Now That It's Cooled Off I Am Readin More

I apologize for restoring to the web for reviews ,but I can'y seem to think and type good enough. 

I eas in for a CT scan last night and a brain MRI this morning. I do have some bleeding, that is all I know for now.

Masterfully written and beautifully told, Heather Gudenkauf's debut is a stunning novel of family devotion, honesty and regret that will linger long after the last page is turned.  

It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night. 

Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by a tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler. Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.  

Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor. 

Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same.

Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran--and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl's life, especially Carl's valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory. 

Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?

Both are similar and excellent books, I HIGHLY recommend them.

This last book is a different genre, I needed too get away from "who dunnit" It's about a young boy, from a dysfunctional family who grow up with his 'grandma". Good story.

My Name Is Wonder

 Here is another one of Ronald Chapman's thought provoking, inspirational,  educational books. A goat? Why write about a goat?

But he's not any ol' ordinary goat, he's a wondering, wandering, inquisitive, goat who longs to see more of life, what's outside of the barnyard. As his explorations start he is befriended by a wise, old crow. He travels as far as he can before he ends up in a zoo, where he  makes a new friend. Wonder learns many valuable life lessons along the way. Let your inner voice be your guide. 
One of my favorite quotes is: "Every action matters. Beneath it is meaning that matters even more."
A delightful  novel.
A little about the author:

Ronald Chapman is owner of an international speaking and consulting company, Magnetic North LLC. In addition to international accreditation as a speaker and national awards for radio commentary, he is the author of two novels, My Name is Wonder (Terra Nova Publishing, 2016) and A Killer’s Grace (Terra Nova Publishing, 2016 and 2012), two works of non-fiction, Seeing True: Ninety Contemplations in Ninety Days(Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2008) and What a Wonderful World: Seeing Through New Eyes (Page Free Publishing, 2004) and the producer of three audio sets, Seeing True: The Way of Spirit (Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2016, 2005), Breathing, Releasing and Breaking Through: Practices for Seeing True (Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2015), and Seeing True – The Way of Success in Leadership (Magnetic North Audio, 2005). Ron provides a wide array of social media content atwww.SeeingTrue.com, content for people in substance abuse recovery at www.ProgressiveRecovery.org, and other content from his master site, www.RonaldChapman.com. He holds a Masters in Social Welfare from The University at Albany (New York.) Prior to his relocation to Atlanta, Georgia in 2008, he was a long-time resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ronald can also be found online at:

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1338592.Ronald_Chapman

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/seeingtrue/

A Killer's Grace

Don't think you're going to rush through this book as you watch the kids play in the pool. It is thought provoking: what is right? why do people commit horrible crimes? who should be held responsible? what happens to the victims and their families? what does innocence mean? Is there a God? is it ok to kill a killer? Is forgiveness possible? Kevin Pitcarin, a journalist lives in the high desert and does a lot of walking and thinking in the early morning hours with his dogs; I loved reading the descriptions of the landscape. Pitcarin receives a letter from a convicted killer which has him rethinking innocence, evil, his past, the victims of crime, pondering the meaning of this................All the while he is battling with  his own demons from his past.

This book makes the reader think. 

 Following are a couple of reviews from other authors: 

“…a work of fiction, it was inspired by a real letter from a serial killer…important and compelling… will stay with you long after the last page.”
—Kam Aures, reviewer for Rebecca’s Reads

“A Killer’s Grace delves deep into the human psyche… Those who have experienced abuse or violence in their own lives will not only relate to the story, but may find their own self-discovery journey unfolding alongside Kevin’s.”
—Paula Renaye, author, Living the Life You Love: The No-Nonsense Guide to Total Transformation

Ronald Chapman is a new to me author. 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

I'm not sure who recommended the book, but I had it reserved on Overdrive and it was available so I downloaded it. It's a short book, 150 pages. 

The author suffered a massive stroke that left him paralyzed from his neck down. At 43 and an active national magazine editor he was definitely out of his realm of activities. He's a father of 2 young children and wants to maintain a relationship with them. He is what they call 'locked in'....his brain works fine but his body is confined to a wheelchair or bed.

