THUMB UP FOR BARBARA KYLE
930794
I have read all her books & they just get better & better! Anyone who has not read her books & love this time period will not be able to put her books down!
1267271
Libbys Literary Corner: I can count on one hand (and I only need TWO of the fingers) the number of books I have read twice, A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, and now We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride. It was the title that first caught my attention in 2014. This week it didn't take me long to remember the love I have for this story. We Are Called to Rise is told in first person, or four persons. First is fifty-three-year-old Avis, shocked that her twenty-nine-year marriage has crumbled. Avis has dedicated her life to her husband and surviving child, Nate. Her adult war hero son, a survivor of three tours in Iraq, has come home damaged, but sick in ways that are not visible, ways only his wife and mother know. Since he's such a recognized veteran, it doesnt take Nate long to become a member of the Los Vegas Police Department. Next is Roberta, Court Appointed Special Advocate, a volunteer role shes had for thirteen years. She knows she cant fix the world, but shes determined to give it her best. The third character is third grader, Bashkim, an Albanian boy. His parents are immigrants who came to the US when he was just a baby. They left Albania after Bashkims father spent decades in prison for witnessing and revealing a police crime. Prison abuse has left Bashkims baba angry and paranoid. Bashkim and his little sister Tirana tread lightly around their father so he doesnt take out his anger on their mother, their nene. The third graders in Bashkims classroom are assigned military pen pals. Bashkim is a sweet serious student whose life lacks much in the way of joy or childishness. He looks forward to writing and hearing from a pen pal. Finally theres Luis, Bashkims pen pal, a soldier who responds to the third graders letter. What he writes is so painful, pain-filled and hurtful. Its sent from a man who didn't expect to live long enough to receive a second letter. The letter rocks Bashkim. The inappropriate letter he doesnt remember writing also haunts Luis when he lies gravely wounded in a DC veterans hospital. This is a fictional tale inspired by a real event McBride saw in a newspaper article. About her novel author McBride said, The challenge I set myself was this: could I write a story that accepted the full unbearableness, and still left one wanting to wake up in the morning? Oh, she did just that! I have already preordered her next novel, Round Midnight scheduled to be released in May! I know it will be well-worth the wait!
259047
Another wonderful book by Barbara Brown Taylor. She has an uncanny way of touching on issues that I've pondered about for years.
898744
If you have read American Sniper this is a MUST read for after! It is a short great tribute to the life of Chris Kyle. It is a super quick and easy read too.
3039425
This is one of Barbara's best yet. I love her style,a handsome wealthy leading man, a mystery man, who to believe??? As always a subtle movie reference, I love Lauren Bacall,,,,, You gotta read it to find out!!!!!!!
4064159
I really enjoyed this book. I find with Barbara Cartland books I either love them or I hate them. This book was an enjoyable read. I would recommend it.
3458126
I really enjoyed reading this book and learning more about Governor
Sarah Palin.  I beleive she is prepared to be Vice-President and can handle any situation that comes her way.  She is quite a lady!
4367435
Kyle is good at getting to the basics. Whereas many other websites people lump together as "neo-masculine," Kyle does well to keep the politics aside and focus on your actual mental development (ie: keystone habits, learning to let go of things you can't control, knowing how to be assertive). Sometimes I want more depth in his findings from other sources (most of his anecdotes are personal experiences), but he is really just getting the good stuff off the ground and building the community organically. Keep up the good work.
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I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I love Barbara's books!  This is the second book in the Scandalous Kisses series and I was not disappointed.  Bridget and Colin are strong characters and the plot of the book was well planned and written.  I love that Ms Monajem portrayed Bridget as a little wild and still have her keep her womanly character.  Very well done!
2423014
I thought this was a great love story. You are all ways rooting for Kyle. Always hoping that he ends upbwith his love.
1487367
This is a Really Informative, INTERESTING Book...

I'm buying Other Copies as Gifts....

