One Last Wish-Three Novels was written by Lurlene McDaniel. It is one of those books that combines a few short stories within it paper back covers. Lurlene McDaniel is a good writer. She has the ability to introduce you to her characters in a way that makes you feel like you have just met a friend that you want to know better.
The subject of all three books is death and dying which is not what i would call a pick me up sort of subject…but…it is a part of life. Because it is a part of life, it is nice to see the subject illuminated in a way that shows that a person has choices; some control over the way they die, when they have a disease/illness that is diagnosed when time allows them a period of time to prepare. The idea of quality of life over quantity of life is strengthened when you have read the stories; it puts things into perspective.
Even though dying is not a happy topic…i like the fact that Lurlene chooses to show each individual in the stories with personality and strength. She doesn’t gloss over the fact that if given the “ultimate” choice…they would choose to live; but, it does show degrees of individual dignity.
The books are moving…so make sure that you aren’t going through an emotional trauma when you read it 
…it just might push you to curl up in your bed all weekend.
A Life In Letters, written by Margo Howard of the advice column fame, is a book based on letters she received over the years from her even more famous mother, Ann Landers, also of the the advice column fame.
We get a glimpse of the ups and downs of a mother- daughter relationship that is impacted by all of their personal relationships with other people who seem to float in and out of their lives, over the years.
The letters are revealing not only of Ann Landers public personna but also of her complex relationship with Margo . There is, of course, all kinds of gossipy tid bits woven through out the letters relating to many celebrity and high powered individuals who knew Eppie Lederer otherwise known as Ann Landers and her daughter Margo.
The book is interesting in a kind of enquiring mind sort of way. If you take the time to compare the public, and the private person; it is somewhat interesting to see the contradictory sides of Ann Landers. She was a woman who many held up, as a paragon of virtue, for knowing exactly what to do, and when & how to do it, through her daily newspaper columns.
In a way, this is an un-official biography of both women…as the letters were written about every day events in both of their lives.
This book, A Life In Letters, was copyrighted in 2003 and it was published by Warner Books, Inc.
Rainy’s Recommendations
