{ The Source by Tara Swart - TLC Book Tours }

 

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (October 15, 2019)

For the first time, a Neuroscientist and Senior Lecturer at MIT reveals the surprising science that supports The Law of Attraction as an effective tool for self-discovery and offers a guide to discovering your authentic self to access your best life now.

Self-help books like The Secret show us that if we can tap into “The Law of Attraction,” we have the power to change our destiny simply by reshaping our mind. Millions of people have used the ancient systems of manifestation and visualization to find health, success, love, friendship, wealth, and more. But does the “Law of Attraction” actually work? And more important, is this kind of life-changing philosophy within reach for everyone, even the most skeptical among us?

As Dr. Tara Swart, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and Senior Lecturer at MIT shows us in The Source, if we can strip away our skepticism, these ancient tools of manifestation and visualization are fundamentally powerful and incredibly effective at freeing us of self-limiting behaviors and propelling us toward our truest, most authentic selves. Swart reveals how and why these systems actually work by offering the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience and behavioral psychology, including lessons in neuroplasticity, magneticism, emotional and logical thinking, and even hydration, self-care, and relaxation. Next, she describes her own journey from skeptic to believer, and guides readers through the scientific breakthroughs and personal revelations that changed her from an unhappy, close-minded, and disconnected woman wanting more from life, to a successful entrepreneur living with confidence, purpose, and joy.

The truth is, most of the things we want—health, happiness, wealth, love—are governed by our ability to think, feel, and act—in other words, by our brain. Dr. Swart combines the insights and inspiration of The Secret with the practical lessons of The Master Key System to help a new generation fulfill their dreams. The Source is a rigorous, proven toolkit for unlocking our minds—and reaching our fullest potential.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

About Tara Swart

DR. TARA SWART is a neuroscientist and former psychiatric doctor. She is a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan and visiting senior lecturer at Kings College, London, and an executive advisor to some of the world’s most respected leaders in media and business. She is lead author of the award-winning Neuroscience for Leadership and in 2016 she was named the world’s first Neuroscientist in Residence at Corinthia Hotel, London. She is passionate about teaching others how to apply lessons from cognitive science to enhance everyday lives.
Find out more about Tara at her website, and follower her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.


My Thoughts:
 I love Science, find it fascinating and am usually drawn to all sorts of sciency (I know not a word), subjects.

The Source focuses on the law of attraction, and how to tap into your brain to achieve your full potential.  But it also talks about spotting false logic, or how to tap into your full creativity, which is always a great thing to know.

However, for me, I found it incredibly hard to get into and read in general, it was just too much for my little brain to take in, or maybe I'm not in the frame of mind to fully take in what is being shared.

The book itself and the subject matter are fascinating and I think, for anyone who is interested in the laws of attraction and how our brains work and decipher things around us, this would make a fantastic read.

Thank you to TLC Tours and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

{ The Cost of Honor by Diana Munoz Stewart - TLC Book Tours }

 

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (November 26, 2019)

He gave up everything to escape his family
The only male to be adopted into the notorious Parish family, Tony Parish always did right by his vigilante sisters. But when an attempt to protect one of them went horribly wrong, he had to fake his own death to escape his fanatical family. Tony set sail and ended up in Dominica?face to face with the woman of his dreams…

Now he must give up Honor to save her
After the death of her mother, Honor Silva moved to Dominica, where her family could help her heal and move on. But her activist mother left her more than money, she left her proof that could take down one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

Tony gave up everything he thought he knew when he fled his family. But when a threat too dangerous for Tony and Honor to fight on their own closes in, he has no choice but to go to them for help. Problem is, they’ll demand something in return?something that could cost Tony not just Honor, but also the love that changed him forever.

Black Ops Confidential Series:
I Am Justice (Book 1)
The Price of Grace (Book 2)
The Cost of Honor (Book 3)


Readers are raving about the Black Ops Confidential series:
“A high-octane…satisfying roller-coaster ride. Stewart’s talent shines.”–Publishers Weekly for The Price of Grace

“Electrifying, edgy, and sexy!”–JULIE ANN WALKER, New York Times bestseller, for I Am Justice

“Witty, dangerous, fun, and smoking hot.”–CINDY DEES, New York Times bestseller, for I Am Justice

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

About Diana Munoz Stewart

Diana Munoz Stewart is the award-winning, romantic suspense author of the Band of Sisters series, which includes I Am Justice, I Am Grace, and I Am Honor. Visit her at dianamunozstewart.com.

Connect with Diana

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

My Thoughts:

First I need to say that this book is the third in a series called Black Ops Confidential, so unfortunately I went into it blind and not really knowing what to expect, since I didn't read the previous two books.

There were a few moments that I felt like I was missing some background information, and had I kept up with the previous storyline, I probably would have understood, but nonetheless I was able to stay on track just from this book.

The story follows Tony and Honor.

The premise is pretty predictable, guy is trying to start fresh in a new place, meets and falls in love with a girl who has enough baggage for the both of them.

Tony was the only male in a family of predominantly females, but an incident going awry, caused him to flee, fake his own death and end up in Dominica, trying to just stay in the shadows and start a new life.

