**Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors share their books with others. You can help too by sharing this post with all of your social media followers. Together we can help Indie books succeed. Below is my review of an honest and very personal story of loss and grief by author Bill Beckett.
BOOK REVIEW
The Empty Side of Our Bed is Bill Beckett’s story of the loss of his beloved wife Bonnie to cancer, and his painful journey forward. Beckett makes it clear that there are no easy answers and no step-by-step guidelines to cope with losing the love of your life. Instead he shares his emotions from the beginning of his journey until the present. His description of heartache as an actual, physical pain is so real, and he describes the darker times when he was overwhelmed with the physical agony of it, along with the mental anguish. At the same time, he shares happy memories with Bonnie and stresses the simple moments that we should all embrace to the fullest, because they are the ones he misses the most. He shares how he has learned to live with grief, and he honors his late wife and his love for her.
This is a wonderful tribute to the author’s wife, and at the same time, a deeply honest story of experiencing grief and moving slowly forward.
I received a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill Beckett is a former IT and digital forensics professional who turned to writing after the loss of his wife, Bonnie. He is the author of Love, Family, Cancer, a heartfelt account of their journey through illness. His current project, The Empty Side of Our Bed, is a deeply personal memoir about grief, healing, and rediscovering identity. Bill writes with raw honesty, offering comfort to fellow widowers and anyone navigating profound loss. He is a father, grandfather, and storyteller who believes in the quiet power of words to help us carry on.
PURCHASE LINK
Click on the cover to purchase on Amazon
BEFORE YOU GO
**If you read the book, please be sure to leave a review on Amazon. It helps Indie authors so much. A review does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a sentence or two about how the book made you feel will make an author’s day and help their books succeed.
Indie Weekend is back! For those who don’t know, this is my effort to share Indie Books with as many readers as possible. I had to pause it for a while in June due to major life events, but I’m ready to start it up again. Below is a review, book description, and buy links for THAT DAY AND WHAT CAME AFTER, Rebecca Daniels’ memoir about her life with her husband Skip.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)
What if you came home one day and found your husband dead in his favorite chair? This grief memoir explores the author’s experience of the unexpected death of her husband from sudden cardiac arrest a mere three months after his doctors had pronounced him hale and healthy. The author shares her experiences in the immediate aftermath of the abrupt shock of discovery, reminisces about the details of the couple’s late-in-life courtship and marriage, and imparts other experiences she has had along the grieving road in the years since becoming a widow.
In our society, we often don’t want to talk or even think about death, so stereotypes about widows exist. However, each person’s grief journey is unique, and sharing tales of those experiences can be helpful and useful for those who find themselves in a similar situation. Though not a self-help book, this memoir is the story of a widow who defied the stereotype that widows are expected to “get over it” and move on with their quiet lives. Instead, this widow “got through it” and is now sharing her journey in hopes of helping others in comparable circumstances.
BOOK REVIEW
In this touching memoir, Rebecca Daniels begins with the terrible day that she lost her husband, Skip. She also takes the reader on a journey back to their first meeting and allows us a window into their courtship, commitment ceremony, and marriage. She tells us about her grief journey and building a new life without her beloved husband by her side.
This is a moving story of a terrible loss and how the author found the ways of coping that worked the best for her. She shares parts of her journal and essays she wrote on being a widow, which I’m sure will be helpful for others. She also opens up about her fears, such as worrying that her stepdaughter wouldn’t want her around anymore. The book includes warm and loving stories about Skip that really give the reader a picture of who he was, and also who the author is. This is an open and honest memoir that may help others who have lost someone. Highly recommend.
I downloaded this book on Amazon via Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read it for free.
*If you read the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the WordPress “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter (X), Facebook, and/or WordPress followers. A little bit of assistance from all of us will help Indie authors go a long way!
Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. Marketing is a daunting task, and if I can help even a little, I’m happy to do it. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide with all of your social media followers. Below is my review of Miss I Wish You A Bed of Roses by Sherri Moshman-Paganos. It is a delightful memoir about teaching English at a secondary school in Greece.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)
Teaching: you’re frustrated and exhausted one day, gratified and fulfilled the next. Teaching is not like other careers; teachers give their whole selves to their students day after day.
Blending a humorous memoir with classroom ideas, the author looks back on her 40 years of teaching international students. She writes about her teaching insecurities, secondary school and college composition classes, the difficult and the great, the base and the sublime. She describes school grades, bells and meetings, and the routines of any high school. Although teaching in Greece has unique challenges, Greek teens are like teenagers everywhere, full of hopes and dreams for the future. Besides looking at her own career growth, the author offers advice for language and literature classes, and ideas for using poetry, songs, and film to create a lively atmosphere for learning.
Whether you are a new teacher interested in suggestions for your classes, including ESL or EFL teachers, or an experienced teacher looking for new ideas, this book is for you. But anyone who has taken an English language or literature class or has children taking literature classes will enjoy this spirited memoir, enhanced by the author’s poetry and student comments. Her main advice: “Content counts, but more so, formulating your teaching philosophy. And don’t forget to keep your temper and your sense of humor!”
BOOK REVIEW
This is a memoir that teachers will definitely enjoy, but I also recommend it to anyone interested in literature and interactions with other cultures. Moshman-Paganos recalls her early days teaching English in Greece and all the challenges, highs, and lows. The book is peppered throughout with poems and quotes that will both inspire you and make you smile. The author’s insight into working with teenagers and her helpful tips will definitely provide great ideas and inspiration to other teachers.
I most enjoyed the many, many stories about the author’s students and the appendixes in the back that included student answers to questions such as “When Are You Happiest?” and “What Occupation Would You Choose If You Didn’t Have To Worry About Money?” I enjoyed the samples of Student job application letters, especially the one for the vacant position of Defense Against The Dark Arts Teacher at Hogwarts. Moshman-Paganos’s clever and endearing way of teaching and interacting with students is admirable, and I think prospective teachers will be motivated by this book.
I downloaded a copy of this book on Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read it for free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sherri Moshman-Paganos taught English to international students in New York City before joining the American College of Greece faculty in 1983. Here she taught secondary school English and college freshman composition classes.
Since her retirement in 2018, she has devoted herself to writing. She publishes a travel/culture blog on her travels in Greece and life in Athens called Olives and Islands. Besides “Miss I wish you a Bed ofRoses,” she is also the author of a fictionalized memoir on her years in Manhattan: Step Lively: New YorkCityTales of Love and Change, and a collection of poetry, Wanderings: Poems of Discovery.
Click on the cover image to buy this on Amazon. Kindle Unlimited Subscribers can borrow this for free.
BEFORE YOU GO
*If you read the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the WordPress “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter (X), Facebook, and/or WordPress followers. A little bit of assistance from all of us will help Indie authors go a long way!
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
CURRENT READ
This is the latest Eve Dallas. I’m only about halfway through, but it is COMPELLING. Teenagers are being murdered at clubs, and Eve is on the trail of the killer, who is injecting teens with a lethal substance while they dance, and then slipping away.
JUST FINISHED READING
I did a lot of reading while I was off for Christmas.
CHRISTMAS PIE is another Christmas Story by Jodi Taylor, who always releases a short story on Christmas Day. This is my favorite one ever! For the last several years I’ve enjoyed the Christmas tradition of reading Jodi’s latest story, and I thank her for that. My review is here.
THE WOMAN IN ME by Britney Spears should scare the crap out of you, especially if you don’t have trustworthy people in your life. My review is here.
CHARLIE HUSTLE by Keith O’Brien shares all the dark secrets about Pete Rose, who I still think should be in the Hall of Fame. This isn’t published until April, so my review will come later.
WHAT AM I READING NEXT?
Publisher’s Description:
As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada’s Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family–French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral–are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America’s borderlands.
As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William’s, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.
I will start this soon. I’m doing a blog tour for this book with Austenprose PR later this month.
Inspired by the true events of the most notorious evictions in Irish history…
1861, Donegal, Ireland
Ten years ago Declan Conaghan’s father died in the Great Famine, and since then, Declan has kept his promise to keep his family out of the workhouse. But all that is threatened with the arrival of new landlord, John Adair. Adair is quick to cause trouble and fear among his tenants. When he turns them off his land, Declan has no option but to break his promise…
Declan is in despair until he receives a letter from America offering him the chance of a new life and salvation for his family. But it would mean signing up to the US Army and fighting for Lincoln. Despite knowing nothing of war, or US politics, Declan leaves behind all he knows.
