QUICK REVIEW: Mental Exercises for Dogs by Susan Swanson

Synopsis

Do you feel overwhelmed by the behavior of your energetic dog?

Have you ever wished that your dog would obey commands, stay calm and be the perfect companion in every situation?

Do your dog's signs of stress and anxiety make you anxious?

🐶🐶🐶 If the answer is "YES", then read on because this is the book you have been looking for! 🐶🐶🐶

I get it. Dealing with an energetic dog who never seems to get tired, especially with just the basic exercises, can be nerve-wracking. Perhaps you've tried to train your dog using common sense and personal experience, only to find that he still won't listen or remains problematic. You may not know where your dog came from or how he was treated in his early years. Perhaps past training mistakes have left their mark , making corrections seem more daunting as time goes on.

You're not alone in this challenge. But here's the good there is a way to engage your dog's mind and keep him mentally happy and calm. "Mental Exercises for Dogs" is the solution you've been looking for!

👉 FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS! EVEN IF YOU'VE NEVER OWNED A DOG BEFORE, THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE WILL GIVE YOU REAL, LASTING RESULTS!

⭐⭐⭐ As you read this book, you'll discover: ⭐⭐⭐

✔️ COMPREHENSIVE Dive into effective and proven training techniques curated by a professional dog trainer.

✔️ EARLY & LATE Whether you're starting with a puppy or an adult dog with a history of behavioral problems, you'll find strategies tailored to each stage.

✔️ STAY IN Learn to manage large breeds or particularly energetic dogs to ensure the safety of the elderly or children around them.

✔️ STEP-BY-STEP Follow detailed, easy-to-understand steps for each workout.

✔️ PROFESSIONAL You will benefit from the experience of a professional trainer who has dedicated his life to dogs and has taken his dogs to the highest levels of international competition.

✔️ BUILD STRONG Techniques that focus not just on obedience, but on creating an enduring bond between you and your furry companion.

👉 Imagine walking into a café or a friend's house with your dog at your side, obedient, calm and perfectly at ease in any situation. Imagine the nods of approval, the compliments and the sense of pride that comes from knowing you've given your dog the best training to ensure both his and your happiness.

Now this dream can become your reality. "Mental Exercises for Dogs" is the tool that will bridge the gap between chaos and calm. Thanks to the techniques explained in this book, you can now take your dog with you wherever you go and share every moment of your day with him. Are you ready for this transformational journey?

🐕🐕🐕 IMMERSE YOURSELF IN A WORLD OF EFFECTIVE DOG TRAINING. 

My Thoughts

I wanted to like this book. I have three dogs and would love to learn some tricks to challenge them. Unfortunately, I found it wanting. While it may be a good fit for some who are new to dogs, most of this book just covers the basics of obedience training taught in any introductory class and basic tricks like "Shake", and then just dabbles in things like an introduction to agility training. Additionally, the book would have benefited from a good proofreader, as it is riddled with typos and grammatical errors that I found a distraction (even the synopsis says the author is a trainer who has dedicated "his" life to his dogs. Perhaps the author has opted for the pronouns he/him, but I'm guessing it is instead an error.) Overall, I found it just mediocre for anyone with any experience with dogs and basic training knowledge.

Buy Now:

Amazon

My Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

My thanks to the author for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

TLC BOOK TOURS: Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin

 

Synopsis

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the American Civil War, this intricately woven novel delves into the life of Susannah Shelburne, a thirty-six-year-old woman residing in South Carolina with her older husband, Jacob. Their son, Francis, defies his parents' wishes by enlisting in the Confederate army, sparking bitter familial discord. In October 1863, devastating news Francis has been critically wounded near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Susannah embarks on a perilous journey to bring her son home, finding Francis delirious with fever and haunted by the horrors of battle. Their reunion is overshadowed by the conflicts at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, culminating in Francis being captured as a prisoner of war. As the war exacts its toll and tensions escalate between mother and son, Susannah confronts impossible choices amidst harrowing revelations from home. This gripping narrative explores themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the profound impacts of war on family bonds, painting a vivid portrait of one woman's relentless fight for survival and reconciliation in a time of unprecedented turmoil.

Format 304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2025 by Regal House Publishing
ISBN 9781646036134 (ISBN10: 1646036131)

About the Author

Nell Joslin is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina and received her MFA from North Carolina State University. Besides a fiction writer, she has been a public school teacher, medical librarian, copy editor, freelance journalist, stay-at-home mom, and attorney. She currently lives in Raleigh.

Learn more

My Thoughts

It was one of the last nights of October, and cold had settled onto the Tennessee hills.

Nell Joslin’s Measure of Devotion is a quietly affecting novel that takes its time, both in pace and emotional impact. The story centers on Susannah, a woman who seems to focus more on the darker corners of her life, choosing to dwell in sorrow rather than seek out the brighter moments and blessings. This choice— whether an act of resignation or strength— is the emotional core of the book.

