Happy Friday Wilders! For this weeks Fiday I'm in Love post (which I have admittedly posted on Saturday) I've put together a lovely list of books for creative people. Also known as my Summer Reading List. As my company and my brand are growing...
Monday, March 30, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Book review by Judi Singleton of Maude by Donna Mabry
In 1906, I was barely over fourteen years old, and it was my wedding day. My older sister, Helen, came to my room, took me by the hand, and sat me down on the bed. She opened her mouth to say something, but then her face flushed, and she turned her head to look out the window. After a second, she squeezed my hand and looked back in my eyes. She said, “You’ve always been a good girl, Maude, and done what I told you. Now, you’re going to be a married woman, and he will be the head of the house. When you go home tonight after your party, no matter what he wants to do to you, you have to let him do it. Do you understand?”
I didn’t understand, but I nodded my head anyway. It sounded strange to me, the way so many things did. I would do what she told me. I didn’t have a choice, any more than I had a choice in being born.
About Donna Mabry
When Donna was five years old, her father gave her a red and white Singer sewing machine for Christmas. It was powered by turning a little wheel on the side, and it was just what the little girl wanted. Somehow, Mabry says, she already knew how to make simple dresses for her dolls.
Over the years, her machines included an old foot-treadle powered White, then her first electric, another Singer, with a cast-iron body that was so heavy she couldn't lift it by herself. She made clothes for herself and her daughter, Melanie. When her children were small, she didn't work outside of the home, but earned her own money dressmaking for wealthy ladies.
When the family moved to Florida, Melanie was fifteen and immediately became involved with the Venice Little Theatre. Soon, the whole family was spending their free time there. Husband Lonnie acted and helped with props, son David acted and did lights. One Christmas, David was a witches helper in, "The Wizard of Oz", and grew so much over the summer that the next year, he was the Scarecrow.
The costume designer, Joan Dillon, taught Donna the finer points of costume construction. Over the years, Donna sewed, acted, and performed various other duties at the theatre, and her daughter went on to study acting and dance at USF and became a professional actor. That led both of them to Las Vegas.
Melanie came first, doing a show at the MGM Grand for a year, then deciding to settle down. She went into marketing, starting in events and tournaments at the Sahara, then working her way up to Entertainment Director at Harrah's on the Las Vegas strip.
While she was working there, Melanie persuaded her boss to hire her mother to make costumes. Melanie introduced Donna to her friends and workmates, colorful people to say the least. She set up a work area for her Mom in the back of the dressing room. Soon, Donna was making notes on things she heard while she was sewing.
Donna hadn't written since college, but thought about the interesting people and great stories and decided to stitch them together into her first novel, "The Last Two Aces in Las Vegas".
"Everyone in it is based on at least one real person.", says Mabry, "Some of the characters are two or three people put together. My leading man, Alberto, is actually three people, he has one person's childhood, a different one's early adulthood, and another's older years. Many of the stories told in the book are true, and a few of them didn't take place until after the book was finished. I'm very interested in what makes people do the things they do, so given their personalities, it wasn't too difficult to see how they would react in certain situations. It's fun when a Vegas old-timer reads it and tries to guess who the character is in real life".
She continues, "Sometimes, the guess surprises me, and sometimes they're right on the money. It's not always who you might think."
With four books now published in the series, the story lines seem almost endless.
"These are sort of backwards mysteries, like the old TV show, Colombo.", says Donna, "You know right away who the killer is, the mystery comes in finding out what will happen to trip them up".
Review by Judi Singleton
This is not only Maude's story but her whole family's story. The joys and sorrows of a family. The book depicts an important history lesson as well of the growth of the power of women over the years. Maude seemed to draw strength from Donna listening to her life story. The story is mostly sad but Maude felt powerless to change most things even though she really tried to change all she could.
