The concept of self-empowerment is a theme permeating this week's selections in Newsmax Rising Bestsellers.
The offerings include one that gives us the information needed to take advantage of every deduction in one's federal taxes; another describes one woman's story of breaking glass ceilings in the business world during the 1970s and 1980s; a third shows us how to break free of the chains of habit to expand our horizons; while even another recounts one man's retribution against the Russian court and prison system.
There is also this week's novel, the 18th book in a suspense-thriller series.
"Deduct Everything! Hundreds of Tax Tips, Legal Write-Offs, Credits, and Loopholes," by Tracy Byrnes (Humanix Books)
April 15 is only days away, and even if a CPA prepares your tax forms, this will arm you with the right questions to ask them.
It includes an overlooked tax deduction that many accountants don't even know about.
"Deduct Everything" is written in an easy-to-read format and is up-to-date, including President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill tax cuts.
The author explains that the "Trump Loophole" on its own can reduce your personal tax burden by an additional 20%.
"Tracy Byrnes covers hundreds of deductions and loopholes in plain English that actually makes sense," wrote O. Trigub for Amazon. "I also really appreciated her tone. Taxes are usually such a dry topic, but she makes it approachable, even kind of fun, with a casual and witty style that keeps you reading." [Nonfiction]
"OF COURSE, I CAN DO THAT! A Memoir: Negotiating Success in the Volatile '80s," by Dr. Mary E. Mitchell (Mary E. Mitchell)
In the turbulent 1970s and 1980s, the vast majority of women were what today are referred to as "tradwives," stay-at-home moms who took care of the house, raised the children, and prepared the meals while their husbands earned the family income.
But Dr. Mary E. Mitchell was no tradwife.
She took a look at the landscape that made up the working world and decided, "I can do that — of course I can!"
But she didn't opt to enter fields like nursing, education, or retail sales — areas already heavily populated by women.
Nope, she chose the rough and tumble world of paper technology, through all its stages in production: from timber, to its conversion into wood pulp, to the manufacture of the final product, paper.
And at every step of the way she broke one glass ceiling after another, long before the term was invented, and she did it with expertise and grace. [Nonfiction]
"Reset Or Repeat: Break Your Patterns Before They Break You," by Sean Collinson (independently published)
For everything one does, each task, life gives two choices — it's either reset or repeat.
By habit, one generally chooses repeat. After all, it worked before, so it'll work this time too, right?
But that doesn't mean it's the most efficient method, the fastest, or the method that'll produce the best results. Author Sean Collinson promises to show the reader how to:
• Spot the habits and beliefs that sabotage progress.
• Detox the environment.
• Break the emotional loops that keep one stuck.
• Build mental discipline to stop reacting and start choosing.
• Set boundaries that protect peace and your purpose.
• Make decisions that align with who you want to become.
• Cut ties with the version of yourself that keeps repeating old patterns.
• Step into a reset that strengthens relationships, mindset, and future.
Collinson wrote the book to help readers get out of the rut and stop running in circles to create the life they know they're capable of.
"'Reset or Repeat' feels like a road map you didn't know existed until you needed it. It helps you slow down, cut through the noise, and deal with hard situations without making them worse," wrote Benar Geer for Amazon. "It's practical, real, and something you reach for when life isn't going as planned." [Nonfiction]
"Retribution: A US Marines's Fight for Justice, From the Russian Gulag to Ukraine's Front Lines," by Trevor Reed with Jim DeFelice (William Morrow)
In 2019, former U.S. Marine and presidential guard Trevor Reed was arrested in Russia on false charges, found guilty by a kangaroo court, and imprisoned in a Russian gulag where he endured inhumane treatment.
He was released three years later in a highly publicized prisoner swap.
But it wasn't over, not for Reed.
He wanted payback, vengeance, retribution for the three years Russia took away from him. And the Russian-Ukraine War gave it to him.
So he pushed himself through a grueling training regimen to regain his health, his strength, and the 50 pounds the Russian prison camp removed from his already trim body.
When Reed felt he was ready, he smuggled himself into Ukraine and joined the cause, taking part in one of the fiercest firefights of the war.
He didn't return to his Texas home until he had nearly lost his life when a friend stepped on a land mine.
"'Retribution' is a heart-rending story not just about a young man unfairly imprisoned in the Russian gulag, but the exhausting efforts of his mother, father, and sister to get him home," wrote Taya Kyle, co-author of "American Wife" and widow of Chris Kyle, "American Sniper." "It's every parent's nightmare; fortunately, this one has a happy ending — and more twists after that." [Nonfiction]
"Twelve Months (Dresden Files)," by Jim Butcher (Ace)
In this 18th book in the "Dresden Files" series, Chicago's sole professional wizard, Harry Dresden, and his team had just saved the Windy City from being razed to the ground. They'd been through a lot, and Harry lost some team members in the process.
But things are about to get much worse — not just for Chicago, but especially for Harry. And after all he's been through, he may not be up for it.
"The high-stakes plot-lines keep the pages turning as rapidly as ever, but this installment's greatest strength lies in its exploration of Dresden's mental state as his resilience is tested as never before," wrote Publishers Weekly. [Fiction]
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