Joslin writes with clarity and restraint, which suits the introspective tone of the narrative. There is a certain honesty to the story. Readers looking for a fast-paced plot or tidy resolutions may find the novel’s rhythm difficult, but those who appreciate subtle character studies will find something quietly compelling here.

Susannah is not always easy to understand or even sympathize with—one to whom pain and resentment becomes more familiar than joy-- and I often felt I wanted to shake her! There are moments of beauty in the book, but Joslin doesn’t linger on them, much like her protagonist. Whether this makes the novel feel realistic or emotionally distant will likely depend on the reader.

Five words: slow, melancholy, frustrating, honest, ultimately hopeful (okay, six words)

Buy Now:
Regal House Publishing

My final word: Measure of Devotion is not a feel-good read, nor does it offer resolution in the traditional sense. But it is thoughtful and quietly powerful, offering a portrait of a woman who lives not in spite of her pain, but through it. For readers who appreciate character-driven fiction that resists easy answers, this novel is worth the time and patience it requires.

Warnings:
War, slavery, sexual abuse

My Rating:

I would like to thank TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour.

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through TLC Book Tours and the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.  

REVIEW: House on Fire by D. Liebhart

Synopsis

Bernadette Rogers swore she’d never put her father in a nursing home. Does that include euthanizing him to keep her word? Her mother thinks it does. Bernadette isn’t so sure. And even if she were, it’s not like you can walk into a drug store and buy Nembutal.

As an ICU nurse she’s no stranger to the blunt realities of death, but her mother’s request to help her father—who’s disappearing into the abyss of dementia—go “peacefully” blindsides her. Her mother thinks it’s assisted suicide. Bernadette knows better. Even if they do it for all the right reasons, it would still be murder.

Surrounded by conflicting voices, Bernadette doesn't know which way to turn. Her self-righteous sister insists it's a sin. Her magnanimous ex thinks her mother will try it alone. Then her best friend offers to help. What was supposed to be a relaxing two-week break becomes an emotional rollercoaster as Bernadette is forced to make an agonizing decision about her beloved father and figure out just how far she’s willing to go for love.

For fans of Jodi Picoult and Lisa Genova, House on Fire is an unforgettable story of family, friendship, and the promises we aren’t sure anyone should honor.

Format 282 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2023 by 9:25 Books
ISBN 9798987461518

About the Author

D. Liebhart is a nurse and writer. She writes (and sometimes lives) stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, where they learn that life is rarely predictable and answers to the most complex questions are almost never black and white.

House on Fire, her first novel, won the 2023 Page Turner Award for both fiction and debut. It was long-listed for the 2022 Petrichor Prize and received an honorable mention from Writer’s Digest. Her essay Thalassophobia (a true account of a very out-of-the-ordinary honeymoon) won the 2021 Linda Julian Creative Nonfiction Prize from Emrys Journal.

Learn more about the author

My Thoughts

My mother asked me to kill my father on Christmas.

D. Liebhart’s House on Fire is a deeply affecting novel that offers a raw, unflinching look into the emotional landscape of a family navigating life with a parent suffering from dementia. With tender prose and piercing honesty, Liebhart brings readers into the daily struggle—balancing love and exhaustion, duty and resentment, memory and loss, and the struggle to determine when to let go.

I don't want to disappear in little pieces, like God is crushing stars between his fingers until the whole sky is dark.

Personal note: My mother suffered sudden onset dementia after a terminal cancer diagnosis and went within a few months from someone fully capable of caring for herself and maintaining a household to needing someone with her nearly 24 hours a day. It was both a blessing and a curse that it hit Mom so fast and hard that we didn't have to watch her slowly fade, and since she was terminal, we only suffered through 18 months of mental decline.

Through intimate storytelling and alternating timelines, Liebhart captures the small moments of disorientation and fear that characterize dementia’s slow progression-- not just in the afflicted, but in those left to witness it. The reader is placed in the shoes of adult children trying to make impossible decisions, second-guessing themselves at every turn, as they juggle careers, relationships, and guilt.

Dementia had given him an obstinate streak, like a two-year-old practicing "no" at every opportunity.

This book struck me in an unexpected way. It became something akin to therapy for me, like talking to a friend who's been through the same thing. I felt a kinship with the main character as she navigated the rocky path of dementia watching a parent slowly degrade and debating over how the story will end.

The fervency in his actions was new. Everything was turned up a notch.

