Memory's Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia - Gerda Saunders

Memory's Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia

by Gerda Saunders

Publisher: Hachette Books (June 13, 2017)

ISBN-13: 978-0316502627

Hardcover: 288 pages

This has been my favorite read so far this summer. A poignant look, through the first person eye of the writer, at dementia. As a geriatric nurse for 30 years, I have seen it come to many, many people. Slowly it attacks the mind. Until eventually, the person that houses the mind, is just a shell. The mind is gone.

Where does the mind wonder to in these individuals? How much of the world around them are they aware of?

These are all things the author contemplates. And she expounds on the way to becoming the lost mind.

At times (perhaps too many) I found myself in tears. At others, rooting the writer on as she decides to fight the disease process and not simply give in.

Well written. Well informed;. And truly a must read.

I give this book five stars,

and a big thumbs up!

I highly recommend this book. You can find it on Amazon  $18.36 for hardcover, $29.77 for Audio CD, and $13.99 for the ebook.

******DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra - Anne Rice, Christopher Rice

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra

by

Anne Rice with Christopher Rice

Copyright © 2017 by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice

Oublisher: Penguin Random House

ISBN: 978-1-101-97032-4

Pages: 400

I have been devouring Anne Rice Books since she first began writing! (And I'm not about to tell how old either of us are!) I have never been disappointed in one. They have ALL kept me on the edge of my seat, and afraid of the dark, since book one!

And I promise you, this book, too, will keep you on the edge of your seat! You'll not want to put this one down!

Ramses,  the former Pharoah of Egypt, is discovered in a tomb in 1914. Along with scrolls that he had written more than a thousand years earlier. Along with vials of potions, and poisons.

And old Ramses, isn't quite ready to give up the ghost. And he doesn't want to play alone. He calls upon Cleopatra, who also returns.

As with all Rice books, her characters come alive in her pages. And that's what makes them so horrifyingly real! You know they are, simply by their descriptions! And you know that they are out there in the dark, waiting for you!

BOO!

Seriously, get yourself a good bottle of vino, a long weekend, and plan on curling up with yet another great Anne Rice book.  I read it through in two days straight. Yep, couldn't put it down! I even carried it to the loo with me! Yep, it's that good!

You can purchase the book on Amazon by pre-ordering it now (it's due out November 21, 2017 (yeah, I know, it sucks that I got a preview copy and you have to wait!). Paperback is $12.19 and ebook is $11.99. You really don't want to miss this one so purchase early!

I give Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra by Anne Rick and Christopher Rice five stars,

and a big thumbs up!

******DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia: "Experiencing Dementia--Honoring God" - John Dunlop, MD

Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia                          

by

John Dunlop, MD

Publisher: Crossway (July 31, 2017

ISBN-10: 1433552094

As a Care Manager (nurse/social worker), I see dementia in the elderly every single day, from one degree to another. It is a heart breaking, heart wrenching disease. It steals the mind, and eventually, the body, of those we want to care for the most. It is hardest on those who must care for these individuals. Their family.

Imagine walking up to your mother, or your father, and having them look you in the eye and saying "Who are you?" It happens all the time. It begins with little things: misplacing the car keys, forgetting where you laid something down, to losing your way when driving to a familiar place, to forgetting your very own identity. It comes like a thief in the night. And it steals your mind. Slowly your body begins to deteriorate as well. Until eventually, the you, well the you that once was, is gone completely.

Dunlop tells the story of how to face this horrible disease process with grace. Using Biblical principles, he tells us how to face each day with someone we love who has been diagnosed. The hardest part of having a family member with dementia is in finding the light heartedness needed to survive with grace. Faith is the key. And Dunlop reminds us of how we can keep our faith in God, and allow Him to take control during these dark times.

A well written book, I was in tears one minute and smiling the next, as I was taken on a roller coaster ride through my own memories of caring for people with dementia.

A book that is a must read for anyone with a family member, friend, colleague, or client who is suffering from dementia.

I give this book five stars,

and a big thumbs up!

You can find this book on Amazon.com Paperback is $12.41, ebook is $11.79, and audio CD is $19.98.

DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review. The book was provided in a pre-print edition, and the final printing may be somewhat different than that reviewed.

