Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz is simply a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. Sunday Salon is a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

On Saturday, I tidied my home work office, read my current book, and then relaxed with hubby to watch the feel-good movie Fishermen's Friends, a British romantic comedy film based on a true story. It was a hoot!

Books to Help You Cope With Tough Times

If there was ever a time we needed help in coping and dealing with tough times, it's today. I'm a big believer in positive psychology and I'm proactive in spreading its message both in my personal life and in my work (I'm a Special care Counsellor in psychogeriatrics). These three products have been useful in keeping a smile on my face.

Published July 7th 2020 by Purple Dove Press

Buy it on Amazon.com ~ Amazon.ca ~ B&N 

Although a short book at only 87 pages, The Language of Deep Forgiveness is the perfect book to clarify and to help one truly understand the meaning of forgiveness. It's a book that makes you get unstuck from not being able to see past the hurt someone has done to us. Forgiveness is about giving ourselves peace of mind and the fortitude to move forward, but this is not so easily done. Even when we think we may have forgiven someone, deep down we may still have resentment and bitterness that can subtly eat at us. 

This book was very eye-opening and enlightening. It has taught me about myself, has made me reflect deeply on how I have forgiven others. This book has made me understand forgiveness through the  language that speaks to the heart in terms that the heart can understand. It was like a light bulb went off in my head! The author has a doctorate in clinical psychology and is also a Christian. His explanations were intelligent, concise and included a spiritual element that most psychology books do not. I will read it again and again because the process can take much reflection. Truly a book that can help us find peace of mind and move forward.

Published April 25, 2020 by The Happiness Center; 1st Edition

Buy it on Amazon.com ~ Amazon.ca ~ B&N

This book came at the right time. We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with one catastrophe after another: a global pandemic, forest fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, riots, and the list goes on. The authors wrote and published this book during the first wave of the pandemic this past spring so the information is very relevant. I read it as I was experiencing all the different changes that the lockdown and restrictions brought about and it helped me to cope!

The 7 keys discussed are not new concepts but simple truths that have proven to help in times of crisis, with the authors using examples from the coronavirus pandemic, making this a timely book that we can all relate to. The information can be put to practice immediately. It's a practical guidebook, with each chapter ending with points to ponder, questions to consider, and actions that can be taken. It's easy to read, only 122 pages, and gives us much on which to contemplate. I read a chapter a week and reflected on the wise counsel throughout my days.

If you love books that offer practical insight and help you be a better person, especially when times get tough, this one is a perfect read to get you to stay positive.

Published on January 28, 2020 by Red Feather

Buy it on: Amazon.com ~ Amazon.ca ~ B&N

Some of the keys to dealing with tough times is having awareness, initiative, positive attitude and kindness. This is where the Thank Forward Gratitude Action Kit comes in handy. 

It consists of a small box that contains 21 colorful action cards and a 64-page booklet explaining how to use each card. It also includes ideas on how creative you can get with your acts of kindness. 

Once again, Laura Morelli transports us to Italy, this time to medieval Florence where Michelangelo sets to create the splendid David sculpture. The topic and the book cover attracted me instantly!

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Once again, art historian Laura Morelli has written a stunning novel that easily transports us to Florence in the early 1500s when Michelangelo gets the commission to create a sculpture from the giant rectangle of marble that has been sitting idle for more than forty years.

As I started reading the novel, I realized the story was going to be told by Jacopo Torni, a childhood friend of Michelangelo, and that he was the main character and not Michelangelo. Jacopo was somewhat of a tortured soul. He was a gambler, a joker, an irresponsible older brother, but most of all, an insecure talented artist. There were times when I just wanted to shake him, when I was puzzled by his behaviour, or when I wondered when the story would gain some momentum. But as I kept reading, I began to have a better picture of this man who I think could have had bipolar disorder.

Jacopo and Michelangelo had a love/hate relationship, but in the end they were friends. The best part of the novel for me was seeing Michelangelo and his artistry through Jacopo's eyes, especially as the majestic David sculpture was unveiled and then slowly wheeled to where it would stand on display in Florence. I could feel the excitement, the awe and the pride the people felt displaying this masterpiece, this genius work of art. What a time in history that was.

Morelli, of course, brings Renaissance Florence to life. Its people, their way of life (with their lack of washing!), their art, and their political and cultural issues. Jacopo was an artist, a painter of frescoes, with this particular art technique brought to life. I went online several times to look at photos of the art mentioned in this book, especially Michelangelo's David. I now want more than ever to travel to Florence to see the David, the frescoes and all the beautiful art of the Renaissance.

Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz is simply a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. Sunday Salon is a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

After reading The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, I knew I wanted to read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, partly because I was so fascinated by the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians and also because of some of the controversy stating that Moyes had plagiarized this book. Well after reading both books, I can say that apart from the stories being based on the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians, that's where the similarities end. These are two very different stories. I loved the Giver of Stars and I loved this one too! I was happy to read two stories based on the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians and I hope there will be more written on the lives of these self-sacrificing women.

What I found the most fascinating in this novel that is completely missing in Moyes' book is the fact that the main character, Cussy Mary Carter, is the last of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky. I had never heard of this phenomenon (an inherited condition called methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder in which too little oxygen is delivered to one's cells) and I found myself researching this online. Cussy Mary or Bluet as some called her, is proud to be a librarian, bringing books to folks who appreciate her hard efforts to get them to her patrons up in those hardscrabble mountains. Cussy feels the prejudice of the other librarians and her only friend in town is Queenie, a black librarian.

This is very much the coming-of-age story of a woman who comes to realize that the color of her skin is not what defines her. Through the story we come to see her resilience, her compassion and generosity, her humbleness, her kindness and goodness, and her desire for betterment through education. She is a character I admired so much and that I will never forget! There were scenes in this book that brought me to tears.

The only thing I found a little disappointing is the abrupt ending. It felt rushed with so much action packed into a few pages. After becoming so emotionally invested, I felt it could have been better drawn out. Apart from this, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a compelling read and one of the best books I've read this year.

NYT and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson resides in her home state of Kentucky. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, building houses, and is an advocate for the prevention of child abuse and domestic violence, partnering with the U.S. Navy globally to bring awareness and education to the prevention of domestic violence. She is the author of the bestselling memoir The Unbreakable Child, and a book critic for the New York Journal of Books. Her novels include, Liar’s Bench, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field and The Sisters of Glass Ferry. Kim Michele latest novel is The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, a NYT bestseller about the fierce and brave Kentucky Packhorse librarians of Kentucky.

You can visit her websites and learn more at: www.kimmichelerichardson.com

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This children's book is about a beautiful little girl named Rosie who suddenly loses her hair because of the disease alopecia universalis. In rhyming verse, the author introduces us to Rosie and her journey to self-acceptance. It's a book that teaches children to love themselves as they are and to be proactive.

This is such a lovely book! And it's based on the true story of the author's daughter. The reader can't help but fall in love with this little girl whose inner joy helps her not only come to accept her disease but to use her coping strategies to help other children who are also bald, whether because of alopecia or cancer. Rosie's compassion and generous spirit shines. She is a great role model for other children on how to turn adversity into something good.

All readers, young and old, can benefit from reading this children's book. Who of us has not suffered from lack of confidence, self-esteem or courage at some point in our lives? Highly recommended as a book that should be in every classroom.

Ends November 6, 2020

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Sunday Salon hosted by Readerbuzz is simply a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. Sunday Salon is a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Book Details:

Book Title: The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson
Category: Adult Fiction,  416 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Women's Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release date: November 17, 2020
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (For some language, sexual assault, violence)


Book Description:

A broken family, a house of secrets—an entrancing tale of love and courage set during the Second World War.

After Rebecca’s mother dies, she must sort through her empty flat and come to terms with her loss. As she goes through her mother’s mail, she finds a handwritten envelope. In it is a letter that will change her life forever.

Olivia, her mother’s elderly cousin, needs help to save her beloved home. Rebecca immediately goes to visit Olivia in Cornwall only to find a house full of secrets—treasures in the attic and a mysterious tunnel leading from the cellar to the sea, and Olivia, nowhere to be found.

As it turns out, the old woman is stuck in hospital with no hope of being discharged until her house is made habitable again. Rebecca sets to work restoring the home to its former glory, but as she peels back the layers of paint and grime, she uncovers even more buried secrets—secrets from a time when the Second World War was raging, when Olivia was a young woman, and when both romance and danger lurked around every corner...

A sweeping and utterly spellbinding tale of a young woman’s courage in the face of war and the lengths to which she’ll go to protect those she loves against the most unexpected of enemies.

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

The Sea Gate is a dual timeline novel that introduces us to two very different women: Rebecca, a breast cancer survivor whose mother just died, and Olivia, her elderly relative who is now in the hospital and requires help. As Rebecca sets out for Cornwall to visit Olivia, she gets swept up in renovating Olivia's house so that the woman can come home. In the process, we get Olivia's back story, her coming-of-age during WWII with danger and forbidden love, while Rebecca goes through a transformation and takes back control of her life.

I enjoyed this novel and both Rebecca and Olivia's stories, although I must say I found Olivia's story more exciting and unpredictable. Through her relationship with the cantankerous Olivia, and her sojourn at Olivia's house by the sea, Rebecca finds the courage to mourn her mother in her own way, to accept her own losses from the cancer treatment, and finally, to regain confidence in herself. Olivia lost her father to the war and was essentially abandoned by her mother and had to take care of herself as a teenager. Through her story, we see her resilience and strength.

I loved the setting of Cornwall, the sea and the house on the cliff were like characters in the novel. The author's description vivid and alluring. The ending was bittersweet and a little rushed. The whole episode with Rebecca's one-dimensional boyfriend seemed unrealistic and Olivia's quick dismissal of crimes against her was anticlimactic. But overall, this was an exciting read with a compelling setting, full of mystery, secrets, danger, forbidden love, redemption and healing.

Jane Johnson is a novelist, historian, and publisher. She is the UK editor for George R.R. Martin, Dean Koontz, and others. She has written several novels for adults and children, including the bestselling novel The Tenth Gift. Writing under the pen name Jude Fisher, she has written the companion books to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies. Jane is married to a Berber chef she met while climbing in Morocco. She divides her time between London, Cornwall, and the Anti-Atlas Mountains. 

Connect with her on Twitter @JaneJohnsonBakr or visit her website at JaneJohnsonBooks.com.