The Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver

I'm made myself a promise that each holiday, I'll try to take some time off from working and I'll treat myself by reading a book just for fun. The vast majority of the books I read are for clients and although I thoroughly enjoy those books - its fun to read a book just for fun. So, you will probably notice that on many holiday weekends, I've posted reviews for Jeffrey Deaver books :)

The Broken Window is a high tech story about identity theft taken to extremes. Picture this, you are at your home having dinner or watching TV and the police knock on your door. They ask where you have been that evening and even though you know that you haven't done anything wrong, the police find evidence that ties you to a crime - murder. How can that be? They have a shoe print that matches your shoe, the condom at a rape scene matches the condoms you bought a couple of days ago, the potato chip crumbs at the scene match a bag in your garage and the worst news is that the victim's blood was found in your car.

This master criminal thinks that he has all the necessary information to pull off repeated "perfect crimes" and he did for years. Then he makes a "fatal" mistake - he frames Lincoln Rhymes cousin. That brings the renowned forensic specialist to the case and that means the criminals days are numbered (he would appreciate the pun :).

As the criminalist and his crew work on the crime, they find their way to a business that collects every bit of available information about every man, woman and child in the US. The business gives credence to the concerns about 'big brother watching you'. They know where you were, what you did, what you bought and much much more. The idea that a company could have all this information is creepy enough - but then imagine that a criminal mastermind has access to that information.

We see bits and pieces of the criminal and he lashes out at Rhyme, Amelia, and the other people who work with Rhyme. Literally, no one is safe from him and while Rhyme is very good - he has limited access to the information he needs. As always there are plenty of people who appear to be guilty while the reader is given tidbits to help us figure out who the mystery man is.

For anyone who likes a detailed and well researched thriller, I highly recommend this book. If you are a fan of Jeffrey Deaver - this book does not disappoint.

NOTE: I read through a number of other reviews before I posted this and I enjoy the immense detail that Deaver brings to his book and as an author I know the amount of pain staking work that is involved in being authentic and bringing this realism to a story. There was a lot of detail in this book and his usual multiple sub plots, but those are all things that make a Deaver book so great. Its not short or full of fluff and it is very possible to get lost in the story. I didn't think this book had as many whiplash twists to it, but with the detail that was included, I'm not sure that would've worked as well in this novel.

How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

How Obama Won by Earl Ofari Hutchinson
A Comprehensive Dissect of Obama's White House Win

I have to be honest that I’ve never followed politics for many reasons. But in the past year, I’ve worked with Earl Ofari Hutchinson, read four of his book and followed his blog posts. I can tell you that it has been a crash course in politics.

The unbiased details that he shares and the historic information that he provides to support his conclusions are fascinating to me because I love to learn the story behind the news. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally recognized political analyst and author who has had his finger on the pulse of the political system for years and he uses that experience to help the reader dissect Obama’s win.

That is also one of the things I really liked about his latest book, How Obama Won. So many things happened through the 20+ months of campaigning, that I had lost track of many of the details. Through the 20 chapters of this book, he starts with Obama announcing that he will run, his big and important win in the Iowa primary and brings the reader through the final days of the election. I was talking to a friend who was reading this and he mentioned that it felt like a friend was explaining the election to your personally.

In the pages of How Obama Won, Hutchinson discusses many things that helped propel Obama to victory and some things that had the potential to derail his candidacy. These topics include: the economy, fund raising, the black vote, Oprah’s support, “the Bradley Effect”, Jesse Jackson, Reverend Wright, the race issue, the Clintons, choosing the right vice president, Sarah Palin, Colin Powell, blue collar America, and more.

There are very high expectations for President Obama and his administration. This book is to the point and will take you back through the election process and remind you of the details that got Obama to his current position. Take a look back at this historic election that people will study for years to come. This is your chance to dissect Obama’s win. Sure Obama got more votes, but what lead up to him getting those votes? That’s what you learn in How Obama Won.

The Sinner’s Guide to Confession by Phyllis Schieber

Take three best friends, each woman has her own life and family. They share just about everything – but each friend has a secret that she won’t share with her friends or family. Will people think less of her if they know the secret she is hiding? How will her life change if she admits the truth? Will her life be better if she shares the secret? Admitting the truth gives friends and family the chance to help her with the secret – is that what she wants?

