MAR 29th Freebie Time!

Howdy Journal & Friends,

Time for another giveaway party!

I'm decluttering again, and this time it's free books, and one audiobook. Whichever or however many you want, it's first come, first served. 

Just shoot me an email telling me which you are interested in (rettakat at gmail dot com). If you're the first, they are yours, and you can send me your snail mail address (and NO, I won't give it To. Any. Body. Else. Period.) 

The books are totally free. The only difference this time is... I'm hoping you won't mind picking up the cost of postage. I have 15 books to give away and postage can get rather spendy, ya know?? 

I'll mail them Media Mail (book rate) for the cheapest rate possible. For example, a 3 pound book (including packaging) costs about $3.31 (continental USA). So when you get your gently used treasure, just look at the postage on it, and shoot me a letter, 'kay? Check or money order, it's all good. If you need to know the cost before you commit, just let me know that, too.

These book were all mine, and I'm done with them. Some might have a few little notes here or there I made, but all are in fairly good shape, and clean. Yes, we have 2 kitties and one pup, so if you have severe allergies... you decide. 

This post would get too long to show inside photos and gives extensive reviews of each, so if you think you might like some, just look on Amazon and read about them, if you'd like to know more that what I put here. 

Here we go. Buckle yer seat belt, it's a long one:

(click on pics to enlarge; these are small thumbnails so your page will load before next year)

1. Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution  (taken)

(Hardback 2002, 3rd edition)

It's in great condition, and I only wrote in it a teensy bit. :-) 

Explains the whole program, dispels the nutty myths out there that a lot of people have about what it really means to "eat low carb". People don't READ the program, try it wrongly, then fail. Then they say "I did low carb and it didn't work for me". Uh huh. But they never got it right to start with... it's not all meat and cheese! Dr Atkins insisted on lots of low starch veggies! So here's your chance to read the "official" plan, straight from the horses mouth. Can't beat the price!

It has quite a few recipes at the back. The only thing is that a few of them use "Atkins Bake mix" as an ingredient. There are lots of substitutes for that if you know how, but just thought you'd like to be forewarned. Also, it has a short carbohydrate gram counter, big enough to get you started.

2. Naked Chocolate  (taken)

by David Wolfe & Shazzie (paperback)

No, it's not a romance novel! 

It's a fascinating paperback all about... wait for it... CHOCOLATE. Food of the gods! Yum. First half is all about the history, cultures, ancient civilizations and the way chocolate was used and developed over the centuries, myths and lore about cacao. Wonderful photos, artwork and drawings. Really interesting, I promise. Well, if you like chocolate or history, I suppose. 

Second half is recipes. This is pretty much for the raw foodist/vegan/dairyfree/sugarfree folk. Uses things I don't eat now, like agave nectar and dried fruits for sweeteners. You'd probably like it if you already have the types of ingredients around that this type of diet uses. No cooking other than a food dehydrator occasionally. Gorgeous photos of the recipes. Very artfully done. Five stars for the photography! I only made a few notes here and there. It's in fine condition.

3. The Carbohydrate Addict's LifeSpan Program (taken)

by the Dr's Heller (paperback)

Yes, THOSE Hellers, that appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show a few years ago. Oprah lost weight on their plan, but decided she couldn't live without her bagels, etc. To each their own. :-)

The first half lays out their program in detail, with sample menus and everything you need. The second half is chock full of recipes. They do use some soy here and there, so if you can't eat it (I can't because it suppresses thyroid activity) then you'll have to substitute.

I tried several variations of the low carb plan in the beginning, and this was one of them. 

I don't need the book any more, so it's your turn to play with it. :-D

4.  The Four Corners Diet 

by Dr Jack Goldberg & Dr Karen O'Mara (paperback)

I actually followed this fairly closely when I first started out, with the exception of their aversion to healthy fats. They are stuck on last generation theory with that, thinking only monosaturated fats are good for us. But other than that, it's actually a good, logical, easy to follow book. It explains their plan well, with guideline summaries, menu recommendations which help in the beginning, and the obligatory recipes. 

If you still aren't comfortable with eating the true Atkins way, which is actually high fat/medium protein/low carb, then this might be a great fit for you. 

