Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

It's often said that a shoemaker can't mend his own shoes or a hairdresser can't style her own hair. One might be tempted to look at Diane Pomerantz's difficulty in understanding and analyzing the narcissistic, mentally abusive husband she reveals to us in her memoir, Lost in the Reflecting Pool, in the same way: Pomerantz is, after all, a psychologist, and a very good one. Then how come it takes her so long to stand up to Charles and eventually remove herself from his debilitating control over her thinking and self-esteem? Diane's story is, sadly, the story of far too many women who fall in love with a man and ignore the early warning signs that he might just be a bad choice as a life partner. Charles woos her with flowers, says all the right things, and when he says or does the wrong thing, she dismisses it, thinking the problem is her and not him. If ever there was a story that proves how blinding it can be to fall hopelessly in love, Lost in the Reflecting Pool is that story.

In the early years of their marriage, Charles, a psychiatrist, chooses where they go, what activities they engage in, and what houses they should buy. Even when Diane doesn't like his choices, she convinces herself she does like them. And then, suddenly, Diane learns she has cancer. Is the loving Charles by her side, worrying with her as a good husband should? No. He's too busy with his patient load. Diane goes through a medical nightmare for years and when it is recommended that she have stem cell surgery, Charles goes as far as to suggest that, given their financial difficulties, she should just accept her fate! What kind of cold-hearted human being is this?

You have to read Lost in the Reflecting Pool to get the full picture of the suffering Diane Pomerantz endured medically and mentally through the many years of her marriage to Charles. It's a heart-breaking read, but Pomerantz eases the tension with endearing stories of time spent with her children, who sadly also suffer under a father like Charles. It's a relief to read this realization that Diane reaches at the end of the book: “I no longer feel compelled to know the “whys” of what Charles did. With that understanding has come a great deal of freedom. Letting go of the need to have answers to unanswerable questions—accepting that there were things that were, that are, and that will always be beyond my control—has allowed me the freedom to move on, to find myself once again.” That is superb advice from one who knows for all women who survive a bad marriage like Diane's. Highly recommended reading.

Reviewed by Danita Dyess for Readers' Favorite

Did you know that everything you do on a daily basis aligns or misaligns with your ultimate career goals? If you are not aware of this fact, then you could be sabotaging your career according to J.J. DiGeronimo, author of Accelerate Your Impact: Action-Based Strategies to Pave Your Professional Path. Studies reveal that men apply for jobs when they are only 60 percent qualified. Women wait until they are 100 percent prepared -- a big mistake with negative long-term ramifications. This book has evolved into a tactical road map of actions and areas of focus that will help you manage your upward career path. Learn about strategic conversations with decision makers, the difference between confidence and self-esteem, the importance of networking and conquering imposter syndrome.

I loved Accelerate Your Impact. J.J. DiGeronimo's years of experience as a leader in the IT sector and founder of Tech Savvy Women was evident. With only about 300 pages, her "playbook" was succinct but comprehensive. It was packed with eye-opening research from numerous reputable sources, and graphs illustrating startling statistics. She provided step-by-step instructions with takeaways that could be incorporated into your daily routine. She also acknowledged the fear factor and motivated you to face self-imposed obstacles. Her core message was unprecedented: overlook titles and focus on higher levels of influence. This nonfiction guide is applicable to all women at any stage of their careers and will serve as a reference tool. DiGeronimo is the author of The Working Woman's GPS. Accelerate Your Impact is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

As the title suggests, Lessons in Our (Early) 30s by Libby John and Jillian Kaiser is all about the life of a single woman in her early 30s. The authors point out how the journey can be at times confusing and exhilarating, and they have decided to share their experiences as guidance to readers so that they can avoid a few of life’s mistakes on the way. The book handles topics like beauty, wellness, career, finances, and much more. The authors speak about their personal experiences, actions, plans, tips, and lessons learned in each chapter. It will leave readers with fun memories about living and learning, and make it an enjoyable experience.

It is a light-hearted, entertaining book and the hyperlinks added will enable readers to connect to the related topics easily. The tips, suggestions, and ideas are interesting and each chapter will provide readers with personal experiences, actions, plans, tips, and lessons learned. The authors cover the topic methodically and in detail, and the blog style of writing makes it easy for readers to understand and connect well with the book. I like the topic chosen by the authors; it’s original and unique with loads of information for a woman who has turned 30. For all the women who have newly turned 30 or who are in their 30s, this book is a must-have in their personal collection as it gives perfect techniques on how to handle the experience well.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Born for Life: A Midwife’s Story is a non-fiction memoir written by Julie Watson. The author knew by the time she was ten years old that she wanted to be a nurse. There were other career options that she had considered and dismissed as she was growing up, but that one dream remained alive. When she was seventeen, she had the opportunity to become a nurse’s aide at Pahiatua Hospital. While it was not quite the same as training for and becoming a nurse, it was close enough and the pay was sufficiently attractive for her to give up her current job and go to work at the hospital. She was nervous when she entered the hospital building, had her uniform fitting, and spoke with the matron, Mrs. Brunton, but her enthusiasm won out over any fears, especially when Mrs. Brunton told her that she was being assigned to the maternity ward. That first assignment led to her lifelong dedication to helping women as a midwife.

