Andrew Smith's Blog

Book, Music, and Movie Reviews

Baby Biographies: Dolly Parton; My Baby’s Introduction to the Queen of Country by Amanda Sobotka Book Review

 



This brand-new children’s book is written about the life of country superstar, Dolly Parton. Dolly was born in 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee. She had a passion for singing. When she was ten, she made her debut on The Cas Walker Show. Her first single was entitled puppy love. When she was 13 years old, she performed at the Grand Ole Opry and was asked to do three encores. She appeared on the Porter Wagoner show. She released I Will Always Love You, Jolene, 9 to 5, Here You Come Again, just to touch on a few in the book. She founded Dollywood in 1986 and later the Imagination Library. She was the first country artists ever to record two pop songs that made the top of the charts. She has a total of 107 songs on the US hot country charts by a female artist. 

 

 

I would recommend this baby biography book to anyone who is a huge fan of Dolly. It was a very quick lesson on Dolly and her life. It touched on her career and her amazing library for children. I liked how it included the years in each of the pages and it was a well written overview of her life’s story. The illustrations are all Dolly based and the book is extremely colorful in true Dolly fashion. 

 

 

 

“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/Baby-Biographies-Parton-Introduction-Country/dp/140034915X/

Time Machine: Five Decisions to Accelerate Your Success Timeline and Live a Thousand Live by Kris Krohn Book Review





In Time Machine, Kris Krohn has written a new book about managing our time and learning to get our focus back on what matters. He begins the book by explaining time is not money. A lot of us believe that time is valuable. We all have the same amount of time in a day, 1440 minutes. He revealed how we need to know when to say yes to things and when to say no thanks and move on. He looked at how we can accumulate money and we can do this by saving, investing, and spending. He explained how only 16% of Americans have $200,000 in retirement and this can lead to a problem of having very little to live off of. In the book, he shared that his company grew by 200% while he was writing this book. He chooses to work Mondays, Tuesday, and Thursday. Wednesday is bliss day, Friday kid day, Saturday his day, and Sunday Lord’s Day. He feels that making more money shouldn’t require us from having to spend more of our time. He opened up about his different jobs and buying real estate. He explored the lens system and came up with two new standards: delegation and yes. He walks readers through how to discovered how to use their time more wisely. 

 

 

 

 

I would recommend this eye-opening book about time and figuring how what matters. I honestly don’t see how he is able to personally work only three days a week and gets to spend that much time with his family compared to others who work way over that many hours. Maybe this is a struggle for me. I thought this part was kind of crazy. I appreciated how he revealed how we need to only say yes to the activities that will benefit us that is twice as much as our highest hourly rate. He enclosed some examples to show the lessons in action. 




“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/B0CPZKG1N6/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0CPZKG1N6&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

I'll Have What She's Having by Chelsea Handler Book Review





In I'll Have What She's Having, Chelsea Handler opened up about her life story and added humor in the mix. As many people know, Chelsea is a famous comedian and was a late-night TV host. So, this book is filled with funny stories and she doesn’t hold anything back. She revealed a personal story she experienced with Jane Fonda and how she wasn’t afraid to be real and call Chelsea out on her behavior at one of her parties. She blamed her and didn’t appreciate the drugs she was on at the time. She told her to watch herself and not to allow her environment to ruin her. She told her with her gifts she could easier throw them all in the trash if she wasn’t careful. She also discussed her dating life and her struggles with not having kids. She opened up about her attraction to Andrew Cuomo and how she tried to get his attention with sexting and later learned how he behaved behind closed doors. 

 


 

 

 

One of her first stories was about hard lemonade. When she was ten years old, she decided to make money by opening up a lemonade business. She asked her older sister to join her and she demanded 50-50. Chelsea would be the primary business owner and she would make the tough decisions. She chose to add gin, whiskey, and tequila to the hard lemonade. The first day they made 13 dollars and she had to split it. Chelsea hated that so she chose to fire her. She found her replacement, Nelson a neighbor. The first day they made 33 dollars. The first week it turned into 359 and she gave him $3.59 as his commission. He was proud of the payment and compared that he would have to have lost 5 teeth to the tooth fairy to make that much. She admired his work ethic but she didn’t have the heart to tell him the tooth fairy wasn’t real. 





 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys humor and they have watched her show before or one of her specials. This book enclosed tons of humorous scenes and no doubt she acts just as crazy in real life. There was dating stories, sex, love, breakup, step-like kid’s experiences, and all sorts of things. Some of the stories are naughty and some are just down right outrageous. I liked how she was transparent about her life and wasn’t scared to be real and open. Fans will enjoy the humor and getting to see some of her life and stories. 






“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/0593596579/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0593596579&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

Chosen: Your Life Is Marked for Distinction by Joel Osteen Book Review





In Chosen, Joel Osteen has written a book reminding readers that God approves us and that He has handpicked us and He has given us a calling on our lives. The book is derived from material previously published in The Power of I Am and The Power of Favor. The book begins with Joel explaining how we are all marked for distinction. When we choose to put God first in our lives, God can cause favor to fall on our lives. Scriptures declare how we are chosen and set apart from others. He can cause blessing to occur, promotions we didn’t earn, prosper when we shouldn’t be, all of these can happen because of whose we are. Joel also shared how important it is to run your own race. We have our only special assignment from God. We don’t have to compete with others and try to keep up with them. Instead, we need to focus on what God has called us to do. We don’t have to have an incredible gift to be used by God even. He stated how David was chosen for his personality and his ability to sling a rock. The gift helped him to defeat Goliath and help him to get promoted on the throne. 