Oh, I think it's a book everyone should read. I do. My grandmothers life was much the same I think. She married a age 12 to an older man who was in his 40's. Now days that would be considered child abuse. She had two children and never complained about her lot in life. She was a hard worker. She was widowed young. My grandfather made my dad promise to take care of his mother and sister and he did. But women did not have the choices they have now. They married and if they lost their husbands they found another one. Walking to a place to find a job. Many a person did that during the dust bowl. During the depression Maude really had it better than most. The story was sad in light of our modern times but it was an ordinary story during Maude's time. I got bored with the story it took me a long time to read because I would lose interest. I want a story that carries me into another fantasy life not one of sorrow and codependence. Perhaps if I was not who I am the story would have interested me more. I would give it three stars. I would recommend it to those who want to learn about that age in history. It is very realistic.
Judi Singleton is the owner operator of Bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Review by Judi Singleton Bettyville: A Memoir [Kindle Edition] George Hodgman (Author)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“A beautifully crafted memoir, rich with humor and wisdom.” —Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club
“The idea of a cultured gay man leaving New York City to care for his aging mother in Paris, Missouri, is already funny, and George Hodgman reaps that humor with great charm. But then he plunges deep, examining the warm yet fraught relationship between mother and son with profound insight and understanding.” —Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The Amazon Spotlight Pick for March 2015: When George Hodgman left Manhattan for Paris to visit his aging mother, he didn’t realize it would be the beginning of an unintended, and indeterminate tenure as a caregiver. Did I mention that it’s Paris, Missouri? They say you can’t go home again, and in Hodgman’s case, you can understand why he wouldn’t want to—Paris hadn’t proven to be the most hospitable place for someone coming to terms with their sexuality. This was compounded by the fact that Hodgman’s parents didn’t approve of who he “turned out to be,” which was as specific as they were willing to get on the matter. Any gaps in their understanding were filled with an insidious silence that kept this otherwise loving family at arm’s length. I haven’t forgotten what this book is called and, no doubt, you will fall in love with the impossible and endearing woman that is its namesake. But at its heart, Bettyville serves as a poignant cautionary tale about the dangers of leaving difficult things unsaid, and in these pages, Hodgman practices what he preaches. –Erin Kodicek
Review
Praise for Bettyville
“A remarkable, laugh-out-loud book . . . Rarely has the subject of elder care produced such droll human comedy, or a heroine quite on the mettlesome order of Betty Baker Hodgman. For as much as the book works on several levels (as a meditation on belonging, as a story of growing up gay and the psychic cost of silence, as metaphor for recovery), it is the strong-willed Betty who shines through.”
—The New York Times
“A lovely memoir . . .You won’t finish this tale dry-eyed.”
—People, Book of the Week
“A humorous, bittersweet account of Hodgman’s caring for his aging, irascible mother.”
—Vanity Fair
“An intimate, heartfelt portrait of a mother and son, each at the crossroads of life . . . Hodgman’s sharp wit carries the book ever forward.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“A superb memoir . . . Hodgman is by turns wry, laugh-out-loud funny, self-deprecating, insecure to the point of near suicide, and an attentive caregiver despite occasional, understandable resentments. . . . I have read several hundred American memoirs; I would place Bettyville in the top five.”
—Steve Weinberg, Kansas City Star
“In his tender, sardonic, and fearless account of life with Betty—who has never acknowledged that her son is gay—Hodgman delivers an epic unfolding of his lifelong search for acceptance and love.”
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Hodgman paints a witty and poignant portrait of a son and his mother reconciling their differences and learning, among other things, how to cook, come to grips with caretaking, understand unspoken sexuality, and treat each other with patience, love, and self-respect. Surely we all have a beautifully complex and hilarious (if not semi-dysfunctional) relationships with our mothers, but none of us are likely to commemorate it with the skill and humor of Hodgman.”
—Los Angeles Magazine
“An exquisitely written memoir about the complicated but deeply genuine love a son feels for his courageous, headstrong, vulnerable mother in the twilight of her life. George Hodgman is stunningly clear-eyed and yet so darned big-hearted. Bettyville is just wonderful.”
—Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle
“The idea of a cultured gay man leaving New York City to care for his aging mother in Paris, Missouri, is already funny, and George Hodgman reaps that humor with great charm. But then he plunges deep, examining the warm yet fraught relationship between mother and son with profound insight and understanding. This book looks outside, too, offering a moving lament for small-town America. Hodgman tenderly evokes the time before family farms and small businesses were replaced by meth labs and Walmarts. Yet he’s not sentimental about that lost world—he knew its cruelties firsthand. As George and his mother come to terms with one another at the end of her days, the book begins to shimmer with something much more rare than love: a boundless, transcendent, and simple kindness. Bettyville is a beautiful book about the strange plenitude that comes from finally letting go of everything.”
—Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home
“Bettyville is a beautifully crafted memoir, rich with humor and wisdom. George Hodgman has created an unforgettable book about mothers and sons, and about the challenges that come with growing older and growing up.”
—Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club
“This is a superior memoir, written in a witty and episodic style, yet at times it’s heartbreaking . . . filled with a lifetime’s worth of reflection and story after fascinating story.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Hodgman writes with wit and empathy about all the loss he’s confronted with. Betty’s poor health is mirrored by the failure of towns like Paris, whose farms and lumberyards are now Walmarts and meth labs. Coming out in the age of AIDS, he lost the people he was close to when he had nowhere else to turn. . . . That doesn’t mean Bettyville is without humor—far from it. Paris eccentrics (one woman shampoos her hair in the soda fountain) compete with Hodgman’s colleagues in the office of Vanity Fair. . . . This is a portrait of a woman in decline, but still very much alive and committed to getting the lion’s share of mini-Snickers at every opportunity. When things are left unsaid between parents and children, it leaves a hurt that can never be completely repaired, but love and dedication can make those scarred places into works of art. Bettyville is one such masterpiece.”
—BookPage
“The book is instantly engaging, as Hodgman has a wry sense of humor, one he uses to keep others at a distance. Yet the book is also devastatingly touching. Betty is one tough cookie, and she is crumbling. Hodgman as a young man came out around the same time AIDS did, complicating his already complicated feelings immeasurably. There’s a lot for Hodgman to handle, yet he does, despite the urge to give in to his own sadness and his own former drug addiction. A tender, resolute look at a place, literal and figurative, baby boomers might find themselves.”
—Booklist
“Bettyville is a gorgeous memoir. I was completely engaged, not just because of George Hodgman’s great ear and his sense of timing, but because he delivers Betty to us in such a manner that she steps off the page . I felt transported to a better place, to a time period and a web of relationships with which we can all identify, no matter where we grew up. Beyond the humor and the pathos, the quotidian and the bizarre, there remain profound lessons about life and love that I will carry away.”
—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone
“George Hodgman achieves something stunning with this book—by paying such deep, loving attention to his mother’s (admittedly colorful) life, he offers us the chance to pay close attention to our own strange and beautiful Bettyvilles, which in the end is all we can ask of any art. This bejeweled pillbox is rich and funny and heartwrenching and might just you cure you of your ills; if those ills include loneliness or feeling like you don’t belong—you are not alone.”
—Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City
“One of the great benefits of reading memoir is that it offers the reader more people to love. I love Betty, and I love George Hodgman, whose beautiful book this is. Read Bettyville. Laugh, weep, and be grateful.”
—Abigail Thomas, author of A Three Dog Life
“Bettyville reminded me of some Homeric legend, complete with treacherous chimeras and ravenous gorgons, except that it is told with such grace, wit, and spirited generosity that you hardly sense you are on a fragile bark, adrift on a perilous sea. This story of a sensitive Midwestern boy coming to terms with his homosexuality, his drug addiction, his clueless parents, his all-out war with shame, is nothing short of epic. It begins as a simple trip home from fast-track Manhattan to Paris, Missouri, to care for a failing mother, but by the time we are through, we have descended to an underworld, witnessed a plague, traveled all nine circles of hell, and emerged exhilarated by the grit and valor of our remarkable guide. It is, in every sense, a tale about the power of love.”
—Marie Arana, author of American Chica
“With great tenderness, honesty, and a searing, sardonic humor, George Hodgman has written a love letter to his mother, at once a penance and a tribute. In doing so, he has given us Betty, a character for the ages. This is a beautiful, illuminating book.”
—Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion
“When I read the first few pages of Bettyville, I immediately connected. The detail is poetry and, yes, George Hodgman tells a story that is all our stories if we grow up different, struggling not to hurt those we treasure. But what I will most remember is the human struggle of Betty—the woman at the window, the woman at the piano, the woman whose desire to help others represents the best of small-town America. The silence she was taught and the complications of our parents’ journeys to be there for us, as best they could, is what I will take away fromBettyville, where she will always reside. Hers is the quiet love that outlasts the distances and lets us survive.”
—Richard Blanco, United States inaugural poet, author of The Prince of los Cucuyos: A Miami Childhood
“A remarkable, laugh-out-loud book . . . Rarely has the subject of elder care produced such droll human comedy, or a heroine quite on the mettlesome order of Betty Baker Hodgman. For as much as the book works on several levels (as a meditation on belonging, as a story of growing up gay and the psychic cost of silence, as metaphor for recovery), it is the strong-willed Betty who shines through.”
—The New York Times
“A lovely memoir . . .You won’t finish this tale dry-eyed.”
—People, Book of the Week
“A humorous, bittersweet account of Hodgman’s caring for his aging, irascible mother.”
—Vanity Fair
“An intimate, heartfelt portrait of a mother and son, each at the crossroads of life . . . Hodgman’s sharp wit carries the book ever forward.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“A superb memoir . . . Hodgman is by turns wry, laugh-out-loud funny, self-deprecating, insecure to the point of near suicide, and an attentive caregiver despite occasional, understandable resentments. . . . I have read several hundred American memoirs; I would place Bettyville in the top five.”
—Steve Weinberg, Kansas City Star
“In his tender, sardonic, and fearless account of life with Betty—who has never acknowledged that her son is gay—Hodgman delivers an epic unfolding of his lifelong search for acceptance and love.”
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Hodgman paints a witty and poignant portrait of a son and his mother reconciling their differences and learning, among other things, how to cook, come to grips with caretaking, understand unspoken sexuality, and treat each other with patience, love, and self-respect. Surely we all have a beautifully complex and hilarious (if not semi-dysfunctional) relationships with our mothers, but none of us are likely to commemorate it with the skill and humor of Hodgman.”
—Los Angeles Magazine
“An exquisitely written memoir about the complicated but deeply genuine love a son feels for his courageous, headstrong, vulnerable mother in the twilight of her life. George Hodgman is stunningly clear-eyed and yet so darned big-hearted. Bettyville is just wonderful.”
—Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle
“The idea of a cultured gay man leaving New York City to care for his aging mother in Paris, Missouri, is already funny, and George Hodgman reaps that humor with great charm. But then he plunges deep, examining the warm yet fraught relationship between mother and son with profound insight and understanding. This book looks outside, too, offering a moving lament for small-town America. Hodgman tenderly evokes the time before family farms and small businesses were replaced by meth labs and Walmarts. Yet he’s not sentimental about that lost world—he knew its cruelties firsthand. As George and his mother come to terms with one another at the end of her days, the book begins to shimmer with something much more rare than love: a boundless, transcendent, and simple kindness. Bettyville is a beautiful book about the strange plenitude that comes from finally letting go of everything.”
—Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home
“Bettyville is a beautifully crafted memoir, rich with humor and wisdom. George Hodgman has created an unforgettable book about mothers and sons, and about the challenges that come with growing older and growing up.”
—Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club
“This is a superior memoir, written in a witty and episodic style, yet at times it’s heartbreaking . . . filled with a lifetime’s worth of reflection and story after fascinating story.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Hodgman writes with wit and empathy about all the loss he’s confronted with. Betty’s poor health is mirrored by the failure of towns like Paris, whose farms and lumberyards are now Walmarts and meth labs. Coming out in the age of AIDS, he lost the people he was close to when he had nowhere else to turn. . . . That doesn’t mean Bettyville is without humor—far from it. Paris eccentrics (one woman shampoos her hair in the soda fountain) compete with Hodgman’s colleagues in the office of Vanity Fair. . . . This is a portrait of a woman in decline, but still very much alive and committed to getting the lion’s share of mini-Snickers at every opportunity. When things are left unsaid between parents and children, it leaves a hurt that can never be completely repaired, but love and dedication can make those scarred places into works of art. Bettyville is one such masterpiece.”
—BookPage
“The book is instantly engaging, as Hodgman has a wry sense of humor, one he uses to keep others at a distance. Yet the book is also devastatingly touching. Betty is one tough cookie, and she is crumbling. Hodgman as a young man came out around the same time AIDS did, complicating his already complicated feelings immeasurably. There’s a lot for Hodgman to handle, yet he does, despite the urge to give in to his own sadness and his own former drug addiction. A tender, resolute look at a place, literal and figurative, baby boomers might find themselves.”
—Booklist
“Bettyville is a gorgeous memoir. I was completely engaged, not just because of George Hodgman’s great ear and his sense of timing, but because he delivers Betty to us in such a manner that she steps off the page . I felt transported to a better place, to a time period and a web of relationships with which we can all identify, no matter where we grew up. Beyond the humor and the pathos, the quotidian and the bizarre, there remain profound lessons about life and love that I will carry away.”
—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone
“George Hodgman achieves something stunning with this book—by paying such deep, loving attention to his mother’s (admittedly colorful) life, he offers us the chance to pay close attention to our own strange and beautiful Bettyvilles, which in the end is all we can ask of any art. This bejeweled pillbox is rich and funny and heartwrenching and might just you cure you of your ills; if those ills include loneliness or feeling like you don’t belong—you are not alone.”
—Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City
“One of the great benefits of reading memoir is that it offers the reader more people to love. I love Betty, and I love George Hodgman, whose beautiful book this is. Read Bettyville. Laugh, weep, and be grateful.”
—Abigail Thomas, author of A Three Dog Life
“Bettyville reminded me of some Homeric legend, complete with treacherous chimeras and ravenous gorgons, except that it is told with such grace, wit, and spirited generosity that you hardly sense you are on a fragile bark, adrift on a perilous sea. This story of a sensitive Midwestern boy coming to terms with his homosexuality, his drug addiction, his clueless parents, his all-out war with shame, is nothing short of epic. It begins as a simple trip home from fast-track Manhattan to Paris, Missouri, to care for a failing mother, but by the time we are through, we have descended to an underworld, witnessed a plague, traveled all nine circles of hell, and emerged exhilarated by the grit and valor of our remarkable guide. It is, in every sense, a tale about the power of love.”
—Marie Arana, author of American Chica
“With great tenderness, honesty, and a searing, sardonic humor, George Hodgman has written a love letter to his mother, at once a penance and a tribute. In doing so, he has given us Betty, a character for the ages. This is a beautiful, illuminating book.”
—Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion
“When I read the first few pages of Bettyville, I immediately connected. The detail is poetry and, yes, George Hodgman tells a story that is all our stories if we grow up different, struggling not to hurt those we treasure. But what I will most remember is the human struggle of Betty—the woman at the window, the woman at the piano, the woman whose desire to help others represents the best of small-town America. The silence she was taught and the complications of our parents’ journeys to be there for us, as best they could, is what I will take away fromBettyville, where she will always reside. Hers is the quiet love that outlasts the distances and lets us survive.”
