Children's Author Linda Wilson Reviews Deborah Lyn Stanley's Memoir on Dementia

TITLE: Mom & Me

SUBTITLE: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love

AUTHOR: Deborah Lyn Stanley

AUTHOR’S WEBSITE: “The Caregiver’s Retreat—a Place to Refresh, Restore, Affirm and Supply”  https://deborahlyncaregiver.com

GENRE: Non-fiction, Biography, Memoir

AGE / INTEREST LEVEL: Adult

PAGES: 94

PUBLISHER: 2 Timothy Publishing

LINKS FOR PURCHASE:

Kindle and paperback editions available on Amazon 

Find eBooks sources at: https://books2read.com/b/valuestories

 

Reviewed by Linda Wilson

Deborah Lyn Stanley’s book, Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love, has helped me more than I can say with a challenge I’ve been living with for almost ten years: my husband’s decline due to Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s dementia, and Alzheimer’s. I had to place my husband in a home, which was the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. 

Living with a loved one afflicted with this disease cannot be understood by anyone not affected, finding help can be difficult and expensive; in the long run caregivers find that they must be creative in finding solutions, resilient in being able to bounce back from the most frustrating problems, and are generally isolated much of the time. Deborah’s book offers hope, sage advice, and bits of wisdom throughout her book, such as “Find a way, your endurance depends on it.” I highly recommend Deborah’s book to anyone in a caregiving situation. The love and assurances she offers have helped me do more than cope, they’ve offered something I never thought possible: a way to learn how to thrive. 

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER 

 Linda Wilson, Children's Author

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/lindawilsonchildrensauthor

Coming soon: Secret in the Mist

Fun for readers and tips for writers:  https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com

Find me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/lindawilson.kidsmysterywriter.com37017794 

On Twitter: @LinWilsonauthor

Posts the 28th of each month: www.writersonthemove.com

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF MOM & ME 

Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love is a journal of my experiences while caregiving memory-impaired seniors—in particular, caring for Helen, my dear “second Mom,” for many years. 

 

This memoir embraces Helen’s personal journey from the onset of Alzheimer’s Dementia through stories and letters to caregivers. Mom’s journey is portrayed through the lens of my personal knowledge as her daughter-in-law and caregiver. The book speaks of challenges common to caregivers, day-to-day needs, and the progression of dementia disease. It is an account of joy and sadness, trauma and triumph, peace and anxiety. It is a story of love, the exhaustion of caregiving, denial, and mending misunderstandings. It is about high-stakes decisions, stressful days, and knowing you did the best you could at that crucial moment. 

Learn more at: My Writer’s Life: https://deborahlynwriter.com/

Writing for Caregivers: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/   

Artist’s Website: https://lynstanleyart.com

My eBook Author’s Page: https://books2read.com/b/valuestories

Goodreads Author: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomdeborahlyn

Amazon Author's Page: https://www.amazon.com/Deborah-Lyn-Stanley/

 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing 

Poet LB Sedlacek Reviews New Modern History Press Poetry Book

“Septuagenarian”
Love is What Happens When I Die
By Sherry Quan Lee
102 pages
ISBN: 978-1-61599-568-4
Modern History Press
www.modernhistorypress.com
Copyright 2021

Available on Amazon

Review by LB Sedlacek

Sherry Quan Lee has put together an unsettling yet brilliant juxtaposition of sweet and sad, love and anger that will hit you right at your emotional core.  The collection feels almost like heartfelt portraits of pain, disconnection, and strength all rolled into one.

Her poems, though, delve deeper beyond emotion presenting lines that achieve poignancy with their build-up.  Context is important with any poem and Quan Lee achieves that.  Her poems are fulfilling and real.  

Her approach is straightforward.  Poems examining her life till now offer personal and compelling details.  She invites us to participate in her struggle, her internal voyages throughout the years.  Her descriptions are vivid and they allow us to see beyond the setting into her internal strife.  

Each poem stands alone, but each poem complements the other poem before it.  Same with each section of the book.  The author doesn’t let you forget that she is human and willing to bare her soul within her verses.  

It’s a well-crafted book.  Her words will seep into your heart and then some.

More About the Reviewer

LB Sedlacek is the author of the poetry collections “Words and Bones,” “Simultaneous Submissions,” “The Adventures of Stick People on Cars,” and “The Poet Next Door.”  Her first short story collection came out last year entitled “Four Thieves of Vinegar & Other Short Stories.”  Her mystery novel “The Glass River” was nominated for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award.  She writes poetry reviews for “The Poetry Market Ezine” www.thepoetrymarket.com  You can find out more about her at www.lbsedlacek.com.  

Her networks are:

Facebook - @lbsedlacekpoet  @poetryinla

Twitter: @lbsedlacek   @frugalpoet

Instagram:  @lbsedlacek    @poetryinla

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Hidden Figures Book and Movie Discussion Guide

Hidden Figures Book and Movie Discussion Guide 

Free PDF Instant Download with the questions

Note: The movie may be rented on Amazon Prime. It is not on Netflix or Hulu. I do not see a way to watch it free or included in subscription plans other than Disney Plus. I watched it on Disney Plus. 

The movie is a fictionalized version of the nonfiction book and is about 74% accurate. 

Movie Questions

1. The opening scene looks like there may be trouble for the three women when their car broke down in the middle of nowhere. How did the situation resolve? What did you learn about Dorothy Johnson Vaughn to help foreshadow her promotion at work? 

2. NASA was divided into the West and East work areas. In what ways were they segregated? 

3. A library book became the catalyst for worker empowerment. How did this one book contribute to the computer revolution? How was the book obtained? How far did it reach? 

4. Explain the attitudes of the men who were engineers towards other workers. How did these attitudes evolve during the story? 

5. Math was empowering to the main characters. Why? How? Do you think it is still so important?

6. The home lives of the main characters were also shown. How did this help humanize the story against a backdrop of technology and precision? 

7. The movie was set in 1961-62 when civil rights activists were working and demonstrating. How did the film reflect the reasons why changes were needed in society at large? 

8. The movie was about 74% factual. A court order was not needed for one person to attend high school (after receiving a Bachelor's Degree). What were other elements of the movie exaggerated for dramatic effect? 

9. The IBM computer was necessary at that time. Explain how it helped with integration. 

10. Discuss some of your favorite scenes or people in the movie. Tell why you especially liked those. 

Title: Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race
Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Publisher: William Collins
Publisher Website Address: https://corporate.harpercollins.co.uk/
Publisher Email Address: 4thestate.publicity@harpercollins.co.uk

ISBN-10: 0062363603

ISBN-13: 978-0062363602

ASIN: B01MYUTJR7
Price: $9.98 Paperback, $Hardcover $21.99, $12.99 Audio Book, $6.99 Kindle
Page Count: 368 pages
Formats: (PB, Hardcover, Audio Book, Kindle)

The book Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race is nothing like the movie. It is more like a textbook with scientific information about aviation and civil rights. The author demonstrates how segregation at NACA (now NASA) compared and contrasted to civil rights issues of the larger society. The book would be a fantastic resource for civil rights studies as it is all nonfiction. People interested in aviation would also find reasons to consult this book in studies of flight. 

The book does include discussion questions at the end. A book club or discussion group could consult the questions to foster discussion. Here are my questions regarding the book, which are different from the authors. I suggest using the author's questions.

Book Discussion Questions

1. The opening scene looks like there may be trouble for the three women when their car broke down in the middle of nowhere. How did the situation resolve? What did you learn about Dorothy Johnson Vaughn to help foreshadow her promotion at work? 

2. NASA was divided into the West and East work areas. In what ways were they segregated? 

3. A library book became the catalyst for worker empowerment. How did this one book contribute to the computer revolution? How was the book obtained? How far did it reach? 

4. Explain the attitudes of the men who were engineers towards other workers. How did these attitudes evolve during the story? 

5. Math was empowering to the main characters. Why? How? Do you think it is still so important?

6. The home lives of the main characters were also shown. How did this help humanize the story against a backdrop of technology and precision? 

7. The movie was set in 1961-62 when civil rights activists were working and demonstrating. How did the film reflect the reasons why changes were needed in society at large? 

8. The movie was about 74% factual. A court order was not needed for one person to attend high school (after receiving a Bachelor's Degree). What were other elements of the movie exaggerated for dramatic effect? 

9. The IBM computer was necessary at that time. Explain how it helped with integration. 

10. Discuss some of your favorite scenes or people in the movie. Tell why you especially liked those. 

Thank you for reading, Carolyn

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the form at https://www.bit.ly/FinishedReviewSubmissions. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. And know that Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert, award-winning author, and veteran educator, makes an award image especially for those who volunteer to write reviews from Lois's review-request list and post them in the spirit of her "Authors Helping Authors" project. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

On Paid-For Reviews: A Little Bah-Humbug

Are you going to plunk down your $ for something tainted?

Carolyn Berates the Skunk-Like Odor 

Emanating from Paid-For Reviews

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, you #TheNewBookReview blogger and

 award-winning author of 

The Frugal Book Promoter, now in its third edition 
from Modern History Press

There is an old saying: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” I’m revising the adage to: “An old dog can go terribly awry when it tries a new trick.” 

Furthermore, by the time a dog is old, he should know better than to take on something that smacks of the word ‘trick’ and he should sure as heck know when to turn up his nose at something that smells like skunk!

No, I’m not losing my mind. And, you may have guessed, I’m not talking about dogs here. I’m talking about the venerable Kirkus Reviews that has been respected by authors and librarians everywhere since 1933 and dozens or others with respectable names among publishers and authors. It is published in print 24 times a year and has an online branch as well. It critiques some 5,000 titles--books of all kinds--in that same period of time. It wields enormous power. A Kirkus review (or lack of one) can make or break a book by influencing the major book buyers in the country--both bookstores and libraries.

Back when I started writing, I wrote to their editors taking them to task for not attaching the names of the reviewer to each of their reviews. Kirkus’ own site says “The reviews are reliable and authoritative, written by specialists selected for their knowledge and expertise in a particular field.” It doesn’t say that these reviews are often (always?) unsigned. It seems to me that anyone with the kind of influence these critics wield over the welfare of a book should be willing--nay, required-- to attach her name to whatever praise or vitriol she dishes out and I told them so. It was my journalism ethics class that made me do it.

That was nearly two decades ago and it wasn’t long before they upped their game. They violated my sense of ethics by taking paid-for reviews.

Here is what has ticked me off: Kirkus still offers a service to self-publishers and POD

authors (and, it has come to light more recently) big publishers who feel their books were passed over unjustly. This isn’t a new ploy.  Fly-by-night reviewers have been preying on desperate authors in this way for some time but Kirkus should know better.

Such Pay-for-Review works against authors two ways. First an entity like Kirkus knows that books it chooses not to review will be their most likely paying customers; this is not a situation that encourages a just, even-handed selection process. Not that the method has ever been something that assured all worthy authors of consideration, but at least there was no reason for this journal--or any other-- not to attempt to choose the crème de la crème of submitted books, or at least the books that best fit their editorial needs.

Second: There is no way that a reviewer who is being paid by the author or publisher of the same work under consideration can offer a fair review to her readers. After all, if the journal bashed 9 of 10 of these books, pretty soon no one would be paying them for a reviewing service! Further, no matter how fair the critique, it cannot be trusted any more than one trusts the press secretaries and spin doctors who work for this or any other president’s administration; when one is in the employ of another, one’s attitude is forever changed, for better or worse.

One of our industry’s promotion gurus recently informed his newsletter subscribers of this new “perk” offered by Kirkus. It would naturally appeal to his readers, many of whom are independent or small publishers or emerging authors. He said, “Do I think this is a good deal? No, probably not.” He feels that because of Kirkus’ fine reputation, it might be worth the fee (several hundred dollars!) for the value of being able to quote something positive from Kirkus.

He isn’t exactly wrong. He’s looking at this like the great promoter he is--something I, with a book out like The Frugal Book Promoter am in total sympathy with. But he isn’t exactly right either. The “assets”  that a publisher or author might reap from plunking down their hard-earned cash is going to be tainted--if not right now then later when people figure out that something here, truly stinks.

I’m dating myself with this story, but in the old days, journalism schools had ethics classes and they still do. We were told not to take out-and-out bribes or to accept gifts and to be very careful to write careful, clean, unbiased copy. TV reared its inexperienced head and producers hadn’t any training in journalism--or, obviously, ethics. The payola scandals emerged from the lush, rich land of TVland and everyone got squeaky clean because now (gasp!) the public had their number.

Well, I’m here to tell you that this is akin to the payola scandals. We have here another cycle. This kind of thing undermines the public trust and that public includes book buyers and the wholesale level and book readers at the retail level.  Thanks to a higher power who loves books we still have Library Journal and a few good newspapers but I worry. So far, Kirkus leads, makes a lot of money and others follow. And if so, our only hope will be to quit using their d--- products so they’ll die a well-deserved death! Let’s hear it from the public.  “Do not foul our free press! Leave our opinion pages and criticism unpolluted.” 

If you think I am over-reacting, consider: Our Democratic system is based on free speech and our free press is its watchdog. Speaking of dogs again, they tend to have good noses. Mine is lots less astute and even I can smell something rotten in the publishing world.