Set against the wild landscapes of Ireland and the turbulent times of the American Civil War, this sweeping narrative takes us on an epic journey to understand the strength and endurance of the human spirit.
This is the only book on my Netgalley shelf that is late, but I also picked up the audiobook and I’ll be listening to it soon.
UPDATE
Christmas was wonderful. I’m back to work, but luckily I can listen to audiobooks while I drive, and that helps me keep up with my reading. Looking forward to New Year’s and the Rose Bowl. ROLL TIDE!!!
This is written very simply as if Britney is speaking directly to the reader. She talks about her childhood, her father’s alcoholism and abuse, and her rise to stardom. Then she begins to show us how she ended up under her father’s control legally. My take on this is that she was overworked, reeling from a breakup and the loss of her kids, and her family took advantage. In my opinion, they’d been living off of her too long and didn’t want it to end.
The most shocking part of the book to me was that when her father got the conservatorship, he told her “I’m Britney Spears now.” Everything she did was with his permission. She couldn’t even eat what she wanted. And she remained under his control for 13 years. Yet while she was supposed to be so unwell, he had her working nonstop. She became his dancing puppet and golden goose. Her court-appointed attorney did nothing, and she was basically locked away, brought out only for performances. It is shocking and sad. Then she tells us how she finally gained freedom, and how close she feels to her fans.
It was a sad read. It reminds me of a book I read recently set in the 1920s about a husband who sent his wife to an asylum because he wanted her money. At the time I thought that couldn’t happen in this day and age. But I was wrong.
Nobody helped her for a long time. In my opinion: The media wanted its story. Her mother and sister wanted the life they were accustomed to, and her father wanted control. Britney just wanted her kids. This is a compelling story that I read in one sitting, and it’s a warning to women that things like this can still happen.
Although the writing style is not as complex as I would like, this gets 4.5 stars for the content and for shining the light on a situation that I thought couldn’t happen in the 21st Century. I think all women should read this. This is rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.
Yes, I know it’s Monday, but I’m extending Indie Weekend long enough to post a review of an inspiring book. Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing, which can be a daunting task. If I can help even a little, I’m happy to do it. You can help as well by sharing this post with all of your social media followers, so as many people as possible can hear about this book. Below is a Book Description, Review, Author Info, and a Buy Link for Better Dirty Than Done by Rick Czaplewski.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
A Cancer Diagnosis and a Relapse … Grim Medical Results … The Expiring Clock … The Unquenchable Thirst to Live and Thrive … Already facing a wretched cancer diagnosis, a young man’s prospects for survival dim as he learns his treatments have not worked. Writing against the clock, he feverishly authors a story of profound joy and sadness exploring the life he could have lived. Desperately told, his story takes you through poignant memories, intimate relationships, and fantastical triumphs in a quest to make sense of it all and leave a legacy behind. An addictive, inspiring memoir, Better Dirty Than Done will have you turning pages and questioning the value of your own time. What would you do if your life suddenly had an imminent expiration date? Grab a box of tissues and reflect on both the fragility of life and its limitless potential for joy. Beautifully told through an authentic, intimate voice Better Dirty Than Done will inspire anyone seeking to make sense of life.
BOOK REVIEW
This is an amazing memoir about the author’s fight with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and his determination to write his own story. He allows us a seat in the room as he finds out he’s had a relapse, and then he begins to respond in his own way. We learn what it looks like when a college student has to leave school to fight cancer, and how it feels to go through chemo at the age of 21. And then we watch in admiration as Rick begins to write and fight his own way back.
Rick’s story raises the question: If you find out approximately how many days of life you have left, how would you live? What choices would you make, and how would you construct your own story going forward? What memories would stay with you and keep you going? The bits of fantasy woven into this memoir about Rick’s possible future life make this story even more compelling and intriguing. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an inspiring account of a young man’s fight for life.
I received a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rick first met Hodgkin’s Disease as a freshman in college and reacquainted with cancer only 18 months later when it relapsed. Determined to graduate, Rick dropped out of college, underwent chemotherapy, and returned to earn his degree.
