Mental Pause

Title:  Mental Pause
Author:  Anne O'Connell
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services
Medium:  Kindle

Amazon Synopsis:

Abbie is riding the hormonal roller coaster and hanging on for dear life. She finds herself in a body she no longer recognizes, a marriage that feels overwhelming, and she questions her very sanity. Her existence has become one big hot flash inflamed by killer moods. A chance meeting seems to give her the escape she's desperate for but at what cost? Accused of murder she finds herself in a jail cell accompanied by her regrets and the gnawing fear that her life may be changed forever. It’s a kind of mental pause that Abbie has never imagined, in a story that offers no letup from start to satisfying finish. Change of life, anyone? Mental Pause promises to take you way beyond.

Change is good, right?  I have to say that a lot of changes are good, and even some of the ones that may seem difficult and scary end up have life lessons in them.  Most of the time I don't really mind change.  I just kind of roll with the punches.  There is one change that's going to happen to me, and I think I might be a ticking time bomb.  Hopefully it's quick and painless.

I'm still relatively young, compared to the folks I golfed with yesterday (every single one over 65, and the couple my Dad and I were partnered with were in their 80's), I'm really young!  Starting on Monday, I will be the youngest person in my office.  My husband and I are the youngest people on our street - okay, the guy across the street fought in WWII, so that makes me really, really, really young!  Age really is only a number.  My husband is 6 months younger than I am, we are both in our 40's and he still gets carded.  I'd give my right leg to be carded, just once more!

Anne O'Connell wrote a witty, funny, suspenseful and meaningful book that focuses on change.  Ladies, I'm talking to you!  Gentlemen, ya'll should listen up too, because this will affect you also.  Get ready for it!  I know several women who have gone through or who are going through menopause (yeah, I said it!) and they are doing pretty well, considering.  None of them have snapped...yet.

Mental Pause is the story about Abbie and how she handles going through menopause.  She does things a little more, shall I say, unconventional than any of the women I know although I know one or two who might rival her shenanigans!  The life lessons in her book touch on the bonds of family and friendship, and what even the most desperate of people do sometimes.  Ms. O'Connell paints a picture for women who are dealing with the frustrations of menopause that it is okay to be moody and sweaty and a little crazy at times.  

I really enjoyed Mental Pause.  It was a quick little read that would be perfect for a book club or group of friends to read together - especially if any of the group is 'changing'.  

March 8 is International Women's Day, and is Mental Pause's official publish date, how fitting!  And in the spirit of women all over the world, Ms. O'Connell is donating part of the proceeds from the sales of her book that day to Rooms to Read.  Pretty cool charity, pretty cool author!

Mental Pause

Coming of Age...AGAIN

Title:  Coming of Age...AGAIN
Author:  Carol Mizrahi
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services
Medium:  Kindle


Goodreads Synopsis:
“Coming of Age...AGAIN" is the story of four friends of a "certain age" who prove that with a mix of moxie, wisdom, humor, and a weekly mahjongg game, coming of age can happen more than once.

THE PLAYERS:
As long as BARBARA's husband had his affairs with women who bought their perfume at Walgreen's, she was content to look the other way, but when she sniffs $400 an ounce Coco Chanel on his jacket, she hires a private detective who uncovers more than she bargained for.

IRENE, an incurable romantic, has been looking for the perfect man ever since her husband died. She thought Mel was "the one," but that was before he moved in and before the "up" toilet seats, the snoring, and the scatological breakfast talk. "He's not who he used to be," she complains. "Neither are you," she is warned.

ROCHELLE, recently divorced, wants to return to an aborted art career, but her two daughters have turned her and her home into a virtual day care for their children. Despite professional counseling and the wise advice of good friends, Rochelle is incapable of taking her life back... until the death of a Butterfly.

SYLVIA believes she will choke to death if she lives alone. Her daughter, Mary, has agreed to live with her until she marries, but all potential husbands flee the scene after Sylvia invites them home for dinner. When Simon also dumps her, Mary goes over the top, taking Sylvia with her.




