Light of the Moon was written by one of my favorite authors, LuAnne Rice. This book took me a while to get into. I don’t know why…it started out slow for me. However, as always, LuAnne captures her characters and their emotional connections to others in a way that feels as if you have known them for years.
The main characters are interesting; Susannah is the female who is a research and cave anthropologist. She is seeking solace in her work around the world as she heals from the loss of her mother. She goes to a place which holds power over her…it is the place where her mother and father went to seek assistance from their faith in having a child. Susannah is the result of that faith. She was destined to complete the circle by coming back to the place where it all began. At the statue of Sarah.
Grey is the male character that brings the circumstances of her trip to completion by falling in love with Susannah. Grey gave up much for his wife Maria. He also lost his freedom when his wife left. He became a rancher who understood the wild white horses of Camargue. Grey has a daughter who has been traumatized also by the loss of her mother. Her mother left her to go on and start a new life….her mother Maria was born a gypsy. Her marriage to Grey was forbidden and therefore caused great harm to her relationships. She was cursed and so were her children and her marriage. She fulfilled that curse by believing in it. She left her husband and her child and caused intense harm to her child Sari. She didn’t know how to balance her calling, her family, her freedom and her happiness. She paid a heavy price for her freedom. Unresolved regrets can eat away at the soul of a person.
In the end, love and healing are allowed to flourish. It is a mystery to understand the spiritual realm. Yet, we all live in it too! This book is worth the time it takes to get emotionally involved. It is beautifully written. The mystical white horses of Camargue add an old world quality to the book. The intensity of human emotions and the damage they can do to others that we care about is underscored throughout the book. It teaches us the power of love, forgiveness and moving forward through the healing process. It is transforming to know that we do not have to be held hostage to the mistakes that we make in this world…that we have the power to change course at any given time.
This book was copyrighted in 2008.
Charm is a work of fiction; it is a novel written by Kendall Hart, the firstborn birth child of Erica Cane, on the American soap opera, All my Children. Of course, since this book is written by a fictional character on a soap opera…there was alot of public interest in it before it was even published. They did a lot of pre-publicity on the book by advertising on ABC, both with the book and with the corresponding perfume.
The book is about a female entrenpeneur named Avery; who creates her own cosmetic company. She is on the rising star list of companies who creates their own make-up and now they are entering into the world of perfume. However, Avery is saddled with one very spoiled and troubled rich young woman who is the daughter of Avery’s deceased lover who helped financially fund the business. The young woman’s name is Parker and she is self-destructive by consuming large amounts of drugs and alcohol. She is lonely and feels abandoned and when she is not sober…she trys to destroy Avery and her company.
Avery is not without alot of baggage of her own. She finds out that she is adopted in her thirties. She is both relieved and filled with angst. Her adoptive parents would win no parenting award…they are both alcoholics, and promiscuous. There was childhood abuse and neglect in Avery’s life as well; she just set about overcoming it. Avery has dealt with a lifetime of betrayal and divided loyalties.
However, when Avery’s birth mother makes an appearance; Avery is at first curious. Then she is aghast at the woman’s manipulations. Her birth mother is very self centered and is out to use Avery for her own gain. When that is revealed…she drops the bomb that Avery has a half sister. It opens a whole floodgate of emotions for Avery. Avery rediscovers a love and loyalty that she initially felt towards the woman who raised her in her very young years before much of the abuse and alcohol use. Avery shows strong character by taking care of a woman who has now been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Avery’s love life is damaged as well. Her first true love is Parker’s father and he was killed. Then the next man she dares to let into her heart betrays her; the next one, kept secrets from her that the second lover used to put a wedge between him and Avery. Avery goes back and forth between the two men and finds herself pregnant and confused about what she really wants and needs.
Charmed is entertaining, it is interesting to anyone who has ever watched the soap opera All My Children because of the obvious mirror image of Avery/Kendall Hart and Avery’s famous movie star, birth mother Patricia Lucas/Erica Kane (Kendall Hart’s birth mother), Erica being Kendall’s birth mother.
