Thorough SAP ERP Exam Preparation

This is as thorough an exam preparation book as I have seen for any examination.  The authors have taken a highly specialized exam and created a resource to help qualified test takers do their best and earn their Financial Accounting (FI) Certification.

A large part of success in taking an exam is to be familiar and comfortable with the test structure and format.  The authors tackle this immediately, offering an overview of key exam features: time limit, computer-based format, official pass rate, etc.  Particularly important is the knowledge that some questions have more than one answer and missing one of the options results in an incorrect answer.

A Quick Quiz section follows the introduction, giving the reader the general “flavor” of the examination.  This allows the reader to quickly get a sense for whether or not he/she is ready to prepare for the examination or needs more practical experience before tackling the remaining sample test questions.

The rest of the book groups sample questions by topic, e.g. fundamentals, automatic payments, logistics integration, and workflow.  Sample questions include both single answer and multiple answer format, so the reader gets practice in both types of questions.  Answers immediately follow each question, so there is no leafing back and forth to check answers.  Each correct answer is followed by a helpful explanation. Charts are included where a visual aid is helpful.

If you know how to use SAP ERP 6.0, this guide will help you prove it.  Enter the certification exam with confidence if you have worked through this book.

I received a free review copy of this guide for my honest review.

Important Resource for Women

Book Review: LoveBeyond Your Dreams by Riana Milne

This is a long book, but well worth a woman’s time.  There are two areas this book covers that you won’t find in many “relationship” books.  One is a detailed description of the signs of a toxic person.  The other is practical advice on steps to take to protect yourself early in dating.

Toxic people come in many different “flavors” and Milne has seen them all in her work as a counselor. To help the non-professional identify people who might become problems, lists are provided so a reader can recognize behaviors that are not normal.  This is so important, because people who grew up in homes with a toxic person (e.g. a narcissist, a Mother Hater, or an Adult Child of Alcoholics) probably don’t know what a normal relationship should look like.  Such a person could read one of the lists and think, “Oh! it’s not normal for my boyfriend to do X or Z.”

The practical advice is quite detailed and includes such common sense practices as protecting your home by meeting dates outside your home until you are in a real relationship. Not responding to late-night text messages is another tip.  Readers are assured that a man who really wants a relationship with them will keep up the pursuit.  Your safeguards protect you and help separate the wheat from the chaff.

I recommend this book to women of all ages.  The young can learn to keep themselves safer by establishing the healthy boundaries and avoiding unhealthy relationships in the first place. Older women may need information on safely leaving an abusive relationship (don’t do it without help) or resources for helping friends and relatives.

Healing is also covered, of course, so there is hope for the reader who is in a bad relationship or is recovering from a bad relationship. The author's personal and professional experience really show here!

I received a free review copy of Love Beyond Your Dreams from the author for my review.

A Book about a Journey

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami - A 15-minute Instaread Summary

Instaread summaries are helpful to me when I approach a book outside my usual comfort zone.  Japanese authors and culture are not my usual fare, so I turn to Instaread to see if Murakami’s book should be added to my reading list.

Instaread gave a broad overview of the book, followed by chapter summaries.  The book is an account of one man’s journey from rejection and bewilderment to a fresh start. Tsukuru spends sixteen years of his life not knowing why his high school friends suddenly turned away from him.  He assumes there is something wrong with him until Sara enters his life and suggests, quite sensibly, that simply asking for the truth would be a great way to get past his past. Tsukuru learns the truth and the book ends with him making a decision that will move him forward in his life.

Instaread offers a “Reader’s Perspective” which serves as an opinion about the book.  I agree that the switching from past to present from chapter to chapter was a good device for understanding Tsukuru’s pilgrimage.  The point of the book was to show how his wrong thinking had stalled his life at several key junctures.  Once he learned he was not colorless and worthless, however, he was ready to pursue a new relationship and move forward with his life.

I received my copy of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami - A 15-minute Instaread Summary free for my review.