Scrappy - Brandi Temple

Scrappy: Use Everything You Have, Trust Yourself, and Press the Reset Button for Success, the Lolly Wolly Doodle Way                               

by

Brandi Temple

Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 2, 2017)

ISBN-10: 1250088097

A great personal story, and philosophy, of a woman who began, literally, by learning how to use up everything. She learned, as many of us did, how not to waste a thing. Eventually, she learned how to make a few dollars from her knowledge. And from there she progressed from flea markets to online selling, and has become the founder of a very lucrative business called Lolly Wolly Doodle.

The insight is witty and fast paced. Temple tells us her personal story, with guidance on how we can replicate her success through a few easy (?) steps. (I personally have never found this kind of success, and have tried many of the steps she sets out, but they are supposed to work!) That all aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and found it to be useful in many ways.

I give this book five stars,

and a big thumbs up!

You can purchase this book on Amazon.com  for $14.82 hardcopy and $11.99 ebook.

DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

The Writing Desk - Rachel Hauck

The Writing Desk

by

Rachel Hauck

Publisher: Zondervan (July 11, 2017)

ISBN-10: 0310341590

When a writer has success with her first novel, and becomes blocked with her second, she begins to doubt herself. And then she is called back to her childhood home to care for an estranged, ailing mother.

Enter a handsome furniture maker, who has an antique desk. This desk once belonged to another young woman, who seemed fated not to follow through with the desires of being a writer.

Across the years, the two women become bound to one another. Similar. Yet so different. Each with their fate left up to someone else. Each with a desire to break free of the bondage of being ruled by a parent. And each learning that freedom comes with a price all its own.

I couldn't put this book down! I read it through in a single setting! Wonderfully written! Hauck is a magnificent story teller!

I give the book five stars,

and a big thumbs up!

You can find this book on Amazon.com $16.50 for the hardcover, a paperback is $10.99, and ebook $6.99.

******DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

Career Development: All-in-One for Dummies

Career Deveopment: All-In-One for Dummies

Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 17, 2017)

ISBN: 111936308X

Seriously considering a career change, I found this book to very helpful! As with most of the other For Dummies books I have purchased over the years, this one allows you to pick and choose from it's content list, that which is more pertinent to your individual need. Or you can simply read through it, as I did.

I found the book easy to understand, again, the less technical the jargon, the more I enjoy the read! It is well written, and the writer(s) is well informed and up to date.

Did I find the book helpful? You betcha! And I have already implemented some of the plans it recommends.

All in all, I give this book five stars,

and a big thumbs up!

You can find the book on Amazon.com at $20.39 for the paperback, and $15.99 for the ebook.

******DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong-and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story By: Angela Saini

Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong-and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story

By: Angela Saini

Beacon Press

 ISBN: 0807071706

I was expecting this to be a difficult, but desirable, book to read. Boy, was I (happily) wrong!

Saini does, indeed, cover a lot of experiments and research, but in a very readable way. No large, technical terms, which bore me to tears! (I am a country girl at heart!) But, with much ease, Saini let's it be known, that women are no longer 'scientifically proven' to be inferior to the male scientific communities standards, but is every bit the equal, in every way! (Dare I say, at times, superior to the male intellect?)

I found this book a pleasure to finally have the female counterparts of the world's leading males finally vilified!

I give this book five stars

and a great big thumbs up!

 You can purchase this book on Amazon.com. Hardcover is $16.50, paperback $16.25, ebook $16.99, and audiobook $17.95.

*****DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

Weaver's Needle - Robin Carroll

WEAVER'S NEEDLE

Robin Caroll

Shiloh Run Press; Gld edition

ISBN: 978-1634099943

When a former Military MP and a former police officer join forces, and the mystery of the Lost Dutchman's Mine is involved in a murder mystery, you've got a tale that will hold you captivated from page one! Carroll is a great writer. Bringing you right into the middle of action, you feel you're right on the scene when our heroes go from scene to scene!

I give this book five stars

and a big thumbs up!

You can find this book on Amazon.com  for $36.95 hardback, $12.74 paperback, and $9.99 for the ebook.

****DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and non-biased review.