Sheesh, who would have thought getting older would get harder? I've had a birthday recently, and this one actually went pretty smooth with no meltdowns or major issues since the number was quite boring. As always, I drew it out for about a week of celebration. Thank goodness for rain, in-laws, a parent who lives close, but not that close, and the fact that I think everyone should have an entire week to celebrate! As I gained another number, I am starting to realize a lot of things that never really mattered in years past. I can tell that I am changing, inside and out. Not all changes are for the good, but for the ones that are bad, I know and understand that I am the only one who has the power to change those.

Making a change is hard. Whether you are a 20-something just getting started in life or older and possibly looking at the closing chapters in your life. There really does come a time, when quality trumps quantity. I think younger people should look at quality first - might give them a different perspective.

Coming of Age...AGAIN is just such a book that delves into the changes that many women face as they start to grow older. Ms. Mizrahi gave a wonderful account of four childhood friends who grew older together. Over cake and Mah Johngg they share and hide their deepest secrets. They are quick to tell each other just how things should be, but never want to listen to their own advice. They love each other unconditionally the way long-time friends are supposed to, and they catch each other when they fall.

The four friends live, laugh, love and cry. They throw temper tantrums and they celebrate victories. Ms. Mizrahi really put into words the true meaning of friends - not just your work buddies and bar friends, but you know the ones. I know I don't have very many of those kinds of friends. Just a few - each special in their own way, each willing to give and willing to take. True friends through thick and thin, through happy times and tears. I shared my cradle with one and met the others a couple of decades ago. I'll probably never find another one like them, but that's okay.

Coming of Age...Again is definitely a book that steers away from the young and the perfect. It's a breath of fresh air in a world of plastic and pretend. I recommended this to a few women I know, and I hope they liked it and laughed out loud as much as I did.

A must read for any "older" women out there who are looking to laugh and reflect a bit inward. A must read for "younger" women out there, because you are gonna get older too one day!! I'll let you all decide if you are "older" or "younger".

Carol Mizrahi

Life Gets In the Way

No, that's not the title of some new awesome book by an awesome author...it's the song I've been singing these last couple of months.  It seems that life took over and reading got pushed to the side like an old sock that can't find it's mate.

I won't bore you all with the details, but there were holidays, sickness, health, more sickness, more holidays, a milestone birthday, my second favorite past time (football) and bees.  It's been a whirlwind that started at Thanksgiving and finally ended this week. 

 

I am happy to say that the cable company has picked up their box and I am stocking Vinny up with lots of great books.

I apologize to the wonderful author's that I am so lucky to have filling my mailbox every week, to the readers who hopefully find as much joy in reading as I do and to the wonderful followers of this blog.  

March will be bring not only a new Season for us all, but a one year anniversary of this blog for me.  I have stuck to my goals for this blog for this first year, and have almost accomplished everything that I intended to.  I hope for my second year to bring much more interaction with YOU, the followers!  I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve, so stay tuned, tell your friends, and enjoy the ride as I sputter and stammer back into ravenously reading again.

Godspeed: a love story

Title:  Godspeed: a love story
Author:  Dan Chabot
Publisher:  Babop/Dan Chabot; 1 edition (September 28, 2012)   
Medium:  Kindle

Amazon Synopsis:

How far will a man go to atone for guilt?

When Derry and Amedee meet during her first day on the job at the Milwaukee Ledger, it is a collision of destinies. Their love affair is so intense and perfect and pure that they are certain it will be eternal. But when it ends in heartbreak, compounded by the ignominy of a disastrously mismanaged funeral service, Derry descends into an abyss of devastation and remorse and despair.

In his overpowering grief this tormented newspaperman embarks on an obsessive crusade for redemption, an astonishing twist that will leave readers tearful yet smiling in sympathetic admiration. His improbable, tender quest eventually will lead him to peace of mind, and to someone who will help him build a new life from the ashes of the past.