Honor is still reeling from her mother's death and trying to move on herself.  She has been living in Dominica with her family who have tried everything to help her heal and move on from the grief.  The problem is that her mother left her some pretty serious information, which if Honor follows through on, will bring down a huge corrupt organization and with it an infamous powerful man.

The rest we know how it goes, Tony tries to fight his feelings for Honor while wanting desperately to protect her, which causes him to get caught up in this huge mess of a dangerous situation.  In the end they may just need to sacrifice more than they want to in order to stay safe.

The book was an easy read, like I said pretty predictable, but then again I am never one to shy away from books or even movies like that.  It's that sweet romance that pretty much gives you the ending form the beginning, but you still follow along page by page, rooting for the two characters to end up together.

Thank you to TLC Tours and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 11/11/2019 }

Good morning everyone, how was your weekend?

Mine has been good but busy, isn't it always?  Lots of painting and fixing and house related stuff, but also filled with tons of Christmas movies.  Yes, I'm already on it, I started last week Wednesday and I've been watching at least one or two a night, the Hallmark movies that is. 

It's so funny that they are predictable and you know exactly what is going to happen, and yet, I love watching them and can't stop.  lol

Anyway, it is a new week, we have a blank slate to write our stories, so let's make it a good one.

Thank you all who come in every week to participate, and a big hello to all the new participants.

Let's see what we have going on this week. 

The weather outside is::::

The temperature is currently 50 degrees but the real feel is 46.  The wind is howling outside and we actually have a high wind warning going on.  We are also expecting a cold front to come in so I guess it's time to bundle up.   

Monday - Cloudy/Wind,  48
Tuesday - Sunny, 43
Wednesday - Sunny, 59
Thursday - Sunny, 56
Friday - Sunny, 58
Saturday - Partly cloudy, 61
Sunday - Partly cloudy, 58

On the breakfast plate this morning::::

Just enjoying a hot cup of coffee with White Chocolate Raspberry creamer.  Not sure what I will eat, not hungry right now and can't think of anything I feel like.      

As I look outside my window:::

It is still dark outside so aside from the high wind noises, I can't see a single thing.  

Right now I am::::

Sitting in bed, drinking my coffee, listening to the howling wind and getting this post typed up.         

As I look around the house::::

The house is still asleep, so it's pretty dark.  There are twinkly lights on the mantel and the Fall tree lit in the corner.  It looks so cozy in here.      

On today's to do list::::

Laundry....All the laundry has been washed, just need to do one load of kitchen towels.       
Cleaning....Had our real estate agent come over yesterday morning, so Curt and I zipped through and gave the house a really and I mean REALLY good clean.  I have nothing to do today as it's sparkly clean.  Yay!!!     
Cooking.....Hubby is off today, so for lunch I'm going to make him some biscuits and gravy.  Dinner will be the Pampered Chef Chicken Broccoli Ring with a salad.     

On the menu this week::::

Monday - Chicken and Broccoli Ring, Salad
Tuesday - Slow Cooked Cubed Steaks with Gravy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday - Cheesy Garlic Pizza
Thursday - Pork Chops with Cubed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Friday -  Cheesy Kielbasa Bake, Garlic Bread
Saturday -
Sunday -

Currently reading::::

The cost of honor by Diana Munoz Stewart.

On the TV this week::::

Youtube:
Homemaking Vlogs
Hallmark Christmas Movies

TV:
Sanditon
Catherine the Great
His Dark Materials
Poldark

What I am creating at the moment::::

Rozeta CAL from Lilla Bjorn.     

New recipe I tried or want to try this week::::

We tried the Chicken and Dumplings last week and it was a hit.  The Chili Frito Pie was just ok, it was basically just chili with frito chips.  I don't have any new recipes planned at the moment, but I do have to work on my next menu plan so I can grocery shop on Friday.         

Favorite photo from the camera:::: 

Prayers, Inspirational Quotes or Devotionals::::

♥♥♥ Curt's stepfather is still needing open heart surgery, but there have been a few complications and he is now dealing with some gallbladder issues and an open ulcer.   He is currently in rehabilitation gaining his strength so he can have his heart surgery done.  Please keep him in your prayers. 
♥♥♥ My mother in law and her continuing fight with breast cancer.
♥♥♥ Our home buying journey.  The VA Appraiser should be coming out sometime this week.  We have a projected closing date as well.  I have to say that as much as I would love to buy this house for myself,  I mostly want this for my husband.  He has worked so hard his whole life, gave 22 years to the military and is now still working with the Air Force, training our future airmen.  This is a dream that I want for HIM, it's something he has wanted for many years and I would love to see it come to fruition.  So please keep us in your prayers. 


* The past few weeks I have had to go in and delete links that are NOT related to Happy Homemaker Monday.  Folks, I have asked repeatedly to not add random links to other posts on your blogs, or just a link to your blog in general.  It is a lot of work for me to sit and go through and manually delete them from the linky, and it's also incredibly rude to the other participants who are just looking for the Happy Homemaker Monday posts.  Please be respectful!!! 

