"Forever My Lady" by Jeff Rivera

Forever My Lady is a story about Dio, who has to go to a prison boot camp.  He loves a childhood sweetheart named Jennifer.  What he goes through in boot camp is interesting, as are the people who are also there.  I thought it had a pretty good ending and it says "to be continued."  This is a short, quick book that I recommend.  I look forward to a sequel.

(Gerard's review 6/12/09)

Karen Says:  Real World Romance From A Man's Perspective

I liked Forever My Lady by Jeff Rivera, because it's not your typical romance. It's about Dio, a Latino gang member called Playboy, whose girlfriend, Jennifer, got shot six times in a drive by shooting meant for him. He was sent to prison boot camp and Jennifer was in the hospital. It's a good story about his struggles at boot camp and how he matured and learned to become a responsible citizen that Jennifer would want to marry. He thinks about her constantly and thinking about their future together is what keeps him going and motivates him to become a better person. The reader learns much about their relationship through the letters they exchange while he is detained. The warning label on the book which says "Parental Guidance, Explicit Language, Adult Situations" almost scared me off but I'm glad I read it. It has a bitter sweet ending. I came to like Dio and pulled for him throughout most of the book. I highly recommend this to both men, women and young adults.
(Karen's review 6/10/09)

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

"A Lifetime Of Wisdom" by Joni Earickson Tada

I give A Lifetime Of Wisdom by Joni Earickson Tada 30 stars!
I haven't read a Joni book in a long time but found this one while browsing through the library.  I'm so glad I did!  What makes this book so good is that Joni goes back to how she thought about things when she was a teen and now shares 40 years later what she has learned since.  As always, the writing in Joni's books is superb.  This book is hard to put down.  It gave me sort of a spiritual bath, which I think we all need from time to time to reflect on the really important things in life.  Bless you, Joni!  I highly recommend you read this book!
(Gerard's review 7/1/09)

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

"Unbroken: WW II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

My rating: 7 of 5 stars (Gerard's review)


Unbroken is an amazing story about the true story of Louis Zamperini. Mostly it is about when he was a prisoner of war. The stuff he went through is unbelievable and that he had the will to survive is remarkable. He turned his life around at a Billy Graham crusade and now he works with young boys. I enjoyed her first book, Seabiscut better, but this is very good too. I give it 7 stars!

Read my Teaser here.

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

"Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult Is Fascinating

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult is about an Amish teen girl who is charged with murdering her illegitimate baby.  At first Katie denied even having a baby and consistently denied killing it.  Ellie reluctantly volunteered to be her defense attorney who becomes her friend while staying on the farm with Katie to comply with the court order as a condition while awaiting her trial.  Jodi Picoult shows the contrasts of the Amish and the English cultures in this intriguing novel of ethics, psychology, mystery, romance and judgment. 

I was drawn into this story immediately and had a hard time putting it down.  The story is told from Ellie’s perspective, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her when she was trying to get the truth from Katie as to what really happened. The trial was interesting and I definitely came away with a better understanding of the Amish community after reading Plain Truth.  I highly recommend this book, especially to women.
(Karen's review)

Other related reviews:  Debra's Book Cafe
Here is our teaser for this book
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"DogTown" by Stefan Bechtel

DogTown is my kind of town!  DogTown by Stefan Bechtel is just a wonderful book!  It's about Dog Town--a no-kill sancturary for dogs in Utah.  All the stories in DogTown are excellent!  I had a hard time deciding which was more amazing, the people or the dogs!  You will smile, laugh and cry as you read these stories.  They touched my heart and will probably touch yours too.  It also includes tips on how to handle dogs.  I hated to see this book end.  I really, really enjoyed DogTown a lot--it made me want to got there!  I did visit online at http://www.bestfriends.org/ and sponsored Cabby.  I highly recommend DogTown to anyone who likes dogs.

(Gerard's review)

DogTown is a very good book about dogs and I am glad there is such a nice place for homeless dogs waiting.  Woof!  Woof!  I am proud of Gerard for sponsoring Cabby.

(our dog, Abby's review)

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

"Gideon's Gift" by Karen Kingsbury

I liked Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury.  This is the first book I read of hers and is part of the Red Glove series.  An 8-year-old girl with cancer befriends a homeless man (Earl ) at the mission and gets him to believe in God. He in turn gives her family a “perfect Christmas.”   I liked it and recommended it to Gerard.
(Karen's review) 


Here's what Gerard thought of it:
Gideon’s Gift by Karen Kingsbury is a good story about a little girl, a homeless man and Christmas miracles.  You could probably read it in one sitting.  It’s perfect for a snowy night with some hot chocolate.  This is a warm, feel good story that I liked more than I thought I would.  I give it  5+ stars.