Julie Watson’s non-fiction memoir, Born for Life: A Midwife’s Story, is well-written and compelling reading. It left me with a profound respect for midwives and the level of care they give and commitment they have for the women in their charge. I enjoyed seeing how she was able to get on-the-job training as a nurse’s aide, and empathized with her initial qualms as she learned how to care for and prep women who were ready to give birth. Watson also tells her own story in this heartwarming memoir, including her life with her husband, Barry, the births of her own children, and the steps she took to become first a registered nurse and then a midwife. Along the way, I learned a lot about New Zealand as it was in the later part of the twentieth century, and I appreciated the natural beauty and coastal experiences she shares with her reader. Born for Life: A Midwife’s Story is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Gemma Benton for Readers' Favorite

Ladies, if you're only able to read one book this year, make it Cynthia James’ I Choose Me. As I turned the pages of this well written and uplifting book, I felt like I was sitting with a close friend as she gives sage advice and straight talk about those key areas of pain and happiness in my life, from healing through honesty in relationships and marriage, confronting myths and inner demons about money, business and finance, while understanding the importance of “choosing me.”

In I Choose Me, author Cynthia James speaks honestly about those “dark nights” and critical places in every woman’s life. She writes with a strong, confident voice about finding strength and healing in those transformational moments in her own life, and shares how she discovered in some of life's pivotal moments places where her deepest truths were melded, tempered, and strengthened into her most powerful gifts and strengths.

In I Choose Me, author Cynthia James stands with us in those big, scary transformational moments and offers us hope and clarity. Moments like finding your voice in the midst of a divorce, healing generations of poverty and creating wealth, being a women in business while reclaiming passion, love, and happiness in our lives. All along the way, sharing her powerful insights and revelations with us and offering specific, actionable steps that help us break through to our next level of success and happiness.

I Choose Me by Cynthia James is an affirmation of the power of women to create, overcome, and rise ... not in spite of, but because they are women embracing their feminine power and deepest heart truths.

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

Difficult Conversations Just for Women: Kill the Anxiety. Get What You Want by Sofia Santiago, MBA, PMP and Dr. Susan Harrison carries a message that every woman needs to know, especially in this day and age; an expert guide on handling difficult conversations. The title of this book may lure readers into checking it out, but they won’t be disappointed. What is most interesting about this book is that it offers just what readers need to know. No fluff, no babbling. It’s straightforward talk that will help any woman find their voice and the right approach when dealing with delicate matters, impatient and difficult people, and when they know they have to stand up for themselves but are cowed by the need to please others or fear of rejection.

Sofia Santiago, MBA, PMP and Dr. Susan Harrison are two experts and authorities in the art of communicating effectively, and they bring to this ground-breaking work their many years of research and a rich professional experience. The tone is lively and highly entertaining, and many times readers will find themselves inside the concrete examples and scenarios used to corroborate the salient points of the book. This is one of those rare books that successfully guides readers in the science of communicating in trying moments. It is an excellent tool to help anyone understand the factors that affect effective communication, especially when women have to face men in both business and life, and how to handle emotions in difficult conversations. The message couldn’t be timelier!

Difficult Conversations Just for Women: Kill the Anxiety. Get What You Want is a book for every woman, but it is also a book that men need to read. The book is intelligently written, upbeat, and filled with insights that will come across as an eye-opener to many readers. I wish I'd read this book ten years ago, but it is never too late.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Beyond Embarrassment: Reclaiming Your Life with Neurogenic Bladder and Bowel by JoAnne Lake and 'bio-sleuth' Julia Parker is JoAnne’s honest and open story and her will to succeed in spite of having to face physical and medical challenges. JoAnne’s story will encourage medical practitioners to share this with their patients and increase the patients’ will to overcome the condition and lead a normal and successful life. The story is not only motivational to those with a neurogenic bowel and bladder, but for all those who are struggling with life’s hurdles. The book helps in giving confidence, empathy, and support to patients who are trying to overcome a very intimate health issue.

The book covers the topic extensively right from what a neurogenic bladder is (which has symptoms and stigmas similar to incontinence), and then goes on with all the details relating to it. I would recommend this book to all medical practitioners, caregivers who are working with these patients, and spouses so that they are able to understand the psyche of the patient while handling them. The book is honest and can be a balm to all those wanting to live their life normally. Readers can feel JoAnne’s despair, grief, and hopelessness through her words, and her will to live life like everyone else despite having a neurogenic bowel and bladder.

