Creating Sparks That Last & All Things Relationships

Books that rewire your brain Ever read one of those books that stay with you forever? Yeah, me too. This month I had the priviledge of accepting a review request from Dr Thomas Jordan for his book Learn to Love: Guide to Healing Your Disappointing Love Life.  This is not a s*x book, I'm not interested in those. What I am interested in, is books that enrich our relationships, and this is one such book . My Review: What I Loved: In his writing, Dr Thomas Jordan helps the reader to clearly identify past hurts that need a positive spin. That's the basic premise. What follows is deeply researched information that pulls feelings out of our hurts and replaces them with improved thought processes and behaviours that we, ourselves , are responsible for.  Yes, it's possible our hurts come from way back, but there comes a point when it is up to us to take responsibility and action for a better way of dealing with these emotions. POW! That is how you take your power back and redirect...

Reflection, Relationships, Romance Book Review: Watercolors and Tears by Jose Orlando Castaneda My review follows a request by the author who gifted me with a digital copy of Watercolors and Tears . My Thoughts: It was a moving tale that I did not want to rush. The observations by the author on human nature were evocative, made poignant by the fact that they were based on real situations told to the author. I truly wanted to absorb the resonance of the main characters portrayed.  Manuel and Elvira started their lives together full of promise and soon wanted more for themselves and their family. This resulted in separate quests for a decade; what follows, is a story of deep self-reflection, resilience, tenuous relationship longevity. What I loved about the book: I have many highlights to share with you from the story, first and foremost was Elvira's depth of knowledge as she grew into womanhood searching for a meaningful life. She falls under the guidance of Sister Felisa where she ...

Review:  Sisters in the Outback By Pura from Rosas Viajeras Sisters in the Outback  is a beautifully written short story that follows two adult sisters on a long-awaited weekend escape to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. More than just a travel narrative, it’s a reflective and moving piece about the connection between siblings, with the land, and within oneself. As someone who has visited this remarkable part of Australia, I found the story both relatable and moving. The story traces the sisters’ journey from their home to the heart of the Red Centre. From the anticipation of travel to the stillness of sunrise at Uluru, the author captures not only the physical beauty of the landscape but also the emotional significance of the trip.  What I loved most was how powerfully the story conveyed the visceral experience of being in Uluru Kata Tjuta. The descriptions of the changing light over the rock formations were so vivid, I was transported back to my own visit. The spiritual ...

Deep and Heartfelt In the wake of a devastating family loss, 24-year-old May finds herself adrift, her belief in love and happiness shattered. Determined to shield herself from further heartache, she concocts a radical scheme to safeguard against future abandonment. That is until May meets Mr. Parsley, a charming retiree who becomes May's unexpected neighbour.  Will May stick to her meticulously crafted schedule, or will the warmth and kindness of the Parsley family lead her down an unforeseen, life-altering path?   Join May on her poignant journey of resilience, love, and the transformative power of human connection in the face of life's most profound challenges. ⚠️ Trigger Warning:  . . This story contains themes of death and suicide.  My 5 Star Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Though the topic is deep and thought-provoking, the author, Helen Aitchison, lightens the prose with anecdotes of May’s quirky personality as we walk through her daily life with her. May is weighed down w...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays   However you celebrate and enjoy the festive season, may you strike the perfect balance between fun with family and friends and peace and harmony within. On that note, I am seeing the year out with my final blog post. In this post I have two polar opposite book reviews, yet both equally important in defining our relationship with ourself and others. Goodbye Again: A memoir by Candace Cahill Candace almost started her life as a young adult on the wrong foot. She made a decision almost entirely alone, that would have resounding aftershocks on her life.  Candace chose to provide her baby with a better life by opting for adoption. She agonized over the decision with minimal help and clung onto every update she received of her baby until the updates stopped completely.  By this stage, Candace had met a partner who supported her better than she could have imagined, since hiding her shame from the world previously. This more mature love, as co...

In Conversation with Author Pat Backley Photo credit:  Pat Backley Pat’s memoir  From There To Here (With An Awful Lot In Between) is sprinkled with her positive outlook and quotes to live by. Here is one such quote that really stood out to me: Whatever life throws at you, never give up. Just learn to adapt and change. You’ll hear more of her passion and positivity shine through as you listen to our chat here: Relationships and Resilience   And if you have any questions for Pat, let’s hear them in the comments. She is a font of inspiration! You’ll find all of her books, both fiction and nonfiction on her website:  Pat Backley - Author Connect with Pat on the socials at the following links: Instagram   Facebook LinkedIn Twitter And I’ll leave you with one last quote from Pat that will inspire you to live the life you dream of: Life can be tough, but try to keep smiling through the tears. When you get knocked down, get up and carry on…You never know what’s around...

 The Art of a Meaningful Life by Vitaliy Katsenelson Book Review Vitaliy Katsenelson captures the delight in living a life in learning mode. By this I mean that he demonstrates how to be curious about new subjects and how to be open to learning more about subjects we are already familiar with. He shows us how to grow in sync with the maturity of our children, how to lead a business with a growth mindset encouraging the strengths of colleagues to shine in their role. Vitaliy also shows us the art of personal development in an ever-changing world. He draws parallels between classical music and the pain of learning through perceived failure. The wisdom of his father is woven into the fabric of his understanding of the world around him from an art vs craft perspective. Vitaliy emigrated to America from Russia and forged a successful career in investing, ultimately starting his own business. His interest in writing began with articles on stocks and became such a passion for him that he ...