FORGIVE YOURSELF BY ALLIE SAGER

Evocative and filled with a rare compassion, Forgive Yourself by new author Allie Sager blends supernatural dreamscapes with affairs of the heart and unforgivable betrayal. Smart and telling, the author enlists a stunning and heartfelt prose to weave one woman's reluctant love story. On the surface to the outside world, Sammy Logan might appear to be a woman who has it all, but the fact is she is married to a man who has never truly forgiven her for a past she had no control over. Haunted each day by the vivid secret, she turns to Conner Simpson, a man she has always loved--the man without question who makes her feel complete. Caught on the brink, confused, but certainly not alone, Sammy must first forgive herself, make peace with the dark demons of her past and her mystic ancestral visions before she can truly be free.

This is a book in which I have mixed emotions about. I did enjoy greatly reading this book, but while doing so I had many eye roll moments.

One eye roll reason and this is a “SPOILER ALERT” Do not Read any further if you do not want any of the book told to you…..

The main character Samantha “Sammy” Logan has a grandmother that contacts her and many other characters in the book from beyond the grave. But this does give the book a “Lovely Bones” type feel with the grandmother leading them all to the truths which is the title to….. FORGIVE THEMSELVES.

The second is some of the things Conner says to Sammy, but that maybe the point the author may want you to see how cheesy he is.

But on that note the sex scenes in the book between Connor and Sammy are “Harlequin Romance eat your freaking heart out” moments. That are very descriptive so if your soft hearted then this book is not up your alley, but for us other people it is worth the browse or two….. “wink, wink”!

Now to the serious stuff. This book is not very long, its only 195 pgs and is an easy read. Once in awhile the story line can get confusing such as when in Sammy’s and Conner’s final intimate moment in the hotel room and the interaction of drugs and others being there. But it all works out. Then when it comes to the more graphic subjects discussed in the this work like rape and abuse the author knows when to hold back. Which to me is the sign of a great artist in the works of literature. So this is a great book from a great new author!

"H: A NOVEL" BY BARBARA DINERMAN

After being infected with herpes, Joan Halprin, a single woman in her mid-thirties, feels untouchable. She spent her youth enjoying worldly experiences in New York and other cities, but now it’s time to start a serious career as a copywriter for a Fort Lauderdale advertising agency. Despite feeling like a pariah in her personal life, Joan is anxious to prove herself professionally.
Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s is experiencing a real estate boom. Joan’s parents have moved from Boston to a retirement community in the area, and her brother and his thrifty wife have settled nearby. But even with the presence of her family, Joan feels isolated with her “H” problem, despite knowing that one in four women, and one in five men, are similarly afflicted.
Her irascible, rotund new boss certainly isn’t helping her regain her self-esteem. But with her irrepressible humor, Joan concocts an extraordinary solution to most of what ails her. Will this creative project work?
“H”: A Novel is an amusing and original tale of office politics, sex, and one woman’s search for her true identity.

THIS IS A FUN AND HIGHLY ENTERTAINING NOVEL. THE MAIN CHARACTER, JOAN, IS WITTY, SMART, AND REAL. SHE IS ACTUALLY A CHARACTER YOU COULD SEE BEING SOMEONE YOU WOULD MEET IN AN EVERYDAY SITUATION. THE WAY SHE REACTS TO SITUATIONS IS THAT OF WHICH MOST PEOPLE WOULD.
I ALSO LIKE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE TITLE OF THE BOO IS "H" THE HERPES IS JUST A MINOR CHARACTER THAT IS KNOWN THROUGH OUT BUT JUST ADDS TO THE STORY AND DOES NOT OVER TAKE IT. I ALSO REALLY ENJOYED THE CHARACTERS OF THIS NOVEL EACH IS UNIQUE AND FUN, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE BEENING MEAN. I DO LIKE THE LITTLE TWIST AT THE END. TO ME IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS THE AUTHOR'S FIRST NOVEL, AND I CAN'T WAIT TIL SHE PRODUCES MORE WORKS LIKE THIS ONE!
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO MANY. ITS A VERY EASY READ. IT IS ONLY 118 PAGES SO ITS ALSO A FAST READ. IT RETAILS AT $10.95 AND YOU CAN GET IT VIA THE WEBSITE ABOVE AS WELL AS AMAZON.