As a survivor, Rick has fundraised thousands of dollars for the LLS and helped several other cancer fighters find hope. To Rick, survivorship means squeezing out every drop of experience life offers with the precious, finite time we have.
*If you read the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the WordPress “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of assistance from all of us will help Indie authors go a long way!
Her trailblazer of a distant cousin forged a solitary, singular path during and after WWII. Unassuming and somewhat clueless, Christine eventually finds she has to do pretty much the same. A teen fully expecting her Midwestern life would be drab and ho-hum, she meets in Germany an elderly man who offered her a ride – and insight into a legacy she was going to rely on throughout her entire life.
Marrying the wrong guy, divorced, isolated, and responsible for four chronically ill children, she charged forward, brooking no fools to get her children the healthcare and education they richly deserved, even if that meant blackmailing the governor of Iowa. She took on the powers that be while always striving for the career she pined for.
Throughout all the decades of financial and personal setbacks and the chaos that swirled around her, Christine’s legacy constantly beckoned her: to be worthy of that distant cousin, WWII’s most decorated courier, and of a timeless love story she witnessed.
Christine’s life journey, including her 12 years in Poland (her other homeland), is a stirring testament to determination, imagination, and the power of perseverance.
BOOK REVIEW
This is the amazing memoir of journalist Christine Skarbek. It is written in such an engaging way that I was immediately invested and glued to the page. We follow Christine through her tough childhood, marriage struggles, divorce, and single motherhood, but her story is also full of travel, international adventures, and battles with government agencies. I think her fight for her kids and their health, physical and mental, stuck with me the most. She is a Warrior Mom at heart, and as a Mom and Grandmother, I can definitely relate to that. Intertwined with her memoir is the amazing story of the life of Christine’s namesake and distant relative, Krystyna Skarbek, also known as Christine Granville, an intelligence agent and courier during WWII. The way their two lives touched each other through inspiration and even a common acquaintance is really unusual, especially since Krystyna Skarbek died in 1952.
Another thing that stood out in this book is the travel. Although sometimes almost in poverty, Christine found a way to have life-changing adventures, even if they were local and inexpensive. But make no mistake, Christine traveled the world, and it’s all chronicled here for us to enjoy.
The author does share some of her personal politics, and that is not something that I review. However, I knew about it ahead of time, and it does not take over the book at all. This is a book about a woman who struggled, fought, traveled, and triumphed, and the history of another woman who inspired her. They were both named Christine.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Book Blogger Hop is run by Billy @CoffeeAddictedWriter. The aim of the blog hop is to provide bloggers with an opportunity to follow other blogs, discover new books, make friends with other bloggers, and gain new followers for their own sites. Today’s question is “What is Your Favorite Plot Twist?”
Just like any other genre, it depends on the book. I have read some memoirs that I loved, and some that fell short. Below are a few of the memoirs that I loved.
This book is hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking. Allison Arngrim is honest about abuse in her past but also wonderfully funny. She talks about her castmates in such a loving way, for the most part. Nobody liked Mary apparently. Melissa Gilbert’s memoir, which wasn’t my favorite, stated the same.
Lauren Graham’s memoir is just super funny and we get a great inside view of The Gilmore Girls and Parenthood.
Spare talks about the less glamorous side of being a Prince. Here’s my review. I loved it.
Not all the memoirs I’ve read were well-written and some of them were not what I expected. So again the answer to the question is: Sometimes.
Indie Weekend is my attempt to help Independent Authors with the task of marketing. Indie authors have to do it all, from cover design to editing, promotion, and more. If I can help even a little bit by sharing their wonderful books with others, I’m happy to do it.
Please share this review with your social media followers as well so we can spread the word about great Indie books as far as possible.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Bill Harrison chronicles his journey from bumbling music student to successful professional bass player in late twentieth-century Chicago. Told with a mixture of wry humor and hard-won insight, Making the Low Notes gives readers an insider’s peek into the prosaic life of a working musician. Harrison describes periods of camaraderie, disappointment, pain, and joy as he toils in venues as divergent as bowling alleys, jazz clubs, recording studios, hotels, orchestra pits, and concert halls. He shares the stage with jazz greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Clark Terry, Bunky Green, and Max Roach. Along the way, the bassist struggles to reconcile the dissonance between his desire to be heard and his impulse to hide silently in the shadows.