More About Today’s Blogger

Carolyn, author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, has given up trying to convince periodicals who suffer from a very thin profit margin from backtracking and has instead turned to a book telling authors and publishers hoe to avoid the pay-for review scam and do it effectively. Find her  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career at https://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Janice Ottersberg Reviews Southern Fiction Award Winner

Title -- Crooked Truth

Author -- Kristine F. Anderson

Author's Website  -- www.kristinefanderson.com

Genre --  Historical Fiction

Age -- YA, Adult

Pages - 215

Awards --- Received Mercer's Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction

                  Nominated for the Willie Morris 2021 Southern Fiction Award

Publisher -- Mercer University Press, Macon, GA

Available on Amazon

             

Crooked Truth

WRITTEN BY KRISTINE F. ANDERSON
REVIEWed BY JANICE OTTERSBERG originally for Historical Novel Society 

In the post WWII South, fifteen-year-old Lucas lives with his Granny, Paw Paw, and Uncle Robert on their cotton farm. Thirteen years older than Lucas, the childlike Robert has Down Syndrome. Lucas is his protector, tasked with watching him as the two help out around the farm. Lucas would love to go off by himself to fish, but he accepts his responsibility. He is patient, kind, and protective to his uncle, who cannot do simple things and whose speech is hard to understand.

Alvin Earl, Robert’s much older half-brother, bullies and pokes fun at him whenever he shows up at the farm. He refuses to use Robert’s name, instead calling him “that boy.” This is Georgia in 1948, and there is no tolerance of anyone different, especially from the cruel Alvin Earl. He relentlessly demeans and spews hatred toward Robert and the Black help. Corinthia, Little George, and Cotton have worked for them so long, they are part of the family. When Lucas’s Paw Paw dies, Alvin Earl is furious when Little George inherits part of the land Alvin Earl expected to have, and Lucas is given money for college. Granny, Lucas, and Robert are allowed to live in the house as long as they like. Alvin Earl moves into the house, and their lives become filled with anxiety and distress. He threatens to commit Robert to the state hospital and remove Lucas from school to work the cotton fields.

Anderson perfectly captures family life in a small Southern community and the bigotry of that time. Lucas is a character to love for his quiet compassion and kindness in contrast to Alvin Earl’s despicable life as a bully and petty criminal. This is a coming-of-age story with a thread of malevolence running through. It will warm your heart one minute and disturb you the next.

Find & buy on

  

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristine F. Anderson has been nominated for the Georgia Writers 2021 Author of the Year Award in the debut novel category.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing 

Idelle Kursman Finds "Anxious People" Perfect for Covid Reading

Title: Anxious People

Author: Fredrik Bachman

Genre: Humorous Literary Fiction

Age Level: 18+

Page Number: 349

Publisher: Atria Books

Purchase on Amazon 

Anxious People is a Winner

Reviewed by Idelle Kursman

2020 was heartbreaking. I lost both of my parents. Countless other people have lost loved ones. There were many job layoffs and jobs furloughed. Families and friends could not get together, even for Thanksgiving. Reading Anxious People is just what I needed. A bank robber on the verge of losing everything holds people hostage at an apartment viewing the day before the New Year. Readers learn the backstory of most of these characters, including the policemen who rescue them.

Swedish author Fredrik Backman combines insights about life, adding humor and some absurd conversations as he chronicles the hostage drama. The theme is life is a struggle and everyone carries their own pain and anxieties. We often cannot create the life we desire but should instead try to get through as best as we can while hopefully cherishing some good memories along the way. At the heart of the story is the despair we often experience when things do not go our way or we cannot save our loved ones from themselves.

We meet a father and son police officer team working on the case. The father is a widower who misses his wife, attempts to boost his son’s confidence in his police skills, and despairs that he cannot help his drug-addicted daughter. The bank robber recently experiences job loss, is in the process of getting divorced, and cannot pay the rent for an apartment. In addition, the robber’s spouse wants full custody of their children. The hostages have their stories as well.

Many of the keen observations about life come from the police officers reminiscing about their late wife and mother. She was a priest and this is just an example of what she used to tell them:

We can’t change the world, and a lot of the time we can’t even change people. No more than one bit at a time. So we do what we can to help whenever we get the chance…We save those we can. We do our best. Then we try to convince ourselves that that will just have to…be enough. So we can live with our failures without drowning” (p. 203).

The witness interviews consist of absurd conversations between the various hostages and the police officers that I found too annoying to be funny, but the dialogue and background information gave the story depth and insights. Backman builds a fascinating character with Zara, one of the hostages, in detailing her meetings with her psychologist prior to the main action.

The writing is superb, the plot is brilliantly woven, and the story is peppered with sharp observations about life.

