Introduction to Cryptocurrency

Step-by-Step Cryptocurrency Trading: Master how to buy, sell, swap, and transfer cryptocurrency and gain unwavering confidence, essential knowledge, and financial benefits by S.N. Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Crypto is the new buzzword among investors, traders, and people trying to get-rich-quick. Some people think it is some kind of high-tech stuff that only engineers, and tech-savvy people can invest and gain from cryptocurrencies. Most people get too intimidated to invest and gain from cryptocurrency investments. The Step-by-Step Cryptocurrency Trading by S. N. Alexander is a detailed book to teach you all about cryptocurrencies, trading, and how to profit from this novel digital investment.
Alexander starts off the 13-chapter book with a brief “Book Description” which essentially gives the reader a sneak peek of the contents of the remaining chapters of the book. These include crypto terminology, investment strategies for both novice and seasoned investors, how to manage your digital wallet, how to transfer cryptocurrencies from wallets to centralized digital exchanges, how to identify and avoid common scams, etc.
The introduction details a short memoir of the author’s tryst with crypto since 2013 and how it can be intimidating/ frustrating to the new investor. This book is Alexander’s effort to educate and demystify various crypto concepts and empower investors with the knowledge to succeed in crypto markets. The stated goal of this book is to “challenge your assumptions, expand your knowledge, and reshape your perspective on money,” writes Alexander.
The chapter that helped me most is the first chapter that deals with cryptocurrency basics. I was hitherto naive and almost ignorant about this subject till I read this chapter. Now I can safely say that I have reasonable knowledge of cryptocurrencies, enough to start a investment account and have a digital wallet. The following chapters deal with how to invest in crypto, buying and selling, sending and receiving, swapping, crypto savings accounts, etc. All the chapters provide tremendous insights into cryptocurrencies in a short, direct, easy-to-understand manner.
The conclusion summarizes the content of the book and helps reiterate the most complex and important concepts on investment and trading in cryptocurrencies.

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Stories to guide, motivate, and provide insights

Inspiring Baseball GOATs Stories: Amazing Facts and Trivia Questions: The Complete Baseball Gift Book for Kids and Teens, with Life Lessons and Mental Toughness, Courage, & Confidence by Cody Hansen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stories to guide, motivate, and provide insights

Stories of sporting legends tend to provide inspiration, thrill, and insights to readers, especially younger impressionable minds tend to reap greater benefit from these tales. Baseball is a very popular sport in continental America, and it is almost the rite of passage of every young boy and girl to play ball in high school and/ or college. Then of course there are talented baseball players who turn pro and make a career out of the sport.
Cody Hansen’s Inspiring Baseball GOATs Stories: Amazing Facts and Trivia Questions - The Complete Baseball Gift Book for Kids and Teens, with Life Lessons and Mental Toughness, Courage, & Confidence is a 124-page two-part volume that chronicles this amazing sport and its greatest legends in detail. Starting off with a brief introduction in which Hansen explains the historical significance of Baseball to America. “Baseball has grown to be one of the most popular games on the planet,” gushes Hansen. Giving a brief historical account of the game he continues, “During the Great Depression, baseball served as a common source of hope and distraction for families all over the country. During the Civil Rights Movement, it became a stage upon which the country could grapple with some of its most deep-seated prejudices.”
Each chapter in this book is dedicated to the story of a great baseball legend including Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, among others. I do wish the editor/ author had done a better job in organizing the stories in this book. Part one has 11 chapter, each chronicling one famous baseball player; part two details the several famous teams including Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cy Youngs, and many more.
The last section, invariably my favorite part of this book details the different challenges faced by the game itself such as advent of artificial turf, indoor stadia, and contains several unlikely stories of baseball legends. Overall this book is a great read for baseball lovers but it can also prove interesting and inspiring to everyone.

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Life lessons from life stories of football GOATs