ADULATION BY TIANA WILKINS

ANOTHER CINDERALLA STORY WITH A TWIST. A MUCH NEEDED TWIST. AS A READER ONE OF THE MOST OVER DONE STORIES OF ALL TIME WILL BE THAT OF CINDERELLA OR ANY VARIATION OF IT. THIS STORY IS ONE OF SUCH WITH A YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL GIRL CASSIE WHO LOSES HER FATHER ONLY TO BE RAISED BY HER "EVIL" STEPMOTHER WITH HER TWO DAUGHTERS. CASSIE IS FAILING ALGEBRA; HER MATH TEACHER'S NEPHEW IS A MATH WIZ WHO GOES TO THE LOCAL UNIVERISTY. HER TEACHER GETS HIM TO TUTOR OUR YOUNG CASSIE IN THE SUBJECT AND OMG THEY FALL FOR EACH OTHER. SHOCKER!!! ONE TWIST TO THE STORY, BUT HAS BEEN SEEN IS THAT OF HER STEPSISTERS CAUSE THEY ACTUALLY TURN OUT NOT TO EVIL. ONE OF HER STEP SISTERS IS THE SKINNY YOU GUESS PRETTY SINCE SHE IS SHALL WE SAY A TAD LOOSE AND IN THE BEGINING DOES NOT LIKE THE MAIN CHARACTER SO DOES NOT TREAT HER VERY WELL. THE OTHER IS OVER WEIGHT AND HAS LOW SELF-ESTEEM THAT IS ONLY MADE WORSE BY HER MOTHER AND SISTER SO SHE BEFRIENDS CASSIE. THE OTHER TWISTS WILL JUST HAVE TO BE FOUND OUT WHEN YOU READ THE NOVEL SINCE IT WOULD PROBABLY TOTALLY RIUN THE STORY IF I WAS TO TELL THEM SINCE IT IS TOWARDS THE END. THIS TWIST I WILL SAY FOR ME WAS A FIRST IN THE VARATIONS OF THE CINDERELLA STORIES, IT HAS A GRIMM FAIRYTALE FLAIR TO IT!

OVERALL THIS STORY WAS A ROLLERCOASTER FOR ME IN THAT THE FIRST 50 PAGES FLEW BY THEN THE NEXT 40 WERE REALLY SLOW. THEN NEXT 30 AGAIN WERE FAST PACED AND FULL OF EXCITEMENT AND PLOT TWISTS... THEN THE LAST OF THE BOOK WAS SLOW CAUSE IT WAS ALL "HAPPILY EVER AFTER THE END" TYPE STUFF. SO WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? SURE IT IS ONLY 139 PAGES SO IT DID NOT TAKE ME LONG TO READ IT AND IT IS A SWEET LOVE STORY UNDERNEATH. THEN THE REVENGE CERTAIN CHARACTERS GET IS PRETTY SWEET TOO!

BUT THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I FIND ANNOYING OR OFF TO ME IN A WAY, BUT OTHERS MAY NOT FOCUS ON THEM LIKE I DID...... SUCH AS THIS KID, CASSIE, IS IN HIGH SCHOOL NO MATTER IF SHE IS A SENIOR OR NOT SHE IS 17 AND THE "PRINCE CHARMING" TUTOR CHARACTER IS IN COLLEGE AND OVER 21. OTHER IS CASSIE WAS SUPPOSILY A VIRGIN, BUT SHE WAS ON BIRTH CONTROL... WHY? AS WELL AS THEY DO IT ON THEIR FIRST REAL DATE?!?!?! YEAH OKAY.... THAT'S ALL I WILL SPOIL FOR YOU LOL

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT BARNES AND NOBLES AND AMAZON.COM IT COST RANGES AROUND $17.99 (WHICH FOR A PAPERBACK I DO FEEL IS A LITTLE STEEP).

