Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Sep 20

8

From the Lake House by Kristen Rademacher: Review

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 8, 2020
Posted in Books Read in 2020 • Memoir  | Tagged With: , , , , | 2 Comments

From the Lake House by Kristen RademacherFrom the Lake House: A Mother’s Odyssey of Loss and Love by Kristen Rademacher


Publisher:  She Writes Press (July 21, 2020)
Category: Memoir, Grief, Motherhood
Tour Dates August and September, 2020
ISBN: 978-1631528668
Available in Print and ebook,237 pages
From the Lake House

Description From the Lake House by Kristen Rademacher


Dizzy with grief after a shattering breakup, Kristen did what any sensible thirty-nine-year-old woman would do: she fled, abandoning her well-ordered life in metropolitan Boston and impulsively relocating to a college town in North Carolina to start anew with a freshly divorced southerner.

Dismissing the neon signs that flashed Rebound Relationship, Kristen was charmed by the host of contrasts with her new beau. He loved hunting and country music, she loved yoga and NPR; he worried about nothing, she worried about everything. The luster of her new romance and small-town lifestyle soon―and predictably―faded, but by then a pregnancy test stick had lit up. As Kristen’s belly grew, so did her concern about the bond with her partner―and so did a fierce love for her unborn child. Ready or not, she was about to become a mother. And then, tragedy struck.

Poignant and insightful, From the Lake House explores the echoes of rash decisions and ill-fated relationships, the barren and disorienting days an aching mother faces without her baby, and the mysterious healing that can take root while rebuilding a life gutted from loss.

My Thoughts From the Lake House by Kristen Rademacher


An absolutely powerful memoir about a mother’s love and the quiet pain of women.

I read this one in one sitting and then immediately had to go back and re-read the parts that resonated with me the most. For me, the parts where Rademacher talked about her experiences with loss and coming through her depression were the most moving.

Rademacher was affected by the terror attacks of 9/11, not only because of the great loss of human life but because of a personal loss she suffered on the same day. The attacks caused Rademacher’s long term boyfriend to rethink his life, and he decided to break up with her. Adrift and by completely by herself, Rademacher found that she had to rethink her own life in order to figure out what she intended to do next. She decided to go visit her brother in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the pace of life is slower and she would be able to think, plan and rejuvenate.

Very quickly, she fell into another relationship with a man who was almost entirely her opposite. Jason was a gun-loving, conservative, country boy whom Rademacher found charming despite their differences. She soon became pregnant and was elated to be creating new life. However, she was overdue and had to make an appointment to induce labor.  Shortly before she was supposed to be induced, Rademacher discovered that her daughter would be stillborn and that she had to go through the traumatizing experience of giving birth to a child that she would not get to bring home. Of course, after the birth Rademacher went through a host of mental health issues that plagued her for many years.

Writing about the birth of her child and the emotional pain and depression that she went through afterward, Rademacher truly shines. I sympathized with her pain so much that when I finished the book I felt deeply changed by reading it.  I highly recommend this chronicle of heartache and inner strength. Be sure to have a box of tissue nearby when you read it, I cried buckets. I already know that I’m going to remember it for a long time to come. Highly recommended with 5 stars.

I received the ebook for my honest opinion.

About Kristen Rademacher


From the Lake House by Kristen Rademacher

(c) C Clemons

Kristen Rademacher has lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina since 2002, which is when she began writing. FROM THE LAKE HOUSE is her first memoir. With a Master’s Degree in Education and a Professional Coaching Certification, Kristen is an Academic Coach and ADHD Specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also leads trainings and presentations at national conferences on the topic of academic coaching.