"Godspeed" is a bittersweet story of laughter and tears, irrepressible humor, reckless devotion, the value of true friendship, and unimaginable longing for the "forever" that can no longer be. And as the story and its astonishing twists unfold, a poignant question lingers: How can a lie be wrong if it makes so many people feel so good?

I've been out of reading sorts for the last few weeks.  Not sure why.  I've started and put down more books than I can count.  A few were just not readable.  Some were not what I expected. Others were just not capable of keeping my already shortened attention span.  My reading mind was restless.

Then I picked up Mr. Chabot's Godspeed:  a love story.  

This book couldn't have come at a better time for me.  I started reading this a day or so before the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.  While so far away, I think this senseless act has touched everyone in some way.  I'm still grappling with it, and can't bring myself to discuss it out loud because just the thought of mentioning it makes me choke up and words fail to form.  I think Godspeed:  a love story is just the kind of book that is needed at a time like this - at least for me, because it calmed my restless mind.  Reading kept me away from the news and from the sadness for a little while.  

Godspeed:  a love story, yes, first and foremost is a love story.  Love can come in multiple forms such as friendship, family, co-workers, a lover, and it can be found on the pages of this wonderful book.   My readers mind was full again.  This book is also about friendship.  It goes to great lengths to show the meaning of true friends, and how they are there for you when you need them most, even if you don't realize it.  Cherish them.

Godspeed:  a love story is poignant, touching, heartbreaking, uplifting, laugh out loud funny, cleansing, has a cast of characters you wished were your friends, and is one of those books that you want to share with everyone you know and don't know and tell them that they HAVE to read it.  It has twists and turns that bring you to an scenic view of beauty and colors you can only find in nature and see with your soul. If you've had a bad day, week or month, it will bring you back to a place that you thought you had lost.  It will restore you faith in whatever you believe in most, if only for a few hours.  

I cherished my hours with Derry and Amedee.  

Thank you Mr. Chabot for those hours.  

We are mourning together as a country.  We need Derry more than ever, today.

Dan Chabot

Love of Shadows

Title:  Love of Shadows
Author:  Zoe Brooks
Publisher:  White Fox Books (October 10, 2012)
Medium:  Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:
"I had always felt most alive, when I was healing. Without healing I was a tin top spinning out of kilter soon to catch the ground. It took all my energy to hold myself from skidding into chaos."But in the city of Pharsis traditional women healers are banned from practising and the penalty for breaking the law is death by hanging. After being arrested and interrogated twice Judith is careful to avoid suspicion, but then scarlet fever breaks over the city like a poisonous wave, leaving in its wake the small corpses of children. What will the young healer do?
Love of Shadows is the second novel in The Healer's Shadow trilogy, which began with Girl in the Glass, and follows the lives of Judith and her Shadow, Sarah. It is a study in grief, love and defiance.


In this season of being thankful and giving, I am most thankful for authors.  I am thankful for the authors that fill my inbox daily asking me to read and review their book.  I am thankful that author's are patient, because sometimes life gets in the way of doing what you love.  I am thankful that very soon, this blog - only 8 months old - will have 2600 page views.  I am thankful that people who read my reviews and take my recommendations find that they too love the books and authors that I have shared.  I am thankful for the Indy author, who struggles on a daily basis to weave words into sentences that become a beautiful tapestry known as a book.  

I'm very thankful for Zoe Brooks.  She asked me several months ago to review her book Girl in the Glass which I fell in love with immediately.  It is a book that touches on your senses and begs you to slow down and savor every word as the ending draws near.  As I mentioned in that review, I was to happy to find out that the book is a first in Ms. Brooks' Shadows Trilogy.  Whew!  And I am even more thankful to Ms. Brooks because she asked me to review the second book in that series.