He's fortunate that he often has visitors and is able to spend time with his son and daughter. Even though he can only blink on eye and move his head he communicates with a letter board. This was not an easy process but he perseveres. He's determined to share his story, which miraculously he does. He describes his daily activities, his thoughts, and how  he 'lives' in his brain.....he often relives actions, food, travels, feelings.

It definitely made me realize how blessed I am!!!

A Woman's Place

I really enjoyed this book by Lynn Austin and think I'll read more of her books.

The setting is in a small town in Michigan during WWII. Many of the men have been called to war and the factories are short handed. Four women, from different phases in their lives, start working in a shipyard for varying reasons and friendships are formed.

This is a Christian book, the way the gospel is brought in is not preachy, it's explaining a better way to live life.....simple ideas  in some ways.

Stay tuned....more book reviews on the way. I read about 2 books per week. I LOVE sitting outside and  reading. I HAVE to be outside when it is nice out,

Winter Garden and A Couple More Books

Getting tired of all the reading I've been doing? Sorry, no, I'm not.

Winter Garden was our selection for book club. I've read at least one of her other books. When I checked it out the librarian said that this was her favorite book. It is a good one. There are 4 characters: dad, mom, and 2 daughters. It's written from the daughters' perspective. The father is the glue of the family and the girls feel that the mother doesn't love them. She's Russian and loves to tell fairy tales.................the farther dies and the girls promise to take cre of their mother....and as she tells the fairy tails she  reveals her story.

I also read a couple of classics: The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. It's about  a Chinese farmer and the life he makes from the land. It's a must read if you haven't read it.

I've wanted to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe....when I found 3 of those books here I decided to read one, donate 1 to a little free library, and one to my daughter's children. It took part of an afternoon to read it. It's a great youth book to use to explain God to children, a lot of symbolism in there.

More books coming up!

Here A Book, There A Book, Everywhere A Good Book

This series of books was recommended by my granddaughter who is an AVID reader, an entrepreneur, and a very self motivated 13 year old.

The GIVER series (of 4 books) was written by Newbery award winner Lois Lowry. It's a young adult series that I really enjoyed.

It takes place in a somewhat perfect, very well controlled, and planned society. Spouses are matched, children are requested from birth mothers, life is planned for the residents, there is no color....very different from what we know....no free will, no choices.

The ensuing books take place in different communities with different ways of life. One of the characters from book 1 runs away and shows up in the remaining books. In the 3rd book the young boy from the first book is a little older and learns of his special posers, each of the characters has a special power. The trade-master appears in the 3rd  and 4th books. He's evil,  but not everyone knows that. The last book takes place about 15 years later and the boy from the first book is searching for his mother.....the trade-master appears again....what does he want in trade to help them reunite?

I really enjoyed these books and recommend the series. They are not long books....I think several of them are about 200 pages. I do not like to give too much away when talking about a book because I want YOU to read it. 

Thanks for the recommendation Ava! And Bev, thanks for passing it along to me. 

More Books

I read a lot, a couple of hours every day. That was my plan for the summer and I do enjoy it. Today it was very overcast and it did rain in the afternoon, so I stayed in all day and worked on putting together our spare room that Kevin painted. My mom liked rainy days and I couldn't understand that.....but now I do.....the weather forced me to stay inside and do something. And I have over 4000 steps today, that's a lot for me, just walking around the house.

One book I recently finished was this e-book.

A young woman boards a plane to her wedding that she's going to cancel because of a break up with her fiancee. takes some Dramamine, and has a drink.....a bad combo. 

She tells her story to the passenger she sits next to before she 'passes out'. He gets her off the plane....and that's when it starts. He meets her family....she finds a 'substitute' groom...where? who? what happens?

I also read a REAL book by the same author as Me Before You.

Have you seen the movie? I read the book but didn't feel like going to the movie.

It's about a single mother (dysfunctional family) whose motto is ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING. They meet up with a single man who befriends them. Read about their unusual relationship. I liked both of these books. I'm taking a break from murder mysteries. 

Come back for more book reviews soon!

A Book Break

I don't have many readers or comments on my book posts, but I know people read them, so here goes......