The advice on how to cope with a neurogenic bowel and bladder on a daily basis is very helpful and it’s also useful in raising awareness amongst the general public and medical professionals, and equipping them to recognize symptoms. It’s a book that will connect with readers and give them the strength to face life despite the adversities that mar them. A well written book that handles the topic of neurogenic bowel and bladder very nicely and gives hope to all those facing this hurdle in their personal lives. An appendices list suggests products, books, and websites, and the glossary is especially useful.

Reviewed by Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite

"I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am a soul that lives within." India Arie's words have never rung louder in my mind than when I was reading Crowning Glory: An Experiment in Self-Discovery Through Disguise by Stacy Harshman. Stacy's inner struggles mainly manifested through severe hatred towards her natural hair so she decided to wear a wig for a change. After a brief experiment with a red wig and seeing how people's reactions towards her changed, she decided to take it to the next level and experiment with different wig colours. For the next five weeks, she was to transform into a redhead, a brunette, a blonde, a black-tressed woman, and then back to her natural hair for the final week. With the help of an assistant, she would record the reaction of the people around her and in the end compare notes on which look got the most reaction from people. The experiment ended with some very surprising results and became a turning point in dealing with her deep-rooted inner struggles.

Crowning Glory: An Experiment in Self-Discovery Through Disguise by Stacy Harshman is a touching memoir detailing a personal journey towards healing a deeply troubled soul. This is not your everyday memoir; it is deep, fresh and fun to read. Although Stacy's experiment was with her hair, it speaks to so much more than just hair; sometimes healing the outside might be just what we need to heal and transform our inner selves. Feeling good on the outside might just be the trick to unleashing your positive energy. At first the idea of self-discovery through experimenting with wigs might seem bizarre and borderline ridiculous, but once you get inside Stacy's mind and understand the demons that reside there, you will understand how something like this could have such profound results.

Reviewed by Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite

“My body is an instrument. It transfers pain to melody so well.” Typically, non-fiction books about abuse – physical, mental, and emotional – are written from an observer’s point of view, even if the observer is the victim. Don’t Hit Me! by Vanessa de Largie is in no way your typical book. This is not an analytical discussion. It most certainly is not dry. You are still on the outside looking in, but the way an inner self observes the outer: wondering how in the world this can be me. As if an alternate personality is running things and the real me can only watch, resulting in a feeling of barely constrained panic. The choice is not to flee or stay, but whether to let oneself go insane. The victim here is the author, who makes an analogy to war, and it is not trite. She exists in a state of continuous vulnerable alertness; a state of continuous abiding fear.

In this remarkably intimate confession – penned from a journal written contiguously with the torture and humiliation heaped on her from the boyfriend she claims to love – Don’t Hit Me! reveals Vanessa de Largie’s intrinsic assumption of personal helplessness, becoming more a quiet plea for intervention or for you simply to recognize her existence. This becomes both heartrending and horrific in the way she styles her writing – a book arising from the snippets of momentary screams she allows herself to journal privately: short, diary-like epithets, agonizing poetic lacerations, blasts of self-harassment, and between the lines of all of these ... the silence of her tears. And while she brushes at an explanation from her past, it is only a passing observation, one that has no power of transformation for the role in which she finds herself, or an escape from the glass at which his dirty hands scratch and smudge. Perhaps the most plaintive cry of all echoes in the reader’s mind long after closing this small book: “Why can’t I be that normal girl?”

Reviewed by Lisa Jones for Readers' Favorite

Ready or Not ... Out I Come by Raechel Bull is her own incredible story of the journey which she undertook to have a child. From conception to birth, this book covers everything. The author had many hurdles to overcome before she finally became a mother and she has documented them for the world to read. She hopes that somehow this book will be of help to others who are going through similar situations. There is also a collection of stories from other people and their own unique experiences which she has incorporated into her story.

I found this book to be incredibly moving yet inspirational. She touched on a lot of subjects that are rarely discussed, such as miscarriage and IVF. The heartache she felt through the toughest of times was also felt by the reader. The fact that she battled on through many setbacks and disappointments was courageous, beyond a doubt, and it is this spirit which I feel could reach out and help others who are experiencing the same thing. Her story was an eye-opener for me. As a mother, I now feel lucky that I never experienced the hardships that she did, but I could feel her anguish and pain. The fact that she never gave up hope and that she is now indeed a mother instills hope in everyone. The stories which she has included from other people are also wonderful and I especially found the one that was told from a man's perspective interesting. I feel that this book will help others and I think the author makes some valid points on what she feels needs improvement within the health sector.