'How to Make Millions Without a Degree'. -This book could change your life. Seriously.

I have just finished reading Simon Dolan's book: “How to Make Millions without a Degree” and it is fair to say that this book could change my life. And it could change yours, too.

It has reinforced several things I already knew and it has given me ideas that could help me change my working life for the better.

Simon Dolan was -politely, it must be said- invited to leave his grammar school at the age of 16 by his headmaster. He hadn't been a bad boy, he just didn't see the point of learning what the school wanted to teach him. Such as Latin. So he left without any real qualifications.

But now Simon is a millionaire many times over, runs a highly successful nationwide accountancy firm, has invested in an airline, is involved in publishing and also has a motor racing team. But Simon is certain of one thing, had he got a degree, he does not believe any of the above could have been possible.

I found his writing style irresistible. Several times I made the mistake of wanting to read a few more pages of his book on retiring for bed, only to find that I had read it until 1.15am and I had to get up at 6am!

Simon makes some very interesting and telling points. For example, whilst a degree might not be essential for business success, learning and gaining knowledge is almost certainly vital. 

He points out why trying to get on to Dragon's Den is a waste of time. He also points out a fatal flaw in the approach of many people who do appear on the programme and why, in his opinion, they are wasting their time. That made for very sobering reading.

Simon tells you exactly how he started his accountancy business. He points out certain pitfalls that you can avoid when you start your business (you don't have to start up an accountancy service, but one gets the impression that Simon would not mind if you did) and reveals an interesting and telling fact. 

The only reason why he started a bookkeeping and accountancy business was because he was good at doing books and realised that many small businesses just did not have the time to do their books. And he hit upon a method of easily duplicating his business so that it became a highly successful nationwide concern with clients  all over the country.

He points out that the technique of NLP can also be usefully and fruitfully employed to help boost your earning potential.

He tells you why you need a website and how you can use it, and Google, to encourage people to beat a pathway to your door and become customers.

He makes it sound simple and perhaps that is because it is simple. I only wish that I had been able to read this book when I was 16. However, even at my fairly advanced age, I believe that I will be able to learn from Simon's book and earn more money from my business efforts. 

Parts of the book had "Wow!" moments, and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up,  so connected with the message had I become.

If I follow what I gleaned from this book, will I make a million? Perhaps I will. But even if I don't, I believe I shall certainly make a damn sight more money than if I had not read this remarkable book!

The book costs £9.99 and is published by Troubadour. It is available from the Amazon link on That's Books.

Even if you do not intend on starting your own business, this highly readable book could still teach you a few new tricks! It will make an ideal Chirstmas present, too.

Shropshire: A Dog Walker's Guide

Shropshire: A Dog Walker's Guide is a new book by author and dog owner Judy Smith.

 It is published by Countryside Books in paperback and costs £7.99.

The book is a godsend for people who either live in Shropshire or are planning a holiday in the county. "I know from my own experiences," points out the author, "that it's hard to be sure once you are off your home patch, where you can walk safely with your dog without the frustration of getting lost, finding your route blocked with impassible stiles or encountering busy roads. I have put together this collection of dog-friendly walks so that others can discover Shropshire's wonderful countryside without these frustrations."

The book contains 20 circular routes, all designed to have maximum off-lead time with minimum exposure to roads and with varying lengths from two to seven miles. Each of the walks has a host of information from the distance, the terrain, what types of livestock you are likely to encounter, the number and types of stiles you will be faced with, and even the contact details of the nearest veterinary surgery.

Besides the clear and numbered route instructions, each section also includes a matching numbered map, details of how to get to the start of the walk and places of interest on each of the routes. It also lists suitable cafes and pubs that are dog friendly.

Walks covered include some of the most beautiful parts of Shropshire such as The Long Mynd, Grinshill, Brown Clee, the unmissable Llangollen Canal at Ellesmere and Grindley  Brook, where you will be able to see the canal boats. Watch out for the dogs who live on the boats, most are friendly but care should be taken. 

There's the mysterious stones at Mitchell's fold, the open grasslands at Stapeley Hill, Wenlock Edge, ancient woodlands like the Wyre Forest and Mortimer Forest and the Wrekin Hill, technically a mountain, but a very small one!

You can also visit the Ironbridge Gorge with the Hay Incline Plane, Bedlam Furnaces and the Blists Hill Victorian Town, the ramparts atthe Iron Age fort at Bury Ditches, the ruins of Haughmod Abbey and the impressive Llanymynech Heritage Area. Each chapter also includes suggestions on other dog friendly walks in the immediate area.

The book is well written and well researched, it contains useful general guidance to dog walkers and is nicely illustrated with photographs and the maps.

Judy Smith knows Shropshire well. he lives in the beautiful Welsh town of Llangollen, just seven miles over the border. She is the author of several books on walking and travel, including Kiddiwalks in Shropshire.

The book is available from all good bookshops and Internet retailers (just use the Amazon search box on That's Books) and some garden centres.