 

 

 

In the book, Joel shared an email he received from Rudy. Her and her husband, George was trying different recipes to make gumbo. They found one they loved and started to sell it door to door. One day, they saw a commercial from a large grocery store hosting a cooking competition. Whoever won would be featured on their store shelves. Out of 600 submissions they were in the top 25. They unfortunately didn’t win the grand prize. They attend Lakewood Church and that Sunday Joel was discussing how God doesn’t take us from point A to B to C sometimes it’s back and forth and can take a while. After a few months, they received a phone call from the grocery store saying that they would like to feature their product and display it in their stores. God accelerated their dreams even when it appeared that door was shut. 

 



 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone is needing a reminder of the special calling on their lives. They may feel insignificant and less than but this book will provide you with the hope that God has chosen us. This book is very insightful on helping us to realize that God’s face is shining down on us and His favor is all around us. God chose our personality, our looks, and our purpose where we can fulfill our destiny. We are all God’s masterpiece and this book will remind you of how important you are. 




“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/Chosen-Your-Life-Marked-Distinction/dp/1546008829

Life Makeover: Embrace the Bold, Beautiful, and Blessed You by Dominique Sachse Book Review

 




 

In Life Makeover, Dominique Sachse explored how women can learn to embrace the new changes and transform your external look and life. This can help you go gain more confidence. She loves providing tips on your style and hair. She is an anchor for the news station KPRC in Houston, Texas, for over twenty-eight. She is also a fashion icon on YouTube and has over a million followers. In the book, she explained how we need look at what’s holding ourselves back. Two of her areas were being overweight and men. She shared how she had to heal her relationship with her father and food. A lot of this was with assistance with her therapist. And with God’s help she came to realize that she was worthy and accept just the way that she is. She also encouraged readers to create them a vision board but do it with two boards and make a passion and a talent board. This can help you to discover even more about yourself and your dreams. The book also discussed external tips for makeup and looking your best. 




 

 

In the book, she discussed her fertility issues with her first husband. She only had one good egg for implanting. She had about a 1% chance of becoming pregnant. She explained how she felt the need to pray. She grew up not believing in God and didn’t really pray. She prayed big and bold and believed for a miracle. She did end up getting pregnant with her son. She shared how her faith was a slow start even after that event. She revealed how her marriage failed and how she had to lean onto her faith. She begins to attend Lakewood Church and received Christ into our heart. She explained how she wants readers to abandon fear and a big part of this is by building faith in Jesus. 

 



 

 

I would recommend this book especially to women since they are the target audience. She had a lot of tips and suggestions on makeup and hair and style tips. Readers will be able to learn a lot about fashion and how to regain your confidence. I liked how she also explored the importance of faith and making over your own life inwardly.  






“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/1400225728/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400225728&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

Take the Wheel: An Offroad Monks Guide to Quiet Your Mind and Get Back in the Driver’s Seat of Life by Bryan Bernard and Tommy Stoffel Book Review


 

 

In Take the Wheel, Bryan Bernard and Tommy Stoffel have written a book about quieting our minds and handing our negative thoughts. They begin the book by stating who we are all facing the chatter of noise now and it is never ending. There is a constant stream of thoughts flowing through our heads. These can include our worries and fears and they are automatically hardwired into our brains. They started a special group entitled, Offroad Monks and they take adventures together on trails and go on soul outings. They try and live like monks. 



 

 

In the book, Tommy opened up about how he woke up in 2005 next to a man who was trying to kill himself. He wound him their next to him because he also let his emotions build up. It started when he was 11 when his dog was killed by a school bus and his dog was his best friend. He slowly started burying down his own pain deep within his soul. He turned to drinking to try and ease the pain. One day he snapped and called 911 and told them his brain isn’t working right. He ended up in a psychiatric ward. He admitted he went after everything society and the world would make him happy but it always fell short. He saw a chart that described the yellow and red zone of chatter and he made a choice not to ever get back into the hospital again. 




 

 

Bryan’s story discussed how in 2019 he held a gun to his temple and was about to pull the trigger. He also felt he had everything but deep down he was miserable and felt lost. His second son had just moved out and went off to college. His identity was shaken. He wasn’t happy in his marriage any longer so he left it. He hated his job so he sold his business. He struggled with worrying and went into a deep depression. At this time, he decided to check his phone one last time to see if anyone cared. He had a voicemail from Tommy. They had met a year prior and he talked him down from the edge. He told him he needed him and that there was still some jeeping to do. Tommy helped him to learn that his thoughts was the issues and they both tried all sorts of healing and most of what they learned is including in this book. 

 



 

One of my favorite lessons included the topic of worry and how our minds will always find the next thing to worry about. We can actually choose what we worry about. They instructed readers to instead find the positive and focus on what could go right. We can choose to feel the accomplishment and let it guide our thoughts. They explained how 99% of what we worry about won’t ever happen. We can rely on the fact that more than likely that worry won’t happen and we can feel more confident in dealing our worries. If it does happen learn the lesson from the worry. Choosing to have positive thoughts can provide us with the confidence that we need and that positive energy can help us. They broke down the worries into three categories: chance, control, and cost. They enclosed different exercises to help readers deal with their darkest corners of their minds. 





 

 

I would recommend this excellent book on controlling your thoughts and dealing with the chatter going around your head. I really connected with both of their personal stories and how they both were depressed and even suicidal and was able to bounce back and change their lives around. The lessons used in this book to simplify your life and mind were outstanding. I also liked how the discussed the chatter chart and even questions to help you figure out where you currently are. The principles in this book will assist readers on finding healing and helping them move forward. 




“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/1963827023/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1963827023&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor