Christy Tillery French Reviews New Memoir

Letting Go: An Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Journey of Healing and Transformation
Author: Nancy A. Kaiser
Genre: Memoir/Self-Help
ISBN: 9780981463323
Publisher: Visual Impressions Publishing


Reviewed by Christy Tillery French for Midwest Book Review


With five short words (“I never wanted this house”), Nancy Kaiser’s world came to a screeching halt. Nancy and her husband Bob had retired to North Carolina, where they planned to build their dream home on a mountain they chose as their special place. Before the house was finished, Bob said these words to Nancy, and from that point on, her world tilted and her life became off-balance. Alone, six hundred miles from family and friends, nothing seemed to go right for Nancy. On her own, she had to face the deaths of dear friends and beloved animal companions, as well as problems that kept cropping up with the house she moved into, all while dealing with the trauma of divorcing her husband.

Although the title describes Nancy as an “ordinary woman”, perhaps a more appropriate nomenclature would be an exceptional person in tune with nature, who not only understands the connection between animals and humans but also is able to communicate with animals. Nancy is a woman dedicated to finding her center through spiritual and cerebral means, pitting ego against soul, learning to love herself, trust her decisions, and focus on the positive instead of the negative. This outstanding book leads the reader through Nancy’s soul-searching journey of transformation, from a woman filled with anger and rage and negativity to one who is at peace with herself and her feelings and has learned to let go of the things she cannot control. The reader will feel Nancy’s pain as she struggles and rejoice with her as she begins to progress toward her life’s goal. The lessons learned in this book are of great significance and will gift the reader with a better understanding of “self”. Highly recommended.


-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Self-Help Book (With Humor) Keeps You on Track

Title: Hindsight: What You Need to Know Before You Drop Your Drawers
Author: Maryanne Comaroto
ISBN-13: 0974661007
Genre: self-help, sex, relationships
Publisher: Bridge the Gap publishing

Have you noticed that you have a knack for attracting Mr. Wrong (or Not-Exactly-Right)? When it comes to relationships, timing is everything. Knowing what you need to know before you drop your drawers can save you tons of heartache, money and time. For some of us, finding a man any man totally eludes us. While others have become adept at finding a man, he is rarely the right man, and rarely does the relationship last, nor should it.

Let's face it, there isn't much worse than literally and figuratively waking up to the reality that we have been sleeping with disaster. Hindsight: What You Need to Know Before You Drop Your Drawers guides the reader through the challenges of dating and mating in the twenty-first century and shares powerful solutions on how to find the RIGHT man, get him, and keep him, so you are fully equipped to create healthy, sustainable, fulfilling relationships.

Maryanne Comaroto (Maryannelive.com) has been inspiring people to create and attract healthy relationships for nearly a decade. In HINDSIGHT she reveals the six tools you must have in your tool belt to create the perfect mate. Maryanne takes you through the toxic choices we make in dating, and then teaches you how to turn six tools into lifelong skills and Self-Love Prescription exercises designed to help you achieve mastery.

Since HINDSIGHT begins within, your relationship with yourself is the first place to start. You will learn: How to tell the frogs from the princes/princesses What you truly want and how to create it Ways to remove the blockages you have with men and relationships The steps on the journey from selling yourself to your sacred self that will attract your perfect mate How to manifest the relationship of your dreams into reality To lighten up and have fun discover the JOY of your own life While the truth can often hurt, it can also be hysterical. The journey through Hindsight will have you laughing and learning your way to healthier relationships.

Maryanne's book is applicable for just about anyone – single or not – as it focuses on the priority we should place on learning to be in tune with OUR OWN SELVES. It's then up to us how we choose to take this knowledge into our relationships! A great read for anyone feeling there has to be a better way to be in a relationship, or for someone who just wants help figuring themselves out! Maryanne tells it like it is in a way that encourages and inspires!

~Alexis James
(synopsis first published on Amazon

-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Patricia Delois' New Book Reviewed

Title: Bufflehead Sisters
Author: Patricia Delois
ISBN-13: 978-0425227770
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Berkley Trade

Reviewed by Karyn Hall
Review first published by Amazon

Janet lives an ordinary life with an ordinary family, growing up
against a backdrop of the Vietnam War and the growth of the drug
culture. Her parents struggle for a balance between compassion and
control. Janet yearns for a sister, a Thelma for her Louise. Then
Sophie enters her life. Patricia DeLois has Janet describe Sophie as
follows: "Her hair was a nest of blond curls that made me think of
Goldilocks, and there was a smug look about her mouth that suggested
she might have already helped herself to someone's porridge and found
it just right." Turns out, this is actually foreshadowing of events
to come in Sophie and Janet’s lives.

DeLois writes with a magic wand. "One day in late winter, Sophie
suggested we dig our way to another country. Not China, she said--they
would look for us there. We would dig a hole halfway to China, and
then we would veer off toward Amsterdam."

