Category: .Books & Art.

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to BethanyHouse and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not read anything else by Terri Roberts before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the title. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.

“I had no answers, only questions. Even with inconctroversible evidence, I still struggled to accept the reality of the day’s events. My son had grown up so loved-and loving. He had a wonderful wife, three beautiful children, a job he had aspired to and attained. Nothing of the bizarre, horrific, evil decisions he’d made this day matched the man I knew.” – Terri Roberts. 

What drew my attention to this book is that school shootings happen way too often recently. See this list of school shootings in the US. Everybody should have heard about the recent shooting in Nashville, Tennessee on October 22nd 2015 by now. One person was killed and three injured at an outdoor courtyard at Tennessee State University. Why this particular shooting happened is still unclear but it might have been over an argument at a dice game. According to CNN, a suspect has not been arrested or identified. A couple of weeks ago I drove with my family back home to the States from Canada and we passed through Pennsylvania. I have never seen “real” Amish people so for the first time I was able to experience the traditional Amish buggies which I thought was awesome. They just go along with their business while cars pass right next to them. I have not heard about The Amish School Shooting that happened in October 2006 so I wanted to find out more about it. Let’s dive into the book review. 

The author Terri Roberts is the mother of the gunman Charles Robert (Charlie) who initially took hostages a the West Nickel Mines School – an Amish school in Lancaster Country, Pennsylvania. He shot five girls (aged 6-13 years old). The other five girls had been seriously injured but gladly survived. Charlie Roberts committed suicide after he shot at the girls. Terri Roberts was on her way to work when her husband called her to let her know that she has to drive to her son Charlie’s house immediately. She mentioned that there were many helicopters in the air that morning but she never could have imaged that they were there because of her son. This crime her son had committed was something she could not have anticipated or predicted. 

“A short while later, Charlie and his son came back inside, and the house began to empty out. It had been a good evening. I remember thinking as we all said our farewells that Charlie had seemed quieter than usual.” -Terri Roberts

The Roberts’ family was in shock after what happened. I thought the best part of the book was when the Amish reached out  to the family after this tragedy. It is simply a great story about forgiveness and love. Initially Terri and her husband thought about leaving the area and to start somewhere fresh because the pressure was just too intense. The author describes very clearly how much they suffered and at the same time obviously the Amish people; especially the ones who lost their child. When you read the book you will find out how she stayed connected to the Amish community and you will learn how Terri’s family dealt with all the pain and suffering and also her struggle and her anger with God. It is important to mention that she does not search for excuses of what her son did. But will she be able to forgive her own son? 

It is simply a wonderful read, because I have never read this type of story from the perpetrators mother’s perspective. I highly recommend this book. You will end up looking at your own life in a different perspective. Let me know if you decide to read Terri Roberts book: “Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting” or share your thoughts if you have read it. There is also a great documentary describing the shooting as well as the Amish way of life if you would like to see. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9LygbgopK4

Thank you for following and reading my blog. 

“If you put a bunch of chameleons on top of a bunch of chameleons on top of a bowl of Skittles what would happen? Is that science? Because if so, I finally get why people want to do science.” ― Jenny Lawson

This book I picked up because of all the hype. Honestly, I don’t usually listen to this but I have read a couple of posts on The Bloggess and I liked what she is all about. She has a very funny way of writing and this book is her memoir.  I also liked the author’s note when she explains how she struggles with depression and then she changed her concept of just being furiously happy. I still don’t know if this “extreme joy” that I read throughout her book is really good either, but it is funny. So very funny. The story with the dog food at the pharmacy made me cry laughing when I read it out loud to my husband. The author is just doing whatever she feels like and this I love. Like saying whatever you want, jumping into whatever you want (like a fountain or a pool with no water in it and just lay in it for the fun of it ordering a piña colada). All this made me order her first book so she did something right. 

