Gerry Tales: How I Lived Happily Ever After Despite... by Gerry Boylan

Gerry Tales: How I Lived Happily Ever After Despite... by Gerry Boylan. Synergy Books. August 2010. 256 pp. ISBN #: 9780984387939.

If you know how to laugh at yourself and regard the craziest incidents in your life as humorous moments that have shaped your life in a wonderful way, Gerry Tales is for you to enjoy and share with your family and friends with the same attitudes!

Gerry Boylan begins his tales with some childhood escapades that defy the
Imagination and are stories readers may recall in their own lives or wish had happened to them. From being the chosen boy to lay the china doll Baby Jesus in the crib at midnight on Christmas Eve – a ceremony that goes awry but leaves the entire congregation rolling with laughter – to adventurous accounts of teenage escapades that always seemed to wind up with being nabbed by the local pastor or police and a few nasty scars that were well-deserved but viewed as innocent adventures and nothing more, the stories continue with strict but wise parents who knew when to laugh and let go and friends who admire the robust willingness this boy had in the face of any challenge.

Then Gerry gets married and the children rapidly arrive, and now it’s his turn to wade through the comic world of parenting, with scenes like lecturing on behaving which seems to go over the kid’s heads because they’re staring at something gross on Dad’s face. Or there are the many moments of supporting children engaged 200% in the world of sports, with its ups and downs of winning and losing, a presence that values good sportsmanship over all the efforts, wins, losses, broken bones, etc.

And of course there’s the business world that Gerry navigates where he learns the hard way that all those amenities in the posh hotel refrigerator really aren’t included in the price of the room, where stereotypical appearances and behavior of the “salesmen” can be one’s friend or even one’s nemesis, and so much more.

Words cannot begin to convey the humor and wonderful spirit in these short but memorable tales shared by Gerry Boylan. Give this to your parents and your kids or even your siblings, as well as your friends! It’s an absolutely delightful collection that will make you want to embrace life more and, by the way, meet the author some day!

The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success by Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske with Liz Neporent

The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success by Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske with Liz Neporent. Da Capo Lifelong Books. March 2010. Hb. 240 pp. ISBN #: 978-0738213606.

It may seem like common sense to figure out what marks the thinking of successful men and women. But that’s not absolutely evident since there are so many books and talks being given on how to create success, whether that be financial, professional, or otherwise. These two authors have here focused on the eight mental and emotional strategies that may not absolutely guarantee but certainly seem to be the “keys” to achievement for those with the spark to begin the process!

The topics are presented with different ideas than most people consider and are backed by neuroscience and biological experiments that literally and repeatedly visualize changes in the brain that accompany creation of something new and unique. This involves laser-like focus, consideration of how much one is willing to risk, a talent meter, an eye and mind for opportunity which arises at just the right moment, and an effort accelerator. How many have become stuck in one of these places and literally paralyzed so that the dream seems deferred forever? This book deals with how to meet such obstacle moments as well.

Other factors include self-awareness of one’s optimistic or pessimistic or somewhere in between (like most people) nature, motivation or drive, emotional balance in the midst of whatever challenges arise in the creative process, the ability to be proactive and resilient through it all, a willingness and ability to adapt to the present circumstances, and so much more.

No, the road to success isn’t something we can all assume we know; and if the reader wants to be a winner of any size, shape, and form, this is a very useful book to use as a guidepost in that wondrous cycle of evolution that might make you into someone who lives with a winner’s brain! Fascinating material, examples and a clearly presented program one would be wise to follow!

Drawn to the Land: The Romance of Farming by Elizabeth J. Cockey and Barton M. Cockey

Drawn to the Land: The Romance of Farming by Elizabeth J. Cockey and Barton M. Cockey. Bridgeway Books. June 2010. Hb. 48 pp. ISBN #:978-1934454404.

Farming is solidly strong, a career and passion cherished by generations of families who exemplify the finest qualities of those who love the land and produce its crops with tender, loving care. The authors here spotlight multiple farms that raise different types of animals and crops throughout the seasons, ranging from sheep, chickens, cows, bees, corn, cider, grapes, wine, maple syrup, organic vegetables, and more.

But what is unique about this book is the deep-seated love of the land, depicted in quaint, beautiful paintings presented with each topic, pictures transformed from photographs to paintings that truly depict the peaceful, colorful landscape with its farms and animals.

The metaphor of growth and renewal is continuously stated and inferred, a process that is as often fraught with difficulties due to weather, prices, taxes, and more but always handled with a realistic and practical equanimity that transcends rather than survives whatever challenges may arise with each year’s unpredictable cycle. These are hardy families who never give up hope.

While many are abandoning farming for more lucrative careers, a whole new generation is returning to the love and “responsible stewardship” of this land in upstate New York.

The authors have presented readers with the history, practices, motivation, confident attention and hard but loved work that has made this entire area a historical, abundantly productive, and aesthetically pleasing landscape celebrated so wonderfully in this very small but oh so significant text. Very nicely done!

Return to Eden by Anthony Raimondo, Ph.D., CH

Return to Eden by Anthony Raimondo, Ph. D., CH. Dog Ear Publishing. 2009. pb. 156 pp. ISBN #: 9781608441136.

Dr. Anthony Raimondo has an unusual point of view on living a whole and complete life. After teaching students for many years, he began to realize that the narrative story of one’s life could lead to a theme of direction for the best career and most satisfying existence that is not only possible but also intended by the source of all being, God, or whatever name one credits with the author of life.