Sometimes a series can let you down.  You invest so much time into the characters only to find the next book in the series disappoints you.  Well, let me tell you, Love of Shadows does not disappoint.  It picks right up where Girl in the Glass leaves off.  Ms. Brooks doesn't miss a beat getting right back into the lives of Judith and Sarah.  There is adventure, there is tragedy, there is love, there is pain and there is healing. 

As a reader I was never bored and I was never left unfulfilled.  I was so pleased with this second book of Ms. Brooks, in the fact that she gives such beautiful descriptions and answers all of the questions that rise when one is reading a book.  I really think you should get both of these books, snuggle up and spend your weekend in the city of Pharsis getting to know Judith and Sarah.  You will be so happy to know them.

Zoe Brooks

The Grey Cat

Title:  The Grey Cat
Author:  Toryn Chapman
Publisher:  Cubefarm (May 6, 2012)
Medium:  Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:
When Jillian Barrett’s aged but lively mother, Elizabeth, grows short-tempered and suspicious, Alzheimer’s disease is the furthest cause from Jillian’s mind. But once the truth is dramatically revealed, Jillian fights to care for her mother, risking her closest relationships while she copes with Elizabeth’s ever more unpredictable behaviour. What she can never know are the experiences that, seventy years ago, shaped her mother’s life and to which she is increasingly drawn back. Left in a Depression-era orphanage following a family tragedy, Elizabeth had to care for her young sister and brother, and endure a heartless institution. 
The separate stories of past and present touch in ways neither Jillian nor Elizabeth understand, until they meet at last in a stunning climax that will make your heart ring.

I remember as a child that people grew old, but I never really knew where they went.  I never truly dealt with death until I was a teenager, and never lost anyone very close to me until I was in my 20's. I don't believe that I ever knew anyone growing up that had Alzheimer's disease.  Once I started working as a family practice nurse I came to see the face of this horrific disease.  My heart ached for the caregivers, my mind struggled to wrap itself around how the patient felt.  

Then the disease crept its way into my family.  Several years ago my husband and I started noticing some changes in his Mom.  They were subtle, and because they were making some major changes in their life, we just kind of kept watch.  The signs were still there, unmistakable, and could no longer be ignored.  The last few years it has progressed, but not to that critical point yet - and it may never get there.  We maintain our sense of humor, we cry when we need to, and we never show our true feelings when we answer the same question for the 10th time in less than 30 minutes.  

What's worse is to watch my father-in-law, the sole caregiver, struggle with this current life he is living.  They are both aging, they are both proud and stubborn, and they are doing pretty damn good on their own.  Our family is a little spread out, but luckily, someone can be there in 10 minutes, another in a couple of hours, and another in less than a day.  We have learned through the last few years that it's important to lean on each other when we need to and to be strong.  

Yes, Alzheimer's disease is something that I wish no one would have to face, but for those of us that do face it, then we must learn from it.  We must learn to remember the good, not to pity, and not to be angry at the person suffering.  We cannot be selfish in our feelings of sadness, because the person suffering really wouldn't want us to feel that way, and may not be able to understand.

When Toryn Chapman contacted me to review The Grey Cat, I couldn't say no.  This is a topic that is too close to my heart, and the more I can read about it, the better for me, especially when you read the story behind the story.  I loved how Mr. Chapman took a mixture of the past and the present to bring to life a story that needed to be told.  My heart ached for Elizabeth.  My heart ached for Jillian.  My heart soared for the strength that each showed while facing adversities - adversities that neither should have had to endure; Jillian's journey as a loving caregiver for her mother and Elizabeth's journey through a hell that no child should ever have to endure.

Mr. Chapman writes a beautiful story, that is both happy and sad.  I had so many mixed feelings throughout this book, and it took me longer to read than normal because I wanted to savor every moment past and present.  And the rush of feeling relief at the conclusion of The Grey Cat still bothers me, and probably will for time to come.  But that's not an entirely bad thing, and I think part of the mastery behind Mr. Chapman's writing.

