Reviewed By Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Machine Learning Using Python: Predictive Modelling Concepts Explained in Simple Terms for Beginners by Daneyal Anis is a great book for beginners who want to learn Python and get into programming. From sharing the basics of the programming language to sharing some very advanced programming skills, the author has done a great job of sharing information and helping the reader increase their knowledge. The author describes how you can make models in Python, how you can code, master analytics and, overall, become a master of Python in 7 days. This is a good book for anyone who wishes to follow a career in Data Science but finds it to be intimidating.

I have personally worked in a software house where the programmers worked using Python and sang praises about how easy it is. I decided to try the language and I understood nothing. I didn’t have clear guidance or anyone who would help me understand the language properly. Ultimate Step by Step Guide to Machine Learning Using Python is the complete opposite. Daneyal Anis starts the guide with the basics, helping you fully understand the language and implement it in real life. While he made the programming language easy to understand, he also encourages readers to implement what they have learned in real life. He encourages readers to experiment, to find their own rhythm with the language, and create their own understanding. I found the choice of words very good and the book to be very educational and informative for beginners.

Reviewed By Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite

In a society where material possessions symbolize success, many people confuse wealth with happiness. Being happy is what many of us strive for, but what does it mean to be truly happy? Has happiness always seemed to elude you? Are you ready to take charge of your life and begin to make conscious, intelligent choices that will serve you? It is time to take command of your life, put yourself back in control, and discover your life's higher purpose. In 6 Mega Life Transforming Hacks by Mirza Barlas, the six life-transforming hacks are backed up with research data, are simple, and will give you complete clarity on what you really want, plus a complete action road map to start seeing results. At the end of every chapter, you will receive some “specks of gold” and more resources to add to your life-hack tool-kit. Discover how to persevere and remain focused when you face obstacles, change negative thinking, learn how to evaluate problems objectively with CBT, increase your mindfulness, set goals, and solve problems intelligently. What if you could finally discover that happiness has always been within your reach?

Mirza Barlas's 6 Mega Life Transforming Hacks is an incredible step by step guide to improving your mindset, attitude, and thought processes. However, if you like to read self-help books and take no action, this book will not suit you. This guide is for anyone who is committed to change and is willing to take the necessary actions to achieve it. With the specks of gold, brilliant life-changing hacks resources section, there is no excuse not to begin to make significant alterations to your life. To gain knowledge and then take no action is simply adding more clutter to your life. However, if you truly want to change the direction of your life, then there simply is no better guide than this one. It is a huge treasure chest of techniques, exercises, and expertise. I thought the use of parables and stories were extremely helpful as they gave a visual aspect to obstacles and problems. I especially loved the quotes from historical figures; my favorite was from F. Scott Fitzgerald: 'Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.' I thought the 15 thinking errors and how to fix them section was very powerful. The goal-setting section was fantastic as it took a refreshing new look at problem-solving. I loved the section in Chapter 2 about turning your passion into your occupation; that was truly a lightbulb moment for me. The huge section on mindfulness and CBT was amazing, especially regarding the filters we place on reality. Everything in this guide is explained so clearly and will really inspire anyone to take the first step to dramatic change.

Reviewed By Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

So-Called Normal by Mark Henick is a memoir of the author's struggles as he is forced to endure mental health issues as part of his daily life. From childhood Henick is at odds with his family, first his philandering father and then his subsequent step-father, Gary, a man with a short fuse, a wicked temper, and the physical strength to tear Henick and his brother Ray down. The emotional abuse is equally frightening and Gary uses scare tactics, intimidation, homophobia, and manipulation to solidify control. Around the age of twelve Henick's mental health issues began to impact his life both in and outside the home, and he traverses them with mixed levels of support and success. His clinical depression and anxiety intensify and a string of unfortunate events dot his journey. Therapy, psych wards, and suicide attempts culminate into one fateful encounter that changes the trajectory of his life.

So-Called Normal is an engrossing memoir, written with the flourish generally only found in fiction as Mark Henick narrates his story in the first person. I think the standout for me was the way he was able to shift through the story in an organic way, allowing a reader to grow along with him as he matures. His sister Krista having nerves of absolute steel make for moments of levity in a narrative that is frequently sad and intense. His mother's love for her children and her fallibility toward the men in her life, and her own fears and insecurities, develop a woman that is deeply layered and authentic. On the literary front, the story is well written and tight. There is a moment when a now older and married Henick is able to close the door on a tumultuous childhood in a heartbreaking scene of farewells. Overall, this is a beautiful book, and where I would normally say that the memoir will be treasured by the author's descendants, in the case of Mark Henick I can confidently say this will also likely be treasured by the strangers who read it. Highly recommended.