This theme evolves after beginning to practice meditations, visualizations, imagining scenarios, affirmations centered on Divine Design, exercises for allowing the when and where and how of one’s plan to emerge as well as how to deal with obstacles that evolve, prayer, and plotting the plan one desires, all of which are creatively and realistically presented by the author. Many examples are given to guide the reader slowly to achieve one’s Return to Eden.

For Dr. Raimondo believes and reminds the reader that the Fall from Eden was not the end of the story but only the beginning. Men and women were promised, through the words given in multiple sacred and secular texts, a return to the original design meant for humanity. It is ours to claim, and Return to Eden is a plan to initiate what all are intended to become and cherish in the full realization of life’s purpose. This is a lovely, inspirational text sure to become very special to those who not only read but practice its outlined program! Oneness is the promise for all!

Too Rich and Too Thin: Not an Autobiography by Barbara DeShong

Too Rich and Too Thin: Not an Autobiography by Barbara DeShong. September 2009. Echelon Press. Pb. 372 pp. ISBN #: 9781590806418.

Dr. Jessica LaFave is a psychotherapist who normally does a great job of helping the people by profiling killers being sought by the law. But lately, the hard-core cops think she’s gone too far and are beginning to doubt her abilities. Her psychotherapist husband was found dead and it was tossed off by the police as a drunken accident, with the added humiliation to Jessica of some items found in his possession that hint of unfaithfulness. But Jessica doesn’t doubt her late husband at all and instead believes he knew something from one of his clients that was too dangerous to know and so brought on his own innocent demise.

Now Jessica is asked to help with profiling the killer of Bernice Jackson, an author who turns “sacred” Texas history into racy novels and movies that border on porn. It turns out that Bernice was once a patient of her late husband right around the time of his death. So Jessica now begins probing into Bernice’s world, the world of a drugged son frequently humiliated by his father, a daughter who might be called an air-head were it not for her over-eating binges designed to remove her from her dysfunctional family, Jessica’s lawyer friend who sticks by her while always threatening to remove himself from her crazed ideas and plots, and more.

The tone is always light and bizarre. The characters are multiple and their conversation frequently meandering into what seems like nowhere but actually makes the reader pay attention to catch the riddle-like sparks of gold that will lead to the eventual capture of the real killer of Bernice Jackson and David LaFave! Definitely a different, novel approach to mysteries!

The Wolf of Tebron: A Fairy Tale by C. S. Lakin

The Wolf of Tebron: A Fairy Tale. The Gates of Heaven Series by C. S. Lakin. AMG Publishers/Living Ink Books. July 2010. pb. 288 pp. Youth Fantasy Fiction. ISBN #: 9780899578880.

Joran the Blacksmith is tortured by his own anger, an emotion that digs deep into his soul, his dreams, and his daytime work. Everyone in his small town suspects that something is deeply awry but says nothing. Finally, Joran takes a leave of absence to find Charris, whom he initially sent away with unflagging righteous dismissal. But now he has heard that Charris never arrived back in her family’s town. She seems to have disappeared!

So begins an amazing journey rivaling the best of C. S. Lewis’s tales for adventure and wisdom presented in an exciting and intelligent manner. Joran will indeed meet a wizard, a very special wolf – Ruyah, a cast of characters related to the Sun and Moon, and the South Wind, among others who will lead Joran to realize that nothing is really quite as it seems.

For Joran must learn the power of balance, that which keeps reason and emotions, dreams and nightmares in check. Surprisingly, this humbled blacksmith begins to realize he can be the creator of his own dreams, depending on how he treats them.

C. S. Lakin has a vivid imagination, and there are so many special moments in this “fairy tale” that will please all ages and leave you with many things to seriously and pleasantly ponder. There are many fantasy and fairy tale stories that tell a typical and predictable story – this is NOT one of those but instead a true fairy tale that is bound to become a classic! I loved this novel, and I rarely say this about many books I review!!!

French Letters: Engaged in War by Jack Woodville London

French Letters: Engaged in War by Jack Woodville London. Vire Press, Texas. September 2010. ISBN #: 9780982120712.

War is definitely one of the most terrible experiences one can endure! Through the stark narration of Will Hastings, a trained doctor, the reader encounters another war story of reason and decency gone awry for the most part. For Will’s training has been so rudimentary that he is totally unprepared for being a field surgeon in the midst of the battle zone in France. So he learns on the job, a fact which leaves one of his officers with a saved life. The scar that is left drives that same officer to revenge, carried out by making Will’s life as miserable as possible by sending him to the most dangerous war sites and accusing him of breaking every imaginable Army rule that ever existed. Will’s peers think he should have killed the Major, a desire later coming to fruition in a rather strange way to be sure.

So the reader reads about the opinions of fellow soldiers, a doctor in a French town who’s lost most of his much-needed supplies, a French resistance fighter who is female and whose relationship to Will evolves slowly and specially, a Judge trying to conduct a court martial that turns out to be as chaotic and insane as the rest of the war. Will returns to the war believing, since he has written Virginia back home not to wait for him, that nothing matters anymore. But little by little, the preciousness of life persists, albeit mixed with a heady amount of lunacy. A desire begins to form, to return to the town of the first novel in this series, French Letters: Virginia’s War, not knowing that change and chaos have left behind some very lonely and bitter people.

Sending home a chest of his brother’s belongings, Will has no idea of the manipulation that will change several lives forever. Trying to save a friend’s life during a court martial could very well mean the death of a woman he has come to trust and cherish. The future is unsure for all because war fashions new psyches and souls forever.

French Letters: Engaged in War is a memorable read that is even more tense, ironic, satirical and engaging than the first book in this planned trilogy. Hoping and caring abide in even the most devastating circumstances!