IMHO Book Reviews

The Dissertation and Thesis Workbook: 30+ Research Tools, Templates and Checklists for Graduate Students — From Proposal to Defense by Rafiq Muhammad PhD My rating: 5 of 5 stars I believe that almost all graduate students who are completing a dissertation or thesis often see this as the ultimate academic challenge. It is a process laden with ambiguity, isolation, and complexity. Dr. Rafiq Muhammad’s “ The Dissertation and Thesis Workbook ” offers important help to graduate students. Taking his background as a researcher and mentor, he makes the task of high-level academic inquiry into a structured, manageable, and replicable academic trip. The book’s strength lies in the author’s credibility. Having M.D. and Ph.D. degrees, Muhammad brings his experience of supervising doctoral candidates and teaching research methodologies to the forefront. This is not only a collection of empirical suggestions, but it is a refined system arising from his own academic hurdles and subsequent years of...

The Clarity Cure: Why You’re Solving the Wrong Problems and How to Fix It Reviewed: 13 February 2026 In Beyond Blind Blaming, author and entrepreneur Kevin D. St. Clergy gives a wake-up-call realization for anyone feeling stuck with an issue or a problem: “You’re not failing. You’re just solving the wrong problem, and doing it really well.” St. Clergy, a practitioner who successfully built and exited his own company, brings significant “skin in the game” to this guide. He transitions from personal anecdotes involving a failed childhood baseball career to high-stakes business case studies to provide us an idea of how we misdiagnose our challenges and obstacles. The book’s core idea centers on “Blind Blaming.” This is defined as an unconscious pattern of attributing failures to wrong causes because they lack the full picture. St. Clergy identifies the “Blame Loop,” a psychological trap where reality is filtered out, resulting in invisible actual solutions. To break this cycle, the au...

  Trials & Tea Ceremonies is a raw memoir of a year-long journey through Oceania and Asia by Basho and Cesca. Instead of a "perfect" travel story, it balances the "trials" of travel—like illness and hard labor—with "tea ceremonies," which are moments of incredible beauty. The book’s strength is its philosophy. Basho prefers to favor learning to enjoy the present rather than always looking ahead to some goal. It is a lesson he learns particularly during his stay in Bodh Gaya and ascending Wudang Mountain. With a snappy and authentic storytelling, the author integrates self-deprecating humor with significant historical details, like his comments on Laos' "Secret War." Whether it's a furious dispute about Cesca's "photographic obsession" or moments when their mutual resilience shows through, Basho’s and Cesca’s journey feels genuine. The humor ranges from encounters with local frauds to wildlife catastrophes. These keep thi...

  Rise Without the Noise: A Blueprint for the Introverted Entrepreneur and Leader Published: Sept 26, 2025 | Reviewed: Dec 16, 2025 Amazon Link: The Quiet Climb A. BOOK FUNDAMENTALS Title & Author "The Quiet Climb: How Introverts Build Powerful Businesses, How to Lead, Sell, and Succeed Without Shouting" by Nicci Brochard and Dr. Ben Chuba. Core Ideas You don't have to act loud or be outgoing to do well in business. Being quiet and true to yourself can help you succeed. Introverts have special strengths, like thinking deeply, caring about others, and focusing well, that can make them great leaders and business owners. If introverts use these natural strengths instead of hiding them, they can build strong and successful businesses their own way. Purpose & Target Audience The authors want to show that you don't have to be outgoing to be successful. They give introverts clear steps to lead, sell, and connect with others in ways that feel natural and comfortable. ...

  An Absolute Must-Have for Young and Cur ious Minds (Even Adults Can Read This)! Published: 10/27/2025 | Reviewed: 11/23/2025 "Fascinating Facts for Curious Kids" by Kristine Collins is exactly what the title promises—a delightful, inspiring, and endlessly engaging resource for children. The structure is fantastic. It organizes facts into clear, manageable topics, which makes it perfect for "Fact Sprinters" (as the book calls them) who want to check off facts page by page, or "Trivia Experts" who want to dive deep into a specific subject. From dinosaurs to the foods that we eat, from our bodies to the earth where we live, it is a veritable gold mine of facts that will surely light up the bulb of every curious child. Who knew that corn is classified as a grain, a fruit, and a vegetable? Or that the silky threads are tiny flowers? The facts are genuinely surprising and cover history, science, and nature, all in a language that is accessible and fun. Th...

  A practical and relatable guide to character building for young readers (7 to 12 years olds) Published: July 25, 2025 | Reviewed: December 8, 2025 Sensei Grant’s “The Code of The Warrior For Kids” is a helpful resource for parents and teachers planning to introduce values to children ages 7 to 12 years old. The book uses contemporary situations encountered at home or school, such as taking tests, playing games or even dealing with peer pressure. It is organized into sections related to the values based on the Samurai code such as Rectitude or Justice, Courage, and Benevolence or Compassion. Each section provides a definition followed by a few short stories to show how to apply these in real life. For example, "Courage" is illustrated not just by facing danger, but by speaking up against a bully in the classroom. The book finds its strengths to its relatable stories; cultural education (the inclusion of the Japanese Kanji characters to each virtue); and the connectio...