 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to improve their relationships it doesn’t have to be just romantic relationships. The same principles can apply to friendships. This book is a very well written book about dating and marriage and how we can change the scope of our relationship. I also liked how he explored the important keys to having a good marriage and what men need and what women needs and the differences. He tries to assist readers in understand each other in marriage and I believe if readers really tried to work on these lessons, they would be less divorce and our marriages would be a stronger example to our children. This book is an awesome book for couples to read and reflect on. 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from Waterbrook for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593192575/

The Joy of an Uncluttered Life by Joyce Meyer Book Review

Joyce Meyer has written a brand-new devotional featuring ways to combat stress and to live your life in peace. Most of us are struggling with feeling stressed, burned out on living, frustrated that things aren’t going our way, burdened down by our problems, and much more. She shared how we can have joy, peace, and fulfillment again. She explained how at times she was so very overwhelmed and was complaining about her schedule then she realized that she was the one who was making her schedule. She revealed how even in scripture, Jesus stated that he has come to let us enjoy life and it more abundance to the fullest. 

 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters discussed how to know God is on our side. She begins by explaining how 10% of people won’t like us. Sometimes we can’t even do anything to change that. There are people who will accept us and like us. We have to remember that God is for us and it doesn’t matter who is against us. He will never leave us or forsake us. Joyce shared how we should focus on what we do have in life and not on what we feel like we are missing. One of the tips, she had for us is to focus on Jesus and don’t get upset when people don’t like us. God is for us and through Him we are able to do whatever we are called to do in life. 

 

 

Another favorite chapter was focusing on one task at a time. She explained now more effective we can be if we choose to focus on one task at hand. We can learn to stay concentrated and disciplined. She shared how in scripture we are told to not be anxious about anything. We need to learn to practice on living one day at a time and not worried about the future or what could happen. We need to learn to enjoy the current activity we are doing. This will in turn cause us to enjoy our lives more. 

 

 

I would recommend this inspiring devotional to anyone is ready to experience life more and they are tired of being burdened down by their problems. The principles enclosed in this devotional can assist you in improving the outlook on your life and help you to live it more abundantly. It was a very easy and quick daily read and you need to put into practice what you are reading to really grow. 

 

 

“I received this book free from Hachette Book Group/ Faith Words for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Uncluttered-Life-Joyce-Meyer-ebook/dp/B0CK8CNCDS/