SO HAPPY READING!!!!

P.S. TO THE AUTHOR TO ME THIS WOULD MAKE A COOL MOVIE!

BODY PARTS: A COLLECTION OF POEMS ABOUT AGING

THIS IS A COLLECTION OF 50 POEMS ON AGING JUST LIKE THE TITLE SAYS. THEY RANGE FROM THE EARS AND HEARING TO THE KNEES AND BENDING, BUT THEY MUCH MORE THAN THAT SOME EVEN BRING UP THE TOPIC OF AGING IN THAT WHEN YOU REACH A CERTAIN AGE PEOPLE CALL YOU ELDERLY, YET AT TIMES YOU DO NOT FEEL ELDERLY. I ENJOYED MANY OF THESE POEMS IN THIS COLLECTION, BUT I DO GOT TO SAY I CAN NOT FULL GRASP THIS SUBJECT COMPLETELY SINCE I AM ONLY IN MY 20S. I RECOMMEND THOUGH THAT IF YOU HAVE A MOM, DAD, AUNT, UNCLE, OR GRANDPARENTS IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT GIFT TO THEM CAUSE THEY MOST CERTAINLY WOULD ENJOY THE SUBJECT.

THE ONLY REGRESSION I HAVE AGAINST THIS COLLECTION IS NOT ONE AGAINST THE WRITING ITSELF OR THE AUTHOR IT IS THAT I WISHED MORE WERE FUNNY, CAUSE SOME WHERE A TAD SCARY TO ME IN THAT THIS IS WHAT I HAVE LEFT TO FACE WITH MY BODY GIVING OUT.

WITH THIS REVIEW I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A SMALL SPOILER IN THAT I WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE MY TWO FAVORITE POEMS FROM THE NOVEL SO YOU THE READER CAN SEE THAT THIS NOVEL IS BOTH HUMOROUS, YET SERIOUS. SO IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HAVE ANY PART SPOILED PLEASE STOP READING HERE......

THE FIRST IS TO ME A MORE HUMOROUS ONE:

MEMORY LAPSES

Several dozen years ago

I was on a TV show.

I won a car and lots of money

"Great Books" and chairs and jars of honey.

My Mind was sharp, right on the mark

I knew I couldn't lose.

These days I'm really lucky

If I can find my shoes.

When I need to park my car

I let the valet mind it.

If I parked my car myself

I don't think I could find it.

Often I see people

I know that I once knew.

But how or where or when we met

I haven't got a clue.

What happened to this memory

That once I often flaunted?

Now when I go get something

I forget what it was I wanted.

(page 2)

AND NOW ONE WITH A MUCH MORE SERIOUS TONE.....

TIME TO DIE

I want to die with dignity.

Not how the system plans for me.

Not in a hospital bed

With many tubes about my head

My body undergoing tests

When all I really need is rest.

For I'll know when and I'll know why

The time has come for me to die.

(page 50)

FROM THESE TWO EXCERTS YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS COLLECTION RANGES.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM AND OUTSKIRTSPRESS.COM/BODYPARTS. IT IS $10.95, BUT ALL THE AUTHOR'S PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS BOOK GO TO THE CSULA EMERITI ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP WHICH WAS SET UP IN THE MEMORY OF HER SON DAVID CAMERON FISHER. SO NOT ONLY WILL YOU GET A GREAT COLLECTIONS OF POEMS ON AGING YOU CARE GIVING TO A GREAT CAUSE!