Jenny Lawson mentions some of her issues pretty fast. She is suffering from compulsive hair-pulling (ahm… I had to look this one up: trichotillomania), anxiety disorder, ADD, OCD and depression. She is sharing stories of her life that are just funny, strange and weird at the same time. The arguments she describes in Furiously Happy that she had with her husbands seem weird to me. I would never argue about anything like this. Not even for five minutes. But she does, and again in a funny way. She just has a very wicked sense of humor. 

I don’t think she leads a boring life but to me it seems somewhat chaotic. The book is a great mix of really cry out loud funny and quite serious topics. I love how honest Lawson is about her mental illnesses. If you suffer from a mental illness and you simply just need to lighten up a little then this book is defiantly for you. Even though having my own blog I would not be that open and share as much as she does. This must have taken her a great deal of courage to write and talk so freely about all her problems. Or maybe it did not. But then again I guess she does not care what other people think and simply accepts herself the way she is – with all her flaws and mental disorders. 

This book was simply a great read from beginning to the end. You get a great insight on mental illness and laugh out loud at point and the next second you are thinking clearly and get overwhelmed by her ability to capture these diseased so accurately. Of course I will be reading her first book soon. 

Thank you for reading my blog and feel free to share if you are going to read her book or already read it. I would love to hear your thoughts. 

 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Booklookbloggers and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not read anything else by Lucado before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the cover and title. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.

“Dear God (if this really is you), I hate the church. I hate religion and everything about it. It seems so obvious that religion causes more problems than it solves. It manipulates and separates people with fear. The church is nothing more than a place for people to pose as someone they’re not. How can you defend all this hypocrisy?” Chelsea chuckled. “That’s from someone named Spencer, if I remember correctly.” “You’re good,” Tony said. 

The book starts out great and the author describes exactly what caught my interest for the book. Chelsea Chambers leaves her NFL, famous, good looking husband who cheated on her. She decides now to open a café – The Higher Grounds Café”. Instantly I loved how Lucado describes the taste, smell and texture of the coffee and pastries. I literally made myself a cup of coffee, curled myself up on the couch and started reading this book in one sitting. (183 pages which is done by me in a couple of hours!) Chelsea tries to gain control again of her life and her family (she has two kids with her husband and her son’s name is Hancock) Like instantly, “WHY would you name your kid HANCOCK?”

It is a nice little story about forgiving and love which grabbed my interest. When they introduce the “God blog” at the café the author lost me however. It is supposed to be a hotline to God. God answers questions that customers come up with and her business starts to go up the roof. I do not want to give away spoilers so I leave it at that. You read the quote above? This was God’s answer: 

“Dear Spencer, I don’t even try to defend hypocrisy. Now I have a question for you. Do you really think I started that? Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of worship charades, religious games, and fearmongering, as you and your friends say? You think I want this? No thank you. Yet, Spencer, I haven’t seen much compassion out of you, have I? You pride yourself in authenticity, yet behave like everyone in your own circle. You make irreligion a religion. Leave the hypocrites up to me. And from time to time, look up. Focus on me. I think you might be surprised by what you’ll find. Love, God.”

I would say that the plot was good and what made me turn the pages were the characters. If you love coffee, pastries, cafés, spiritualism, belief and angels this is your book. 

Thank you for reading and enjoy the book if you decide to read it. 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not read anything else by Keith Sherwood before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the cover and title. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.

I am searching and trying to grow psychologically and spiritually and I love to discover new things. When I first found out about SEHES I thought that I want to know more. More about energy healing, Reiki, meditation and aura reading. So guess what? I read a ton about it. I have been at SEHES for a couple of months and then I traveled and came back to the States so I could not attend my Wednesday- Meditations anymore nor my weekly Reiki sessions with Uwe Meissner. I was very happy when I found the book “The Art of Spiritual Healing” by Keith Sherwood. This is the latest edition however that will be released in February 2016. I want to share upfront that the ebook was not easy to read because the pictures the author shared where apparently not meant to be read as an ebook. I think a book like this should be read in paperback or hardcover. Consider this before purchasing it. 

