Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A neat collection of snappy titles that place added emphasis on emotional well-being

Review:

I’ll level with you, I’m a busy person.

I have a regular 9-5 job, a tonne of other commitments outside of that, and I need to survive. As much as I’d love to read a 500 page guide on how to transform my life, if it ain’t sugar coated and nutritionally balanced, then that bar of chocolate is probably going to take priority.

Noah William Smith’s “A to Z Series” of books are anything but lengthy. While the entire series is comprised of ten books, today I am reviewing four of the collection, each about twenty sides of A4 in length, cover-to-cover.

• Book one, How to Motivate Yourself in 15 Minutes is the punchiest of the guides, with added emphasis on quick motivational wins. It also happens to be my favourite title of the collection.
• Book five, How to Become Emotionally Smarter has a slightly more phycological leaning, focusing on emotional intelligence and the need to consider the implications of one’s own actions on those around them. Guidance here touches on themes including respect and consideration of others.
• Book six, Want to Replenish Your Spirit? Looks at ways to boost internal confidence and get the positive endorphins going on a tight budget. Suggestions for mood-boosting activities include smiling more and watching films with that spark feelings of joy.
• Book eight, Enhance Your Internal Motivation Now takes a wider lens view on self-betterment, asking readers to consider their surroundings and draw on external factors to boost internal motivation.

All four guides are to the point, quick to absorb and quick to implement with a welcomed use of the author’s personal experience to add colour to the recommendations presented. As the series progresses there are some noticeable repetitions in the tips and guidance (felt most acutely in book eight, Enhance Your Internal Motivation Now, although this in part is due to its positioning as a latter book in the collection). What I would have loved to have seen inserted into these books is a wider input from the author’s local community, the methods employed by his friends, family and colleagues to insert positivity into their day-to-day lives. A visual cue or two to give a flavour of the real South Africa, from where Smith is based.

Smith’s “A to Z Series” forms a neat little collection of titles. While some could be refined and condensed it does not take away from the pleasant experience I had reading them as separate titles.

AEB Reviews

*Disclosure: I was paid by the author to write this review*

Links:

Purchase Link: Noah William Smith (Amazon author page)

Follow Link: Noah William Smith (Amazon)