It makes one stand back in awe of what our minds are capable of.  Even in the darkest of days, we can find peace in distant memories and we can find strength from a simple animal.  Funny isn't it?

The journey of Alzheimer's disease is a struggle for everyone that it touches.  It's a life changer.  It can tear families apart, it can bring them together.  It can make you laugh at times, it can make you scream in anger, and it can make you cry.  One thing I have learned through Alzheimer's touching my life, is that you cannot let it beat you.  You cannot let it eat at you.  You cannot allow it to rule you.  

The Grey Cat is a wonderful book that touched my heart and made me think, and if you or anyone you know is struggling as a caregiver, family member or friend of an Alzheimer's patient, take the time to read The Grey Cat.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The Grey Cat

Reader Radar #9

Title:  Underground Nest
Author:  Kathleen Maher
Publisher:  Beekman Press (August 1, 2012)
Medium:  Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:
Never marry a Boy Scout.
When Zachary Severins, dedicated Scoutmaster and community leader, is caught cheating on his wife, she divorces him, his children lose respect for him, and his mistress spurns him. As Zach's personal life crumbles, his professional career begins to follow. Only after Zach loses everything does he start to learn the true meaning of friendship, love, and responsibility.
Underground Nest, a short novel, is contemporary fiction with a sharp sense of humor but a soft heart for its characters.


It's been so long since I've done a Reader Radar segment. Part of it was my fault for not digging deeper for the short stories and novellas, so I did what any great procrastinator does and wait for stuff to drop in my lap. Then, there in my inbox, was an opportunity that I am so glad that I did not pass up, along with proving to myself that good things do come to those who wait.


Underground Nest may be a mere 82 pages long, but it has more jam packed into those few pages than many full length novels I've read. The one thing that stood out most for me is that Maher (whether intentionally or not) crafted her story to touch, ever so lightly in some cases, on each of the seven deadly sins. I found this to be very interesting, because it was so subtle for me, and honestly it didn't really hit me until I started to write this review, and I actually questioned myself, and probably will continue to do so. But, I'm going to leave it out there.


I finished Underground Nest during my lunch break this afternoon with mixed feelings. Part of me was filled with glee, while another part was heartbroken, while another part was disgusted because of how much Zach wasted and thew away. Without giving anything away, this little novella will fill your senses, tease your brain, and give the Boy Scout motto of "be prepared" an entire new meaning.


If you are short on time, Underground Nest is the perfect read for you. You will not be disappointed. I take that back, you might be a little disappointed, but not in the novella one bit. A must read. Kathleen Maher is most definitely on my Reader Radar - I'm very interested to see what else she has to offer.

Underground Nest

Misfortune Cookie

Title:  Misfortune Cookie
Author:  Michele Gorman
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services
Medium:  Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:
Would you move 6,000 miles to be with the love of your life?
Hannah did. Unfortunately her plan isn't going terribly well. What was supposed to be a move to Hong Kong to start a wonderful new life with Sam is turning into a move to Hong Kong to spend occasional weekends with Sam, when he can get away from an unanticipated work assignment on the opposite side of the South China Sea. Still, she's optimistic, if woefully unprepared for the intricacies of Hong Kong. Stumbling through the alien city, which she loves, she starts to build a life for herself. Things definitely look up when she finds a great boss to work for, and her best friend Stacy moves to the city too. But alarm bells ring as Sam seems to be getting a bit too cozy with his boss. And when things start going wrong at work, Hannah can't help but wonder if she's made the biggest mistake of her life.

I think there are times in our adult, grown up lives where we don't want to remember that we had ever been desperately in love like with someone who didn't like love us back as much.  I really think like hurts a little more than love sometimes, because once you get over the fact that he never really liked you as much as you loved him, that you realize it never was love at all.  Then when you do find true, real love, you realize how dumb you were and kick yourself in the rump for wasting time on such a loser in the first place.  But was it really a waste of time?  Maybe not.  Life starts out being a series of lessons, some more painful than others, some harder to learn than other, but lessons that end up benefiting us whether we want it to at the time or not.  Reflection certainly has given me lessons that I learned a long time ago that I use today.