Reviewed By Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Skyrocket Your Career: The No Bullsh*t Approach to Find Your Dream Job, Be Successful in It, and Transform into a Rockstar by Raj Subrameyer is a non-fiction self-help business guide for those on the hunt for employment. The book begins with two introductions, one as a foreword and the other by Subrameyer himself as he outlines the aspirations of his family and what he wanted to do, and how he has achieved the level of success he enjoys now. The book then breaks down into six chapters covering the distinct strategies that fall into the categories of figuring out what you really want to do, the interview and salary negotiation stages, finding success in a job you love, becoming a rockstar in your role, and reaching your full potential through unleashing the power that will inevitably lead to growth.

Skyrocket Your Career covers a whole lot of material that hardly seems possible given its compact size, but Raj Subrameyer is able to deliver the goods with a witty narrative and some genuinely insightful ideas. As a whole the book did feel as if it skewed a bit more toward those in the technology sector, but the application can be easily and quickly tweaked to bend towards virtually any industry so long as you actually know your way around the field. Subrameyer reminds me of an old boss who encouraged me to apply for a promotion for which I was woefully unqualified: “It's not whether you can do the job, it's whether you can get the job.” This of course flies right in the face of Subrameyer's rockstar strategy of underselling to overperform in chapter four, which is where I connected most to the book's message. Overall, this is an excellent book with a lot to offer, and Subrameyer seems like just the kind of pro who can get you there.

Reviewed By Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Exit the Maze by Dr. Donna Marks is a non-fiction self-help book for those battling addiction, the ones who love them enough to help them overcome it, and the professionals brave enough to change their current method to one that actually works. Dr. Marks introduces a three-part sequence with four chapters per step. These fall under One Addiction, One Cause, and finally, One Cure. Within these parts, Dr. Marks delves into taking responsibility, the fallacy of current diagnostic techniques, how an addict becomes an addict, and the power of love in the exiting of an addiction maze, among others. Through experience, Dr. Marks is able to convey the wisdom behind the method and a long-term, sustainable road map to success.

There's a lot to be said about a medical professional with a degree in psychology, a doctorate in education, and perhaps the longest list of certifications I've ever seen, who is able to focus on the stigma of addiction and actually be proactive in doing something about it. I found the section on behavioral modifications and how on their own they don't work to be of particular interest in Exit the Maze, particularly having someone dear to me repeatedly fail at cognitive behavioral therapy. Another is the basic but somehow forgotten principle outlined by Dr. Donna Marks that utilizes not just the power of love, but the power of acceptance and the power of pain as the pivotal points in recovery and rehabilitation. “...at some point, your pain will become so great, it will crack open the shell that has kept you separated from the love inside you.” With the United States in a mass scale opioid crisis and little by way of mental health support to the population's most vulnerable, Exit the Maze should be required reading for those who are genuinely interested in rehabilitating those in need.

Reviewed By Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

The Letters: How a Mixed Race Child Learned About His French Mother and Heritage by Daniel Freeman, EdD is the story of the author as he finds out why he always felt like the odd man out in his family. His father was an African-American man who fought for his country and when he died, a box of secrets was opened. When he passed away, Daniel went to his childhood home where he found two trunkfuls of secrets that his father had kept from his family. He found pictures and letters in French and as each letter was translated, he learned so many secrets that his father kept from Daniel. He found out who his real mother was, where she came from, and how he had a whole family he never knew about. What will Daniel do with this information? Will he reach out to the woman that gave birth to him?

I cannot even imagine what Daniel went through. I don’t know how he got the heart to move from one picture to another and read one letter after the other. He experienced something heart-shattering and he had to deal with the information just after he lost his father who he loved a lot. He pushed through it all, he welcomed the information and used that to ground himself. Daniel’s journey reads like a letter to a dear friend and that friend is you. The narrative reads like a dialogue between the author and, as the reader, you will experience his emotions and his journey first hand. The pictures he shared offered a fascinating look at an era long gone, but still exists in the images. He also shares the actual letter translations, which drew a much clearer picture of what his father was going through in that phase of his life. I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, surprisingly quick to read, and enjoyable to boot! The narrative is smooth and the author has done a great job of sharing his story while respecting his father, his birth mother, and the woman he grew up calling his mother.

Reviewed By Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

You're Pulling My Leg! The Ultimate Storytelling Game by Allen Wolf is an amazing book that can be played by using the cards given. There are over 600 questions in these cards and instructions are given on how the game should be played. It can be played by people of all age groups, preferably from 13 and above. It gives a lot of entertainment and laughs to those playing it and will be a sure hit at parties, family gatherings, and when it comes to getting to know friends. It is funny and lighthearted and will encourage the players to become creative when it comes to their answers. So how much do you really know about yourself? And do you think you know your friends well enough? Let us play the games and see for ourselves how many points can be scored.