HAPPY HOUR BY MICHELE SCOTT

I just had the pleasure of reading this fantastic chick lit book, and let me tell you the title for this book is perfect. This is one book that any woman would love to sit down with and have a great glass of wine. Which is not to be expected from this author who has put out 9 books with Berkley Prime Crime publisher, and has sold 100,000 copies of her books.

Every woman has that group of friends in her life ~ her "go to girls" The friends that she can turn to who "get it." The ones who are there for you no matter what. The ones who laugh with you and cry with you. The ones that will always be there. These are the women of Napa Valley.

Jamie is the editor-in-chief of Wine Lover's Magazine, a single mother and caretaker to her senile mother-in-law ~ a woman who thinks her daily caregiver is Dean Martin. Jamie is still recovering, financially and emotionally from the death of her husband several years earlier. And when she finds what could be the key to happiness, can she open the door and let it in? Or will her feelings of guilt and betrayal hold her back?

Danielle is a vintner and the divorced mom of two. She's basking in what she knows is going to be a successful launch of her new wines. Wines she created on her own after her divorce. But what she doesn't expect is for her daughter to come home with news that will shock her to her core. Will an old flame help her accept the changes that are coming and find the love she's been missing in her life for so long? Or will a tragedy that no one sees coming change their lives forever?

Kat is a sommelier, co-owner of a magnificent restaurant with her chef husband, and mother of a blended family. But is being deeply in love with your husband enough to get them through the teenage years, step-children and exes? And what happens when old faces return and she's faced with the knowledge that not everything is what you thought it was. What happens when she finds she was mad at the wrong person and finds out the "right one" was in the wrong? Can she forgive and move on? Can love overcome everything and truly bring a family together?

Alyssa is an artist and gallery owner with a secret of her own. One she was hoping would stay buried deep in her closet. But the time has come for her to put someone else first, to face the past and to deal with her demons. What she never expected to find was love and her "home."

No matter what is going on in their own lives, no matter the heartache or joy they're experiencing these four women are always there to love, support and encourage each other.

The book begins with a kind of prologue that set up where all the characters are, then it skips to 3 years later. each chapter is told by one of the four characters and tells of their lives and what they are going through. From the first chapter of the prologue the author had my FULL attention. I also really enjoyed that the author told a real story about love, lose, and friendship. The things that happen to these characters are more real than most chick lit stories out there, like in most the main character finds her true love in a multimillionaire that sweeps her off her feet and gives her the world. This is so far from the truth in this book. As the synopsis above shows Jamie has to deal with a husband death, raising her daughter after the fact, and her deceased husbands sick mother. Not much of a fairy tale, but through her friends and there love of wine that brought them together she tried to get through it and survive. As well as even the friends that have what on the outside would like fairy tale lives, we see that on the inside that is right the opposite. And though this book is not a mystery novel in the sense that we are trying to find a killer, its a mystery in that the author leaves clif hanger after clif hanger on what is going on with each character and their little secrets they are afraid to tell, and let me tell you she does and excellent job at keeping you guessing on these secrets. It is a book that will make you laugh out loud and cry all at the same time. So i highly recommend it to anyone especially a woman who has great friends where she can relate to these four women.

If you go to the website there is a short video on the book, but i did not include it since it does give away some of the story and the girl's secrets

RUBY OF THE REALMS BY DAN KAMIN

On the northwest side of Chicago, Ruby has a perfect life. Her family feeds her everyday, they are home with her all the time, and they allow her to patrol the backyard. What more could a dog ask for? But when Ruby meets Ortis the blue bunny, all of this changes. In order to help Ortis return to his home in The Six Realms, Ruby must jump into the family's pool with the rabbit. Ruby never expected anything to happen. But when the water started swirling and pulled her under, there was nothing the little dog could do. Now Ruby is in Rocia, one of the Six Realms underneath the earth. This new land is fraught with dangers at every corner, from hideous Crites to the ball-like Ozzixites. But something else has been silently pulling strings from inside the Diamond Dust Desert. An evil, older than the world itself, has begun its plans. The fate of the Six Realms and Ruby's home in the world above is at stake. Now, Ruby must brave these strange new lands to save everything she holds dear.