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

Check out our two giveaways: Hard Cache by Charles Neff (Suspense/mystery) and You Already Know How To Be Great (Self-help) by Alan Fine.

"Beautiful Lies" by Lisa Unger

What a remarkable and gripping story Lisa Unger presents in Beautiful Lies.  She spins a tale that is both heartbreaking and fascinating as she wrote in such a way that made me feel as though Ridley, the main character, was speaking right to me, explaining what she was feeling and thinking during her incredible experience of sorting through the family secrets.  Ridley is a free lance writer who had a happy childhood and grew up in a nice home.  One day she gets a photo which turns her whole life upside down and takes her on a dangerous journey to find the truth.  She gets to the point of not knowing who she can trust but makes some good decisions that help her discover truth and happiness. 

One example of an insight Lisa Unger shares through a section where Ridley is speaking directly to the reader that really stood out to me is this from p. 98-99:

And we stood like that.  The joining of hands is highly underrated in the acts of intimacy.  You kiss acquaintances or colleagues, casually to say hello or good-bye.  You might even kiss a close friend chastely on the lips.  You might quickly hug anyone you knew.  You might even meet someone at a party, take him home and sleep with him, never to see him or hear from him again.  But to join hands and stand holding each other that way, with the electricity of possibilities flowing between you?  The tenderness of it, the promise of it, is only something you share with a few people in your life.  

This is real thriller filled with lots of insights into how people arrive at the choices they make and is definitely a page-turner.  It takes a close look at how we develop and evaluate relationships with others.  Beautiful Lies deals with identity issues, mob activity, abduction in the name of protection, selling babies, judging others, family dynamics, romance and betrayal.  I highly recommend you read this book--it’s fantastic!  Well written and packed with suspense and mystery right from the start. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?  Related posts:  Tea Time with Marce Review

Check out our book giveaways:  Hard Cache by Charles B. Neff
You Know How To Be Great by Alan Fine

"Love Your Life" by Victoria Osteen

Love Your Life by Victoria Osteen moves right along and gave me the feeling that Victoria was a friend chatting with me. It is packed with lots of good advice and is very encouraging and uplifting. I liked that she included summaries of “anchor thoughts” at the end of each chapter.  This is a book I actually own--got it from www.paperbackswap.com. 

A few of the things that really made an impact on me were:

1) “Make your relationships a priority and find simple ways to enjoy the people you love. No one gets to the end of life and says, “Boy, I sure do wish I had worked more hours in the office,” or, “I wish I would have had a cleaner house.” No, at the end of their lives, most people say, “I wish I would have spent more time with my family and loved ones.”

2) Be a people builder—encourage someone every day.

3) Your hands may be tied, but God’s hands never are. Always remember, there is a “God option.”

4) Do not hold on to past mistakes, nor allow them to keep you from who you were created to be.

5) Keep stretching, growing and learning and don’t allow fear to hold you back.

6) Stay flexible and be willing to change in order to embrace the new things God has in store.

7) Keep a list of all the things you love about your spouse and all the things they do for you so you don’t forget. Keep it handy and add things as you think of them with the first pen you get.

8) Look for ways to find common ground with the people in your life. Don’t push your point of view but let others be heard for the sake of peace.

9) Help others succeed.

10) Don’t hold on to offenses.

11) Be willing to make adjustments to improve relationships.

12) Live each day in faith.

(Karen's review 12/08)

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

"Play Their Hearts Out" by George Dohrmann

If you are a parent of a young boy or girl who is really good at basketball, you should read Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrmann.  I think the boy or girl would like this too!  "Play Their Hearts Out gives the reader an inside look at AAU basketball--the traveling All-Star teams.  The focus is on Joe Keller, the coach and Demetrius Walker, the star player, but there is much more than just the games and the scores.  I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected I would.  It was eight years in the making, and it shows.  A truly great read!  Take a bow, Mr. Dohrmann, you deserve it!

This is a must read for anyone into youth basketball!  I highly recommend it.