Barbara, Kaye and Ellen live in New York and they are each around 50 years old. Barbara recently lost her husband when he died unexpectedly. Thankfully, she has a lucrative career as a romance author and an even more lucrative secret. Her children are grown and on their own, but she is their mother and children have certain expectations about what their mother’s should do.

Kaye has a life with her husband and her children are adults, but her relationship with her husband has grown stale – is her future with him or another man? She meets a man who makes her feel sexy and desired, that makes her “stale” relationship with her husband even harder to tolerate. What will the future bring for Kaye and her family?

Ellen was forced, by her parents, to give up her daughter for adoption. This made her relationship even more strained with her parents and siblings. This forced adoption is even harder to handle as Ellen is married and she is unable to become pregnant. Will Ellen be able to meet her long lost daughter and if she does, can they forge a relationship?

Each of these women has a strong support system in place, but she needs to make the decision to trust these people with the secrets she is hiding. Their journey to self discovery takes you on an interesting, touching, emotion and at times a humorous trek through the pages of The Sinners’ Guide to Confession. Female relationship stories are not usually my favorite reads, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and often found myself laughing at great one liners and other times reaching for tissues as I read this very well written book by Phyllis Schieber.

Phyllis Schieber is touring cyber space in January 2009 to promote Sinner's Guide to Confession, for complete details - http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/12/sinners-guide-to-confession-by-phyllis.html

The Mind of A Genius by David Snowdon

Imagine if a genius created an invention that could literally change the world – for the better? What would a world changing invention be worth and what extent would be go to in order to get their hands on it? That is the premise behind The Mind of a Genius. I won’t tell you details about the invention, for that you need to read the book.

Malcolm Prince is a brilliant British scientist and he’s finalized the world changing formula. The word is out that he has succeeded and the British, American and Denmark governments are all interested. But, there are a few problems. Malcolm Prince dies without revealing the details and no one knows where he stored the formula. So, the brilliant scientist accomplished the impossible, but the world can’t benefit if the formula isn’t found. Then you have the concern that the formula could fall into the wrong hands.

The race is on – who will find the formula and how many people will go to jail because of their failed attempts to get their hands on the formula? A lot of money is being offered for the person or people who can get their hands on the formula. Which of these mysterious and devious people would you prefer has control of this world changing creation?

One government is trying a different approach. MI4 brings in their suave and very dangerous special agent Jason Clay. Clay is known to be a womanizer and the plan is for him to get close to Malcolm Prince’s beautiful widow. It’s a plum assignment for Clay and the money is good too. He meets Laura Prince and they get to know each other in the coming days. As they get acquainted and get closer, there are plenty of other people who want to get close to the beautiful widow or at least get close to her husband’s formula.

The Mind of a Genius brings together some very colorful and memorable characters to the story board and the action takes the reader from London to Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Australia. Who will find the formula? What is the formula? Will Jason Clay fall for the beautiful widow? Who is the dwarf? Who is Gorgeous Steve? And, who is the young man who keeps breaking out of jail? These are just a few of the answers that author David Snowdon answers in the pages of The Mind of a Genius. Get ready for international intrigue and mystery in the pages of this book.

David Snowdon is touring cyber space from mid January to mid March. For more information, vist http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/12/mind-of-genuis-by-david-snowdon.html

How to be a Sales Superstar by Mark Tewart

How to be a Sales Superstar: Break All the Rules and Succeed While Doing It
by Mark Tewart

Every aspect of our daily lives are affected by sales, even though we may not think in those terms. When you buy any product or service, various sales people are involved in the background. Even your utilities are affected by the sales process. Sales people have gotten a bad “rep” for years, but that isn’t necessary. We all know people in the sales industry that are superstars. The question is – how do you become a sales superstar? Mark Tewart is a definite expert who has the answer to this question and he is sharing his thoughts and tips in his new book “How to be a Sales Superstar”.

In these tough economic times, its even more critical for people to make a living. A ho-hum sales person very likely will not survive in this economic climate. A sales superstar will not only survive, but he or she has the opportunity to thrive – even in tough times. That’s what Mark Tewart can help you do in the pages of How To Be A Sales Superstar.

I have many favorite parts in this book, but I really appreciated the fact that Tewart shows you how to improve your overall life – life skills, people skills, promotional skills and yes, sales skills. He explains that improving your sales skills is a great start, but it is not enough to make you a superstar. You also need to work on improving your own life, your outlook on life, how you relate to and communicate with other people and much more.

