Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love….

November 23, 2017 / For the Love of Books / 3 Comments

Walk to Beautiful

Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way Mr Jimmy Wayne with Ken Abraham

This is the powerful story of a little boy who lives with unimaginable neglect, abuse and hardship and is rescued as a teenager by an elderly couple who knew the transforming power of love.

It is also the story of how, as adults, we don’t have to be held back by the trauma of our childhood. Even with the lack of a positive influence and role models, we can have a healthy, purposeful life.

Jimmy Wayne grew up to become successful in a music career, singing and song writing – there are videos to show the truth of it. Three songs, now in videos on You Tube, are mentioned many times in the book. I would download them here for you but haven’t figured out how…yet. I hope you will check them out. Sarah Smile is one of his first covers, then two songs written by Jimmy, I Love You This Much, and Stay Gone.

His successful career was not enough for him. He remembered the homeless and foster kids in his life, and he wanted to do something to make a difference, in the lives of kids like them. He set out to do a cross country walk to bring attention to the cause not expecting a double benefit – on a personal level – it was a healing journey.

His successful walk is the example he sets for us, to open our eyes to the hardships, and the possibilities in these kids. His efforts are responsible for a major change in foster care rules in his home state, and they shine a spotlight on areas still needing to be addressed. He is hoping to inspire all of us to step up and do something.

I’m glad I read this book, his story and his music touched my heart. That was his goal, and it worked. May I always see the possibilities.

Going Underground

November 20, 2017 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

My favorite book this week Autistic British Detective Jonathan Roper – Going Underground book 1 – Michael Leese

The chemistry between Jonathan and his mentor/partner is great and they work well together, but the others don’t relate as well and that creates stress in the whole office. He is brilliant though, and solves cases others haven’t been able to. I liked this one so well I read the next one too.

Autistic British Detective Jonathan Roper – I Can See You book 2 – Michael Leese

Jonathan’s skills have been noticed and as a result has been recruited by another government agency. Things go well for awhile but he falls into a slump he can’t seem to work his way out of, no matter what they try. He worked well with his partner in the Police Special Investigations Unit, so, quietly and swiftly, Brian Hooley is transferred to the new agency, to see if it would make the difference. It seems to be working and things are getting back on track. And, they are off to solve another baffling mystery.

Noelle's Golden Christmas Holiday Inc. Series – Noelle’s Golden Christmas book 1 – Tamie Dearen

Noelle is a Scrooge about Christmas, the way her life has gone she just knows something else bad is going to happen. Maybe if she got a dog….. maybe that’s what she needs to get through the holiday. In the meantime, her meddling family thinks she needs a man and they are determined to bring both Christmas and a man into her life.

Cornhusker Dreams – Canteen Dreams book 1- Cara Putman

A heartwarming World War Two love story. The unthinkable happens when Pearl Harbor is bombed and young men are being shipped off to war. Audrey wants to do her part to support the troops and everyday joins a group of ladies running a canteen to serve the trainloads of men moving through their town. She doesn’t expect to fall for a local boy. Willard is distressed because he feels the need to enlist but is rejected because he is considered essential, being a rancher. He is impressed by the passion and dedication of the young woman who catches his eye but has a hard time watching her interact with the uniformed soldiers passing through town, especially when he wants to be one of them.

Hardman Holidays – The Christmas Bargain book 1 – Shanna Hatfield

This is a book I read two years ago but it caught my eye as I was browsing though my cache of books, I think it needs to be read again. It is a Victorian Christmas story set in a real town from the 1800s. The town is Hardman Oregon USA and is now a ghost town. Philamena is left dazed and speechless when her father tries to settle a debt and a handsome cowboy agrees to take her in payment. Luke Hardman owns the bank and when her father threatens to sell her to the saloon owner for money to pay his debt, he found he couldn’t let that happen. He’d rather be out on his ranch than stuck in an office and has no idea what to do with this marriage of convenience. I’m looking forward to rediscovering a good story.

I have been distracted lately and it has been hard to settle down enough to focus on reading so my list isn’t as long as it is usually. I did enjoy these books though and hope maybe you will as well.

There are some great writers out there just waiting to be discovered. I hope you are crossing paths with some of them too. If you haven’t joined BookBub I hope you will, it’s one of the easiest sites to use in the discovery of great books, I’ve found.

Happy reading! and a fulfilling writing experience, if you are giving it a try too.

triggers

November 9, 2017 / For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

I am still processing distressing thoughts and feelings triggered by some of the events of the last couple of weeks. The process is never quite as simple as I think it should be but there is progress today and I’m grateful. It seems time goes on, and then some things come to the surface, finally ready to be examined and dealt with.