The ISBN Number is 978 1 84674 235 4

www.countrysidebooks.co.uk

That's Beauty and Living: How to wear your little black dress this winter

That's Beauty and Living: How to wear your little black dress this winter: From Jules Standish, The Colour Counsellor and Author of How Not to Wear Black Most of us love a Little Black Dress as an effortless, gl...

Money-Saving Amazon Matrix Launched by DiscountVouchers.co.uk

Specialist voucher code website introduces new portal offering in-depth search of deals from online retailer

DiscountVouchers.co.uk, one of the UK’s top money saving website resources, has announced a new Amazon deals matrix to help the country’s shoppers save time on top of money when sourcing gifts from famous etailer, Amazon.co.uk.

Logging on to DiscountVouchers.co.uk this week sees consumers able to use the new Amazon pricing and deals matrix to save up to 75% at Amazon. This year will see the new DiscountVouchers.co.uk Amazon matrix grow thanks to the company’s experience and expertise. DiscountVouchers.co.uk has already seen its overall business grow by 60% this past year.

Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, comments: “We have all the experience and technologies in place to be able to make this kind of introduction – and we think that site users will really enjoy being able to source great value Amazon deals more quickly and easily than ever.”

Scott continued: “Sourcing gifts and presents without spending hours doing it is a great bonus for consumers – through this new Amazon matrix we can help people to enjoy saving oodles of money and time as well.”

The new tool can be accessed at http://www.discountvouchers.co.uk/amazon-hub-txt.

For more information visit www.discountvouchers.co.uk

The Stonehenge Enigma - An inconvenient truth

Robert Langdon’s new book, sheds new light on the evidence found in Stonehenge’s Visitors Car Park, which has subsequently been buried for over 40 years, that proves Stonehenge is really 5000 years older than we believe!

The Stonehenge Enigma, has unearthed evidence that has been kept from public scrutiny for over 40 years. Current theories on the discovery of the four post holes in a line found during excavation work on the visitors car park in 1966 are simple and dismissive – they are ‘totem poles’ claim English Heritage in their book ‘Stonehenge in its landscape’ by Cleal et al. 1995.

However, analysis of the claim simply does not stand up to scrutiny. “They are likely to be individual uprights, perhaps reminiscent of those of the American Indian (totem poles).” The problem is that ‘totem poles’ survive less than 100 years, if they are made of hard wood – pine is softwood and rots much quicker. So when you start to look at the carbon dating evidence on when each post whole was cut a whole new story emerges.

For the first post hole would have been constructed around 8275BC the second one (next to the first) was erected about 7035BC some 1240 years later! By then the first post would have rotted away and the first post hole completely lost.

The third post hole we cannot date as the charcoal that was found was lost or not processed, which is no surprise as all three samples were stored away for 10 years before some eagle eyed researcher realised that pine wood did not exist in the late Neolithic (2500BC), which the original date archaeologists claimed these poles were erected (to match the building date of Stonehenge) before packing the samples away into oblivion, without getting them tested.

Yet, another post hole on the same alignment was found in 1989 some 75m away from the three original post holes. This was accurately dated to about 7890BC, 385 years after the first post but 855 years before the second.

So English Heritage asks us to accept that a group of hunter-gatherers went to the Stonehenge site in 8275BC and placed a ‘totem pole’ in a valley away from the high ground (where Stonehenge sits today) which was at this time in history surrounded by a tall pine forest. These people then disappeared for about 400 years, returning to place a second ‘totem pole’ 75 yards away from the first, finally to return 855 years later and place a third pole next to the first with the fourth (of unknown date) in an alignment. Moreover, these people left no trace of their 1200 year occupation of this site until they returned 5,000 years later in 3000BC to build Stonehenge phase 1.

Why has this absurd theory not have the scrutiny that it desires? Why was the evidence buried in a vault for 10 years? And why do they still insist that these post holes are ‘totem poles’? In his book, Langdon shows that these structures played a more significant role than has previously been believed. Not only does he reveal what these post holes were for, but he also gives a more plausible explanation on what really happened at Stonehenge including, WHO built the Monument, WHEN they built the monument and WHY they built the monument.

For the full article on ‘The Stonehenge Enigma – An inconvenient truth’ including photos and academic references visit his web site at www.the-stonehenge-enigma.info - all rights to duplicate and extract information or photographs with reference to source and author is granted.

A video promo is available on: http://youtu.be/PVRIBpg-fIE

Details and extracts from the book - The Stonehenge Enigma at: www.prehistoric-britain.co.uk

For a review of the book please visit http://thatsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-of-stonehenge-enigma.html

New Book examines how the Astrology of 2012 will affect you

Whatever you believe about the nature and meaning of Life, there can be no doubt that we are living in ‘interesting times.’

'The Astrology of 2012 And How It Affects You' by Marcus Mason

This is a unique guide that examines how the astrology of 2012 will affect you and impact on your life, from the perspective of your astrological sign.