I’ve always loved to read and it was interesting that Tewart mentions continuing to learn is motivating. The people who continue to work to learn and to improve themselves, do seem to be motivated to do and accomplish more. Have you found it easier to do more when you have more information to use? He includes a quote from Jim Rohn, it says – “If you motivate someone and you don’t educate them, all you have is a motivated idiot.”

He discusses the need to set goals and to have a clear vision. How hard is it to accomplish something when you have no goals to work toward and no vision of where you’re headed and how to get there? He doesn’t just say you need to set goals and have a vision, he shows you how to do both of these things which are critical to your success.

Another quote that seems especially useful in this difficult time – “When you go to work on yourself and get better, it’s amazing how much better your customers get.” How can you work on yourself to improve your skills and your outlook – to help you get better customers? These are two more quotes that I really liked. “Allow no limitations, no excuses, and no reason not to ask and receive. When you open the door to your positive belief system, you close the door to scarcity.” This is a thought that I’ve shared with many people who worked with me over the years, “You don’t get paid by the hour, you get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” If we all adopted that attitude, would we be motivated to work harder and better?

Mark Tewart explains why over 90% of salespeople underachieve. Are you in the 90% or the 10%? If you’re in the 90%, you need to read this book. The book includes a wide variety of marketing ideas. It also contains a list of questions to use and questions to avoid. I’ve always believed that we learn so much by learning from mistakes that others have made. Mark Tewart shares plenty of do’s and don’ts. He gives you examples of how to meet and greet customers, how to work with them, how to talk with them, how to understand what they are actually trying to tell you and much more.

For anyone that wants to learn how to excel in sales and in their life, I highly recommend that you need to read this book. Tewart gives you invaluable tools on how to improve your quality of life, your personal relationships, your promotional skills and to move your sales skills to a superstar level.

The One Minute Coach by Masha Malka

Remember the song – “What a Difference a Day Makes”? If a day can make a big difference, is a minute helpful. What can you actually accomplish in a minute? You may think the answer is “not much”, but I’m here to tell you that you can accomplish plenty in a minute… with Masha Malka’s new book “The One Minute Coach”. Get ready to turn your life around in a minute.

We all have very busy lives and we know how hard it is to work anything else into our schedule. I sympathize with the lack of time. However, can you find a couple of minutes in your day? Some people will find time at breakfast, on the train to work, in the restroom or some other place. The location doesn’t matter – the important thing is to find a few minutes.

This book is set up in a layout that I’ve really come to appreciate. Masha gave you a series of short points and then action steps to help you actually move forward and to make a difference in your life. Each chapter contains a series of these points.

There are over 50 points and over 50 action steps in this book – so literally, there is something for everyone. She discusses the topics listed below.

• Freedom to be Who You Are
• The Secrets of People Who Are Successful
• Why Do We Suffer?
• The Secret to a Great Life
• Are You a Natural Leader?
• Time Management and Decision Making
• The Best Source of Wealth
• Is It Ever Too late?
  

To give you some examples of the talking points in the book, I’ll share some of my favorite sections.

• Freedom to be who you are – “Don’t say if I could I would. Say instead, If I can, I will.” - Jim Rohn.
• The Secrets of people who are successful – “Successful people make a habit of doing what the failing person doesn’t like to do.” - Thomas Edison .
• The most important ingredient to your success – “Calm self confidence is as far from conceit as the desire to earn a decent living is remote from greed.” – Channing Pollock.
• Are you guilty? – “Lack of forgiveness causes almost all of our self-sabotaging behavior.” – Mark Victor Hansen.
• How much do you love yourself? – Let’s talk about LOVE. More specifically, I would like to focus on self love. Why? Because you cannot give more than you have – in order to give and receive love, you have to first love yourself.
• Using words with good purpose. – Did you know that you can positively transform your environment just by changing the words that you use?
• Personal satisfaction at work – “We can change our lives. We can do, have and be exactly what we wish.” – Anthony Robbins.
• How much do you rely on logic? Do you make your decisions using mainly your logic or your intuition?
• Produce the results you are looking for – “The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein.
• What did you miss out on today? “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin.
• The power of questions – “The quality of our lives is closely related to the quality of our questions.” – Michael Angier.
• Ask and you will receive – “Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions and as a result, the get better answers.” Anthony Robbins.
• Excellence is not an act, but a habit – “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle.
• Can one person change the world? – “You are where you are and what you are because of what you believe yourself to be. Change your beliefs and you change your reality.” Brian Tracy.
  