Simple living, simple work

Be cheerful, for it is the only happy life. The times may be hard, but it will make them no easier to wear a gloomy and sad countenance.”

-The Royal Path of Life

The past few years, I set up a Fall/Thanksgiving tree.

It's not something I have always done, but since doing it the first year, I completely fell in love with the idea and I find that it's a good transition into Christmas.  This tree sits in the den, and our real Christmas tree will be bought and set up in the living room.

It seems that the minute I get the tree up, everyone is drawn to it and I find that the kids hang out more in there, not to mention Mister Marley.  This is his favorite spot, he sits like a person and just watched the outside of the house.  He is such a sweetheart!

I've been working around the house, moving things here and there and getting things ready for the home inspection.

Curt and I have been painting, touching up and just making sure that everything is up to par.  As I've mentioned here many times, being able to purchase this home and make it ours, would be a dream come true for us both.

The past couple of days have been so cold with some mornings in the 20's,  and really only a nice fire going, some long sleeves and comfy slippers, seems to make it better.

I live for these moments.

Condensation on the windows, dark mornings and pretty lights.

I was thinking about my life the other morning and the kind of person I am, or rather who I have become.  One thing is pretty clear, and that is, that it's taken me a long time to be completely content in who I am and how I live.

I used to think that I had to live like everyone else did, and if I liked something but it didn't fit into what others believed or thought was the cool thing, then I had to hide it, or pretend I wasn't interested, or even change it.  But as I did that, I realized that I wasn't living the life I wanted and at one point, I got so tired of having to justify myself or what I believed in, that I just stopped.

"Why would you want to live a simple life, why do you like doilies that is such an old people thing, why isn't your house decorated with the latest color scheme, why don't you want to live in the city, why do you want a farmhouse/country kind of look no one wants that."

Why?

Because I do, that's just who I am and what I like.  I am all about the simple things, simple life, simple house, simple daily chores.  Canning and crocheting, cups of coffee, washing dishes in the sink, flowers picked from the yard and brought in to display on mason jars.

“The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right.

Next to faith this is the highest art –

to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.”

– Martin Luther

I will be completely and fully honest right now, and tell you that aside from homemaking, being a wife and mother, I am totally winging everything else in life.  It's almost like I feel out of place constantly and wishing to be surrounded by like minded individuals.

I'll scroll through social media, or watch TV and it becomes glaringly obvious that I don't fit in and don't want to. 

It's such a strange thing to me, it's like missing something that you never had, like living in the wrong era.

And so I block out the outside world views and move on, dusting a window here, washing a curtain there, preparing a meal for the family or kneading some dough for a fresh loaf of bread.

The only one whose opinion really matters, is that of God's and I believe that this is my calling, the life He saw fit for me.  So I'll obey and continue on my path, living this simple life and doing this simple work.

{ It would be night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo - TLC Book Tours }

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperVia (October 15, 2019)

Told with gripping intensity, It Would be Night in Caracas chronicles one woman’s desperate battle to survive amid the dangerous, sometimes deadly, turbulence of modern Venezuela and the lengths she must go to secure her future.

In Caracas, Venezuela, Adelaida Falcón stands over an open grave. Alone, she buries her mother—the only family she has ever known—and worries that when night falls thieves will rob the grave. Even the dead cannot find peace here.

Adelaida had a stable childhood in a prosperous Venezuela that accepted immigrants in search of a better life, where she lived with her single-mother in a humble apartment. But now? Every day she lines up for bread that will inevitably be sold out by the time she reaches the registers. Every night she tapes her windows to shut out the tear gas raining down on protesters.

When looters masquerading as revolutionaries take over her apartment, Adelaida must make a series of gruesome choices in order to survive in a country disintegrating into anarchy, where citizens are increasingly pitted against each other. But just how far is she willing to go?

A bold new voice from Latin America, Karina Sainz Borgo’s touching, thrilling debut is an ode to the Venezuelan people and a chilling reminder of how quickly the world we know can crumble.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Photo by Lisbeth Salas

About Karina Sainz Borgo

Karina Sainz Borgo was born and raised in Caracas. She began her career in Venezuela as a journalist for El Nacional. Since immigrating to Spain ten years ago, she has written for Vozpópuli and collaborates with the literary magazine Zenda. She is the author of two nonfiction books, Tráfico y Guaire (2008) and Caracas Hip-Hop (2008). It Would Be Night in Caracas is her first work of fiction.
Follow her on Twitter.


My Thoughts:

 I had always heard about Venezuela's tumultuous history, so when I had the opportunity to review this book, I was quite excited.

The story follows Adelaida, trying to survive in a chaotic Venezuela that is quickly slipping into anarchy.  The home she once knew as a wonderful place to live, is now fraught with hardships. 

For someone like me who loves history and actually knows a bit of what the author was talking about, it made perfect sense, but I think someone who comes into it not knowing a single thing about the country's history, they may find themselves a bit confused.

There wasn't a lot of background given, or details or much of anything explaining the actual history, other than how Adelaida was reacting to it.  The story itself is heartbreaking and I couldn't imagine having to live through something like that.

Thank you to TLC Tours and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.