I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Tired of being too busy but not productive? Sick of feeling over-whelmed and stressed out? Can’t seem to find enough time to devote to either your work or your personal life? Attention Pays offers an antidote to the constant barrage of disruptions we find ourselves faced with. This extraordinary book shows how to unplug from the daily stressors that drive us crazy and plug into the tools, strategies and mindsets that have the power to harness our attention and help us reach our highest potential.

Attention Pays shows how to be highly productive and achieve lasting work-life integration by putting the spotlight on the power of attention and absolute focus. The author discovered, through years of speaking, training and coaching, that we are too consumed with multitasking and tuning out to hear what’s being said. Our minds are so busy we fail to make genuine connections and enhance our existing relationships.

As the author explains, intention is what makes attention valuable. Intention involves seeing, hearing and thinking about who is with you and what needs your focus right now. Attention Pays is all about intentionally investing your attention in what matters at the moment … the people you are talking to, the priorities you are acting on, and the passions you are pursuing.

No matter what you role - executive, leader, parent, business, owner, coach - you can join the Attention Pays revolution by adopting the personal, professional, and global intentional attributes. PERSONALLY: Be thoughtful as an individual. PROFESSIONALLY: Be productive as an individual and leader. And GLOBALLY: Be responsible for your community and your world.

Attention Pays is your guidebook for becoming happier in your relationships, more fulfilled at work, and safer in the world you have created.

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The Verdict:

Neen James is an international speaker and coach specialising in client experience. This slight, but practical guide aims to help readers improve their attention in their personal, professional and within your community/globally and has useful tips for working out what matters to you and assisting in organisation and delegation. However the focus here is on individuals rather than company culture and James’s chatty style didn’t really work for me.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

What is anxiety, and how can you manage it?

How can you understand and express your emotions?

Why do we experience low mood, and what can we do to help?

Dr Emily’s reassuring guide is filled with tips, techniques and useful information to help you maintain good mental health while growing up.

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The Verdict:

Emily MacDonagh is a doctor who practices in the National Health Service. This is a well-intentioned book aimed at helping readers aged 9+ to understand and express their emotions and the impact of hormones as they grow older. Although there is some solid, practical advice, the tone is a little patronising at times and the illustrations by Josefina Preumayr and Ana Sebastian are pretty flat and uninspiring (albeit with good representation).

HEALTHY MIND HAPPY YOU: HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH was released in the United Kingdom on 18th January 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

This is a book about how to be the guy that everyone needs right now.

Have you ever been in a situation where there’s a loud guy making dodgy comments, cracking jokes that only he thinks are funny or leering at the girls in the room? You can feel the tension, right? THAT GUY is the worst, but no one is saying anything, because the whole situation is intimidating and awkward.

This toolkit will help you CALL OUT BAD BEHAVIOUR and understand the serious issues facing girls today. And it will make you feel CONFIDENT navigating relationships, so that everyone feels happy, heard and respected, WHILE BEING THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF.

From FLIRTING DISASTERS and what STAYING IN THE FRIEND ZONE really means, to the PERILS OF PORN, ‘LOCKER ROOM TALK’ and the important of CONSENT, this is a vital handbook for lads who are fed up of THAT GUY, and who wan to help CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE.

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The Verdict:

Alan Bissett is a novelist, playwright and performer. This conversational antidote to toxic masculinity for readers aged 13+ combines personal anecdote with empathy and practical advice to tackle topics like internet porn, being ‘friend zoned’ and ‘locker room talk’. It’s well done (including the page design, which gets across the key messages) but the readers who pick this up are probably the ones who don’t need it in the first place.

LADS: A GUIDE TO RESPECT AND CONSENT was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd August 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Discover more about you with the Mr Men and Little Miss

A new series to encourage children to understand more about their own emotions and how to manage them with the help of the Mr Men and Little Miss.

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The Verdict:

Roger Hargreaves and Elizabeth Kilbey’s picture book (part of the DISCOVER MORE ABOUT YOU SERIES) is a thoughtful guide for young readers about how to be confident in who you are. I enjoyed the way Mr Funny is so supportive of Mr Quiet and also how the book celebrates all of the strange things Mr Funny does but how it makes him unique. These are really useful books for young readers and well worth a look.