Whatever you believe about the nature and meaning of Life, there can be no doubt we are living in ‘interesting times.’ The Mayans of Central America many centuries ago were aware of the significance of this time and with ever-increasing reports of catastrophic natural disasters and political upheaval taking place all over the world it’s no wonder we find ourselves asking: ‘what’s going on?’

21st December 2012 marks the end of a 25,626-year Time Cycle, caused by the Earth gradually changing her orientation in space. As we approach the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next, it is increasingly clear that many of our old paradigms, structures and underlying beliefs are no longer sustainable – but also that the shifts that are occurring offer us unique opportunities for spiritual growth and progress.

In this book Marcus Mason uses his extensive astrological knowledge and experience to provide some real answers to the question ‘what’s going on?’ – and explains how all of this applies to you, based on your personal sun sign.

Approaching astrology from the perspective of the soul’s evolution can help us understand the inner, spiritual purpose behind the events and experiences of our lives. By exploring the sequence of astrological changes as they unfold – and also how best you as an individual can react to them, this book shows you that we are all being offered the unique opportunity to:

- change our perceptions, by uniting the intelligence of the mind and that of the heart
- understand how we can truly connect with each other and live in harmony
- remember how to honour our Mother Earth
- create a new and infinitely positive vision for our future.

FACTFILE:
Marcus has practised and taught astrology for the best part of 30 years. Over that time, he has developed his approach to ‘Soul-Purpose Astrology’, which he has taught in England, Ireland, Belgium and the USA. Marcus is also an acupuncturist, and applies his knowledge of these two traditions to his work and around the world. For more information visit Marcus' website

Marcus has extensive experience presenting workshops and speaking at shows and fairs.

The Enchantless Tale Of Lizzy Cropwell

In the Post-enchanted fairytale kingdom of 'Roc' stands the 'Academy of Happy Ever After' - a place where students train to become the next generation of dashing heroes and fair maidens, complete with certificates and credentials for a ready-made happy ever after.

Elizabeth Marianne Cropwell, a struggling princess-to-be, is in trouble regarding her academic progress. Following a freak mishap with a tax-dodging frog, Lizzy's graduation now depends on her both becoming a Fair Maiden and being rescued by a dashing Hero... without the academy's safety net.

Assisted by her companions, an illegal helpline, a resourceful shrubbery and a horde of disenfranchised toads, Lizzy sets out to prove the academy wrong, live out her fantasies and bring about a happy ending her own way.

But this is easier said than done - and Lizzy's mission risks exposing a dark and sinister secret that could destroy the concept of 'happy endings' forever...

FACTFILE:
About the Author: James Sane (born Dec. 25, 1985) grew up in Nottingham, England. In 2004 he attended Stirling University, where he began writing The Enchantless Tale of Lizzy Cropwell as a wedding present for his sister. In 2008 he graduated with a degree in History, Religious Studies and Professional Education and currently teaches History at secondary schools in Aberdeenshire, including Peterhead and Banff.

Recent [customer] Reviews:

www.Amazon.co.uk

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, 9 Jun 2011
By Mrs. Lindsay P. Tonner "Mrs T" (Shetland)

I totally loved this book! It's not my usual genre but I gave it a go. There are a lot of points where you think you know how the story will go, but the author manage to trick you at every turn. Lizzy's journey is fantastic (in every sense of the word), the story is laugh out loud funny, sometimes sad but always brilliant! Where does the author get his ideas from? I think he's a genius. i must admit I was a bit skeptical about a male author writing the talke of a young woman (I always am and always think they will fail) but in this case I was pleasantly surprised. What a fab debut! I can't wait to read the sequel!!

www.Amazon.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, June 8, 2011
By Annie Bird

I thought it was a very witty book for a debut. It is quick, and although aimed at a younger audience, adults will revel in it equally! It is anything but predictable and is an original piece of writing. Best début book I've read in ages.

Www.Amazon.com

4.0 out of 5 stars An Enchanting Tale..., June 5, 2011
By LiaLil

While "The Enchantless Tales of Lizzy Cropwell" is primarily geared towards young adults, I reveled in it's updated moral of "girl-power" nonetheless. I found myself wandering dangerously off the Path of Safety, around The Tree of Knowledge, and questioning authority in general, right along with Lizzy and company.

Not your average "tween" fare of castles, hunky boys and predictability, Mr. Sane's adventure "zigs" when you're sure the story line is going to "zag" right, offering up, not one unlikely heroine... but several. At times heartbreaking, others laugh-out-loud funny, but inspired throughout. A fun read, for anyone at any age.

Title: The Enchantless Tale of Lizzy Cropwell
Genre: Fiction/ Fantasy
ISBN-10: 0755206630
ISBN-13: 978-0755206636
ASIN: B005C491NG [Kindle]
(RRP) £7.99 [paperback] £4.54 [Kindle]
Publishers details:
Authorsonline ltd [www.Authorsonline.co.uk]
Size: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches (216 pages)

(PLEASE NOTE: This book and many other books are available via the That's Books Amazon Shop link to the right of this article)