DeLois enters the world of two children and shows the reader both how
Sophie viewed her dysfunctional family and how Janet viewed her own
parents as well as her relationship with the Sophie. The author is as
adept at showing the child's view as she is the adolescent view. The
imagery she creates is so realistic you'll think you're back in your
high school lunchroom, hoping against hope a certain boy will sit with
you and scorning the girls who have reputations. But this is an adult
book that holds a mirror to the ways we judge others.

A coming of age story, a book about heartbreak and the ways women and
men struggle with their wounds, and a tale of everyday lives,
Bufflehead Sisters is all that. It is also a look at having friends
who are different than you and how that affects your life and your
character. You may see yourself in the pages.

There's something special about Sophie. Every one who meets her thinks
so, though not in the same ways. This reader agrees, and probably not
in the same way as you.

I found Bufflehead Sisters to be an enjoyable book. I cared about the
characters and the conflicts they faced. I also looked again at the
choices I’ve made in life.


-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Mary Jean Kelso's New Book Reviewed

Title: Back to the Homestead
Author Mary Jean Kelso
Genre: Western Fiction
ISBN 978-1-59705-431-7.
Publisher: Wings Press


Reviewed by Claudia Valiquet, publicist/literary agent

Mary Jean Kelso’s historical romance, Life on the

Homestead, was not only entertaining, but also informative about western life! Western fiction has been a passion of mine now for several years. I confess that Louis L’Amour is my favorite and I actually get a little bored with Zane Grey. Ms. Kelso’s book, while teaching me some new facts about life on the range, kept me in suspense the whole way through and I didn’t want to stop reading.

I fell in love with the Westerman family and agonized along with them as they dealt not only with the day-to-day chores and other tribulations that western pioneer families faced, but also with great adversities such as mental illness, cattle rustling, and severe childhood illness. Ms. Kelso dealt with racism as Charlie Cooper and his new wife, Effie Mae, a black couple settling onto the range, have to fear for their lives.

Despite all of the drama in the book, there are some wonderfully humorous portions, too, especially the marble game and a small matter about one boy who is not very good at handling guns. The book is action-packed and flows well, yet there is no blood or death--which is very refreshing. I’m ready for more!


Available through wings-press.com or ask for it at your favorite book store.

-----

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Barbara Bonfigli Captures Essence of Greece in Fictionalized Memoir

Title: Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island
Author: Barbara Bonfigli
Author's Website: www.cafetempest.com
Genre: Fictional Memoir
ISBN: 978-0981645315
Publisher: Tell Me Press
Available From Amazon.com:


Reviewed by Michael Gelb, author of How to Think lIke Leonardo Da Vinci(excerpt from his review 4/30/2009 at www.michaelgelb.com


"...In CaféTempest, Barbara Bonfigli's fabulous first novel, we are invited to share a concentrated experience of food, spirit and love on an intimate Greek island.


"Your heart will race with the tempestuousness of love, your mouth will water from her savory descriptions of zucchini fritters and baklava (recipes included), and you'll discover a remarkable depth of spiritual wisdom, and humor! that shines through every page.


"Bonfigli plays with the best elements of Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) and Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence) and combines them with ingredients from Nikos Kazantzakis (Zorba the Greek) and Shakespeare (The Tempest) to bring us a uniquely sumptuous literary feast. Opa! --

To learn about Barbara Bonfigli and Café Tempest, feel free to visit any of these sites.
Barbara Bonfigli’s website – www.cafetempest.com
Order Café Tempest directly from the publisher - http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php
or from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Café-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313
To see the complete tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html

-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Audio Book Offers Riehl's Poetry from Former Book

Title: Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music
Author: Janet Grace Riehl
Genre: poetry; audio book
ISBN: B0020SQFRC.
Originally published: Story Circle Book Reviews: Reviewing Books for, by, and about Women

Reviewed by Edith O'Nuallain



Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music by Janet Grace Riehl consists of 4 audio CDs, which combine the poems previously published in Riehl's book Sightlines: A Poet's Diary. This recorded version of Sightlines: A Poet's Diary (2006) expands on the original 90 poems by including brief clips of 40 songs played by her 93-year-old father and his Sunday Afternoon music group. The poems are further set in a wider context with her father's stories, and he reads the poems he wrote that open Sightlines, along with the lines of dialogue that appear in poems sprinkled throughout. In this unique offering, we glimpse the lives, past and present, of the poet and her family.

Together words and songs weave a magical tapestry of myriad threads, recounting family folklore in the warm timbres of Riehl's quiet-spoken voice, each story-poem set in the lively rhythms of fiddles, guitars and mandolins, music reminiscent of a bygone era. The sometimes slightly discordant notes of the violin merely add to the beauty of the tales told.

This series of poems and songs is a memoir. It is also a series of love poems, composed in memory and celebration of three people and two places Riehl loves. She traces the treasured reminiscences of a childhood shared with her two older siblings—her sister, Julia Ann, and her brother, Gary, tenderly watched over by loving parents. Her attentiveness to detail is evident in the images and words which reflect her considered awareness of who she is and where she comes from. Here is where Riehl composes the haunting and lyrical songs to her sister, tragically killed in an automobile accident, an experience so devastating that almost every succeeding poem is written in reference, either directly or obliquely, to it. The mother and father captured on her pages are our mothers and fathers, the love she expresses for them is the love we feel for our own.

