This weeks book review is The Curious Dreamer's Dream Dictionary by Nancy Wagaman.  In this book, the author provides a very easy to follow alphabetical list of dream symbols that allows you to look up what happened in your dream and interpret the meaning of those experiences through the use of dream symbols.  In addition, the book provides over 1000 dream symbols that allow the reader to interpret both major and minor symbols within their dream. 

This weeks book review is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  Prior to reading the book, I was aware it would reference the Black Lives Matter movement but unaware of anything further regarding the book.  From the beginning, I felt out of my element.  The Hate U Give was unlike any book I have read before and for that I am grateful.  Throughout the book, I experienced a culture much different than my own.  I experienced, through the power of reading, a world that, if not for this book, I would have never visited.  We become numb as a society to the media exploitation of men of color being shot and killed, whether by a police office or any other individual.  The media sensationalizes these deaths and reports on what we want, or need to hear.  We hear that the police officer was protecting himself or that the victim was a drug dealer and his death doesn't matter.  But every senseless death has a story.

This week's book review, Break Into Journalism: Contact Building Tools and Tactics, written by Johannes Koch is an excellent guide to those aspiring to break into the business of journalism.  Koch has written a thorough, quick read with specific strategies to help build and maintain contacts in the industry. 

I will preface this review of Acne: Just Another Four Letter Word by saying I have never dealt with severe acne, whether as an adolescent nor adult.  That being said, I was initially skeptical of the approach presented by the author.  Can we really change our mindset and in turn, free ourselves of the excruciating and  psychological tortures brought about by acne?  Without much knowledge on the topic, I assumed treatment for Acne was purely medicinal.  Take a pill, wash your face, and wait for the acne to go away.  However, I wanted to approach Dr. Patel's book with an open mind, ridding myself of my preconceived notions of acne treatment. 

Don Lubov's book, An End to Stress aims to provide benefit to all readers. Would you like to reduce the stress in your life? I feel fairly confident in guessing that most will answer a resounding YES to this question. The book follows a Six-Step Path that has been around for some time. The path is one that guides readers to accept life as it is, rather than wishing for something else. The basic principle is to live in the here in now, rather than letting your brain take you to the past or the future. Dwelling on the past, or guessing about the future both take you away from the present moment and when we neglect (or forget) to live in the present moment, life passes us by without our knowing. It passes us by without our ability to enjoy it or embrace it. How can we find gratitude in our lives without ever being in the here and now?

A delightful memoir written by Alexander Watson, River Queens invites its readers to travel with Alexander, his partner Dale and their wonderful spotted dog, Dorothy Faye as the Texas trio renovate an old yacht and journey through the rivers of Midwest America. I always enjoys well-written memoirs and Watson's book does not disappoint. I also love a good love story - and River Queens is as much that, as it is a well-told memoir. The love story featured in the book is one that exists between Alexander and Dale as well as one that exists between the great number of river travelers throughout the American rivers. The way the river travelers interact, welcome one another and converse shows true connection, respect, as well as humor. Having spent much of my own youth growing up on the rivers of the Midwest, I appreciated this sentiment.

Hola! Let's Learn Spanish, by Judy Martialay is a beautiful children's book. The book is colorful, bright and inviting. In the book, readers are introduced to characters Pete the Pilot and Panchito the Mexican jumping bean. The book is written for children ages 6-10+ who are interested in beginning to learn Spanish. In the back of the book there are several activities to do at home (or in the classroom) and a small dictionary of words that were introduced in the book (organized by chapter). I found the dictionary helpful to revisit, to practice new words. The book is a great way to introduce children to Spanish.

Better Than New: Lessons I've Learned from Saving Old Homes (and How They Saved Me), by HGTV host Nicole Curtis is an interesting read. I read the hardback of this book (often I read eBooks and listen to audiobooks) and I was really glad to have the hardcopy because of the photographs included throughout the book. Admittedly, I watched Seasons 1-8 of Curtis's DIY Network and HGTV hit show, Rehab Addict - prior to reading her book. This made the book even better as when I was reading, I knew which houses she was referring to. The book is beautifully done and well-written. I could practically hear Nicole saying each sentence as I read the book. The book is filled with Nicole's private struggles, inspiring lessons and her work and personal victories and successes. Nicole shares with readers what she's learned along her life's journey (so far) - and her stories are presented in a way that we can all learn from them.