I've read many, many books these past few months....mostly thrillers and mysteries I have (free) on my Kindle.

This autobiography about Audrey Hepburn was written by her son. We read it for book club, One of our members said it seemed like an advertisement for UNICEF. She was very involved with UNICEF. I liked the book because it contained a lot of photos. Isn't she just a cute, little pixie? The reason she's so tiny is not because she starved herself...but because she grew up during WWII and did not get a lot to eat.

This 2nd book was given to me by a friend. It's at least $6 to buy, but she got it for $1 at the Dollar Tree. When I checked the ratings I found 4 - 5 stars. 

It was a pretty good book. The wife of the bishop of a prominent southern church dies young (of cancer). Before his wife passes she dictates several letters that will be sent to 3 women that she thinks will make a good wife for the bishop. Did her plan work or backfire? It's interesting and a switch from what I've been reading. It's not a heavy read, a good summer read. 

I feel pretty darn good today. I'm doing laundry and baked a cake for strawberry short cake. 

Soon I'll be off to my dr appointment. I need to ask him to explain dome of my test results. Then I'm having blood work done to be sure I can continue my new chemo pills. They aren't too bad, BUT I've lost most of my eyelashes now.

I'll report back later.

Let's Read Some Good Books

For book club I recently read AT THE WATERS EDGE. It is by the same author as WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. I've read both books, good reads.

Book club meets Tuesday night and I am anxious to see what the other women say about the book. I know one said she could not get into it.

One, privileged young woman, her husband, and a friend sail over to Scotland during WWII and are hit with a rude awakening. See how this love affair and their lives change. 

Currently I am reading THE CANOPY by Angela Hunt and finished THE AWAKENING also by the same author.

The AWAKENING is about a woman who cares for her invalid mother for 10 years, there is no other family. When he mother passes Aurora Rose learns who is family, like family, and who are her friends. She starts life almost all over, since she has not left the apartment for years. 

I am just getting into the CANOPY, it is a little difficult because it deals with prions, antibodies, bacteria, etc. Not my usual genre. I am sure it will be worth it though. As I was stalking Facebook I noticed this author was recommended by someone, so I am checking her out....I will read more. 

Keep reading!!!

Midnight In The Garden Of Good and Evil

I picked up this book right after Christmas and finally got to reading it, and I am glad I did.

It seems like fiction, but is not. 

A journalist spends more and more time in Savannah and as he grows to love this old city he writes about the history and a murder (was it a murder or self defense?) that occurred in 1981, when the author was living there. The characters are just that, characters.

There's love, sex, voodoo, history, murder, deceit, and anything else you might desire in this story.

I am going to recommend it to my book club.

by John Berendt

What else have I been up to?

Struggling with the roller coaster ride of cancer's ups and downs. I really hate being dependent upon others to drive me places.

I did receive calls/messages from the kids for Mother's day. I had a really long talk with my son...........it is just amazing. 

"wishin' and hopin' and wishin' and hopin'" for warmer days...in which to sit outside and to plant flowers in.

I have a busy week ahead, I'll try to keep you posted.

Hope you're having a great week!!!

Pictures From My Life

Beautiful miniature rose from my bff and her sister. I'll be a couple of weeks before I can put it outside.

These short stories make a person feel really good! They are very similar to the Chicken Soup books, and I received this gift from another friend. I was extremely emotional the other day and had to stop reading because I got all teary eyed. I'm over that now.

What grandma wouldn't love this pretty necklace?

I am not a teddy bear person..........but in the last 2 years I'v accumulated a few of them and each one has a special meaning for me.

This gorgeous, paper napkin, lotus,  candy dish is one of the favors we had at our Red Hat Anniversary Party. They are adorable!

I wasn't able to attend but Deb brought cupcakes and the favors over for me. Thanks!

These are just some of the photos of what's happening in my life.

I received gifts because last saturday was my birthday...............yes, I am on Medicare now. 

Yes, big expensive gifts are nice............but it's not about impressing anyone. It's about the gift of  my favorite soda, my favorite tea, it's about the thoughtfulness, the Grandma Is Special bear.

Sunday was my mom's birthday. I will never forget.

