"Blood Sisters" by Jane Corry

Blood Sisters by Jane Corry is a slow moving psychological thriller about Alison and Kitty, two step sisters. Vanessa though, being an only child, is envious of Alison and talks Kitty into making a pact to be blood sisters. One little act causes big trouble for all of them all and secrets are abundant. The day of the accident, Vanessa, Kitty's best friend, dies and Kitty suffers brain damage and is unable to speak. Alison feels enormous guilt and begins cutting herself.

This book shows how people are not all good or all bad and is about loyalty, friendship, relationships, special needs, prison, revenge, betrayal and lots of lies. I liked it but found it hard to really connect with the characters. They were so conniving!
(Karen's review 4 stars)

Teaser from page 10: She didn’t have a speech impediment, the doctor had explained to Friday Mum, as if Kitty wasn’t there. Her brain just wouldn’t translate her thoughts into words.


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"Love You Hard--A memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury and Reinventing Love" by Abby Maslin

In Love You Hard--A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love by Abby Maslin, Abby is a young woman who is married to a fireman she calls T.C.  They also have a son named Jack, age 2.  Life is good.  One night T.C. heads out to a ballgame but is not back in the morning.  Something is very wrong.  Abby's life as she knows it is over, and she will have to deal with a new reality.  Abby tells the story in this book and pulls no punches. 

I felt a lot of emotions as I read this and am sure you will too.  On Amazon, this book got a 94% 5 star rating and that is what I am giving it as well.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 134:  Decades more of in sickness and in health:  the three of us, growing old together, learning how to navigate the real world again and trying not to crash and burn.
    I park the car at the end of the gravel driveway outside Ruth and Don's familiar yellow house and burst into tears. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"What Alice Forgot" by Liane Moriarty (We Both Liked This!)

In What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, Alice is 29, loves her husband and is expecting a baby--life is good!  She has a fall at the gym though and has to go to the hospital.  At the hospital, she finds out she is 39 and has three kids but is getting a divorce!  What is going on?  Has she really lost the last ten years?

I enjoyed this book very much!  Alice was interesting and for sure funny!  It kept my interest throughout.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty is a thought provoking contemporary fiction book about amnesia.  At age 39, Alice hit her head hard on the handlebars when she fell in her spin class and lost the last ten years of memory.  She forgot she had three children, forgot she was very involved in their school, forgot all the changes her and her husband made to their home, forgot her best friend, and forgot she and her husband were now separated!   Her husband, Nick, loves his kids and was a good husband but what happened?  Alice forgot and is anxious to reconcile and have Nick come back home.  What happens when she finally remembers?  Will their family reunite or will Alice and Nick go their separate ways?

This is a very interesting, thought provoking and fun read.  Makes you think what has changed in your own life in the past ten years.  This book mostly covers the week after Alice's fall but then jumps ahead at the end about ten years into the future.  I loved the humor in this and would have given it 5 stars except I did not care about the sister's infertility story line and all her miscarriages.  I thought that part was quite boring and the book would have been better if it just focused on Alice and her family.  I really enjoyed Nick and her children!  This book actually looks at love from several different perspectives:  lost love, dating love, marriage love through the ups and downs, late-in-life love, and unexpected love.  We both think this would be a great book for a book club.  It has some questions in the back.  (4 stars)

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"BRAIN--The Complete Mind by Michael S. Sweeney (National Geographic)

I got BRAIN--THE COMPLETE MIND (How It Develops, How It Works, and How to Keep It Sharp) by Michael S. Sweeney for Christmas two years ago in 2014 and finally finished it!  It is a very in-depth book so I felt like I was reading a text book.  The other reason it took so long for me to read it was because of it being so big and heavy.  I do most of my reading on the bus and on breaks at work, but with this book, I just read it in short spurts at a time at home.  It photographs and art work is really good!  It is a very high quality glossy paper with a super layout and several features I liked which were the glossaries at the end of every chapter and the side notes on how to keep your mind sharp and "Fast Facts."  The only thing I didn't like was often there are sentences that are incomplete.  They just break off mid-sentence!  Other than that, it is a very interesting science book.  I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in the brain. 
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Ghost Boy" by Martin Pistorius is a True Story!

Ghost Boy--the miraculous escape of a misdiagnosed boy trapped inside his own body by Martin Pistorius is a true story!   It tells the story of Martin's life so far and what a story it is!  One day he went to school but never went back.  He spent his 14th birthday as a mute quadriplegic but then his mind came alive.  Thought to be brain dead, he was really aware of what was happening all around him but couldn't communicate it.  He knew it, but no one else did.  He refused to give up!  I also found it very interesting how people acted around him.  Give this book a try--I loved the ending!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

We Both Liked "Cold, Cold Heart" by Tami Hoag, She Does It Again!

In Cold, Cold Heart by Tami Hoag, Dana gets away from a serial killer by killing him which got me hooked right from the start.  After spending a year in the hospital trying recover from what he did to her, she returns home, hoping to get some of her memory back.  Unfortunately, home proves not to be a safe haven and thoughts of how her best friend died haunt her.