Inspiring Football Goats Stories: Amazing Facts and Trivia Questions The Complete Football Gift Book for Kids and Teens with Life Lessons and Mental Toughness, Courage and Confidence by Logan Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Life lessons from life stories of football GOATs
It would not be an overstatement to say that Football is not just a sport in the US, it is part of the national pop culture, part of most people's childhood and youthful memories. Fall and winter seasons don’t pass without people engrossed in following football games of their favorite teams. Teenagers, and college kids are particularly interested in this sport and several dream of playing professionally sometime in their future. “For many Americans all over the country, it’s a way of life,” writes the author in the introduction.
Logan Hayes, a comprehensive 132-page information-rich volume titled Inspiring Football GOATs Stories: Amazing Facts and Trivia Questions. Presented as the complete football gift book for kids and teens, this book is full of facts, stories, trivia, and history of the greatest football legends. A book that provides subtle insights and stories peppered with life lessons on building mental toughness, fortitude, courage, and confidence.
I picked this up to gift it to my nephew, an avid football fan and he was thrilled to read the stories of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Josh Allen, Kurt Warner, and a whole bunch of other football legends. My hope is that he will learn some life lessons such as the importance of discipline, consistency, strength, perseverance, etc. The unique feature of this book is that readers tend to imbibe these lessons without even having to try, the stories instill them as they continue reading the life and times of different football players.
I particularly liked the section titled “Incredible Records that Still Stand” in which Hayes details some of the greatest football moments featuring achievements that are yet to be surmounted. Such as the Jerry Rice’s receiving records over his long career spanning two decades. At 40, Rice played for the Raiders and managed to catch 92 passes for 1,211 yards. Did not this incredible feat of Rice.
This book serves as an instant knowledgebase of football trivia, inspirational stories, and life lessons. I’d say a must read for all football fans, not just teenagers and kids, even adults can come away with a few lessons.

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Demystifying Windows 11 to improve productivity!

WINDOWS 11 MADE EASY FOR SENIORS: Full Color User Friendly Guide With Simple Step by Step Instructions. Enjoy Your PC & Browse The Internet With Confidence by Philip Robbins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Demystifying Windows 11 to improve productivity!

Computers, tablets, and smartphones are ubiquitous and an integral part of everyday life. While these useful gadgets make life easy, there is also a wide array of problems they present. The operating systems, software interfaces, and other requirements are constantly evolving; software developers and hardware manufacturers label them essential improvements, but in reality, they present daunting challenges. One must constantly unlearn and relearn the old and new software respectively. Windows is perhaps the most widely used operating system in the world. It has undergone several changes and now the current version is significantly different from the previous. As a result, users are expected to learn and adapt to this new software.
Older adults find it difficult to adapt and relearn these rapid advancements in software and often feel left out. Not every younger person relative or not has the patience or time to teach them the new changes. In this scenario Philip Robbins’ Windows 11 Made Easy for Seniors, comes as a great reference for those wanting to learn how to master the use of a computer with windows 11. Written in a chatty, conversational style, with several full color illustrations and photographs, the 13 chapter, 114-page book is a great learning and reference resource. Particularly for seniors or older adults, this book will come as a step-by-step guide, easy to understand and follow along. I particularly liked the fact that the book covers everything from basics of how to turn on the computer to securing your identity online. The colorful images provide much needed relief from text and make it an interesting read for everyone.
Each chapter comes with a short practice session at the end which helps users to put into play the concepts and cheat codes they learned. This makes learning simple, easy, fun, and retention is promoted through practice sessions. Even though I have been using windows 11 for a while now and don’t feel challenged by the new operating system I was able to learn few concepts that helped me optimize my workspace.
Overall I think this is a great learning guide for those new to windows 11, be it seniors or young adults or professionals. Everyone will find something beneficial in this book.

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Pickling and Fermentation the Japanese way

Japanese Pickled Vegetables: The Ultimate Guide to Pickling and Fermentation Techniques and Recipes for Beginners and Beyond by Oscar Higgins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pickles add a unique flavor and taste to salads, sandwiches, and in general to every meal. Until recently I would get manufactured pickles in big box stores and always wondered how to make them at home. Learning how to make pickles has been one of my endeavors for some time. I have tried different recipes I came across in magazines, from friends, on cooking websites, etc. Most of these recipes call for excessive number of ingredients and complex processes and did not achieve the intended results.

I recently got this book by Oscar Higgins titled Japanese Pickled Vegetables - The Ultimate Guide to Pickling and Fermentation Techniques and Recipes for Beginners and Beyond which seems to answer a great deal of my questions. In the introduction of the book itself Higgins makes it clear that this book is beginner friendly. “Unlike other pickling books that overwhelm you with overly complex methods, this book takes a simplified approach that makes the entire process beginner-friendly, even if you’ve never pickled anything before. You’ll start by learning the cornerstone techniques that serve as the foundation for all Japanese pickling styles,” explains the author.

Higgins is a passionate author with several cookbooks to his credit. His books are written with such simplicity that both the seasoned chef and the beginner can use the recipes and produce wonderful meals. Divided into eight information-rich chapters which detail the process, style, benefits, nutritional information, and others the book is heavy on the process of making traditional Japanese style pickles. Being a vegetarian, I find this book very useful as the focus is on pickling vegetables throughout. The reference section provides links to more reading and techniques that would help me become a master pickler.

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Bible Study for Black Women!