I am glad she is rejoicing in heaven and not here to see me. Love you mom!!!

A Few Things I've Been Reading

This post is inspired by one of my followers.

My free Kindle books have been put to good use. My Kindle is easy to hold in bed and I can find a new book whenever I am ready for one. I can easily check facebook and my email too. Is that a good thing? I read about a book a day...too many to share on here. Here are a couple of my favorites. 

  

The Fuller Brush Man was a longer book, took me 2 days, it had a lot of twists and turns. 

 The Murder House is the book our book club read. We haven't met to discuss it yet so I am not giving any details out. At first I wanted to say OMG but now I'm thinking there's some predictability in the story. Hopefully I'll make it to book club to hear what others have to say about it.

 The Prayer box takes place on the Outer Banks and gives some insight on life in that area. Lisa has a shorter book out that is almost a volume one to this book.

 

This story takes place in New Orleans......need I say more? It's colorful and fast moving. I'd read more of her books.

I don't remember what this book was about, just that I liked it.

`

I'm thrifty, so I don't buy books for my Kindle, but I'll take the free ones. I thought I'd never get them all read.....at the rate I am going now, I just might....I just might. Sometimes it's a volume 1 in a series. I've only had one problem with that....the story didn't end, but I am not purchasing the next book. I have tons of other books to choose from.

The moral of this post: Never look a gift horse in the mouth....or never pass up a free book (only the ones I'd like to read).

As I See It

It may be the end of March, but it's not to late for a snow storm in Wi......unfortunately. It's wet and heavy and the estimates I've heard say about 6". It's still windy and it look like a 'wintery mix' is still coming down. This is what I see from my table as I sit at my computer, when it hits the patio door it melts and runs down. My poor birds........nothing in the feeder for them. 

These darn shrubs are invincible :-(  When they are not bogged down with heavy, wet snow they cover up 1/2 the window and I hate them. This summer I NEED to have them removed!

I did remember to weigh myself today and I gained 2#. That's something that doesn't make most people happy....it's good for me. I can't believe how skinny I look.......or maybe I was just fat. I always was thin, very thin, but after I married Kev he fattened me up.....or I just got older and fatter. 

I've graduated to washing the dishes and have plans to clean one bathroom today. No, I was not doing a thing! But I live here and can't let Kev do anything IF I can help. 

Friday my son and his children are coming to visit.

I'm glad I'm feeling better b/c Monday I have a full day. During the day I have a dr appt out of town and then a Feel Better Look Good meeting in the evening. I didn't want to do both on the same day but the next meeting was a month away, and by that time I will be out of hair :-(

I've been doing a lot of reading.....the last 3 books I read were mostly about being pregnant and babies (no, I didn't realize it when I chose those books) so I think I need to change my genre and find a good murder mystery.

Yesterday when I opened my front door to get the mail I found a 'care package' sitting there: dessert, card, crossword book (I don't do other word/number games). Cool, huh?

The other day my friend took me to the clinic for my blood work. After that we (she) did a little shopping. I needed smaller pants, they fit! It's always good to get out of the house and go somewhere other than a doctor's office. 

Unfortunately my WBC is still too low for a treatment, hope it's OK by next Wednesday. I hate chemo but I know it has to be done. On the other hand the numbers that were sky high are lower and lower....that's a great thing!!!!

And that's how I see today!

Happy Easter weekend!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. 

Been Doin' Some Readin'

As a member of the Lit Wits Between the Covers (book club) I read the chosen book and meet with other members about every 6 weeks. Sometimes we meet at at restaurant or sometimes at someone's home. I've always enjoyed reading and wanted to be a member of a book club as an adult. I was afraid of it because I thought you had to be an intellectual and be able to discuss the plot of the story, the conflict, or the protagonist. I read for pleasure. That's what I did this weekend, this quiet (unsure if it was a), rather boring weekend.

This afternoon I finished A MAN CALLED OVE and thoroughly enjoyed it! It evoked several different emotions and I'm sure we'll have some good discussion next week.

We're a fun lovin', down to earth group of women, with varied backgrounds, who love to read.  There is usually wine and always laughter involved. I have to admit that some of the gals take notes on the book. We read many different genres of books.