Misfortune Cookie was a book about life's lessons.  Hannah, being the perfect poster child for me to get back into dart throwing, was the young lady who really needed to learn some life lessons.  I will admit that while I could totally relate to many of her feelings and irrationalities, I didn't like her until toward the end of the book, and I fell in love with her, because she finally grew up!!!

I love that Misfortune Cookie was set in Hong Kong.  Gorman painted me the perfect picture of what life was like for Hannah after moving from London to Hong Kong to follow a boy.  I had a feel for what a city I honestly know nothing about was like to live in, and there was even a little bit of history set into her book.  

Hannah was real.  She could be any young woman who falls hard for a guy.  She had the same feelings, the same worries, the same fears, and made the same silly decisions.  Gorman did an excellent job of bringing a character to life, someone that most of us can relate to in some way, and she tied her up nicely and neatly with a bow into an enjoyable book that kept me entertained this past week.

When I start any book to review, I stay away from Amazon, Goodreads, and usually the author's blog or website, because I don't want to know anything about what anyone else thinks of the books I'm reading until after I read them.  I think this is fair to myself and very fair to the author, because even though I'm not easily influenced by what other people think, I want to give each book the most fair review that I can.  This may not be the best idea, especially when it comes to the author's website or blog.  In preparing for this blog post, I found out that Misfortune Cookie is a sequel.

Misfortune Cookie is a sequel to a book called Single in the City.  So, for those of ya'll who are going to get this book today, why don't you go ahead and pick up both books?  You won't be disappointed by Gorman's writing style, and you'll get to enjoy some more of Hanna's crazy and exciting life!

Michele Gorman

In Need of Therapy

Title:  In Need of Therapy
Author:  Tracie Banister
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services
Medium:  Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:
Lending a sympathetic ear and dispensing sage words of advice is all part of the job for psychologist Pilar Alvarez, and she’s everything a good therapist should be: warm, compassionate, supportive. She listens, she cares, and she has all the answers, but how’s the woman everyone turns to in their hour of need supposed to cope when her own life starts to fall apart? 

While working hard to make a success of her recently-opened practice in trendy South Beach, Pilar must also find time to cater to the demands of her boisterous Cuban family, which includes younger sister Izzy, an unemployed, navel-pierced wild child who can't stay out of trouble, and their mother, a beauty queen turned drama queen who’s equally obsessed with her fading looks and getting Pilar married before it’s “too late.” Although she’d like to oblige her mother and make a permanent love connection, Pilar’s romantic prospects look grim. Her cheating ex, who swears that he’s reformed, is stalking her. A hunky, but strictly off-limits, patient with bad-boy appeal and intimacy issues is making passes. And the sexy shrink in the suite across the hall has a gold band on his left ring finger. 

When a series of personal and professional disasters lead Pilar into the arms of one of her unsuitable suitors, she's left shaken, confused, and full of self-doubt. With time running out, she must make sense of her feelings and learn to trust herself again so that she can save her business, her family, and most importantly, her heart.

Any book that is set in Florida should be a great read, right? I mean, Florida is now my home, and I think palm trees and sunsets are what makes the world go round these days. Yesterday was one of those lazy Florida days for me. I didn't have a lot to do, and having just come off a very popular psychological thriller of a book for my book club, a week full of psychologically challenged people, and yet another full moon, I needed something to lighten the burden a bit lot.

I'm so glad that I picked In Need of Therapy, because it fit into my theme of reading lately, it fit into everything I have been dealing with at work, and it helped pass an ordinary Saturday with a lot of out loud laughs!  While I have never been further South in Florida than the Englewood area, I got a great feel for what Miami might be like.  