They use some soy protein and wheat gluten in their recipes, so keep that in mind.

They do not req uire or recommend counting calories. They claim you will feel full, and your body will naturally regulate how much you will eat. Uh huh. Yes, it works if you do NOT have a problem with emotional eating. I had to learn that the hard way...sigh.

5. Low-Carb Cooking With Stevia (taken)

by James Kirkland (paperback)

I've copied quite a few recipes from this book, and most were good. One important thing is to get a good non-bitter brand of stevia to use. I can recommend my current favorite: NuStevia NoCarbs blend, by NuNaturals.

This isn't just desserts. He also has recipe sections for Beverages, Breads/Breakfasts & Protein Bars, Soups/Salads & Dressings, Appetizers & Sides, Main Dishes, Cakes & Cookies... toppings, sauces, condiments, etc etc.

In the first part he educates you about stevia, and gives helpful tips on how to cook with it, including a Frequently Asked Questions section. 

He does occasionally use ingredients I don't eat now: soy and wheat gluten come to mind.

I didn't write in it too much, so it's in nice condition.

6. The Yeast Connection Cookbook 

by William Crook, MD and Marjorie Jones RN

(paperback)

This is the companion to "The Yeast Connection", and has all the recipes needed to go on a sugar free program to combat candida. The first third is educational, with lots of charts, info, diagrams, and illustrations, etc etc. The rest is full of recipes. It's not really low carb, but uses lots of alternate grains, to make healthy meals. Has about 225 "family tested" recipes. I marked in it a little bit here and there.

7. Alive in 5 (Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes) 

by Angela Elliott (paperback)

A small cookbook, but has many creative yet easy to make recipes that are for the raw food, vegan types. I've made a few of them, and they were very nice. And pretty to look at, also!

 8. Health, Healing and the Amuse System 

by Paul E. McGhee, PhD (paperback)

Whaddaya know... not a cookbook!

"What did the Zen Buddist say to the hot dog vendor? 

Make me one with everything."

This is a rather large paperback (282 pages) and is more like a textbook, with to-do lessons, charts, illustrations, steps, teachings.

Actual lessons for Home Play, Group Sessions, at work, etc.

It's a serious subject, but written in an accessible and humorous way. The book is chock full of amusing anecdotes, funny one-liners and jokes. Why? To illustrate his point, that we take ourselves too serious, and are too full of stress. He is trying to show us how to improve our healthy by lightening up. Goes in depth why and how having a good sense of humor is healthy, and how to develop yours. Cites research and case studies. Please be aware, some of the jokes can be a little risque.

"Everything is funny as long as it happens to someone else." Will Rogers

Basically, it's a handbook on how to increase your sense of humor to have a healthier and less stressful life.

"Life is like an elevator. Some days you go up, some days you go down, and some days you get the shaft."

9. How To Have A 48 Hour Day 

by Don Aslett (paperback)

An interesting book, obviously about time management, with lots of tips, illustrations, checklists and strategies. It helped me some; probably would've helped more if I had consistently done what he taught! It was written in 1996, but the ideas are timeless. I marked it in a couple places with a yellow highliter and the cover has a crease in the corner, but other than that it's in good shape. I forgot I had it, and found it gathering dust on the bookshelf. :-}

10. Laugh Again 

by Charles R Swindoll (Hardback)

The subtitle reads: Experience Outrageous Joy. Chuck Swindoll is one of my favorite radio preachers, authors. This book doesn't gloss over the hard stuff of life. But he takes us back to our source of joy, God. About joy that is independent from circumstances. He is basically presenting his study of the book of Philippians, in a very interesting and inspiring way.

It's a wonderful book, warm and friendly. Humorous at times, and sometimes touching.

I've read it a couple of times. Hmmm... I'm thinking if you read this book, you'll understand me better. ;-)  Aside from THAT irresistable motivation ;-) you'll be blessed yourself. It's a wonderful book, I can't recommend it highly enough. It might just change your life!

The dust jacket is a little weathered. I've done some marking inside with yellow highliter and pen, but if you don't mind that, it's still in fairly good shape.