The month before we read THE PARIS WIFE, well most of the group did. I started it and just couldn't get into it. I remember trying to read it once before also.

Since we read about Ernest Hemingway we wanted to read something he wrote. That means we have 2 books this month, the second book being THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA. I'm glad I read it but am not interested in reading any of his other books.

What have you been reading?

Do you have any recommendations for our book club?

A Different Kind Of Day and Other Trivia

That seems to be my motto for this weekend. I slept in today...and it felt good. After 3 days of workouts at the Y this week today was lazy, very lazy by my standards. I go with a friend (the best way to make yourself go) and we participate in the water classes. Even though I shower after class I could still smell the chlorine when I took a bath today.

Yesterday we took a drumming class, it was tons of fun! After that we did the water aerobics (for seniors) and Candy gave us a good work out both times. Thursday we tried Ai Chi, it's a relaxing water class, we decided we like the faster paced class better.

I got my fit-bit earlier in the week and am enjoying it. I love keeping track of my steps, over 7,000 yesterday with the drumming class. It is amazing how many steps I get in just wandering around my house, I don't stay in one place very long. It also tracks sleep. Today I learned how to reset it, it was not syncing. It's an easy fix and is working correctly now. 

Since I had to run to the drug store today I had to get properly dressed....I blame that for not feeling like working in the bedroom today. I did a teeny bit of sanding. I will finish tomorrow or early in the week. I need to buy some paint rollers before I can prime the walls. As you can tell, I am not in a hurry.

I just didn't know what I felt like doing this afternoon, so I did some laundry, took care of some paperwork, and baked some cookies. Kev went to his brother's this afternoon to watch the football game.  I decided to read in the middle of the afternoon! No radio, no TV, just me and my book. I read a lot more in the summer than I do in winter, odd, eh? In the winter it's a waste of time because I 'should' be doing something. In the summer I'm enjoying the nice weather. 

It's late enough that I can call it a day; time to turn on the TV while I fold laundry and then veg some more.

The Friday 56

I've never read this series. My grandson and I started reading it today.

p.56  "This is going to be exciting enough without pretending," said Peter as he began leading the way forward into the forest.

I joining Freda at the Friday 56

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your                                                                             eReader(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. 
*It's that simple.

My Thoughts This Thursday

As usual, after I reread my post about Had I Known I remembered some things I forgot to write down. 

Joan is younger than I am.....NO, she is actually 1 year older than I am. Darn! there goes that theory. LOL Well, she is a very driven woman and is/was in much better physical shape than I am. She's very into health & nutrition. During her cancer treatment she was much more active than I was/am. She led the annual camp week held at her husbands camp.....lots of physical activities. It's hard to be active when you are so tired from chemo. It's hard to eat, so you have energy, when you feel sick and everything tastes terrible. Joan did not have all the various side effects that I experienced. Nevertheless,

she pushed on with her chemo treatments, not allowing a not so favorable blood test to deter her. She had a rigorous speaking schedule planned and canceled very few events. She had at least one blood transfusion (I can't remember for sure). OK, so any woman who has twins at 54 has got to be tuff! Those are some more of our differences. But she's a woman who had breast cancer and the same feelings we do when we hear those devastating words and go through several months of treatments.

After testing the theory many times I have determined that eating too much salt is DEFINITELY bad for me. The doctor is right about that one. I think he/she is also right about the need for physical activity. I do feel better and my balance has improved. I hope to get a Medicare plan (65 in April) that includes the YMCA so I can take some of the classes I enjoy. I like the pool classes and the drumming we did last night....it was pretty funny with us newbies.

Yesterday was an exciting day for  me....my first hair cut in over a year. She cut a 1/2" to 1" off. I can't believe I am saying this, but it was getting too long and 'big'.

on my way to the Y so I don't look too glamorous

It's December 3rd and we haven't had any snow, other than the big, fluffy flakes that fell yesterday and melted soon after. The temp is supposed to be 40 for the next 2 days. Kevin is off tomorrow and I bet he'll be on the golf course. I even filled up my bird feeder today. The birds are happy and I bet the squirrel will be back again.