Pilar Alvarez at first sounded like a very intelligent, very spoiled child of wealthy parents, with a father who would indulge her every whim, but the further and deeper you delve into the book, you realize that Pilar has the same fears and desires and makes many of the same mistakes us "normal" gals do - although she has a bigger budget and lives in Miami.  Ms. Banister really gives the reader a great insight into the dynamics of a Latin family, which if you have ever met one, is spot on! 

It's been a while since I read a chick lit book, and In Need of Therapy reminded me why I love this genre so much.  It's easy to read, it has a few moments when you just need to walk away from the main character, and it always makes you smile.

In Need of Therapy is fast-paced, and once you start reading, you don't want to put the book down.  Little things like your Kindle running out of battery and eating dinner, certainly put a cramp in your ebb and flow of reading, especially when you are down to 25%, so plan accordingly!  As summer ends and we start to turn to a new season, what better way to celebrate than reading a fun book that will keep you guessing, keep you laughing, and has skywriting!  Skywriting alone, should have you all picking this book up, right now! 

Traci Banister

pig

Title:  pig

Author: SBR Martin

Publisher:  The Artists Orchard

Medium:  Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:

Enough is enough! What does it take for a troubled woman to finally let go? SBR Martin's second novel, "pig," answers this question by bringing dark topics to light in an unnerving, yet inspiring, story of domestic abuse, sexuality, reflection, and loss.
Her name is Lily, but she’s gone by different names over the years—Lilith, Mom, Flower, and Pig, to name but a few. 
She’s sitting alone on a couch in the corner of a crowded funeral home, desperately clinging to a scrap of paper in her right hand. She’s avoiding contact with those around her, keeping to herself, because she holds more than that scrap of paper—she holds a lot of secrets, includin...g one she’s keeping from herself.
In the other room, which she dare not enter, a man lies in a closed casket. That man is her husband. Only she knows how he got there, and only the telling of her story can tell his.
As Lily guards her secrets on the couch in the corner, the familiar faces of funeral home patrons stir a lifetime of memories, a collection of past events brought to pass before her eyes.
How did her husband get in that box? And what is she holding in her hand? Step into Lily’s past to answer the present questions. But don’t expect to be pleased with everything you learn. Some stories just aren’t meant to have happy endings.

Sometime last year my husband and I were talking about purchasing books in a bookstore, and he asked me if I had ever walked by a shelf with books on it and picked one out just because of its cover alone.  Nope.  I said that it's what is in between the front and back cover that matters most.  

So, when pig by SBR Martin landed in my inbox, the first thing that caught my eye was the cover art.  I knew I would read it no matter what.  They (they??) say to never judge a book by it's cover, but in this case you can.

For the first time in a very long time, a book has come along for me where the cover art is completely reflective of an entire book - not a chapter, not a character, not an underlying secret meaning the reader never can find, but one that encompasses the entire book.  Cover to cover.

pig is not a new story.  It's a story that has been told countless times, over countless years, in countless ways, but Ms. Martin was able to take this story and bring it into a new light and give the victim a new voice.  To say that I stayed riveted to each word on each page is an understatement.  To say that I felt such sadness throughout the entire book is an underestimate of my feelings  Lilly is forever etched into my soul, she got under my skin, and she made me crazy at times.

When you have a loss in your life, there always comes a time that you have to let go.  What determines when that time is a matter that only the person who has experienced the loss.  Lilly's life was a series of losses, from the very moment she was conceived the losses started stacking up around her.  Her freedom would depend on if she would ever be able to let go.

If stories of despair, desperation, and dread don't scare you, pig is a must read.  If you are not afraid of a little depravity with an inkling of hope then pig is a must read.  If you are ready to let go then pig is a must read.

And I need to give a shout out to Jenn Wertz, your art is captivating!!!  Thanks to you, I may very well judge another book by it's cover!!

SBR Martin