These games are a good way to know oneself and the other person to whom the questions in the cards are addressed. You're Pulling My Leg! by Allen Wolf is innovative and refreshingly different and will keep the entertainment level high wherever it is used to play. It can be played anywhere and there are instructions on what is required, how to start the game, how to play the game, how the winner is chosen, and the game variations, which makes it easy for readers to learn the rules of the game. The book will definitely bring a smile to the faces of all readers/players and it is a must-have in everybody's personal collection.

Reviewed By Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite

Academic works by Julius Bailey, Ph.D., are notable for their flawless integrity, impeccable thinking, accessibility for the non-academic, and an irrefutable blending of stark objectivity with engaged passion, flavored always by an overriding sense of humanity and compassion. Racism, Hypocrisy, and Bad Faith, the most recent offering from this esteemed educator, continues an impressive record of communicating facts and practical considerations with perhaps more urgency, passion, and compassion than ever. The reader cannot remain uninvolved, even if only mentally. Bailey’s striking observation about Dr. Martin Luther King applies very well to this book in whole: “… his message was clear: each person listening to his words could create a tiny version of his nation simply by putting the stated principle into action. Combined, these individual changes could create societal change, but it had to start with the individual.”

The title of Julius Bailey, Ph.D.’s book, Racism, Hypocrisy, and Bad Faith, defines clearly the explosive subjects handled here: The ubiquitous legacy of American racism, the institutionalized hypocrisy affecting every aspect of American life today, and the entrenchment of bad-faith actors within those institutions, primarily political, that have brought us to this horrific watershed moment. Somehow, Mr. Bailey offers genuine hope, but he pulls no punches in his academic explications and historical perspectives. He calls out those bad-faith actors, often specifically by name and office and political party affiliation. His most striking accomplishment comes in the midst of extreme polarization, as his work itself seems perfectly balanced, due certainly to the author’s rigorous academic integrity and personal compassion.

Reviewed By Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Breathe by Leonidas Hadjimitsis is an interesting book with a captivating title that offers a great invitation: “Life is a joke...At times, a bad one. BREATHE out your sense of humor!” This is one of the best books I have read in a while, a book that speaks about one of the most essential things of all — the art of living with grace. The title itself gave me the idea of the freedom of the wind, or the air we breathe, and is a verb, so the title came across as compelling. At the start, the author shares an interesting thought: “In the beginning, I had the idea to title an empty book as BREATHE and ask you to breathe and fill the pages with your thoughts and experiences, to make it and feel that it is yours.” In this book, you will find compelling thoughts that drive intentional breathing and that allow readers to move from the art of controlling their breath to consciously steering their lives towards the direction they want it to take.

Leonidas Hadjimitsis’ book was written as a message to his own children, but it happens to be one of the books that are suitable for readers overwhelmed by the toxicity of contemporary life. The author urges readers to learn to connect with their deepest emotions and to keep the focus while navigating the disturbing and challenging situations that life throws at them. In this book, readers find tips on conquering inner freedom, finding happiness and meaning, and living gracefully. The book is filled with inspiring thoughts, short and evocative messages that are intended to awaken readers to the consciousness of the precious life they are given. Here are some of the exciting thoughts I gleaned from this book: “Breathing defines the boundaries of life and the flow in between. It serves as a gauge to indicate the quality of our choices and as a tool to reinstate balance and find peace,” and “Resilient people are determined to breathe their way out of any difficulty. They do not allow their breath to halt.” This is an engaging and inspiring book that will help readers discover their strength and take control of their lives.

Reviewed By Renee Guill for Readers' Favorite

The 30-Day Job Search: Supercharge your Resume, Renew your Motivation, Secure & Succeed at more Job Interviews, and Negotiate your Salary like a Pro! by Hamza Zaouali is a story about Lisa finding a job. It is based on a real-life story. Lisa only has a month to find a new job or she will be deported from Dubai, so she hires a coach to help her and finds many new techniques to assist her job search. Lisa learns how to write a proper resume, and how to sell herself for the best salary. She also learns new techniques for Linkedin and Google search. The story is a step by step guide to finding a job.

I thought that The 30-Day Job Search by Hamza Zaouali was a real eye-opener. I loved that he uses a story to show the steps, instead of just giving them straight to readers, as most books do. I thought that Lisa was a very likable character and her coach was fascinating. The world-building was well done. I have never been to Dubai but could picture it clearly. This book also has free templates for resumes and email letters that you can download. I cannot wait to try them out. The graphs he uses were a nice touch too. I think this book would also benefit freelancers, not just job seekers. I would definitely recommend having a notepad and pen with you or a way to bookmark pages because there are a lot of cool techniques you will want to try. If you are a freelancer or job seeker, I definitely recommend this book, even if you have been out of a job for a long time.