Happy December!

Happy Holiday Season....is it?

Yes, for some....no, for others. Whichever way you lean I hope you have time to think about what the real meaning is....the birth of Jesus, our Savior. I wish you peace, love, and sanity too!

Had I Known

I recently finished reading this book by Joan Lunden. We both went through our cancer about the same time, but she's a celebrity and I'm not. At first I had no interest in reading it, I really don't know anyone who has read it. If you have also read this I'd appreciate your input.

Of course we have similarities: diagnosed with a terrible disease, survivors of said disease, women with families we love, strong women (that's what I've been called), we went through the same procedures while fighting breast cancer. We were both blessed to only need a lumpectomy, we both maintain positive attitudes.

These are just my quick thoughts about the book:

One of the things I learned was the importance of an ultrasound if you have dense breasts, which I do.

She's a very blessed woman to have such a supportive husband and daughters to stand next to her. My hubby didn't talk with me and would only give me a hug if I asked. He just keeps any and all emotions to himself. I know it was hard for him because he lost his first wife to the same disease. It's hard to talk to anyone who hasn't gone through it...no one else really understands how you feel. You're on drugs. literally....you have mood swings you never had before, people don't get it. I didn't need someone with me all the time, but it was nice when a friend stopped during my chemo to visit for a bit. I do have good friends who brought meals, did laundry, took me to doctor appointments, etc. I really appreciated that!

Yes, she was brave to announce her cancer to the world, but since she's in the public eye she really had do it. I think she was VERY brave to pose for a magazine cover bald! I could never have done that, on the other hand she has a make up artist to make her look good and hairstylist to fix her wigs. I'm sure there are days when she didn't wear make up or a wig and just hung out at home. I know there were many days when I just threw on a turban and maybe some mascara (for myself) and was up for 2 hours then slept for 3 and so on for the whole day.

Joan has a lot more money than we do, therefore access to more learned people, a dietitian, healthier food, a wonderful camp her husband runs, and more.

But, there are still things we can do (whether or not you've had cancer):

* exercise

*quit sugar (it's a super food to cancer)

* quit smoking

* drink alcoholic beverages VERY little, if at all

* eat more fruit and veggies (no processed foods)

* find out everything about your test results, just don't settle for 'within range' 

* take charge of your own health

* have a positive attitude

* tell the people you love that you love them

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

'You see, every challenge we face in life is really just an obstacle waiting to be turned into an opportunity.'

and regarding the bald photo shoot

'It was important to me to give the thousands of women out there, going through this battle a voice, to show them that just because you loose your hair during chemo, you can still be strong and vibrant and normal.'
Like some other survivors she's said it was a gift, I can't find where she wrote it, but I do remember that statement. I still can't say it was a gift for me....maybe I just don't see it yet....blinded???

Lastly remember fear is:

False

     Evidence

      Appearing

Real

Yes, I'm glad I read it. 

Outside The Lines Book Review

I've been trying to straighten up things around here...2 of my granddaughters are coming for a visit tomorrow and will stay until wednesday. One of them is a scrapbooker so I cleaned up the basement scrapbook area. That's a relief......but it won't last.....oh well, my aim is to make good memories for them.

We are hoping the rain stays away tomorrow so we can go to the beach. I've loosely organized a family/friends outing.

I took a break at lunch time and ate outside on the deck and finished reading my latest book.

OUTSIDE THE LINES portrays a very realistic account of mental illness (not that I really know how such a person would feel).

 As Eden grows up she knows something's not right, but as a child she's not quite sure what it is. She is 10 when her mentally ill father leaves her and her mother. She misses him so much, life was so much fun with David. Her mother remarries and has another child. Lydia is much more calm and happier with her new husband. Eden loves her little brother and step-father....but she still misses her father. It seems as if he has just disappeared off the face of the earth. Finally, in her 30's, when she has become the chef she dreamed of being Eden decides to search for her father. 

The story explains David's struggles during those years he's away.

I really liked it and am going to suggest it to my book club. The copy I have has discussion questions in the back...not that we ever use those. *smile*

What should I read next? I have lots of books to choose from.