(Gerard's review)

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

“Who Switched Off My Brain? Controlling toxic thoughts and emotions” by Dr. Caroline Leaf

I want to thank Rebecca at The Freaky Frugalite for recommending Who Switched Off My Brain? By Dr. Caroline Leaf when she commented on my Things I Learned This Week post.  I found this to be fascinating and very helpful.  I am interested in scientific research that relates to my everyday life which is in abundance in this short book about the brain.  The beginning chapters were pretty technical and had a lot of words related to the brain that I am unfamiliar with so that part dragged along a bit for me.  However, after reading those beginning chapters, I have a much better understanding of how thoughts are processed and stored. 

Caroline Leaf goes into a lot of detail in the first four chapters about how inter-related our thoughts are to our emotions and our health.  Who Switched Off My Brain gives scientific research that supports what the Bible has said relating to our thoughts and thinking on things that are positive rather than negative.  I liked the last two chapters best because those are the ones which focused more on how we can actually take control of our thoughts.

There are 13 techniques listed in the last chapter to implement to detox our brains.  The one that "jumped" out at me describes exactly how if feel Mondays through Fridays which I share with you here:

Rush, rush, rush!  Hurry, hurry, hurry!  Busy, busy, busy!  The ever-increasing pace of life is called the “acceleration syndrome,” and it is causing a global epidemic of hurry sickness.  The next time you think you don’t have time for exercise or relaxation, think again.  The reality is simply that you have chosen to fill your time with activities and things other than exercise and relaxation. P. 135-136

  
I really need to relax during the weekdays too!  Just to give you a sampling of some other things I learned by reading Who Switched Off My Brain?:  Laugh and play every day, exercise, take time alone for prayer, love others no matter what, forgive freely, don’t eat when angry, touch, and root of stress is fear. 

I do not normally purchase books, but this is one I would like to own.  I’ll be checking www.PaperbackSwap.com for it.  I would love to own this as a reference book.  I highly recommend this book!(Karen's review)

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

Check out our Stephen King Book Spooktacular Giveaway but hurry--entries end 12:30 p.m. on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2010.

"Dewey, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World" by Vicki Myron

I give Dewey, The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched The World as many stars as in the sky!  This is one worth buying! My favorite book of the year!
Here are 4 things about this book:

1)  You will LOVE this book.
2)  You will not want to put it down.
3)  You will cry a lot!
4)  You will never forget it!

That being said, this is a wonderful book. I plan to get this book to have and read it again and again!!  This book will touch you like it did me.  What a special cat Dewey was and wonderful person Vicki is.  Thanks for telling the story, Vicki.  I wish I could have met Dewey and pet him!!  Treasure and enjoy this book!!
(Gerard's Review 10/08)

Dewey, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World by Vicki Myron is a true story about the love between a lady and the cat she found in the library book drop box that she let live in the library. It was a very friendly, affectionate, energetic cat who became famous and who greeted the patrons and laid in their laps. It reminded me of my relationship with my cats and how special they are. The end as he aged reminded me of our Moe cat. I think anyone who likes cats would enjoy reading this book.
(Karen's review 10/08)

Check out our Spooktacular Giveaway but hurry--Entries close at 12:30 p.m. on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2010.


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

"Armed With God's Power--Changing Brokeness To Victory Through God's Love" by Nora White

Armed With God's Power--Changing Brokenness to Victory Through God's Love by Nora White is about how God helped Nora through very difficult situations in her life including, depression, divorce, domestic violence, and losing a husband to cancer. She tells an amazing story of how God spoke to her and brought her through some terrible times.

I couldn't put this one down because I was anxious to see what happened next.  It certainly gives hope to anyone in similar situations. She is an example of a woman with great faith. I would recommend this book to any woman.


Nora White attends our church and is actively involved in leading women's Bible studies, does counseling and is founder of Healing Hearts Ministries.

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

"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks is an amazing story about teen rebellion, love, friendship, romance, and forgiveness.  I can't say enough about how touching this book is.  The main character is a girl named Ronnie who held a grudge against her dad because he left, but her 10-yr.-old brother, Jonah, brought out her tender side.  One summer, she has to go live with him against her will and learns and grows into a mature woman who realizes she was not always right after all and everything is not about her.  I enjoyed watching her develop into a truly caring person and learn about forgiveness. 

