Where Will You Go from Here? by Valorie Burton

An excellent self-coaching book! No matter what your setback is, you will find this book empowering, enlightening, and encouraging. You may have lost your job; you may have gotten divorced; you may have had a tragic accident - to say this book is useful for any setback is an understatement.

This is a thorough book, which includes how to catch negative thinking; how to recognize how your emotions factor, how to figure out your next move; and much more. The author includes wisdom from psychologists, as well as the Bible. Each chapter ends with a prayer that is devoted to the topic of the chapter. Even more, the author is not condescending, and is realistic and encourages the reader to remain realistic and flexible with goals.

This is not a book that simply addresses feel good Bible verses. This is truly a highly useful book to get your life back on track, no matter what your setback is. The author starts the book with 5 key commitments you need to make to yourself to start you on the road to recovery. Here are the commitments, which are explained and in the very first chapter:

1. I will not feel sorry for myself.
2. I will not stare at the closed door.
3. I will dig deep to unearth the courage I need.
4. I will direct my thoughts - my thoughts will not direct me.
5. I will choose to believe that all things work together for good.

Using real life examples from the author's life, as well as others she has coached, this book is fantastic. The author is very realistic as to how you will most likely feel during the process of your comeback - such as, why don't I feel better, now? I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. This in no way influenced my review.

The Little Book of Wisdom by Mark DeMoss

A short read on a variety of principles that will make for a better life. The author has divided the book into two sections: Wisdom For Your Professional Life and Wisdom For Your Personal Life. Overall, you certainly will get something useful - maybe a different perspective of how to handle situations or best seek out advice, but I was a bit disappointed in the book. For the most part, take what you like and leave the rest - and you will get a lot out of this book.

From topics like getting your priorities in order, finding and maintaining your focus on life, learning the importance of listening, to advice on little ways that flatter and positively influence people (such as the lost art of letter writing - not email) this book has bits of wisdom from all over the spectrum. Of course, topics you may expect like honesty and integrity are also covered.

Personally, I had issue with the his handling of the topic: "The Best Defense... Is a Good Defense: Why I Won't Ride Alone with Another Woman". It was certainly written from a man's perspective which makes me wonder who is the intended target audience of the book. Was it really written for men?

The book has good points, but much of it is really expounding on the art of common sense. I wasn't really impressed by the book, though I must admit the one topic mentioned above has soured my view of the book. I would somewhat recommend this book, yes, you can learn something from it. Women may want to skip his topic of Why I Won't Ride Alone with Another Woman. I intend on writing the author on what comes across as his negative and generalized view of women.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”