—Richard Blanco, United States inaugural poet, author of The Prince of los Cucuyos: A Miami Childhood
Judi Singleton's review
This book is all about the power of love. It pictures beautifully the struggle of a young man wrestling with his sexuality. Then the traveling away to where he least wants to be to take care of his mother who is very ill. This book is a love letter his mother. And in this wonderful book he has given us Betty. -- I have gotten great pleasure from reading it. It's a wonderful book, and, like some others here, I could not put it down! I do heartily recommend it.Judi Singleton is the owner/operator of Be Jewel U where you can dress the whole family for less
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Book Review Wreckage [Kindle Edition] by Emily Bleeker
There is a dark undercurrent from the start. A vacation-bound chartered plane crashes in the ocean near French Polynesia. Five passengers float in the ocean for days before washing up on an island. Stranded for nearly two years, only Lillian and Dave manage to survive. But just how they survived is something they don’t want to talk about.
Here’s where my obsessive reading, sharing, reading, sharing cycle began: once they return home, Dave and Lillian fabricate a story about what happened on the island to protect both themselves and their families. Because the truth is...really dark. And when a hard-nosed cable news reporter won’t let the story die, their lies begin to fray around the edges, threatening to destroy everything they struggled so desperately to come home to.
Lillian Linden is a liar. On the surface, she looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she’s been lying to her family, her friends, and the whole world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost two years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can’t tell the real story—so they lie.
The public is fascinated by the castaways’ saga, but Lillian and Dave must return to their lives and their spouses. Genevieve Randall—a hard-nosed journalist and host of a news program—isn’t buying it. She suspects Lillian’s and Dave’s explanations about the other crash survivors aren’t true. And now, Genevieve’s determined to get the real story, no matter how many lives it destroys.
In this intriguing tale of survival, secrets, and redemption, two everyday people thrown together by tragedy must finally face the truth…even if it tears them apart.
Bleeker’s debut has all the spectacle of our fanatical media culture: drama, suspense, secrets, and human interest. Similar to the pact Dave and Lillian made never to reveal what happened, I’ve made a pact with the author not to give anything away to you. But rest assured, I couldn’t stop telling everyone I knew about Wreckage—and I have a feeling you’ll be obsessed, too!
Judi Singleton Review of The Book
Lillian, the protagonist has been lying, she is a pathological liar. . She's being interviewed for TV and returned to her family then took on a completely different look. The plot was very thin and the characters one dimensional. Liar, Liar, pants on fire. Lillian Linden and Dave Hall are the sole survivors of a much publicized plane crash, but the truth of their brave and harrowing tale has been laced with fabrication. Now Genevieve Randall, a ruthless and determined journalist, is in pursuit of the truth; and she will stop at nothing to reveal the reality of what happened on that deserted island.
I am sure this author will get better with writing more. Some of it held my interest but I like real strong character and these just did not come alive. The plot can be a little weak and I may still enjoy it a great deal but this one was down right watery. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Book Review by The Judi Singleton Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Memoirist McKenna's debut novel—a pastoral, feel-good yarn set in 1974 County Derry—concerns two Irish 40-somethings who meet through a newspaper Lonely Hearts column. Both farmer Jamie McCloone and schoolteacher Lydia Devine have suffered the recent death of a loved one. Jamie's traumatic childhood at a sweatshop run by the nuns from hell precipitates his dependence on Valium and whiskey. Lydia, meanwhile, grew up under the oppressive thumb of her now-dead rector father and—at age 40, still a virgin who has never tasted alcohol—decides it's time to live a little. The pair, of course, are grossly mismatched—she prim and buttoned-down, he a rough-edged rustic—which is underscored repeatedly during their lengthy postal courtship. Comic relief comes from Jamie's neighbors, the McFaddens, who do their best to aid Jamie and lift him from his saturnine moods. McKenna—who's written a memoir, My Mother Wore a Yellow Dress—places a few twists in the narrative, saving the most startling until the close. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Her portrait of rural life is amusing and affectionate, wittily and winningly detailed..." -- Kirkus
About the Author
Christina McKenna grew up in County Derry, Northern Ireland. She received an honors degree in Fine Art from the Belfast College of Art, and studied postgraduate English at the University of Ulster. The Misremembered Man is her first novel.