I must be frank. This has been an all-out crappy year. But reading Anxious People reminds me we must get through these times and try to be there for each other.

More About the Reviewer 

Idelle Kursman is the author of the novels True Mercy and The Book of Revelations. They are for sale on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W52D7WH and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088F1P1SY. Idelle is also a copyeditor, proofreader, and SEO Copywriter. Her website is https://www.idellekursman.com. Find her on Twitter @IdelleKursman.

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MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing 

Carolyn Wilhelm's Review of Deeper Into the Pond Just Right for Women's History Month

 Celebrating Women’s History Month with a Poetry Chapbook

Title: Deeper Into the Pond

Subtitle: A Celebration of Femininity

Award: Bronze Medal from Military Writers Society of America

Authors: Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball

Artwork: Jacquie Schmall 
ISBN: 9781461159384

Available in print and as ebook on Amazon

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm originally for Midwest Book Review

 

The Celebration Series of Poetry Chapbooks covers many aspects of life, seasons, and holidays. Deeper into the Pond: A Celebration of Femininity is about life as experienced and thought of by women. Poetry would be the perfect Mother's Day gift for critical thinkers. 

As Howard-Johnson writes, progress has been made in women's lives while not in an orderly fashion. Progress isn't always in a straight line. Younger women do not realize what has been achieved. As Howard-Johnson writes:

"Let us be measured

Not for height or at the hip

But for our roles."

Howard Johnson's poems are about topics like a midlife crisis, narcissism, and her closet as a psychological profile. Hmmm, yes, closets (clothes) reveal much. I have never thought of writing a poem about such thoughts. She says memory has two voices which is a profound statement.

Ball writes of Lady Godiva and her mother burning a bra and how the word freedom is misused. She writes about hypergraphia (who knew?) and compulsion. A brave woman has her wig blowing in the wind due to cancer, a discarded dress in a landfill, and Jupiter's moons are other topics she addresses. Not everyday conversation!

The book offers readers much to contemplate and appreciate.

More About the Reviewer

Carolyn Wilhelm is an educator and author. She is a frequent contributor to this blog with study guides for selected books, for the Sharing with Writers blog, and Midwest Book Review. Learn more about her on Twitter @wiseowlfactory and on Pinterest. 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

 

 

 

MORE ABOUT MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

 

 Midwest Book Review has been a staple review site (and review opportunity) since the early days of the computer (by my memory).  They send letters like this to the author whose book has been reviewed. And to their extensive newsletter list. Notice that it gives permission to reprint which allows author, publisher, reviewer, and even readers to republish credited reviews. This one includes a  slightly update version of Carolyn Wilhelm's review of the featured book in this post along with other information about the Midwest Book Review's free book review website and its satalites. So, if you are a reader thinking about reviewing, you may easily contact him with the information in this addendum to Carolyn Wilhelm's review.  (I have copied the email verbatim.). If you are an author thinking about upping your marketing game with more and better reviews, you may submit either paper or ebooks to him according to his guidelines. 

Caveat: Only paper copy reviews are recommended by the author of this blog on the basis of their being free). See more about the reasons why I take this stance in my How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (bit.ly/GreatBkReviews). 

Note:  I have deleted the review that Cox included in his letter. It is in the original post of this book. See it above. 

"Dear Carolyn:

 

"I'm very pleased to announce that the April 2021 issue of our online book review magazine "Reviewer's Bookwatch" features a review of "Deeper into the Pond":

 

 

"Reviewer's Bookwatch: April 2021

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief

Midwest Book Review

278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575

 [Find the review on Carolyn Wilhelm's Bookshelf at Midwest Book Review, 

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/apr_21.htm#carolynwilhelm. Or scroll back to the first part of this post.]

  

"Additionally, this review will be archived on our Midwest Book Review website for the next five years at http://www.midwestbookreview.com

"Incidentally, we have amended our bylaws to allow authors and publishers who want to make a gesture of support and appreciation for what we try to do here at the Midwest Book Review to donate postage stamps "for the cause".

 

"So if you'd like to send U.S. stamps, a check, a money order, or a PayPal contribution as a donation to our Midwest Book Review postage stamp fund, please feel free (but not obligated!). Our designated email address for accepting PayPal gifts is

 

"SupportMBR@aol.com

 

"Please note, the SupportMBR email address is not used for correspondence.

 

"I look forward to your next title!

 

"James A. Cox

Editor-in-Chief

Midwest Book Review

278 Orchard Drive

Oregon, WI, 53575, USA"