You can never go wrong with a Tami Hoag book, and this one is no exception.  I LOVED it and always wanted to return to it to read more.  It has a great story line, even includes a dog which I loved as well as a good ending.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Cold, Cold Heart by Tami Hoag is an unusual thriller in that the majority of the book deals with Dana trying to solve the mystery of her best friend's disappearance that happened seven years ago which makes the killer nervous.  Dana was a beautiful news anchor on TV until she was abducted by a serial killer who she managed to kill, but escaped with lots of side effects from her trauma including brain damage. 

I liked this book and agreed with its message, although it was somewhat redundant:  "Anyone could be a killer under the right circumstances" and "Where there's life, there's hope."  At the beginning, I'm wondering where the big mystery is since Dana kills the serial killer.    This book kept me guessing who killed Casey until near the end.  I really liked John who was nice to the stray dog who became his best friend.  Although there were several murders in this book, it is not full of gruesome details.  Mostly it's all about Dana trying to remember and putting together the pieces to find out what happened to her best friend with only a little action. 
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"What She Saw" by Sheila Lowe was one we Both Liked! (UPDATED)

image source:  Amazon

What She Saw by Sheila Lowe got me hooked right from the start with the woman having amnesia trying to figure out who she is and why she was on a train.  The more she discovers, the more puzzling and scary things get, like why she has two drivers licenses and two homes in different cities.   That's is all I'm saying because I don't want to spoil any surprises by revealing too much.

This is a very good story with lots of twists and turns throughout the book and a surprise ending.  I really enjoyed reading What She Saw.  It was so much fun reading how she figured out who she was that I found myself thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it!  There are some misspelled words, but the mystery and suspense kept my interest.  I highly recommend this one because it was hard to put down!
(Karen's review posted 7/24/14, 5 stars) 

Gerard read this too, here's his review:
What She Saw by Sheila Lowe is about a woman who finds herself on a train but does not know why she is on it or even her name!  This is a fantastic read!  There is plenty of twists and turns, especially near the end.  Excellent writing got me drawn in from the get go.  This is a must read--doesn't get any better than this!  (5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Two Different Takes On "A Dog Named Leaf" by Allen and Linda Anderson (UPDATED)

I like Leaf, Woof!  Woof!

A Dog Named Leaf by Allen and Linda Anderson tells the true story of a man facing life-threatening brain surgery and the love and life lessons learns from his dog, Leaf. Leaf is an awesome dog! My dog, Abby, and Leaf would be good friends.

I found out about Leaf in my current issue of BEST FRIENDS magazine and LOVED it. If you have a dog, had a dog or are between dogs, you will be able to relate well to this book. For you it is a must read! God’s blessing to your wife and you, Mr. Anderson, and give Leaf a treat and a belly rub for me!
(Gerard’s review, 5++ stars)

A Dog Named Leaf--The Hero from Heaven Who Saved My Life is one of the books my husband and I differ on. He loved it but I found myself having to plow through. The majority of the book is about Allen and his brain surgery and the special bond he has with his dog, Leaf. It does contain some issues that the dog had when they first got it from the shelter and how the dog improved in time. The dog inspired Allen to persevere, not give up and to face his fears. I was bored with it and enjoyed other dog books much more, especially the other book they wrote called Angel Dogs.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Promise of Stardust" by Priscille Sibley (UPDATED)

A Thought Provoking Love Story--Must Read!

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is an unusual love story of Elle, an astronaut, and Matt, a neurosurgeon, that splits a family apart when there is a life or death decision to make.  Matt and Elle want a child so bad, but there always seems to be complications and she loses the baby.    The author brings up some interesting legal issues related to making decisions about keeping someone on life support after they are brain dead in this captivating novel. 

My feelings towards the characters changed as the book progressed and I found myself pulling for Matt by the end.  I liked how Elle's dad changed along the way and how the doctors were so nice to Matt.  This is definitely a good read I recommend if you like thought provoking stories about family.
(Karen's review of 3/28/13)


Gerard's review of 3/16/13 (5++ stars):

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is a great love story you must read!  Matt and Ellie were childhood friends who now have a loving marriage.  What they want are children and a family.  Their first two attempts ended in tragedy. When Matt, who is a doctor, gets a call that Ellie is being rushed to the hospital, he hurries only to find her fall from a ladder has left her brain dead and that she is carrying his child!  He wants to keep her on life support hoping that the baby will live but his mom and Ellie's brother want the plug pulled.

This is an outstanding book that is a page turner.  I loved how the author went back in time to show how Matt and Ellie came to be married and the trials they faced.  Does the baby live?  Who wins the trial?  Speaking of the trial, that part of the book is gripping with suspense!  Have a tissue handy for the ending.  This book will tug at your heartstrings--it did mine!  Loved it!!  It doesn't get any better than this!  The Promise of Stardust is her first novel too, are you kidding me?  Well done!  ( visit her website at www.priscillesibley.com)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Visit Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop, one of her prompts this week is to share a book review.

"Brain On Fire--My Month of Madness" by Susannah Cahalan GIVEAWAY (Updated)

Here's a non-fiction Must Read!