Judi Singleton Review
This is wonderful book is really two stories with an unexpected ending. The time is 1976 and the two main characters are two people who are lonely but have nothing else in common.. Jamie is a farmer and a loner. He was raised in an extremely cruel and sadistic ophanrange in Northern Ireland. Because of his cruel childhood he is always depressed. He recently lost his adoptive father he calls Uncle Mick, and that adds to his depression.
Lydia is a school teacher who has been sheltered. She still lives at home and takes care of her mother at age 41. .The mother is whiny and complaining. She is scared to death that Lydia will leave her alone in her old age. . Lydia's recently dead father was a stern minister and obsessively protective. Lydia has a institutional depression going on as she does not know how to change things and does not want to abandon her mother. The second story which is James's growing up years in the orphanage. He was ten before he was adopted. He was mentally, physically and sexually abused. These stories of James are hard to bear or even read but they shape who James is today. This book is beautifully written with a great deal of sensitivity. One feels for both characters is their loneliness, and their plights. I hightly recommend this book.Judi Singleton owns and operates bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less
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Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Friday, March 13, 2015
Judi Singleton's Review of The Edible Balcony: Growing Fresh Produce in Small Spaces Paperback – by Alex Mitchell
The Edible Balcony: Growing Fresh Produce in Small Spaces Paperback – February 14, 2012
by Alex Mitchell (Author)
You don't need a sprawling backyard or spacious raised beds to grow delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs of your own. In The Edible Balcony, longtime urban gardener Alex Mitchell shows how to transform whatever space you have, from a balcony or rooftop to a fire escape or window box, into a profusion of fresh, seasonal produce.
While raising your own produce is eco-friendly in itself, you'll learn how to plant, grow, and water as sustainably as possible to ensure your edible Eden remains green and productive all year long. Plus, with a collection of innovative, step-by-step projects for designing colorful pots and plant supports with recycled containers and other household paraphernalia, you'll double your eco-friendliness, avoid hours of shopping, and be able to infuse your space with your own personal flair and style. Who knew saving time, money, and the environment could be so much fun?
A collection of practical advice, fabulous container projects, and stunning examples of how gardeners around the world are successfully transforming urban spaces into abundant fruit and vegetable plots, The Edible Balcony is your guide to creating attractive, responsible, and thoroughly rewarding small space gardens--and perhaps never having to settle for grocery store produce again.
Judi Singleton's Review of The Edible Balcony: Growing Fresh Produce in Small Spaces Paperback –
by Alex Mitchell
This book is chocked full of creative ideas of how to plan a elible garden in a small space. I don't know how he got so much information in this small book actually one of the best gardening books I have ever read. It has so many beautiful colored photos you just can't image. Everyone wants to be healthy and be able to grow and eat organic foods. This is one way to do that. You may not be able to grow your entire food supply in this way but it sure will make for a better diet. This book is for us who live in small apartments. It is not a book about organic raised beds. It is one of the best and I have been reading gardening books for many years.