This is the first book by this author and I got to say he did a really good job for his first book. This is a highly creative subject for someone to come up with, its got blue bunnies, talking dogs, and rock men. Yet it is too short. The book is only 187 pages, I know that doesn’t sound so little, but I could see this book spanning over at least 2 or 3 more books. He needs to be more descriptive really intrigue the readers into this fantasy world. It does get a tad boring and tedious in the middle as they are just camping out and walking trying to get to the rock man’s home. The ending is good, but it also again leave me hanging because it is happy in that Ruby does get home and back to her family, but she never gets to say goodbye to the blue bunny or the rock man. Ruby does think if this as she gets back. Is this the author leaving it open for a sequel or is it him leaving me to finish the book on our own?!?!?

The connection the readers get, or I did, with Ruby shows how well this is written. The one thing though that confuses me is who this book is geared towards. Since it is about a dog that goes to another realm of the earth with a blue bunny, yet some of the battle scenes are pretty gruesome.

Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy Harry Potterish type books since it has many similarities, yet I will say that it is not the next Harry Potter.

THE LAST GOODNIGHTS: ASSISTING MY PARENTS WITH THEIR SUICIDES BY OHN WEST

A husband and wife are gravely ill. Rather than living in pain, they choose to end their lives, and they turn to their son for help. Despite the legal risks and emotional turmoil it is sure to cause him, he agrees—and ultimately performs an act of love more difficult than any other. The Last Goodnights provides a unique and unflinching look deep inside the reality of one of the most galvanizing issues of our time: assisted suicide. Told with bare honesty, John West's account of the deaths of two brave people is both gritty and loving, frightening and illuminating. It also offers a powerful testament to the act of death by choice, and reveals all the reasons why end-of-life issues are far too personal for government intrusion. Intimately told, The Last Goodnights points out the unnecessary pain and suffering that is often forced upon dying people and their families, and honors the choice to live or die with purpose and dignity. In the end, this story is not just about death—it is also about love, courage, and autonomy.


There is one word that I can sum up the book in..... haunting. This is especially true for anyone that has had the troublesome reality of watching someone die of a horrific, incurable disease and having no way of helping. The first half of this book I did connect to more than I did with the second since my father died of cancer just as John West father would have. The last two weeks of his life he was kept "comfortable" or really kept in a morphine induced coma. Is that really living? This book is not a light piece of literature this is a book you have to read and really think. It makes you question right from wrong in the traditional beliefs we are brought up in in this christian faith run society as well as the value of life. I give many props to the author for his courage. He talks about in the book how he could go to jail for this, yet he still help his parents. Many books written now you can just read the dialogue or the conversations between characters and not the full text and get what is going on, this book is not one of those. If you read just the conversation you would view the author as cold hearted and I praise the author for really putting in his feelings so the reader can feel the as he did. I really enjoyed that he spent most of the book going threw the struggles with his mom, her disease, and the want and need to end her life. His father you would agree with more since he was told that he only had a few weeks maybe a few months left to live and we are also more confortable with the topic of cancer and most people know what a devastating disease it is. His mom story looking at just the basic facts would seem extreme to want to kill herself, yet his depiction of the day to day struggles shows that this disease is just as devastating. His mom is also very quirky at times and it helps the story light a bit so it is easier to read.

So I highly recommend that everyone should read this book. Its a story that is one that needs to be told as well as discussed. Since as the author points out no changes can be made to laws without everyone helps and this book is a great starting point. It is a story that you an really put yourself into that person shoes and you really should and ask yourself what would you want to do or have done?



Here is a link to a great video interview with author about the book from Good Morning America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z6jTRxj7kM

FIRE GAZER BY KEVIN BURTON MCGUIRE

Follow newsman Ben Jennings around an Asheville, North Carolina that Thomas Wolfe would not have recognized.