It's a very good story and I liked it a lot! I liked the characters in this book because they were all very believable.  Parts were sad but overall, I liked the ending because it was very touching and happy at the same time.  This is a must read if you enjoy books about teens and parents.
(Karen's review)


I’ve been blessed to read a lot of really good books this year and I  add The  Last Song by Nicholas Sparks to the list.  At first, I thought,  “Oh, great, a teen novel.”  I’m not going to like it.  I LOVED it!  It  tells the story of Ronnie, a girl who has to spend the summer with her  dad and does not want to.  Turns out she had the best summer ever.   Superb writing.  This book is hard to put down.  The characters are very  believable.  There is nothing bad to say about this book.  I am so glad  to end the year with this wonderful book!  Do yourself a favor and read  this one.  You will be happy you did.
(Gerard's Review)

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

Other reviews of this:  Reading Without Restraint

"Blogging For Dummies" by Susannah Gardner, Shane Birley

Blogging For Dummies by Susannah Gardner, Shane Birley  is a very helpful book for anyone who is beginning to blog and even for a person like me who has started to blog for about eight months but is still learning along the way.  The authors give many websites where the reader can go to see exactly what the text is referring to.  I finally learned the HTML code for doing lists in posts from this book.  It also covers suggestions for getting traffic to your blog and how to get and handle comments.  I highly recommend it for any blogger, especially beginners.

Visit my other blogs at http://www.zemeks.blogspot.com (Karen & Gerard Zemek) and http://www.karezemek.blogspot.com (My Funny Dad, Harry) and Zemeks' Updates at http://karen.pnn.com where our pets blog.

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

Movie Review: "Hotel For Dogs"

This humorous, light, dog movie was just what I needed to life my spirits after watching another disappointing loss by the Cleveland Browns.  “Hotel For Dogs” has parallel story lines going:  the first is a bunch of stray dogs that no one wants to find a home, the second is a brother and sister who have been bounced around in the foster care system in search of a real family.  I love that both story lines have happy endings.   

It’s not very realistic, but very amusing and entertaining.  When the brother and sister find an old, unused hotel, they convert it into a shelter for dogs with all kinds of very nice amenities such as an automatic feeding machine, simulated car rides, treadmills for exercise, a vending machine containing “chewables,” and an automatic clean up bathroom facility.  I thought this was a very cute movie and loved all the dogs that were in it.   Parts were touching and I even shed a few tears of joy at the end when the dogs were being introduced to the community in a last ditch effort to let them stay in the hotel and keep their home.  Thanks to a dedicated social worker, the kids found a good home in the end too.

The only thing I did not like about “Hotel For Dogs” was that the main boy and girl stole things and scammed people to get money at the beginning.  I think that part could have been omitted except it served to show how they changed from being selfish brats to actually caring about others and becoming responsible.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves dogs and kids.  I think kids would like it because the boy and girl were underdogs who acted on their passion and made a difference with the help of some like-minded friends.  The beginning starts off a bit slow, in fact, my husband gave up on it, but it gets good so stick with it.  After I told him how good it was, he felt bad for giving up on it and decided to watch the rest of it after all.

(Karen’s review)

We got this on a DVD from the library that also contains extra information about the making of the film.

Related Posts:  You Must See "Hotel For Dogs" (by Abby our dog) and What A Cat Thought Of "Hotel For Dogs" (by Manny our man cat)

"Daemon" by Daniel Suarez

Daemon by Daniel Suarez is Awesome!  10 stars
I read an article about this book in USA TODAY and thought I would give it a shot.  I'm so glad I did.  This book grabs you from the first page and does not let go!  The twists and turns in this book are fascinating.  It is a thriller about computer technology but you do not need to be computer literate to enjoy this book.  The only downside to this book is that there is a sequel.  I'll be reading that for sure.  If you want to read a terrific book, this is the one to read!  I highly recommend it.
(Gerard's review 1/23/09)

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

"Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina" by Neal Thompson

I can't say enough good things about Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina by Neal Thompson!! This book is remarkable!! It tells the story about how people dealt with Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath and a remarkable man, J. T. Curtis, Head football coach and principal of the John Curtis Christian School. How he and his family brought together a school and the football team is an unbelievable story. Their story will make you cry, laugh and cheer!! I really enjoyed this book A LOT!!!
(Gerard's review 4/08)

Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina by Neal Thompson is a true story about triumph through hardship for a private Christian school's football team in New Orleans overcoming the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. This book takes a personal look at the devastation that Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita caused within six weeks. It's about a High School football coach's and his players’ commitment to their school and team in midst of chaos and turmoil. It's about how football can pull a community together.

I particularly liked reading how the coach motivated his players and how he taught them to be men. It was heartwarming to see how much the coach loved his players and cared about their personal lives and not just how they played football.