BOOK REVIEW
Making the Low Notes is the story of professional bass player Bill Harrison and his over 40-year career in music. This is not the glamorous tell-all you might get from a rock star. This is a story about the hard work it takes for most people to make a career in music, with its extreme ups and downs. Harrison speaks of his efforts to “stitch together a sustainable living” by playing in such varied places as bowling alleys, churches, and Broadway, and it truly is an up-and-down existence. Besides playing in gigs and theatrical productions, he started his own live music company and a business that created play-along tracks for music students. He also personally taught students to play the bass. He even delved into acting.
Besides the financial side of things, Harrison details the physical toll that being a bass player took on his body. But among the high notes are the facts that he also worked with many famous musicians and played in the orchestra for the Broadway musical Wicked.
The many anecdotes about the life of a working musician are interesting to read. This is a more realistic and unglamorous look at a way of life that many have romanticized. Only a small percentage make millions. Only a comparative few have their faces known. It was refreshing to see a different side of it. Making the Low Notes will be released on June 6, 2023.
I received a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
*If you read the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help Indie authors go a long way!
Are you caring for your chronically ill husband? Did you grow up with suicidal, alcoholic parents? Are you searching for a loving relationship? Have your efforts at starting a fulfilling career been thwarted by someone determined to hold you back? Maybe you’ve postponed your own dreams in order to keep from making waves with a significant other. Does your life seem to be heading a long wat from where you’d wish it to be? Any of these can steal your happiness or keep you from achieving your potential. All can crush your hopes and dreams.
This is the story of a woman who grew up in a dysfunctional family, was trapped by a predator at age 8, was suffocated by an abusive marriage, grappled with being a single mother, finally found her soulmate, struggled with a blended family, juggled the incompatible roles of wife and caregiver, yet maintained her faith, at least most of the time. She did it thanks to some special women who supported her in ways she didn’t recognize until she unconsciously drew upon their influence.
We hope you’ll learn to call on the influencers in our own life. Possibly you’ve drawn on them in your past and can now appreciate their impact on you.
BOOK REVIEW
In The Women in Me, Nancy Maloney-Mercado looks back at her life and the women who influenced her, especially four relatives who knew her from birth. She shares the lessons she learned from them and the characteristics she tried to emulate.
This reads more as a memoir than a self-help book, but it does inspire the reader to look back at the people who influenced them and guided them through problems in their own lives. Nancy’s experiences, which include having a suicidal mother, marriage to an alcoholic, and becoming her husband’s caregiver are experiences with which many readers may be able to relate. As Nancy talks about different struggles in her own life, she shares how her influencers helped her get through them, either directly or by using lessons they had taught her. Her influencers are described well, and with love and gratitude.
Although I would classify this as a memoir, it is a helpful memoir because it talks about very challenging life circumstances and one woman’s way of dealing with them. Most importantly, it emphasizes that it is vital to lean on the support and experiences of others and not to try and get through these things alone. And it might inspire you to be an influencer for someone else.
I received a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nancy Maloney-Mercado was born in Chicago, IL., but spent most of her adult life living in San Jose, CA. She began teaching in her late 20s, and she has happily walked that career path ever since, along the way building a reputation as a valuable member of many educational programs and institutions. When her latent artistic talent pushed its way to the surface, she began drawing and painting. Soon it was an integral part of who she was. In 2019 her beloved soulmate, Raymond, passed away after a long illness. She spends as much time as possible with her two daughters and granddaughter. As the existence of this book indicates, she continues to teach, at the same time finding new techniques to let her art express her life, experiences, and beliefs.
Jackie O’Donnell is a CA native. Her life has been spent in teaching, writing, and editing. She has four adult children—a devoted, caring son and daughter-in-law, plus another son and daughter who are far more than “step”—plus three grandchildren. Her beloved husband, Frank, succumbed to Agent Orange complications in 2016. She has published seven books, including one on saving money while helping the environment, another on everyday activities to make our world kinder and more just, one about helping people with disabilities cope with new 141 parenthood, and a volume of poetry (descriptions on her website (link below). Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JackieODonnell.
*If you buy the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help indie and self-published authors go a long way!
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