A Homeopathic Guide to Partnership and Compatibility: Understanding Your Type and Finding Love

by Liz Lalor (2004)
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Price: $18.95

Reviewed by: Olivia Worobec

Although we see the effects of illness physically, there are mental and emotional factors that run alongside it. Homeopathy takes into account the simultaneous forces at work within us.

Lalor not only looks into the underlying emotional component that affects one's health and well-being, but even goes further by linking self-knowledge to finding your ideal partner (unlike previous uses and methods of homeopathy). There is a stronger connection than you may think.

“Homeopathic constitutional analysis is based on the assumption that when you know who are you are, you also know what fulfills you emotionally,” she says.

Studying movies as examples, from The African Queen to American Splendor, Lalor looks at character and emotional personalities, as well as relationship types. By observing individualized and custom approaches to life, the author is able to categorize a number of constitutions. By seeing where you match up, the result is self-understanding and finding what makes you feel fulfilled in a relationship.

“A constitutional analysis encompasses who you are, how you operate in the world, how you interact with people, and, most important for this book, what you are like in your relationships.”

A truly unique application backed up by research and experience, Lalor's book takes self-knowledge and compatibility to a whole new level.

Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life

by Karen Maezen Miller (2010)

Publisher: New World Library

Price: $14.95

Reviewed by: Brandee Cote

Written in the same vein as the popular Eat, Pray, Love, this book is about embracing the little things in life – especially in the wake of personal trials. Whether it'd be finding “happiness at the bottom of the laundry basket, the love in the kitchen sink, and the peace possible in one’s own backyard.” Miller discovers that it’s these seemingly mundane things that offer great opportunity for personal growth.

“And I was missing it, because I thought life was something other than my life. I thought life was something envisioned and achieved. I thought it was manufactured from ideals and earned through elbow grease. I thought it was yet to arrive, and so I missed everything that had already come. I was blind to my marriage and my absence from it. I saw my job almost exclusively as a necessity, and rarely as the exhilarating invention that it was. My home was a headache, a pile of rust and dust. I was certain that I never wanted a family: not one more person to clean up after. And I had never examined my mind, my heart, or my hand in any of this.”

A captivating yet easy read, pick this one up if you’re in the mood for a little self-examination.

Noah and the Ark

by K.W. McCardell and Antonella Chirco

Publisher: Bible Rhymes Publishing

Price: Become a member on BibleRhymes.com

Reviewed by: Olivia Worobec

This animated Biblical story comes alive with delightfully illustrated scenes of friendly-looking animals. The story is even expanded on with fun details.

The movement of the characters and animals, with sound effects and background music, adds a lot of dimension to this story, making it more tangible and real.

All in all, a very warm and uplifting read.

“The good Lord had said that he’d make it through

His family and animals, they’d make it too” (23)

Living in the Moment: A Prescription for the Soul

by Gary Null (2008)

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Price: $23.95

Reviewed by: Olivia Worobec

Gary Null, PhD, has been on the radio for over two decades in addition to his work of documentary films and investigative reporting. Foremost, Null is an author who has written a number of books on self-improvement, with the frequent focus being on health and self-empowerment. He has also conquered The New York Times bestseller list and has extensively been featured in magazines.

Living in the Moment is about showing individuals that we can live our best life possible - and we all have the power to do so, says Null. Many times, we place limitations on what we can or should do with ourselves. Outside voices have placed expectations and conditioning on how we live. We start to make excuses for why can not do something or achieve our dreams. Ultimately, this heavily impacts the choices we make. By not being in tune with ourselves, we waste our time on things that don’t really matter to us because of the belief system that we are inclined to follow.

This book would be excellent for anyone looking for an educated perspective. Null gives sound advice to help individuals break free of distractions that are detrimental to our true potential.

A Path of Colored Leaves

by Rachel Carr Klippenstein (2000)

Publisher: Fountain Publishing

Price: $7.25

Reviewed by: Olivia Worobec

As the title implies, this book is about the seasons of life - more specifically, the journey of Klippenstein and her husband. As they deal with a painful lost reality, the author discovers a new dream and her ultimate destiny to write.

The seasons of the year and the places that the couple settles in seem to reflect their present state of prosperity. In South Dakota, it was dry. In Florida, the sunshine was an indication of a promise about to be fulfilled. In Oregon, the rainy weather was almost a cleansing and healing of the past. As spring broke through, so did a new life.

In addition, there is reflection on Klippenstein’s college education experience and stories of the ranch.

We deal with crisis and situations in our own way and in our own time: a theme that resounds throughout the book. It is also in the most difficult times that we find ourselves.

Featured quote: “The intensity of pain corresponds to the intensity of what is loved” (30).