I’ve spent the day writing a post trying to work out an answer to the why question in my head. It was a worthwhile occupation as a number of answers presented themselves. Several were complete, some were not and will have to be revisited another day. At least the conversation has been started and that’s a positive step.

Even though I’ve erased all of today’s work to start over, it has been a beneficial day. The area under consideration is one I haven’t been ready to look at before now. Probably because it’s a hot button issue I didn’t know what to do with. I would share details but I wasn’t able to express it in a way that would make sense to anyone but me. Part of today was a major break through. All of the steam has been let out of several reactions and it feels good.

Sometimes, it seems like the effects of brokenness will never end. A day like today brings renewed hope. Hope is a good thing.

I don’t know if sharing this post will be helpful or encouraging to anyone, but I pray that it is. We all need a little hope, some days more than others.

A couple of books for you

Making Spirits Bright Christmas Light Collection 2017 – Making Spirits Bright – Swanson, Shiloh, Hayman and Havig……. four new never-before-released novellas. From romance to cozy mysteries. A fun Christmas read. This is the second set from these ladies this Christmas.

I Know You'll Find Me Dangerous Affections Series – I Know You’ll Find Me – Jennifer Youngblood ….Victoria’s dreams are starting to come true, her own dance studio and a handsome rich boyfriend. Everything changes in an instant when she witnesses a murder on an impromptu visit to his office. Running for her life, she grabs her kids and disappears to the one place she knows he would never think to look. Keeping their secret proves difficult when a handsome police office takes a romantic interest in her, bonding with her kids.

Happy reading!

I don’t feel like writing….

November 8, 2017 / For the Love of Books / 2 Comments

I don’t feel like writing… and the reason for this is not good. A blogger I follow is going through a rough patch and it is his pain that started mine. Empathy. I sense pain in others and take it on as my own. I don’t mean to, I know it’s not healthy – taking another’s pain as your own – but sometimes intentions aren’t enough to stop empathy.

This blogger is a young man and I am neither young, nor a man. He writes in a general way giving very little detail about his personal life, yet there is something in his writing that leaves the impression of much more below the surface.

I am drawn to reading his posts but I am an introvert, and there is the age/gender thing, so I am trying to stay hidden. Not an easy thing to do as his audience is still small. Regular visitors stand out rather dramatically. With view stats he would see activity from my country only, but with likes and comments he would see my identity. So, I keep likes to a minimum, and avoid making comments. Eventually his curiosity about this person reading all of his posts has him trying to coax me out into the open. I steadfastly refuse to rise to the bait, until he shares a post revealing some of his pain. The encourager in me can’t help but respond, and I think this is where the trouble begins. But I could be wrong. It could have little to do with my response and much to do with the aftermath of his revealing some of his personal pain.

The trouble with wounded introverts, in my experience, is they over examine every interaction and then flog themselves mercilessly. I can see signs of flogging going on. There is the unusually long silence and then today’s post indicating deep pain, with the probability of no more blogging. That would be a shame, on so many levels. I expressed this in a comment. I hope he hears and is encouraged to keep in touch.

I have been focused on what I imagine to be his pain paying little attention to my own pain based behaviors. Recognizing the resulting depression in me is the reason for this blog post …. forcing myself back into community, avoiding the tendency for withdrawal.

There is something therapeutic about the attempt to express thoughts and feelings in a way that makes sense. It helps defend against depression. And, community feed back from posting is a bonus.

I hope my blogger friend will stay in community and keep writing. I know he will discover others who have travelled roads similar to his and will cheer him on, and he will discover growth in positive new insights about himself.

It’s working for me tonight, I would like to see it work for him too

And the pressure is off, hiding is over, no more avoiding comments and likes. Nice.

Two books to inspire the writer within

November 5, 2017 / For the Love of Books / 1 Comment

Wite Well a Grammar Guide

I admit; I am not a fan of boring instructional books, and I assume (mainly based on school years) that all instructional books are boring. This assumption is beginning to change. Write Well: A Grammar Guide Rachelle Rea Cobb, is definitely not boring. Her style is conversational, fun, informative, and sneaky. She has a way of crafting her explanation to demonstrate the point she’s making. I love that. But, mostly, I love her straight to the point statements. I’m feeling inspired.

Zen in Art of Writing Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity Ray Bradbury

Magic happens when an author expresses things in a way guaranteed to capture our attention, to draw us in – to become part of the story. I am drawn in as Ray Bradbury talks about his career and how it came about. I love the unique way he paints word pictures. It’s easy to see why his long and successful career took off so dramatically at an early age. I can’t help but feel excited as I read this book because he validates the case for authenticity and passion as the important element in good writing. Not only does he validate but he also demonstrates. The way he expresses a thought is as important, if not more so, than the thought itself. I think reading writing of this calibre on a regular basis turns good writers into great writers.