This book is very powerful. I do not want to become a healer and I do not think you can learn this by reading a book obviously but you get the chance to know what you as a person are all about. You will learn about healing energy and what is going on in your body. Healing energy is described and ways to meditate are offered so you enhance functions of your mind that you never know you had. You will get introduced to spiritual healing and consciousness. Many chapters go into a lot of detail so I think it is not a book for the absolute beginner – like me. Sherwood describes how to heal and laying on of hands on patients, breathing techniques and simply healing other peoples through Prana Healing. 

The chapter I enjoyed the most was Chapter 5 on Auric Healing. You learn about auric colors, how you can learn to see auras and how to focus and meditate. Advanced auric healing is also explained but this was again too much for me. Here I have to mention again the bad quality of the ebook. The way the body and aura is explained thorough pictures just does not work. The author goes on about mental healing and describes many exercises. What amazed me the most was that he mentioned cancer, depression or kidney stones can be completely healed through energy healing and laying on of hands. This book is not meant to be red in one sitting for sure. Rather chapter by chapter and once you mastered the exercises you can move on the next chapter. 

This book might be for you if you look for answers about healing your soul and spirit, about karma, trauma and very specific chapters with in-depth explanations of meditation techniques. The author also explains about restoring your won wellness and valuable preconditions for wellness in the first place. He also mentions how important it is to enhance the relationship to the physical environment – like eating the right things and not smoking and drinking too much and shares the benefits of fasting. Further physical exercises are explained in depth like Yoga (Morning Sun Meditation), self-acceptance and contentment and how important it is to just go outside and play in nature. When was the last time you have been at the beach or in the woods? 

You do not have to be a victim of poor health or disease to read this book. However, this book is great for someone who already works in the energy-healing field and knows how to heal others. I like how the author writes in concise and very clear manner. Keith Sherwood’s book is well written and thought through out and I highly recommend it. 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not read anything else by Christie before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the cover and title. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.

“So whether she was scared for him, or of him, it mattered little. Her job was still the same: To build them a world that death could never touch.” – Michael Christie

If I Fall, If I Die is a novel by Michael Christie that can be best described as a boy’s story who wants to go Outside or escape his agoraphobic mother Diane (agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder when the sufferer perceives the environment unsafe and dangerous) who chose to stay in the house with her son. At some point the story transforms into action/mystery that I just did not enjoy. The book starts out with the sentence “The boy stepped Outside and he did not die” which I thought was very catching and interested me to find out why he never stepped outside. You learn quickly that Will stays with his mother in the house (with rooms named after major cities like New York, San Francisco etc.) and never went outside before. His life is his mothers’ and vice versa which I thought was strange. Will’s mother home schools him so he does not need to put himself into danger by going to school. Diane is afraid of choking on the food, so she cooks only in a slow cooker which takes her fears to an extreme crazy extend. 

I loved that their lives are filled with art, painting, reading tons of books and spending so much time together and I also think that Diane really loves her son. As soon as Will steps outside, the reader realizes that conflicts between his mother and him are programmed. Will gets more and more curious and she is simply afraid every single second it seems. Then one of Will’s friends disappears  – then Diane’s past is described. Later some illegal acts come up. I thought the story was very slow and confusing at points which made me put the book aside many times. 

The entire story just seems incomplete to me and I do not recommend the book. 

 

“One day Tank and I became so desperate to get high that we robbed his next-door neighbor’s house. Talk about risky! I didn’t care where I sold, as long as I had enough money to replenish my supply and enough crack for myself to smoke. In fact, I was about to hit rock bottom”. – Dimas Salaberrios 

 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Tyndale Momentum and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not heard of Dimas Salaberrios before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the description. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book of my review.