What sets House on Fire apart is its refusal to simplify the emotional toll. There is no neat resolution, no sanitized version of caregiving. Instead, we are offered insight into the helplessness that comes when a once-strong parent becomes someone unrecognizable, and the heartbreak of watching that transformation. The novel excels in showing how dementia doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens to a family. Liebhart gives voice to the internal conflict so many caregivers face—the desire to do the right thing against the quiet rage of watching someone slip away. Her characters are flawed, tender, overwhelmed, and real, and they speak clearly to someone who has traversed this hell themselves.

Liebhart’s writing is lyrical without being sentimental, and the story is grounded in an authenticity that suggests lived experience. House on Fire will resonate with anyone who has felt the sting of watching a loved one fade, and it offers a compassionate, cathartic lens for those in the throes of similar trials.

Five words: honest, heartbreaking, human, cathartic, intimate

Buy Now:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

IndieBound

My final word: This novel doesn't just tell a story—it feels like a lived experience, and in doing so, affirms the resilience of the human spirit, even when it seems on the brink of collapse. It’s a beautifully written, empathetic novel that offers both comfort and clarity to anyone touched by dementia. A valuable perspective for those who haven’t yet had to walk that road, House on Fire is a testament to resilience, and to the emotional complexities of loving someone through the most difficult of goodbyes.

Warnings:

Marijuana use and alcohol, casual references to sex, dementia (can be a trigger for anyone who has had a loved one diagnosed with it)

My Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel.   

REVIEW: Build It Simple: Practical Projects and Inventive Solutions for Home and Garden by How-To Experts at Storey Publishing

Synopsis

Discover 50 simple, thrifty, low-tech projects that you can create, even if you're a novice builder!

With simple tools and materials and just basic building skills, you can make exactly what you need for all of your backyard and gardening projects, from a tool shed and storage bins to lawn chairs, fences, plant supports, and feeders for your chickens. These sustainable, timeless designs, paired with step-by-step instructions and resourceful tips provide a wealth of ideas for a practical and purposeful garden and home.

Format 144 pages, Paperback

Expected publication July 8, 2025 by Storey Publishing, LLC

ISBN 9781635868241 (ISBN10: 1635868246)

My Thoughts

I'm admittedly fascinated with survival techniques. I have been since I read the books Cold River by William Judson and Survive! by Evan Lee Heyman as a kid. They sparked my interest in the things people can and will do to survive, and in old homesteading practices. 

So, when I saw this book available on Netgalley for review, I had to take a look! This book is trove of practical projects to resolve common problems. The introduction states this book was written to save you money, time and resources by guiding you on how to make items for the house and home using some relatively basic hand tools. 

The book starts with instructions for how to build some projects that will help you with other projects like a sawhorse, carpenter's box, and workbench. These earlier projects are more detailed and include drawings showing how to assemble them. Later projects (which include the likes of benches, storage bins, a solar dryer, macrame plant hangers, garden boxes and plant supports) regularly only offer up a drawing of the project and a description of the wood needed with the assumption that if you got through the first few projects then you can handle this.

Sprinkled throughout the book are charming colorful drawings that show happy scenes of home life with these projects in use.

My final word: This book is simple and exactly what it purports to be. A book of 50 relatively simple projects, mostly wood projects, that you can make for your home or garden. With some basic tools, minimal skill, and a bit of ambition, you can fill your home and garden with a bevy of homemade projects that can both bring joy and be practical and useful.

My Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.  

REVIEW: The Crash by Freida McFadden

Synopsis

The nightmare she’s running from is nothing compared to where she’s headed.

Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realize she’s heading straight into a blizzard.

She never arrives at her destination.

Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she’s made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears.

But something isn’t right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realize she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn’t what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet.

And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself—and her unborn child.

A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival, and twisted expectations, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a snowbound thriller that will chill you to the bone.

Format 384 pages, Hardcover

Published January 28, 2025 by Poisoned Pen Press

ISBN 9781464232985 (ISBN10: 1464232989)

About the Author

#1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

My Thoughts

The Crash is a passable psychological thriller that starts with promise but quickly veers into the mundane and, at times, the downright preposterous. Freida McFadden delivers fast pacing and accessible prose, and twists that feel more forced than clever.

The characters are thinly drawn and often behave in baffling ways, making it hard to stay emotionally invested. and while the premise is intriguing, the execution relies too heavily on unlikely coincidences and melodramatic turns. By the end, the story stretches credibility to its limits, making it hard to stay invested in the outcome.

Five words: mundane, preposterous, fast-paced, theatrical, unbelievable

Buy Now:

Visit the publisher

My final word: It’s not a bad book—it moves quickly and may satisfy readers looking for an easy, forgettable read. But The Crash feels like a fender bender of ideas that never quite adds up to a solid impact. The plot winds up feeling overly familiar (more than once I thought of Stephen King's Misery) and eventually collapses under the weight of its own implausibility. Overall, it’s a mundane but readable effort-- adequate for a lazy afternoon, but little else.

Warnings:

Violence, kidnapping, references to rape

My Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.