Each of these headings and sayings begin a two page section of the book. There is one page that gives an in depth explanation of the saying on the left page. On the right page, you see “action steps”. These action steps are included to help you see how to apply these principles in your life. It is very possible to change your life to make it better and you can change your life, once minute at a time.

I highly recommend this book. It is only about 130 pages, but it is packed with so many great thoughts and recommendations about how to get your life on track and how to excel. Like Brian Tracy said – we are each responsible for where we are in our lives and that means that we are the ones who have to put forth the effort to make a change.

In this day and time, there are many people who are facing trying times, but it is amazing how we can change our reality and our future by applying the points Masha Malka gives us in this power packed book. Newscasters keep telling us that we are in the worst financial situation in over 70 years, unemployment is soaring and the future looks very unsure – but if we make the most of our life, that is a great step in the right direction. Let Masha Malka show you how to start on the path to a more happy and successful life – one minute at a time.

The Freedom Formula by Christine Klosser

The Freedom Formula: How to Put Soul in Your Business and Money in Your Bank by Christine Klosser. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to include a spiritual element and attitude to your business? This is the book for you. Some people feel that you can’t run a “spiritual” business and make money, but Christine Klosser feels that it can be done. She also focuses on being a “conscious” entrepreneur. Do you run your business with a higher and more focused consciousness?

This is the freedom formula – (S+C+D+I) x E = F

That stands for – Soul + Connection +Design + Implementation x Energy = Freedom

How many of these elements do you use in your business?When we talk about the “soul” of your business – we’re talking about YOU. The person who “birthed” the business is the soul of the business – it’s your baby. We often say that we put our heart and soul into building our businesses, but Klosser takes it further in her book.

There are four components to a conscious business.

1. A Conscious Business Makes Money – It may be hard for some people to believe, but you can look out for your clients and still make money. We don’t have to sacrifice our lives and our needs to succeed. Both aspects are desirable and we can build a successful business that treats clients well and allows the owner to have a life.
2. A Conscious Business Makes a Difference – A conscious business should make a difference in the lives of others. Don’t just treat them well, but actually make a positive difference in their lives. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a doctor to make a difference. Do you offer a product or service that makes their life easier or that makes their life more enjoyable? These are ways to make a difference in their lives. Another aspect of this is knowing when you should refer the client to someone else. Do you know another business person that is better qualified to serve them? Then you should make the referral. Think about it like this – if you need to compromise what you think is right to make the customer happy, they aren’t right for you. Be true to yourself.
3. A Conscious Business Calls You to Be Fully Who You Are – Can you be true to yourself and not hide parts of your personality in your business? This is the sign of a conscious business. Being true to yourself and using every aspect of yourself is what will help you succeed. One big side benefit is that giving your whole self gets rid of any competition. If YOU are the element that brings success to the business – then no one else can possibly replace you. Klosser says “Success is supposed to be easy. When you’re simply being you and doing all that comes naturally as your Divine self, success flows.” I have to ask, can it possibly be that easy? Klosser seems to think so.
4. A Conscious Entrepreneur Trust in Their Divine Plan – One major element of this is to squash the negative thoughts and feelings that can creep in, especially with an unusually pesky client. It is important to stay focused on your Divine plan for your business and keep moving forward. No matter how bad the moment or the day is, its only a blip in the overall plan. This part of the plan requires you to reconnect with God – your source – your spirit – whatever you call the divine guidance in your life.

One of the elements I really liked were the “Action Guide Exercises” that are interspersed throughout the book. These are usually short and to the point, but to do them right will require thought and action on your part. There are many very good business elements in this book and it definitely helps the entrepreneur to stay focused on the bigger picture and the greater good. However, if you are not inclined to include your religious or spiritual beliefs in your business life, this book probably isn’t for you.

Before making the final decision to purchase this book, I’d recommend going to Amazon and click on the “look inside the book” link. This gives you the chance to read the first chapter. If you like Klosser’s approach and it resonates with you, I highly recommend that you buy it and read the rest.