   Ride along as Ben encounters visions of Zelda Fitzgerald, pagan rituals, a sub-culture embedded in the city’s infrastructure, and fires of unknown origin.

   Ben becomes enamored by DC, a charismatic drifter with a dark world vision, and he is forced to confront DC’s rejection of culture and the art it produces.
   Through Ben’s private journal entries, learn about his struggle to overcome DC’s destructive cynicism and his pursuit of an artistic vision. Will Ben follow his own artistic calling, or will he adopt DC’s anti-social lifestyle? Hang on, as these two personalities collide and events spiral out of control!
Let me just say that this is a fictional story, but it is so well written at time it leaves you wondering this could actually be true. This book is only 100 pages, the 100th page being the about the author page which even on that page Kevin McGuire does not give up the facade that this is a fictional story. In its 100 pages it covers so much. This is a great book for a leisure day of reading. It has historical references, it has comedy, and at times it make you question if you know how you really are or if you believe something because its what you believe or what you have been taught to believe. The only bad thing about the book is that it just ends. You are left wondering what happened to our young Ben, as well as what happen to the other characters like DC or who I wonder the most about Cynthia who is take off to the hospital after having what I guess is some sort of fit. So I highly recommend this book. It is well worth its price!

You can also go to http://www.reminiscingbooks.com/index.php?page_id=350 and get an autographed copy of this book for only $8.95!!

WEB OF DECEIT BY DARLENE COX

This is the second book by the little known author, and I can tell why. This book is a very easy read, but the “deceit” and action do not live up to the title. For me it was like reading Mary Higgins Clark mixed with a Harlequin romance novel.

The plot of books is…… Peter Brock is a man to be envied. He is young, handsome, intelligent, a founding partner of one of New York's most prestigious law firms, and a respected member of the International Community of Currency Traders. But, that isn't enough to fulfill his goal in life. When he meets James Campbell , a very wealthy New York diamond dealer who would like to keep more of his wealth out of the hands of the IRS, Peter starts weaving a web of deceit to divert the bulk of Campbell's wealth to his own account. But, he needs a little help. He enlists Delilah, a strip-club dancer, to learn, through pillow talk, the extent of Campbell's wealth; and Jenny, a flight attendant for a major airline, to smuggle loose diamonds to Europe on international flights. As a coconspirator, how can Campbell yell "foul," at the risk of spending his remaining days in a Federal prison? The perfect Plan-so Peter thinks.

Unfortunately, his law partner, Jack Morrison, gets wind of the Plan and decides to toss in his ante. Now the game gets interesting-a case of diamond cut diamond. When two people wind up dead, Jack says "enough," leaving Peter hopelessly entangled in his web. As Jack says: "That's what happens when little fish try to swim with the predators."

In the synopsis above it says that the game gets interesting once two people wind up dead, well this is partially true, it does add an MUCH needed twist to the story. But the last person to die in the story if the author had wrote more about that than Peter’s love affairs with all the different women. The book might have been better. The book also ends with a “…to be continued” seriously I asked myself why! We know who killed everyone, but one person and in a few extra pages you could have told the readers and saved the effort of writing the second half. Oh and the book has a prologue that really had no point, the only time anything from the prologue is brought up is in it Peter picks up a rock and takes it with him. Well towards the end of the book Peter takes out the rock again. You find out as well that Peter is an immigrant that his family and he moved to the United States from Poland, and you figure that the scene in the prologue was him saying goodbye to Poland and that was his one little token to take with him, yet this is NEVER said or addressed its just what I believe.

This is the first book I have read by this author so I can not tell you that this is just her style, but I highly hope not. Yet if you don’t have high hopes for mystery and people screwing over each other and you want a easy read then this would be for you cause truly the typing is large and its only 259 pages it really is an easy read.