UPDATED 2/20/13:
Brain On Fire--My Month Of Madness by Susannah Cahalan is her true story about how a rare, mysterious disease almost took her life.  It is a contemporary medical thriller and very scary because it really happened!  It was only because her parents and boyfriend persevered at getting her the help she needed that she survived.  I felt sorry for her and her family as I read her account.  It's really scary that one of the best neurologists in the country just thought she was a drunk having withdrawal symptoms and never even heard of anti-NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis which is what she was finally diagnosed with and treated for. 

This is a fascinating read and I was glad that this journalist recovered enough to write this book about her experience.  The key lesson is to get a second opinion!  I found it interesting for the most part but she lost me when she tried explaining the medical details of how the immune system actually attacks the brain.
(Karen's review, rating 4 stars)

Brain On Fire--My Month Of Madness by Susannah Cahalan is the true story of Susannah who started to have medical problems.  She was misdiagnosed so often that one day she woke up in a hospital and didn't know how she got there.  Wow, what a great read!  

This is a page turner for sure with lots of "wow" factors for me.  The biggest wow is that I got this one to review for free--it's a must read!  I highly recommend it.  I'm so glad you are all better now, Susannah.  Thanks for telling your story and God bless!

(Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars)

We received this book free to review but that did not affect our reviews in any way.  


If you would like this book and live in the USA, just be the first to say so in a comment on this post including your email address so we can contact you for your mailing address.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Double Blind" by Brandilyn Collins

What If  Someone Could Plant Thoughts In Your Brain? 

I loved Double Blind by Brandilyn Collins! Lisa Newberry was going through a very rough patch of life so when a new procedure came out that could give her a new outlook on life, she took it. Is she okay now, or are the problems really going to start?

WOW, it doesn't get much better than this major "wow" factor in this book! It is hard to put it down so I finished it in just two days. Read and enjoy! I highly recommend it. You can't go wrong with Brandilyn Collins.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Double Blind by Brandilyn Collins is an interesting read with suspense and science fiction. Lisa is so depressed that she enters a trial to have brain surgery that will insert a chip into her brain that will get rid of her depression and help her be more self-confident. She was happy to have qualified and eager to get rid of her depression, but didn't realize that her real nightmare was about to begin. This will keep you turning pages to see what will happen next as she mends her relationship with her mother who helps her figure things out and God who she realizes did not abandon her. Risking her life, she tries to save someone she believes is going to be killed. This definitely is a thought-provoking book!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Starters" by Lissa Price--Fun Read full of Surprises

Starters by Lissa Price takes place in the future but isn't too far out that it is unbelievable. After a war, people lived longer, 150 to 200 years old was common and Prime Destinations developed a way for old people to rent the body of a young person, usually a teen. I loved the idea of the old people getting a new body but keeping all their experience and knowledge. Callie decides to rent out her body for a big sum of money that would be enough to provide a home for her and her little brother who is also sickly. After three rentals, she'd get paid; however, the third rental didn't work quite right and she found herself in a terrible situation and is not sure who she can trust.

I enjoyed this book very much because of all the unexpected things that happen to Callie and the interesting concept. I thought it was a fun read and definitely recommend it! (Karen's review)

Starters by Lissa Price:  WOW!  You will meet Callie, a young girl whose parents are dead, and her 7-yr.-old brother, Tyler, is very sick.  Her only hope to get money is to rent her body out to old people to use.  She really doesn't want to do it but gives in to help her brother.  Everything goes fine at first, but then takes a turn for the worse!  I devoured this book in just two days; kept those pages turning to see what would happen next.  Can't wait for the second book to come out in December!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope" by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly is the true story of Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Gifford's recovery after being shot in the head. It is a very inspiring story and is told by Mark, her astronaut husband. It reads like a novel and I enjoyed it a lot.
(Gerard's review:  My rating: 4 of 5 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises" by Lawrence Katz

This is a quick-read but very interesting and practical. The gist of the book is to improve memory, you need to keep your brain active and use all of your senses. “Routines can be brain deadening.” Basically, learn to enjoy new experiences, change things around, interact with people and change up routines.

The most startling thing I learned from reading this book is: "Research has shown that watching television literally numbs the mind: The brain is less active during TV-viewing than during sleep!" (p. 117)

Gerard gave me this one for my birthday--thanks, honey!  You need to read it too!

(Karen's review--My rating: 5 of 5 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"What I Learned When I Almost Died" by Chris Licht

This is the true account of Chris Licht’s experience of having a brain hemorrhage. He wrote What I Learned When I Almost Died to give others the benefit of the life lessons he learned from having a near-death experience. Basically, he learned his family and friends were more important than his job. I think most people already know this, but he was a TV producer who feared losing his job--a TV producer.

By reading this book, I did learn that if I ever get a really unusual pain in my head, I need to go right to a hospital emergency room and say “I do not get headaches and this is the worst headache of my life.”

“. . . which is an informal code within the medical profession. Any decent ER would interpret the phrases to mean I was not a habitual complainer, I was in the midst of something rare, pay attention, give me a CAT scan.” P.7-8

I could have skipped this book and not missed much.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?
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