Judi Singleton is the owner operator of Bejewelu.com where you can dress the whole family for less
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Book Review by Judi Singleton The Grace in Aging: Awaken as You Grow Older Paperback – August 5, 2014 by Kathleen Dowling Singh (Author)
The Grace in Aging: Awaken as You Grow Older Paperback – August 5, 2014
by Kathleen Dowling Singh (Author)
Review
"In her wonderful book Kathleen Dowling Singh helps us to face and embrace the hard truth of the
precarious nature of our life. With acceptance of this fact arises a deep appreciation of life's
preciousness. Then we don't want to waste a minute. We are inspired to enter our lives fully. Through
her skillful guidance we come to see that aging can be a time of grace and great aliveness." (Frank
Ostaseski, Founder, Metta Institute, Co-Founder, Zen Hospice Project)
"I find Kathleen Dowling Singh's insight and wisdom compelling, readable, and life changing (Death
changing too!). This book is indeed grace!" (Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upward, A Spirituality for
the Two Halves of Life)
"Kathleen Dowling Singh reveals the clear opportunities for spiritual awakening throughout the wonder
and challenges of our aging process. The Grace in Aging is a practical guide into our psycho-spiritual
dynamics that can be helpful at any age but is especially tuned to the trials of the later stages of
our life. Kathleen leads us forward with such dignity and resolution that we become convinced that this
phase of life holds a promise and a potential unlike any other. " (Rodney Smith, author of Lessons from
the Dying)
"With her own special grace, Dowling Singh eases us into the foreshortened shelf life we all face as we
age and approach death. This future is shorter than our past, but she optimistically shows how we can
use it for the spiritual awakening we may have long sought. Wise and remarkably clear, The Grace in
Aging can be a comfortable, easy and peaceful fit for our deepest and heartfelt seeking and a wonderful
space for our impermanent minds to explore." (Jean Smith, author of Life Is Spiritual Practice)
"The inevitability of aging need not be a dismal, morbid scenario, but a glorious opening a to a gentle
wisdom and peacefulness that the tempests of youth manage to obscure. Let Kathleen Dowling Singh be
your guide in this extraordinary period of life, which can be a time of celebration instead of defeat."
(Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind)
"In Kathleen Singh's luminous words, the hidden nature of old age as a practice stands fully revealed
with all the potential for fulfillment of a true spiritual path. Don’t grow old without it." (Rachel
Naomi Remen, MD, author of Kitchen Table Wisdom)
"In The Grace in Aging, Kathleen transposes into a new key all previous discussion of aging. Her book
sings with both depth and grace, erudition and that insight born only of deeply sifted experience. All
those who have woken up in the morning one day older than when they went to bed the night before owe
her a debt of gratitude for pointing us toward that eternal Now, which reveals both life and death as
single embrace of transforming Mystery." (Martin Laird, author of Into the Silent Land and A Sunlit
Absence)
"Establishes guideposts in the fog for those seeking greater meaning and fulfillment as they edge
toward life’s grand finale; Singh urges us to reclaim the process of aging. The impact is
exhilaration." (Spirituality and Health)
"A bracing but gentle wake-up call for baby boomers, and indeed, anyone who wishes to understand and
come to terms with the aging process and the universal impermanence of life itself." (Booklist)
"Readers of all ages can gain an awareness of the joy inherent in everyday moments large and small. Her
calming and illuminating prose aims open readers' minds to live with compassion and wisdom, surrounded
by truth." (Shelf Awareness)
About the Author
Kathleen Dowling Singh is a Dharma practitioner, psychotherapist, and in-demand speaker and teacher.
She is the author of The Grace in Dying: How We Are Transformed Spiritually As We Die. A mother and
grandmother, she is old enough to be eligible for Medicare. Kathleen lives in Sarasota, FL.
Judi Singleton's Review
The author has been able with this book to make a subject that is not often discussed in the United
States culture that of growing old with grace. The subject is well covered alongside a collection of
beautiful, thought-provoking quotes and poems. It made me take a look at my Christian religion in a
whole new way. This book makes one grateful for each moment instead of regreting that we are no longer
20 and it helps one accept that we are all dying from the moment we are born. Death is a part of the
life cycle. So often in this society we can't even say our pet die. We say we put them down. Or they
went to rainbow bridge. If a person can follow the advise of this book you can be aware of each moment
and grateful for these moments both big and small. If we live well we do not have to regret any moments
of our life. It inspieres one to live well. Knowing we live as a part of God's plan and Grace.
Friday, March 6, 2015
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