It was a fun read if a bit predictible in places…after all…it is modeled after a soap opera 
. Hmmm…i would like to smell the perfume though which really was for sale in the market place to tie into the book’s publishing. This book was was published in 2008 by Hyperion and ABC. The perfume went on sale March 2008 at Sears, it is called, Charm! All My Children. You can see Hyperion’s website here: www.HyperionBooks.com
Bella means beautiful. This book is about a beautiful life. What many people don’t realize is that the type of life a person has is a choice. Often times, we let our circumstances determine the quality of our life. Bella is a work of fiction but it is a great illustration of being imprisoned by poor choices and discovering a way of healing and choosing to live a life worth enjoying.
Bella is a story woven around a couple of main characters; Nina a pregnant young waitress who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, and Jose, a man who made a mistake that resulted in a death, went to jail…giving up a promising career in professional soccer…then doing pennance by living a solitary life working as a chef in his brother Manny’s restaurant and punnishing himself by burning himself regularily.
Two wounded souls who work side by side for years until circumstances allow them to reach out and try to help each other deal with the pain in their lives. In making a conscious choice to turn the corner and make wiser choices that God has put in their pathway they discover happiness…bring a life into the world that others suggested shouldn’t be given life. Following the opportunity for life, they are given freedom to once again live in joy.
Bella was written by Lisa Samson. It was published in 2008 by arrangement with Thomas Nelson.
The Rope Walk is an ecclectic collection of people and problems. It is at times; sad, cautiously hopeful, bittersweet, heartbreaking, endearing, angering, pittiful, and haunting. Ms. Carrie Brown wrote a book that sticks with you in your spirit…because she knows how to write and explore human relationships.
One of the main characters is a motherless child named, Alice. Alice is a treasure who is caught between an innocent, sheltered childhood and an abrupt jolt into a reality that is changing on all sides. She is about to meet a childhood friend who she at times, admires, wants to protect, clings to, and at all times, comes to love very much; his name is Theo.
Theo is a mystery that slowly unravels. He is bi-racial. He appears abandoned, he is living with grandparents who don’t know him and one of which doesn’t want to. Alice doesn’t understand how anyone could be prejudiced against another for the color of their skin. He has suffered neglect by all adults who should have been caring for him. He is a walking wounded child…who tries to live out loud in spite of it all by learning about the world around him.
Together, Alice and Theo take on a chore and a journey of volunteer caregiving for a man named Kenneth who is an artist who is dying of AIDS. Kenneth has come to live with his adult sister who is living in a self designed prison with some sort of phobia where she lives in fear inside her home stacked to the ceilings with walls of hoarded, dirty items.
Alice and Theo form a bond with Kenneth. They share the love of adventure through books with him. They plan a surprise for him to escape his confinement because of his health. That surprise ends badly; but, there was a written communication that never gets passed along which could have saved them all some heartache and seperation.
The book explores compassion, selfishness, volunterrism, communication and awareness. I really liked this book…but i do have to confess, it both saddened me and at the same time…showed me that if people want to…they have the ability to positively impact the lives of others if they would only take a risk and reach out to do so!
This book was copyrighted in 2007 by Thomson Gale. You can see their website at: www.gale.com/thorndikepress or www.thomson.com .
Fire in the Bood is a novel that has been translated from the French language by Sandra Smith. A little true-life, backstory to the novel itself…it seems that it appeared to be an unfinished novel because the writer, Irene Nemirovsky would have her typed up by her husband Michel from her manuscripts; the novel appeared to end at a certain point. It was often wondered if her husband quit typing the novel when his wife Irene had been arrested and taken to Auschwitz in 1942.
Some believe that Irene was still working on the book at the time of her arrest because when she was arrested…her two daughter escaped arrest and two pages of her novel were in their belongings; along with another novel that she had written called, Suite Francaise. At the same time, Irene had insured that 30 pages of Fire in the Blood were kept safe by giving them to her editor friend.
That she would work so hard to preserve her writings shows just how much they meant to her; she risked much to make sure that the novels could be read. Her novel Suite Francaise was published 60 years after her death in Auschwitz. The Nazi death camps stole much from our world with all of the murders of people who each had a life; and skills, that forever was ended once they were forced beyond the gates of the camps.