RIP ---CHRIS KYLE---AMERICAN HERO....!!!!! A TRUE AMERICAN HERO.....!!!!
3829884
Barbara was my sister.  To tell the truth, I could never read her book for more than a few pages before I began to be sick with grief and had to put it down.  But Barbara and Larry shared many of the stories with me.  I see that some want to know a bit more about Barbara and Larry since the book is about their relationship--being together as husband and wife 24 hours a day for 2 years in all kinds of situations.  So, I can share that Barbara was always an adventurer growing up. She was a surfer when girls her age did not surf.  She graduated from UCSB and became a bilingual social worker to reach out and help other girls and women in need in Santa Barbara. Larry was an engineer and they saved his salary for the trip.  As some reviewers noted, they were not in the best shape for the trip because back in those days people did not do this kind of thing.  Also, reviewers noted that Barbara was always afraid that the end was near. She and I share one thing from our upbringing: a kind of general anxiety about life. The fact she completed this trip with her fears was a testament to her strength--more than I every had.  When they returned to Santa Barbara, Barbara wrote the manuscript with no real training in writing.  It was sharing from her heart what they had experienced.  She mailed the final draft of the manuscript to the publisher and then rode her bike down a hill without her helmet.  A rabbit darted across the road in front of her and given her value for all living things, she tried to avoid hitting it...but ended up being hit by a truck.  She was in the hospital for a few days on life support but it was futile.  My folks, Larry and I made the decision to stop the machines and donate her heart and lungs to a person who needed them.  The last contribution of her life.  But the world has the book she wrote that she and Larry hoped would encourage girls to choose to embrace life and live it to the fullest even if they are afraid to do so.  It is possible and in the end is worth the struggle.  In this regard she was my model for whatever I have accomplished in life.  Also  they hoped it would show how a couple can become one by being united in such an adventure.  After Barbara died, we worried about Larry since he and she had become so much part of each other.  It was a dark night for him for years but he made it.  My father was so crushed he died two years later.  I feel that he could not live without her.  My wife and I took my mother to Rome after my father died with our four children.  That opened a new adventure for her and she worked with international students at San Diego State University for decades  in honor of Barbara before she passed away.  I still carry Barbara in my heart every day.  But I have faith that we will be together again and will really get to know each other better than we did in this world.
4259810
So enjoyed this book as well as others by her.  Love my Louisiana home!!!  Thanks Barbara for bringing our state to others' to enjoy and hopefully want to visit because of your books!!!
3036134
I love this story! I first read it years ago. I've lost my copy and bought the book again more than once. I read this book about once a year. Barbara is a perfect mom and wife who lives a perfect life.. Until something tragic happens and she decides to quit smoking.  Then Barbara's smoke colored glasses come off and she realizes her life isn't exactly what she thought it was. (puff puff)

It's  interesting watching her life get real.. Real tough, real sad and finally she gets real mad! She goes from perfect(ly thin) to fat.. Of course everything wrong in her life is because she's fat.. (NOT!) Watching her figure out what's really going on and who is really at fault  is very satisfying. (puff puff). Don't take my word for it, at $.99 this is a steal. I would have paid $10.00 and not blinked an eye. Buy it and read it. Come back and start a discussion and we can have a Barbara Avers fan club. ;)

If you enjoy this, order "Just Desserts" by Pat Massman and Susan Rosser. They are both a fun read about women who think their weight is what's wrong in their lives.  (other than the journey of self discovery and weight loss they are very different excellent stories)  I hope you agree!

Just remember, they aren't rocket science. ;)
2858890
As a teacher librarian I start the year with this book and the matching flip doll. It is always a big hit. A good follow-up is What Happened to Marion's Book by Brook Berg. (There is a Marion plush too.)

Carmen Agra Deedy spoke at the California School Library Conference a few years ago and was fabulous. It's no wonder her books reflect her marvelous storytelling talent. I can't wait to read Martina the Beautiful Cockroach aloud this year.
1893787
Barbara Erskine is one of my favorite authors! I've begun to re-read her books, and savor and collect each one. In chronological order, this is the second, after Lady of Hay! Looking forward to building my library!
1030553
I love Barbara's books. She is a wonderful author and she continues to prove just how wonderful of an author she is. The book was well written and I could really relate to Jen. I wanted to root for her, but at the same time, I felt bad for her and her mother. Part of me wanted to smack both women upside the head, to wake them up so they could see what was really going on around them. I love when an author can make you feel so many emotions for the characters, to make you feel like you could actually be one of those characters.