One striking feature of Riehl's poetry is the unmistakable sense of presence that the author brings to her subject matter. Pick any poem from the book, and almost immediately the reader comes face to face, as it were, with the poet. She recounts, sometimes in devastating and searingly honest detail, her mother's progressive dance towards death. She is not afraid to open herself to the suffering of returning and re-living the death of her sister, a tragedy that changed everything. Riehl is a woman who has seen a lot, more in fact than many of us would wish to encounter. Yet her presence assures us that we too can survive the unthinkable; that we can live to tell the tale. And what is more, that in telling our stories we become more of who we are destined to be.

If we can locate the bravery within ourselves that Riehl points us towards, then we too may become in time as compassionate, caring, understanding and yes, even forgiving, as she. For indeed is this not what the best memoirs do? They do not point the finger of blame, but rather paint a picture of a wholly believable individual, someone who might have been our sister or brother or mother or father.

In the end it is the universality of her subject matter that renders her poetry so accessible. We read her poems not just to peep through a window into her life, but to lift the veil a little on our own, so that we may perhaps learn something about ourselves and our loved ones, even while we swim in the subterranean waters of her words.

-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Tim Ferriss Offers How-To for Organizing Your Life

Title: 4-Hour Work Week
Author: Tim Ferriss
Author Site: www.fourhourworkweek.com
Reviewer Name: Matt Lehr
Reviewer Link to Review

Reviewed by Matt Lehr


In the past 4 months I have read nearly 2 books per week – each pertaining to Marketing, Goals, Motivation, Entrepreneurship, and Making Money. I recommend this strategy to any motivated individual and suggest that there is no better way to truly understand yourself and develop your own ideas than starting by reading and then transitioning to writing as well.

A great place to start for any entrepreneur: “The 4-Hour Work Week” – By Timothy Ferriss

The first time read though this book I must admit that I felt Tim was rough around the edges and subscribed to some philosophies I never could take on as my own. But after reading it twice through and a third go around on CD, I have changed my stance and believe that nearly every idea and concept he presents is doable and beneficial.

Here are the main points of my interpretation of Tim Ferriss’ work:

1) The Rat Race

Is this really your life? Working hard everyday and planning for a retirement 40 years down the road. Tim offers suggestions to shake it up do some unordinary things that will make all the difference in the world. Understanding that you have the freedom to do what you want to do and go where you want to go is the hardest step for most people. Determine why it is you want something and then start to figure out how you can make it happen. Do not be afraid to reject the norm and live life differently than the rest.

2) Understand your Time

Tim explains that the goal of the “New Rich” is not just to attain more money, but the most important treasure is time. After all, how can any of us fully enjoy the money you make if we don’t have time to enjoy it or people to experience it with. Find ways to work and make money but do not sacrifice the most important opportunity which is the time to do what you want in life. Strategy’s from the book include checking email very rarely and training clients, employees, and even your boss to not rely on you as a bottleneck

3) Automate Everything

Why do something yourself when you can pay someone else to do it for you? Find a way to make money that doesn’t need your constant maintenance. My understanding of this concept is the “business owner vs. the self employed.” Business owners sit back and let others run their company while they collect the pay check, meanwhile the self-employed put in their sweat equity on an hourly basis to earn the money. Both are considered entrepreneurs, but the self employed have only eliminated their boss, but still do all the work.

Tim explains that the goal is to move towards automation – Meaning whether or not someone is sitting on a beach or sleeping, money is being made either way. He explains to take “you” out of the equation and benefit from the goal which is not only more money but more time.

4) Outsource Everything

Having someone in India do your work for you is not something left to major Nike and Coca Cola type companies of the world. Using the internet, outsourcing is available at the click of a button and can be set up by using one email.

I took this one to heart and have not looked back. Mr. Ferriss was right on and once you learn to outsource effectively it changes everything. From paying per project or low hourly wages, having someone work while you sleep is priceless. I found the best site to use (that is not mentioned in the book) is www.odesk.com. This website makes it easier than finding new friends on Facebook – the difference being for 20 bucks this friend will do your research project – and do it well.

5) Get Away

The “4-Hour Work Week” subscribes to lifestyle design and world travel. Tim teaches you how to live abroad and do it both on a budget and while you manage your business. He includes success stories of others and offers up ways to cut loose and experience it all.

You have to actually read or listen to the book to truly understand Tim’s off the wall approach and view of life. As I stated his methods are not for all. Yet I have accepted that following them in principle can work out great. Putting your own spin on his thoughts and ideas and applying it to your situation can be very beneficial. His book has been one of many that has empowered my journey. I recommend it as great pushing off point for the budding entrepreneur.

-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.