When I read the description of the book I thought that it will be an awesome read. I would like to share a little insight about me before I start the review. I worked for the German Federal Police for several years before I joined the United Nations Security Department in New York and I can proudly say that I have seen it all. From drugs, to homicides, to suicides and back. Unfortunately nothing was left out for me. I also finished an Associates Degree at LaGuardia Community College (right next to the Queensboro Correctional Facility – and yes, they offer programs for detainees to attend classes at the college or to finish their GED!) and transferred to John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I finished with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice/Forensic Psychology in 2012.I have been at Rikers Island Jail with one of the Corrections Classes I have taken which was a very intense experience) John Jay College offers a plethora of great Criminal Justice Programs. One of my favorite professors throughout my four year college experience was Professor Peter Moskos. He is a professor of law, police science and criminal justice administration. He has also written three books that I have all read. My favorite was “Cop in the Hood” because I simply could relate to so many things he wrote about. Having all this background and reading “Street God” was very interesting because it had been written from the perspective of the “other side”; the criminal side. 

Let’s dive into the book review. 

I love memoirs. This is most likely one of my favorite books to read because the individuals write about themselves and it is usually very intimate. The book starts out pretty rough by Salaberrios’ description of his early life in the drug world of Queens/New York. Even though is parents are considered as “normal” (his mother is an elementary teacher and his father works in a correctional facility) This was probably the most shocking part to realize that Dimas had a great childhood and “good” parents. Dimas wanted to be the Street God; the best known drug dealer with power and money.  He starts dealing and even consuming drugs to the extend where he almost hit “rock bottom”. I thought his description of the drug dealers and gang life was pretty interesting, especially if I keep in mind that I lived a couple of minutes away from where he lived. The further I kept on reading I was more and more surprised how he ended up surviving living this crazy drug life – specifically after taking drugs himself. 

When you read Dimas’ story and you think it cannot get worse, everything changes but I don’t want to give the plot away here. I think it is just an amazing story that is difficult to put down because of Dimas’ honesty. I recommend this book to parents and teens to simply read and try to understand how the inner city life really is. I think the book is a great leaning experience and full of love and forgiveness. 

Thank you for reading my blog. You want to read the book? Order it here. Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

“He sweeps her hair back from her ears; he swings her above his head. he says she is his émerveillement. He says he will never leave her, not in a million years.”  ― Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See

This was a book I picked up because it simply popped up in any of my book recommendation newsletters, online, in bookstores and friends recommended it. I needed to know what all the hype is about – with books I do make an exception. My first thought was that the book is really thick – to let you know from the start, “The light we cannot see” comes in 530 pages. Usually, if I start a book like that I know out of experience that there will be a plethora of details, many people interact and get involved so it is not a easy breezy read. However, I started the book and was done with it in no-time. The chapters are very short and it makes you interested enough to keep reading. Besides that, it is a unique story and very beautifully written. 

The book starts out by introducing the two main characters; a blind French girl – Marie Laure and Werner who is a radio expert in the German army who cannot leave the city when WW II starts and the Allies begin shelling Saint-Malo; a French city. Marie Laure and Werner are both very young in the beginning of the story and they author jumps back and forth between those two’s perspectives on the war and their life. Here you really have to focus and pay attention, otherwise you loose track of the story. It is not a war novel so to speak but a plot brings both characters together which is also described by Doerr in very rich, precise and elegant language.  

I give ever book the chance of fifty pages to get me hooked. If this does not happen I put it down usually. With “The light we cannot see” it took me exactly forty pages to figure everything out and then I could not stop reading. So honestly, it did not hit me right away. You wonder about the title of the book? This is what Anthony Doerr explained in an interview:

“The title is a reference first and foremost to all the light we literally cannot see: that is, the wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that are beyond the ability of human eyes to detect (radio waves, of course, being the most relevant). It’s also a metaphorical suggestion that there are countless invisible stories still buried within World War II — that stories of ordinary children, for example, are a kind of light we do not typically see. Ultimately, the title is intended as a suggestion that we spend too much time focused on only a small slice of the spectrum of possibility.” 

