How is this the final week of July already? It has flown by.

How can I not mention the weather! I was so looking forward to the thunder, lightning and rain. I didn’t hear any thunder, didn’t see any lightning and only got a sprinkling of rain. We did have some respite from the heat as there has been a bit of a breeze.

The garden is starting to come under control again as I get caught up with the weeding. Some plants have been cut back, some thinned out and suddenly I have a riot of colour as my summer plants come into their own.

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Now to the books I have read this week…

There are a couple of non-fiction books that I am posting my reviews for here today. It is because I am trying to get caught up with some!

My Review…

What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?: Discover a Life Filled with Purpose and Joy Through the Secrets of Jewish Wisdom by  Michal Oshman

I don’t tend to read self-help books, but this one caught my eye as did the author bio. I think that the author being a female made it much easier for me to identify with. I don’t have any Jewish family so this is a book I went into with no real idea as to what to expect.

This isn’t a book that will help you overnight, it is a book that you can use to reassess life, goals, challenges and deal with things that you have not fully dealt with. We live in a fast-paced world that sometimes we just cannot keep up with. That’s fine!

Overcoming fear is something that you will need to work at, taking small steps, making small changes, altering your view or repeating a phrase. I do think that everyone will take something different from this book depending on what they are looking to achieve.

It is a book that makes good reading as well as one that can definitely help. It isn’t at all preachy, it doesn’t call for expensive purchases, you don’t need to live a certain lifestyle. Instead, it is a book that will help to add purpose to your day and your thinking.

A book that I found to be useful and one I would definitely recommend.

The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames is one I read for the upcoming Blog Tour. This was a book that I did slow my reading down for and I am so glad I did as it helped to cement the different names and understand the timelines. This is a fabulous book, clever, complex at times and definitely has twists.

This is the 4th book in the Return to Cornwall series. Cornish Gold at Summer’s End by Laura Briggs is the first book I have read in the series and it does work well as a stand alone. Set in a community that is caught up with a phenomenon, or it could be vandals? This is a lovely read and one that had me intrigued as I followed the main character Julie. Full review as part of the upcoming Blog Tour.

My Review…

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

After listening to Michelle Obama narrating her book Becoming, I decided it was long overdue that I listened to one by her husband. I chose The Promised Land to listen to as it covered a good part of Barack Obama’s life prior to The White House and also during.

This was a great book to listen to, listening to the brief journey that leads this man to sit in the highest office of his country. Throughout this narration, I found a guy who genuinely felt that he was doing all he was for the benefit of others. Democracy is something he fervently believes in and this really does come across.

Mentions of his wife, children, family members, friends and colleagues are littered throughout this memoir. There are meetings, glimpses into top-secret operations of the time, news events, mistakes and also victories.

While I did prefer Michelle’s book just fractionally more, I did still love Barack’s. His is more political, obviously, whereas Michelle’s felt more personal.

A wonderful book to listen to, emotional, addictive and one I would definitely recommend.

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Four books for me this week, I have had a much slower reading week. But, the garden is looking much tidier 😂

All that is left is for me to wish you all a fabulous week ahead.

Stay safe

Take Care

Best wishes, Yvonne xx

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx