Review of "A fifty-year silence" by Miranda Richmond Mouillot

A Fifty-Year Silence is the intense account of Miranda Richmond Mouillot's  exploration to find out what happened between her grandmother and her grandfather, who wouldn't utter his wife's name after she left him.  To discover the roots of their long silence, Miranda abandons her plans for the future and moves to their old house; buries  herself in letters, archives, and other sources.  As she reconstructs how Anna and Armand braved overwhelming odds and how the knowledge her grandfather acquired at Nuremberg destroyed their relationship, Miranda wrestles with the story of trauma, deep history, and the often confused memory.  She also finds herself learning how to survive – making a home in the village and falling in love herself. Great enchanting read!

review provided for bloggingforbooks.com

Book review of: If I fall, If I die by Michael Christie

Will has never been to the outside, at least not since he can remember. And he has certainly never gotten to know anyone other than his mother, a loving, eccentric agoraphobe who drowns in panic at the thought of opening the front door. Their little world comprises only the rooms in their home, each named for various locales and filled with Will's art.  Despite his mother's protestations, Will ventures outside in a protective helmet and braces himself for danger. He eventually meets Jonah, a quiet boy who introduces Will to skateboarding. Will welcomes his new world with enthusiasm, his fears fading and his body hardening with each new bump and fall.  When a local boy goes missing, Will and Jonah want to uncover what happened. They start on an adventure that takes Will far from his closed-off world and into the throes of early adulthood and the dangers of everyday life. If I Fall, if I Die is a great debut full of dazzling prose, unforgettable characters, and a heartfelt depiction of learning a whole new world in the process.

this book was given to me in exchange for my thoughts by Bloggingforbooks.com

Book review of: It was me all along: A memoir by Andie Mitchell

What a well written and heartfelt story.  I had trouble putting this book down and was able to read it in one day, even with a busy toddler at my side.  Andie is so genuine; you can really feel her pain and agony she went through with the range of emotions that come with losing over 130 lbs!  She had a rough childhood and never learned the value of healthy food, hence eating all the wrong things to mask her emotions and feelings.   She found the light at the end of the tunnel and was able to live a comfortable life with normal and healthy feelings towards food. I highly recommend this book and I would love to hang out with the author, it felt like talking to your best friend while reading it.

Review of "The 13th gift: A true story of a Christmas miracle" by Joanne Huist Smith

This book is about a recent widow who isn't in the mood for Christmas, yet slowly realizes with each secret gift left for her family that it isn't about her, its about the miracle of Christmas to a child. I found myself trying to connect the simple surprise gifts with the poem/song about the 12 days of Christmas, I found myself with much more empathy for the author. Loved reading of her relatives, co workers, friends who shared their concerns with her, and even smiled when I read how she drove over the tree stand to take out some of her pain. The description of the tree they chose reminded me of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree in so many ways.

What made this book well worth the read, was the children's personalities and how they each viewed the surprise gifts being left on the porch, and how the author does such a wonderful job showing each of their personalities and serious as well as humorous take on life.

Highly recommend this book for a hospice support group library, for pastors, therapists, family and friends of someone who has lost a spouse and has children or does not have children, as well as for your local library.

And consider paying it forward to someone near you. They need not be someone who has lost a spouse, but it could be someone who has a family member who is seriously ill, or someone who is out of work. Even an elderly person who is alone and could use a bit of joy in their life during the holiday season. I even suggest reading a chapter aloud as a family starting in December and then talk about the chapter and lessons learned.

Book compensated and provided by blogging for books.