Overall, I would recommend this book. It has a lot of details as I expected and I think that some characters were not really necessary but simply filled pages. WW II was just insane and you get some good ideas on how these people must have felt during the war. This book will make you feel emotional at points and you will probably see for yourself that there is a lot of light under the surface of history that simply has not been revealed. 

Thank you for reading. Enjoy this book if you read it and share your thoughts. 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure: 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not read anything else by Ellis before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the cover. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book of my review. 

“You are so bad?” is Southern Lady code for: That is the tackiest thing I’ve ever heard and I am delighted that you shared it with me. “No, you’re so bad!” is code for: Let’s snitch and bitch. “She is a character” means drunk. “she has a good time” means slut. – American Housewife, Southern Lady Code – Helen Ellis. 

If you like to pour yourself a glass of wine (or two), you love to laugh and you are basically a woman who stays at home you will love this book. This small collection of twelve short stories all talk about women who either work at home or from home. Some stories as “Dead doormen” have some dark humor and others are hilariously funny – “Southern Lady Code” for example. While I read it I caught myself saying many times that “this is so true, she is right on”. 

Helen Ellis always puts a little twist or surprise at the end of every story and the women are not who you thought they were which keeps you reading and enjoying this book so much. I definitely enjoyed the book and had a smile on my face. The book is not expected to be released until 12 January 2016 but you can pre-oder it here. I will pick up one of her other novels next: “Eating The Cheshire Cat: A Novel”. Ellis has a unique style that is at points imaginative, funny and smart and simply a pleasure to read. There will be also all sort of advice for example if you plan on staying at home to write full- time and let your husband finance it all. Ha! 

“There were days, rainy gray days, when the streets of Brooklyn were worthy of a photograph, every window the lens of a Leica, the view grainy and immoble. We gathered our colored pencils and sheets of paper and drew like wild, feral children into the night, until, exhausted, we fell into bed. We lay in each other’s arms, still awkward but happy, exchanging breathless kisses into sleep.” ― Patti Smith

I saw the book “Just Kids” by Patti Smith by chance on my way out of Barnes and Noble and the cover caught my eye. I never heard of Patti Smith before but I thought I give it a try. Needless to say I was hooked after two pages. This book is awesome. Let’s dive right in. 

The story is about two young artists who grew and learned together. Patti moved to New York in the 60s at a very young age to try to make it on her own. On her journey she met struggling artist Robert Mapplethorpe under funny weird circumstances. Both were inseparable every since – at point it seemed that they become ONE.  “What will happen to us?” I asked. “There will always be us,” he answered. There was this initial naivety I felt from both characters initially but they never lose their idealism so it seems okay how they live their lives together almost in poverty. What I loved about their story was that they never gave up on their dreams. And  if you want the real story of the starving artists in NYC back in the 60s? Read this book. 

The book will guide you through the spiritual art world of the 60s and 70s in New York City and you will “meet” these great artists who Patti and Robert met throughout their journey. Patti Smith wrote her memoir in very specific details when it comes to her intellectual encounters. They knew Sam Shepard, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin by simply running into them on the street going out for a cup of coffee. You will find out about other artists, poetry, musicians and of course how she met my beloved Allen Ginsberg in a café when she was was starving and had no money to purchase food. 

“I turned around and it was Allen Ginsberg. We had never met but there was no mistaking the face of one of our great poets and activists. I looked into those intense dark eyes punctuated by his dark curly beard and just nodded. Allen added the extra dime and also stood me to a cup of coffee. I wordlessly followed him to his table, and then plowed into the sandwich.”

I love how clear and catching Smith writes this memoir. Her use of words and the way she describes her love for Robert made me tear up occasionally. Patti and Robert act like each others muse while they wander the streets of New York City and create art. It is also interesting to read that most artists struggled at that time. Smith wrote that “Gregory Corso made lists of books for me to read, told me the best dictionary to won, encouraged and chilled me. Corso, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs were all my teachers, each one passing thorough the lobby of the Chelsea Hotel, my new university.” which I thought was amazing. I wish I would have lived in the 70s in the city. 