The ending of Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina is very moving and emotional when the team finally gets to play football after it looked like they wouldn't even have a season. As I read about the games, it felt like I was right there in the stands watching and cheering for them. This book started out slow and was pretty sad, but is definitely worth reading to get an inside look at what the people of New Orleans went through during Katrina and how a football team really jelled. It certainly made my few problems look totally insignificant in comparison.
(Karen's review 4/08)

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

A Great DVD Series: Damages--"Trust No One"

We watched season 3 of "Damages" on Direct TV and loved it so Gerard ordered seasons 1 and 2 from the library to get us caught up.  These were very good too.  The story line is riveting!  We never knew what was going to happen next!  It is about betrayal, relationships, justice, crime with a lot of violence and action. 

The cast did a great job too.  Glenn Close plays Patty Hughes, a cunning and clever attorney, who is the main character.  Gerard thinks it is the best show on TV.  We both highly recommend you watch this series.  Season 4 should be starting soon but you may want to get caught up by viewing the first 3 seasons on DVD like we did.  You won't be disappointed if you like suspense, unexpected developments and legal thrillers. 

Did you watch this show?

A Dog’s Life--Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin

A Dog’s Life--Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin is my favorite dog book!  A Dog's Life is about a stray dog written from the dog's perspective and wasn't boring at all. I read it straight through in just a few hours. It shows how cruel some people can be but also how nice others can be. It's a story of the dog's life from when she was born to when she grew old but at least it has a happy ending and I'm glad the dog didn't die in the book.

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about animals or who likes dogs. I wasn't surprised to see the author works with an animal rescue organization.
(Karen's Review 2/09)


Told By a Dog--Awesome! 15 Stars
This is just an awesome book.  Never read a book with a dog telling the story.  You really do feel like you are seeing this through the dog's eyes.  This dog is a stray that first loses her mother and then her brother.  Later she meets a friend.  There are so many good adventures in this book.  Anyone would love this book because you get into it fast and it is hard to put down.
(Gerard's Review 2/09)

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

"Columbine" by Dave Cullen

A Definitive Book!
Forget what you think you know about Columbine.  You will get the true story and much, much more after you read this book.  Dave Cullen had to do a job of research!  Columbine is absolutely riveting which makes it hard to put down.  It goes way beyond just the day of the shooting.  You will learn not only about Eric and Dylan but also other people affected by it too.  The story is gruesome, the writing is superb!  Put this on your "To Read" list.  This story will stay with you long after you are finished reading it.  A lot of the stories of the people whose lives were impacted by the shooting are heartbreaking, gut wrenching and one is a story of triumph!  All makes for one powerful read!  I loved this book and highly recommend it--give it 50 stars!

(Gerard's review 5/21/09)

Columbine is a comprehensive account of the school shooting that is very informative, filled with research, but became tedious for me and depressing.  The author went in-depth revealing not only what happened that day but sharing findings that revealed the thinking of the shooters, and also the horror the victims and their families endured.  I learned a lot about psychopaths by reading this book.  Rumors and myths were exposed, including the story of Cassie Bernall being a martyr and that the shooters were loners and bullied. 

I feel so sad for the victims and their families.  It was a horrible thing to have happen and I felt sad for the shooters who wasted their lives and their parents who really had no clue what their sons were doing, feeling or how to help them.  If you want to find out what really happened and why, I recommend this book.
My husband read this book too and he liked it better than I did.
(Karen's Review 1/23/10) 

Here is a video about it by the author, David Cullen:


Comments we received transferred from our other blog:

I'm still planning to read the Wally Lamb book, too. There was no time while we were getting my book to press and doing the author tour. The tour was a lot of fun, but WAY more daunting than I imagined.

By Dave Cullen on May 21, 2009

Wow. I was ten minutes away when this shooting happened. Not sure I'm ready for such an honest look at something so traumatic yet, but I'm glad that the truth is out there. Columbine is becoming a legend...

By awaitingbloom on May 21, 2009

Thanks for that, Gerard. Very kind of you. (And it did take a lot of work, but it felt worth it.) d

By Dave Cullen on May 21, 2009

Have you read The Hour I First Believed? It makes me want to read the one you suggest.  It's about Columbine, fiction but meticulously researched and quotes from the boys web emails and diaries--fascinating, but the author of I know this much is true & of She's come undone. Wally Lamb, he's spectacular.

By writing on May 21, 2009

I love reading too, this book would interest me. Gattina http://gattinawritercramps.blogspot.com/

By Gattina on January 24, 2010

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Check out Reading, Reading & Life for a review of the audio book of Columbine.