11. Self Matters 

by Phillip C McGraw, PhD (Hardback)

This is the one, folks. I had read Dr Phil's basic "The Ultimate Weight Solution" several times, and it helped me hugely!! Yet I still felt stuck in chapter 2 of that book, which is about Emotional Healing. I needed a more indepth look at the emotional healing stuff. 

Then I read this book, and bought the companion workbook. Did all the assignments, cried my way through my past and hammered it out, putting to rest so much "stuff", and letting it go. It gave me a LOT of understanding (it's NOT about blame, it's about understanding). I no longer feel the need to keep revisiting the past, since it's been dealt with. I don't live there now. I am HERE and NOW.  

I am currently working on the habits ingrained from a lifetime, learning to let go of the old mental conditioned responses and make new healthy choices. But the work done from THIS book was a big breakthrough that helped me on my way. I highly recommend it, if you feel your past is haunting you! 

And no, ya don't have to "love" Dr Phil. Just love getting healthier, and have a teachable spirit. I know you'll be glad you did. :-)

Oh, and I did some marking with a yellow highliter, and the dust jacket is a little rough, but otherwise it's in nice shape.

12. Life Strategies 

by Phillip C McGraw, PhD (Hardback)

Plus, the companion Life Strategies Workbook  (paperback)

I bought these at the same time I bought Self Matters, and didn't realize they sort of overlapped. So I didn't fill out the workbook, it's like new. I studied his Life Strategy material on his website, and LOVE the Ten Life Laws. They are true and practical wisdom, and I'm still trying to incorporate them into my life. Highly recommend this book!

Practically like new... I didn't even write in them at all! :-D

13. The Ultimate Weight Solution 

by Dr Phil (Hardback, minus dust jacket)

This was the one that started it all for me. It made me face MY responsibility, my choices, my outcomes from those choices. He also said that's the good news, too. Since *I* made the choices that brought me to this point, I also had the ability to change my future by making better choices now. And he teaches it in terms of 7 Keys:

1) Right thinking

2) Healing feelings

3) A no-fail environment

4) Mastery over food and impulse eating

5) Good nutrition

6) Intentional exercise

7) Circle of Support

I don't use his nutritional plan, but that's not necessary to benefit from the rest. So if you want a structure, an outline to guide you in making a great start on the journey to health, this is THE one I'd say to start with. Let's see, I've read it about... oh, maybe 6 or 7 times!

This one is marked up some with colored highliters and the dust jacket is long gone. But otherwise, it's in good shape. And the message will light a fire under you!

14. Graphic Design for Non-Designers(taken) 
by Tony Seddon & Jane Waterhouse

Written in 2009, so the information is current. 

I got this thinking it would be of help with some projects I was involved in. I'm embarrassed to put it this way, but I discovered I already know almost all that is in there. 

It's packed with useful info, so if you don't have the benefit of any formal art training, this could be a big help to you. Tons of photos and illustrations to help the visual learner.

Here's some of the topics covered:

-getting started (terminology and supplies needed)

-using space, how to make a good layout

-using digital images

-color theory, harmony, choosing a color scheme (again, with lots of visual examples)

-choosing fonts

-preparing images and artwork

-walks you through 20 different projects, such as: memos, posters/flyers, invitations, stationary, advertisements, banners, CD/DVD packaging, rubber stamps, t-shirts, badges, giftwrap, maps, newsletters, promotional brochures, blog and website designing (though I found these pretty basic).

Like I said, if you haven't already studied these, it's a great resource book! The outside is a little beat at the edges, but inside it's just like new, and I didn't even write in it. :-)

15. The Success Principles  

by Jack Canfield (CD audiobook)

This is the CD version of his book; 6 CD's read by the author.

Where do I start?? I LOVE this audiobook! (I still have it on my iPod)

Jack Canfield is the author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and is a terrific writer. He teaches lessons and principles in an interesting and understandable way. I won't even try to give specifics... just go to Amazon (link), read about it and read the reviews. Then you'll wish you were the first to email for it, LOL! Yeah, it's that good. :-D

Now it's your turn. Let me know if you're interested, at rettakat at gmail dot com.

Enjoy the Journey with a good book or two,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 955