The Guest Room is a cautionary tale for all those ...
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The Guest Room is a cautionary tale for all those fellows planning a bachelor's party before a wedding. This book sealed me to my reading arm chair immersed in this action-packed, thriller of a novel-not knowing what actions would happen next to have me biting my tongue to keep from SCREAM-TELLING the characters what to do, what to say, etc. This is a TEN-STAR READ and NOT ANY LESS!!! For those readers that give this less than FIVE STARS, I hope the Mobsters get you!
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While it might not be wise to inquire too far into your spouse's background - our heroine discovers a nightmare - this book will keep you up all night.
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The authors have told the story of a man who lived within their castle's walls who's capacity to hide his evil deeds nearly exceeded their capacity to stop him. A self-examination worthy of praise and a warning of how treachery can become invisible when one's own culture is blinded by its own delusional self-examination.
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This is a true story of an all-to-often downside of modern medicine.  The medical system has become so intent on stopping law suits and spending long hours of paperwork and bureaucratic minutiae that it has forgotten the original purpose of the profession - helping patients.  With the current use/overuse of highly toxic drugs, these types of situations are happening more than ever or worse problems occur while in treatment, exacerbating the initial reasons for admittance.  Most people are profoundly aware of what is happening with their bodies and, when given a chance to be heard, can shed considerable light into very logical sources of their suffering.  Having advocated for a friend who has had scores of very intense surgeries and treatments over the years, I can attest to the lack of common sense and lack of knowledge to details of previous records regarding the patient.  In every hospital visit, it is we who have had to get the medications straightened out.  We are told to take things that have already been proven to not work or cause harm, and other necessary proven drugs have been overlooked, allowing suffering to exist where it is unnecessary.  We have had to self-diagnose problems, one of them so simple, but absolutely life-threatening, that went unanswered or unheard by the professionals.  This book clearly shows how these things happen in facilities which one assumes are run by professionals who care for their patients.  The system is broken due to the convoluted and excessive levels of specialization, but then is aggravated by the lack of communication between said specialists and due diligence.  All the documentation and record-keeping in the world is worthless if no one reads or reviews it.  This in depth recollection of a typical medical fiasco, also potentially life threatening, is poignant and insightful on all of these levels.  The system needs to be fixed by caring people who are given the time in their work days to be comprehensive and aware, allowing them to put the patients' needs first.  Shift changes and lack of contact with doctors when needed, especially on weekends, is killing people.  Hopefully the public will educate itself with the help of this memoir and then share with the professionals with whom they may come in contact, and demand the attention and care their loved ones deserve.  I don't know what happens to those who go to hospital and don't have a strong, knowledgeable advocate to oversee their care and speak for them when necessary.  It is a life saving requirement these days.  Unfortunately, it is also looked upon by many professionals as an annoyance with which they don't want to deal.

Sent from Janice Wilson's iPad.
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Some authors tell a story, others paint a vibrant picture in your mind.  The Room falls into the latter.  One of the most intriguing elements of The Room is the author's ability to draw you into his world.

The Room is a compelling story of possession, evil, and the struggle of a family dealing with the unknown.  Derek Blass has a way of permeating your mind with his vivid storytelling.  You can sense the character's emotions, see the world they live in, and, most of all, feel their fear.

The horror genre is a difficult one, as there is a fine line between scary and cheesy, but The Room delivers.  I read the book quickly and was impressed by how it grabbed my attention and kept me wanting more.  Derek Blass is a master of suspense, knowing exactly how much to give you and hook you in.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Room and I highly recommend it.  You won't be disappointed.
3079163
"Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery" by Barbara Sinor is a collection of stories about addiction and recovery, some of which are inspirational, some which portray the hard-fought successes and some which depict the heart-breaking realities of addiction. The most poignant story by far is the author's own tale of dealing with her son's alcoholism and eventual death. It angers me to read about someone losing their fight with addiction while waiting to get into treatment after being repeatedly told there are "no beds available." It's absurd that this should happen in a country that spends billions in a futile "war on drugs." The focus obviously needs to be shifted from putting people in prison to putting them in treatment. Sinor includes information about many different organizations, one of which is Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap, a national program working to expand addiction treatment for those who desire to reach out for help. Currently, four out of five Americans who need treatment are unable to get it.

  In her own story, Sinor says, "David and I were heartbroken that our son had chosen such a difficult path." I think it's unfortunate that she believes her son "chose" the path that led to his death. If I chose my path, I made that choice long before I first drank alcohol and smoked pot at fourteen. By then, my personality and character were well-formed in a way that made my "choice" more of an involuntary contraction or reaction. I was a curious and naive dare-devil, and I made an ill-informed decision that lead to much misery before I could see what was happening to me. No one knows exactly how one becomes addicted. I believe, for me, it was a recipe with many ingredients. I would say 50 percent of it is genetics since I have addicts and alcoholics on both sides of my family. 25 to 35 percent I would attribute to experiences and conditions in my family and school. And the hand that flipped the switch that my genetics and environmental conditions created had to be my exposure to the drugs themselves at an early age. A close family member introduced me to the needle, and I doubt I would ever have been exposed to it had this relationship not existed the way it did. So basically I'm saying I was too young and too many things were out of my control to say I "chose" the disease of addiction. I'm not absolving myself of responsibility here either. I, and no one else, am responsible for my recovery. I chose recovery after twenty years of hell, twenty years of not believing I had a choice.

  In her stories of addiction, Sinor also includes one by a woman who has been on methadone for forty years and one by a woman who continues to smoke pot every night after deciding not to do hard drugs anymore. I relapsed many times after hearing such stories when I attempted to quit. They always fooled me into believing I could control my use. These two people write about how great their life is "in recovery," but I suspect they are not telling the whole story. I could not begin to recover until I was able to see my addiction as a beast living inside me. Using any drug, even the ones I "never had a problem with," keeps the beast alive and gives him strength. I could not arrest my addiction until I stopped feeding the beast.

  All in all, "Tales of Addiction and Inspiration for Recovery" is a book full of love, heartbreak, compassion, and ultimately, hope. As Sinor says, "Living with addiction is a spiritual journey." Whether we chose this path or not, it is the one we are on and there is much to learn, and this book has taken me another step in the right direction on the right path.

David Allan Reeves
Author of "Running Away From Me"
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The story of Alice, written in the form of a diary, is like a blow to the head. It is is a chronicle of the rapid descent of an ordinary teenager into the murky world of drug abuse and its associated vices. Alice really wants nothing more than to belong, to gain acceptance from her peers and to find fulfilment, but the choices she makes take her down a rocky pathway.

As a parent and  professional educator, I read this with horrified fascination. A cautionary tale indeed.
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"Live Cadaver"  by Kelly Kendell is a frightening tale of what can happen when trust is misplaced in the personal physician. Ms, Kendell being diagnosed with uterine fibroid tumors, is referred by a physician she trusts into and experimental treatment being conducted by two physicians with virtually no experience in this treatment modality. Ms. Kendell is operated upon not by the doctor her primary care physician referred her to, but to that doctor's partner. Ms Kendell found herself abandoned by not only the doctor performed surgery but by her primary medical care physician as well. The pain from Ms. Kendell's botched surgery was so tremendous that she had difficulty in negotiating her way to an eventual resolution and even then,  that resolution was an emergency hysterectomy. - the very event Ms. Kendell  was trying hardest to prevent. Ms. Kendell is a bright and articulate woman who achieved a high degree of professional success in her chosen field of real estate. The difficulties she faced through miscommunication and neglect by the three doctors involved in her care, is a cautionary tale for anyone dealing with a serious medical problem. Her decision to tell her story, as difficult as it is to read, should be helpful in assisting other individuals to avoid similar calamitous outcomes.
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As a mental health professional,I like many am aware of the illness of a leader and that psychopathology at the top of any organization becomes policy. These very smart folks decided it was an obligation to warn of dangerousness. My hat's off to them.
2160750
This is a frankly written story of the agony of not only one woman, but many not recorded,  Chemo therapy and radiation are horrid enough with all the side effects, but the hope and promise of full recovery keeps these ladies going.  When the author discovers to her dismay
and embarrassment that full recovery is not happening, she feels betrayed and is angry, extremely angry.  This is her story of all the
research and the discovery she was lied to and told her situation was extremely rare; however, she learns there are dozens if not hundreds
of women suffering as she.  The stress of filing complaints, the committees she meets, the evasion she encounters from trusted consultants takes its toll.  She is a brave and gutsy lady and the support group she establishes helps others.  A crisp critical look at the world of the
cancer survivors.  A book not for the faint hearted, but one I strongly recommend not only for cancer patients, but their families also.
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painful but beautifully acted by an inn full of A-listers
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Do not leave in a common room. after 3 weeks of guests using this bench as a seat, the top collapsed.
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There is a tendency to assume that major issues such as presented here are under control by somebody.  This is a reminder that we all need to be concerned.
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Dear future readers: Dont read the first two chapters of this book and decide it isn't for you. PRESS. There are nuggets of gold within these pages. You will adore this novel!

I read The Turner House with smiles at my own memories of our family gatherings. Every event is a family reunion. Our family is so large that there are members of my family that I have never even met. The stories that Flournoy crafted to display the relationship between 13 siblings, all gathered around Mama who is dying and wistful recall of a patriarch long gone bring a warmth to my soul and spirit. Im so reminded of my Aunt and Uncle(recently passed) who had 13 children. They often tell me that having so many siblings meant you always had someone to play with. My cousins tell me that their sisters are their best friends.

This book largely follows the oldest of the 13 Cha Cha (Charles) and the youngest born, Lelah. Cha-Cha is the de-facto father figure, since father Francis died. Hes the one that has to decide what to do with the Turner House. Mother Viola suffered a stroke and couldn't live alone any more. Cha and his wife Tina took her in, and despite her insistence that shell return home, every one knows shell never see that house again. Shes upside down in the mortgage, and the family is split on what to do with the house on Yarrow, their childhood home, a place that holds a lifetime of memories for each of them.

Some want to keep the house, some want to sell it, some still need to call it home.

Lelah, the youngest of the 13, is the character that I felt the most compassion for, for some reason. Shes a gambling addict and a screw-up in nearly every way, except for her daughter and grandson she did that right, at least. We meet Lelah as shes being evicted from her apartment for non-payment of rent, which went unpaid because shed been suspended from work without pay. Lelah rolls through the situation with the ease of someone whos endured job loss and eviction as often as Ive filled my car with gas. With nowhere to turn, shes been squatting at The Turner House, avoiding her siblings and trying to stay away from the Casino.

With graceful flashbacks to the past, Flournoy takes us to the beginning, to when Viola and Francis only had Cha-Cha. How Viola worked for an insufferable white woman. How Francis traveled from Arkansas to Detroit in search of work, but stayed gone for nine long months. How each had disrespected their marriage during his absence, then spent the next fifty years making it up to each other the next twelve children being a testament to that promise.

The house on Yarrow was to be a new beginning, a meaningful symbol to the Turner family. To see it empty and on the verge of foreclosure must have been heartbreaking to a family that had filled it with so many children, so much love and warmth.

I love a rich, deep, warm story that covers a lifetime of happenings. The Turner House was all that and then some. Quite enjoyable I would read more from this author!
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This is a tremendously told tale of a count who is sent to "house arrest" by the Communists in the luxurious Metropol Hotel in Moscow.  It's the story of how he copes graciously within such a small world; but it's also the story of the changes in Russia in general and Moscow in particular as Communism develops and changes in that country.  That story is told through the lens of the employees of the hotel and the stories his friends tell him when they visit.
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Maria Casale is a storyteller. She draws us into a tale we will not forget. Lillian, the live-in caregiver is enchanted by the home, the primary character, of her new client, a dying, selfish old woman, who, in Lillian's mind is undeserving of her pedigreed life and the splendor of this sanctuary, its rooms restored and garden lovingly tended by Lillian. Enter an unloved daughter and a young menacing granddaughter. Tightly braid these four women together in the confines of the house, each woman with her own tangent, add surprises and fear and you have a page turner you can't put down.
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Of late there has been a spotlight placed back on the victims of domestic violence and the damage it does to the adult, but what are you doing to your children.  In this book Mr. Martin explores the many facets of the recurring nightmare that violence brings as it keeps repeating from one generation to the next.

Through conversations, case studies, and quoted research the often over looked victims who are raised in this nightmare they are too small to escape.  Adults are the responsible person designated to care for those they are raising but when that adult cannot take care of themselves it is the children left to clean up from the carnage of emotional chaos.

Brian Martin points out easy to follow steps for helping adults recover and not repeat the cycle and most importantly identify what type of victim you are.  If you became isolated there are positive ideas on how to make friends, if you need a mentor note the ideas brought forth on choosing someone who will accept and guide you.  Most important of all, when you find the one person that is your salvation grab on and do not let go, ever.  This road is difficult, the path pitted with ways to knock you down, and at times when you think no one cares we all need to be that one person that does.

The question that is raised is what any one of us can do to help out when we don't see any remnants of abuse, look again.  These children in need are all around us just begging for some adult to help them out, don't turn away reach out with compassion to just one child and you personally can make a world of difference.