365 Daily Devotions For Black Women: 5-Minute Christian Devotionals to Cultivate Faith, Self-Love, Joy & Inner Strength. Find Daily Inspiration for a Life Filled with Confidence, Peace & Purpose by Joelle Jacobs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In these volatile times of social, political, and financial instability, people often reach out to a higher power – God, through scripture and devotion for answers. Depending upon their faith they reach out to the prescribed holy book such as the Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Quran, etc. But these books are often written in ancient languages and scripts that are difficult to read and/ or interpret and adapt to modern lifestyles. Hence it is not uncommon to see different translations or versions of the same book that are available for people to read, understand, and find solace.
The 365 Daily Devotions for Black Women by Joelle Jacobs is one such volume that is meant for the followers for Christianity. Aimed at black women readers this devotional volume is an inspirational 204-page book that provides revelation, inspiration, understanding, and solace for its readers. The intent is for black women to read, understand, feel inspired and cultivate faith, self-love, and joy which in turn leads to a joyful life of fulfillment.
The book starts off with an introduction written like a letter to the reader. “As a working mom of three, I’ve felt the weight of juggling a career, nurturing a family, and facing those endless to-do lists. It’s easy for the voice of God’s truth to get buried beneath the noise. That’s why I created this devotional: a sacred space carved out of a day, designed to help busy Black women stay rooted in God’s Word, even when life feels overwhelming,” writes Jacobs explaining the need for this volume and how spending just five-minutes daily can help renew spirit, inspire, and build strength.
Divided into chapters named after months of a year, the book is full of short passages for each day. Each passage homes in on the message for the day from the Bible. One of the messages that spoke to my heart is in the February chapter “Our willingness to forgive others affects our relationship with God.” How profound, to me it feels like that author is trying to establish the fact that dwelling in the past misgivings, hatred, and animosity will only set us back. It is important to forgive those who did us wrong so we can move on forwards in life towards God.
Through these short messages the author tries to inspire readers to find faith, self-love, inner peace and progress. The passages affirms the world experience of black women, their hard work, and inspires them to seek progress and prosperity both materially and spiritually. The book is also liberally peppered with cute graphics and insightful quotes from different personalities which are meant to inspire the readers. My favorite quote by Coretta Scott King placed at the end of march devotions, it reads “Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won – you earn it and win it in every generation.”
Overall, I feel this book, though targeted towards Black Christian Women, has the potential to inspire everyone of any faith, race, nationality, and ethnicity. The messages are insightful, relevant, inspirational, and most importantly hopeful, characteristics that everyone is looking for these days.

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Practical, Inspiring, and Achievable Workbook for Men

Self-Love Workbook for Men 4 in 1: The Complete Guide to Building Unshakable Confidence, Setting Real Boundaries, and Designing a Life You Respect by Mistol Editions
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is hard to find a good self-help book, most books come with promising titles and end up with content that is hard to follow, exercises that are almost impossible to perform, etc. I have bene reading self-help books for a while now and only recently did I come across a practical, and insightful workbook. Titled Self-Love Workbook for Men this 184-page volume is a uniquely different book that addresses men and their need for self-love, encouragement, reinforcement, and inspiration.

Spread across four distinct books divided into 20 chapters the Self-Love Workbook for Men starts with an introduction in which the author explains the need for the message in this book. “You are here for a reason. Let’s be clear about that from the start. You didn’t pick up this book by accident. You are here because of a feeling, one that has likely been a quiet companion for months, or perhaps even years,” writes the author introducing why men who have been constantly told to just be quiet and work hard towards their goal of providing for the family, need encouragement and self-love.

The author talks to the reader in this book, i.e. with a conversational, casual, chatty writing style the message resonates and drives home immediately. Each book is a step-by-step guide to make concrete plans, and develop a unique personality based on self-love, inspiration, and happiness. I personally related to the chapter titled ‘The Ghost in the Machine: Deconstructing the “Rules of Manhood.”’ In this chapter the author talks about a script that shapes everyone’s life and how it became embedded in our psyche. The “Ghost” is the expectations that the society, family, and people around us load upon us through media messages, academic teaching, family dynamics, and the fear of rejection enforces these rules very effectively.

Each chapter also presents a case study about the concept that is reinforced upon the reader. It makes the book such a light and easy read. The rules that constrain boys and men into the walls constructed by societal norms are enforced right from infancy almost with comments like: “Be strong; don’t be a sissy; stop crying” etc. The emotional and psychological strain these seemingly innocuous rules place on men is quite draining according to the author and prevents them from achieving real success and happiness.

This book is one of the few books that aim to help men overcome these obstacles, and thrive as individual human beings and attain success, happiness, and contentment in life.

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