MR MEN LITTLE MISS - BE YOURSELF was released in the United Kingdom on 30th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

You might want to read this book because you are being bullied. Or maybe you know a person who is being bullied and you want to help them. Or perhaps you’re worried that you’re bullying someone and you want to understand how to stop …

This book contains practical, straightforward information and advice to help you to understand more about dealing with bullying.

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The Verdict:

Louise Spilsbury is an experienced author of non-fiction books for children across a range of subjects. Having been bullied as a child, I wish that I’d had this sensitive guide for readers aged 9+ (part of a series) to dealing with bullying of all types but which also addresses readers who may not realise they are bullying others. Scott Garrett’s illustrations work well with the text and there are useful resources at the end of the book

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Project Logic
Prove It!

Test and improve your critical thinking skills with Project Logic! Challenge yourself with fun (and fiendish!) puzzles and then discover how critical thinking can help you solve everyday problems and issues.

Thinking rationally is about taking your time to organise your thoughts and to make informed decisions. Learn how to boost your thinking skills with puzzles, challenges and activities and find out about brilliant rational minds from the past.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Katie Dicker is a writer and editor specialising in children’s educational publishing. Part of the PROJECT LOGIC SERIES this is a cracking guide to how to think logically and rationally for readers aged 8+ that mixes puzzles and examples and introduces philosophers and their ideas. The puzzles are complex, there are challenges to perform afterwards together and a glossary of terms. It’s a great introduction to the subject and well worth a look.

PROJECT LOGIC - PROVE IT! was released in the United Kingdom on 9th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Cash Is Queen is the definitive guide to money for girl, breaking down the basics of how young women can learn to understand and manage their money - an essential skill that will last them forever.

With clear explanations and empowering text by experienced financial expert Davinia Tomlinson, this book is vital reading for young girls everywhere as they enter adulthood and set out to make their mark in the world.

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The Verdict:

Davinia Tomlinson has 15 years experience in investment management and professional services. This is a comprehensive guide to money management for readers aged 9+ (illustrated by Andrea Oerter) that is specifically aimed at girls but while there is some solid advice here, I felt that the cryptocurrency section undersold the risks, there is an assumption that readers are starting with some money and the layout was at times difficult to read.

CASH IS QUEEN was released in the United Kingdom on 5th January 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

”What would Harry do?”

Songwriter, trendsetter, social activist, mindfulness master - we’d all love to be more like Harry Styles. This “Golden” guide asked with Styles wisdom, will show you how.

Want to learn how to be your most authentic self, have the confidence to wear what you want, ad find inner peace? Discover how Harry finds his sparkle, so you can too.

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The Verdict:

Satu Hämeenaho-Fox is a writer, editor, pop culture fan and theorist. This self-help book, featuring bright and cheerful illustrations by Nastka Drabot, uses Harry Styles (including his work and things he has said) to set out some guidelines for how to live your life. There was nothing here that I disagreed with and if you know someone who is into Styles, then this is a fun, fannish book for them to check out.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Caring for others can be complicated. Whether your Padawan is losing focus, your child needs a bit of inspiration, or your student is heading towards the dark side, learn how to set them back on the right track.

Ideal for Jedi Knights, parents, guardians, and mentors, this book offers lighthearted advice from a galaxy far, far away.

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The Verdict:

Amy Richau is a freelance writer and researcher and Dan Zehr is host of the Star Wars podcast Coffee With Kenobi. I was a bit cynical about this Father’s Day tie-in book, but it’s actually been done very thoughtfully with Richau and Zehr drawing on a variety of Star Wars series and making some quite sensitive points about parenting and how to navigate it. If you have a Star Wars loving father, then this would be a good gift for them.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

You might want to read this book because your parents are splitting up. Or maybe you know someone whose parents are separating and you want to help them.

This book contains practical, straightforward information and advice to help you to understand why families break-up and what you can do to get through this stressful time.

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The Verdict:

Tim Collins is an award-winning children’s author of both fiction and non-fiction. This sensitive book (part of a series) guides readers aged 9+ through what happens when their parents split up and their emotional response to the same and Scott Garrett’s illustrations complement the text well. However although there is good advice here I wanted some recognition of when a divorce is happening due to abuse due to the challenges it throws up.

THE KIDS’ GUIDE: DEALING WITH DIVORCE was released in the United Kingdom on 22nd September 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.