The story of Fire In The Blood is one of passion; recklessly spent in youth and atoned for later in life. It is set in a French village at a time before WWII. The main character is Silvio who is in his adult retirement stage of life. He is brought to a reckoning of his past by the actions of his friends and relatives, in their present circumstances. Secrets from that time are revealed that impact them all and he is resigned to relive those days. He sees all of the life choices he has made in review and tries not to judge others on the choices they make while they are under the influence of Fire In The Blood. It is a very good book…made even more special by having the knowledge of what the writer went through to allow us to read the words of her heart and mind.
This edition was published by Wheeler Publishing, an imprint of Thomson Gale and was copyrighted in 2007. You can see their website here: www.gale.com/wheelerpublishing or at www.thomson.com .
Just Beyond The Clouds, is a book about living with Down’s Syndrome. It briefly teaches on the health issues and emotional, social and economic realities of a person with disabilities.
The book was written by Karen Kingsbury, who is excellent at creating believable and relevant relationships. The book explores a family’s need to protect their loved one; while at the same time, giving as much freedom as possible to explore the world; as their loved one is able to have. Independence is a huge issue for families affected by disabilities…as well as young people; even those with special needs.
The book also touches on the mistakes that are made while trying to limit the danger or hurts that a special needs loved one might experience and the consequences of overstepping the boundaries between protection and control. The need to recognize a person’s growth is a basic human need, it is the way we each measure our abilities to function in the world. Special needs persons also need that recognition to improve their life skills; and, their ability to function in a variety of circumstances.
The book is inspiring in the fact that it shows the relationships that groups of special needs students form with one another and the support system that many people underestimate. It is a powerful thing to behold.
The main issue i like that Ms. Kingsbury illustrates is that the public must understand that it is not enough just to occupy a loved one’s waking hours with television and boredom. Teaching life skills is very important, acknowledging the interconnectedness of special needs students and understanding that they do form friendships, romantic relationships, and they can contribute much to our communities. I have special needs sons…and i know, too many people underestimate their abilities.
It is important to finance and support learning centers, and job coaching, and teachers who are committed and skilled at supporting special needs students and their families! This book hits the heart and the mind at the same time; all the while, opening doorways to understanding those who are born differently but with many skills and assets just the same. The power of feelings is the same in all human beings.
The book was copyrighted in 2007 and published in 2008 by Center Street a division of Hachette Book Group USA. It is a book of fiction.
Iris Johansen has done it again…she wrote a page-turner. I like alot of Ms. Johansen’s books because she invariably taps into secret compartments, inside of each of us, that seek to understand just what motivates the people that she writes about. She seems able to capture a reader’s desire to know more about the characters in her books. By the time you realize that you have invested a little emotional connection to the outcome of the story…you have already reached the point of no return; in putting the book down to attend to your other responsibilities in life. I am guilty of a gluttony of the written word! I wasn’t personally enamored with the title of this book…but, the book itself was good.
It has action, drama, and of course, romance. There is the typically large, overly dramatic misunderstanding in the romantic relationship, between the hero and heroine…which of course, happily resolves itself before the end of the book. Knowing that this is coming in the story doesn’t take anything away from the story or away from Ms. Johansen’s writing; she writes in a way that justifies it; by making it appear as if, it too, could happen to you in one of your real life relationships. After all, we can’t read our partner’s minds in real life…and just because we can climb into the charater’s heads in the book…that doesn’t mean that the characters in the book can do the same. Read the rest of this entry…
This collection of stories by Ernest Hemingway was interesting to read for a variety of reasons for me. First of all, Ernest Hemingway had a history in my own home state of Michigan. He loved and appreciated the gift of nature in the upper reaches of Michigan. Many of the stories illustrate his love of fishing and hunting…and living off of the land.
Some of these stories have not been published previously. The stories of Nick Adams and his life very closely mirror some of Ernest Hemingway’s life experiences. It is a peek into a very complex man and his writings.
Be forewarned…this book may cause a unique reaction by igniting a desire to read more Hemingway works!
This edition was published by Scribner and was a paperback edition copyright 2003.