Robert was the artist of her life as she stated even though they went hungry several times and were constantly looking for a new place to live it seemed. Whatever they needed to do, they had their common ground. I have to admit that I never heard of Robert Mapplethorpes before either. I do know many artists but for some reason …. well shame on me I guess. I will most certainly read a biography on him because now I am hooked. His polaroids are controversial at points but simply amazing. “I don’t think,” he insisted. “I feel”. Here is one of his artworks that I loved:

 

It rarely happens that a book moves me to tears but Smith did a great job of simply describing her story with such honesty, clarity, directness, sincerity and tenderness that I could not help but share her book here with you besides wiping away a tear or two. 

If you want to read great prose, pick up Patti Smith’s book “Just Kids”. 

Enjoy if you read it and please share your thoughts. 

“So that’s what I’m here to become. And suddenly, this word fills me with a brand of sadness I haven’t felt since childhood. The kind of sadness you feel at the end of summer. When the fireflies are gone, the ponds have dried up and the plants are wilted, weary from being so green.” ― Augusten Burroughs

Do you know this awesome feeling when you discover a new author and you want to read all his books? This is what happened when I first picked up “Dry” by Augusten Burroughs.  If I love a book I will finish it in one day – usually no matter what. This is what happened with “Dry”. I think Burroughs is simply amazing. Let’s dive right into the book review. 

Augusten Burroughs was my man and caught my full attention after reading the first page of the book. He is candid, very poignant and sharp with words at the same time. The book is about him being an alcoholic, and his long path and struggle to sobriety. He worked at a advertising company and was very successful but he drank. He came to work drunk almost every single day and was just a huge mess. But even describing all this, Burroughs has managed to make me laugh out loud many times while being so self-deprecating and honest. The story was very interesting to me because of his battle with alcoholism. Even though I do not suffer from this disease I can understand or somewhat relate to him. His story kept me interested the entire time by never becoming monotonous or boring. All the people he meets and the descriptions of other addicts along with stories about his work made me read on. 

The book was full of balance from his own struggles to all the stories and dialogues he had with his best friend Pighead, handsome Foster, his colleague Greer who is very funny as well as many others. As a German, I loved when he described how he worked with an advertising client from Germany. 

 “This man has a way of making every sentence sound like a street cable being stretched to the point of breakage.” [“Ve still have to meet viss ze pee-ahh – P.R. as in public relations”]

What impressed me the most was all the insight to love another person despite hopeless flaws and repressed emotions. It all makes the reader in turns fascinated and awed what he had been through when he drank on a daily basis. (1 Liter of Vodka and a couple of cocktails plus once in a while a hit of coke) It made me wonder how much abuse you can do to your body and still live? How much can the human body take? If you read the book you will learn a lot about how rehab clinics work; how AA meetings and therapies will  help him throughout his struggles. This book is just real. I recommend it to anybody who tries to seek understanding of alcoholism. This book will take you from laughs to sadness and back to laughs then sorrow and hope and back to sadness. Burroughs is awesome and original and while reading you have to keep in mind that it shows how crazy his condition is but at the same time he is unafraid of what is. “Life is just a question mark!” 

He brings up many other stereotypes in a funny way. Sort of like nobody gets away. I get this feeling like, “Should I really laugh about this now?” but I do. 

“It’s like walking on eggshells. Like in one of those cheese interracial movies forth seventies where nobody ever mentions that he white girl’s boyfriend is back, but everyone is highly aware of it. Then somebody says ‘watermelon’ and everybody sort of grips. This is how I feel right now.”

All these questions that you will ask yourself like “will he relapse? Will he get sober?” are just constantly present.  His love towards Pighead made me tear up occasionally. It’s not pretty, but it’s necessary and eye-opening and a very funny and deep portrait of a recovering addict. 

Enjoy it if you decide to read it!