Website:  https://kristenrademacher.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenrademacherauthor/

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Giveaway From the Lake House by Kristen Rademacher


This giveaway is for 1 print copy for 3 winners and is open to the U.S. only. This giveaway ends September 19, 2020,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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From the Lake House by Kristen Rademacher

Jul 20

17

Keeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels: Review

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on July 17, 2020
Posted in Biography • Book Tours • Books Read in 2020 • Memoir  | Tagged With: , , , | 7 Comments

Keeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca DanielsKeeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels


Publisher:  Sunbury Press, February 2019
Category: Memoir, History, Military, WWII, and Biography
Tour Dates June and July, 2020
ISBN:  978-1620061145
Available in Print and ebook, 284 pages
Keeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels

Description Keeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels


Daily Life of a Utilities Engineer at AFHQ in Europe During WWII; or, What to Say in Letters Home When You’re Not Allowed to Write about the War

Most people don’t realize that during the war in Europe in the 1940s, it took an average of six support soldiers to make the work of four combat soldiers possible. Most of what’s available in the literature tends toward combat narratives, and yet the support soldiers had complex and unique experiences as well. This book is based on personal correspondence, and it is primarily a memoir that creates a picture of the day-to-day realities of an individual soldier told in his own words [as much as he could tell under the wartime rules of censorship, that is] as well as giving insight into what it was actually like to be an American soldier during WWII.

It explores the experiences of a non-combat Army utilities engineer working in a combat zone during the war in Europe and takes the protagonist from basic training through various overseas assignments—in this case to England, North Africa, and Italy as a support soldier under Eisenhower and his successors at Allied Force Headquarters. It also includes some reflections about his life after returning to Oregon when the war was over.

The soldier involved is Captain Harold Alec Daniels [OSU, Class of 1939, ROTC] and most of the letters were written to his wife, Mary Daniels [attended U of O in the late 1930s]. They are the author’s parents, and she inherited the letter collection, photos, and all other primary source materials after her mother’s death in 2006.

My Thoughts Keeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels


“I married a hero,” one of Mary Daniels letters begins, and another states: “According to Life [Magazine], the engineers are the ELITE of the army. I’d rather he’d be in the finance corps.”

Such letters being sent to a young wife’s family members in 1941 were probably not all that uncommon. After all, World War II was raging, Japan had just recently bombed Pearl Harbor and countless men had been drafted to fight on the front lines. Many a wife was left at home, missing her husband and praying for his safety. But the situation with Mary’s husband was just a little bit different.
You see, Alec Daniels was not fighting in the trenches but he was battling against the Nazis in a slightly different capacity.

Alec was a support officer, a soldier who was in charge of maintaining the infrastructure, administration and logistical aspects of the war effort. As an electrical engineer, Alec’s job was, as the title suggests literally “keeping the lights on.” As the memoir says, these support troops were an enormous part of the war that is often overlooked and not talked about.

Because of the delicate nature of Alec’s work, he could only relay so much in his letters home, so he focused more on his thoughts and feelings about his work than any specific details. Many of the letters between Mary and Alec are used in the memoir and they add such a lovely element of realness that really makes the book sing.
Reading their thoughts from that time in their own words, along with the beautiful black and white pictures used throughout the memoir made this book a home run for me. A timeless story about love and war, ‘Keeping the Lights on for Ike’ is one to be read and read again. 5 stars!

I received the ebook for my honest opinion.

About Rebecca DanielsKeeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels


Rebecca Daniels has been a university professor for many years who has also simultaneously had a vital creative career in the theatre. Throughout her career, her work has always been a mix of performance, teaching, and her own writing.

Her groundbreaking book on women directors and the effects of gender on their work is currently still in print [Women Stage Directors Speak: Exploring the Effects of Gender on Their Work, McFarland, 1996], and she has been published in several theatre-related professional journals over the years as well. After her retirement in the summer of 2015, she was finally able to focus all her energies on this book.

Website:  https://rebecca-daniels.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.daniels.9

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Giveaway Keeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels


This giveaway is for 1 print copy open to Canada and the U.S. only. There are also 2 pdf copies open worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends August 1, 2020,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Keeping the Lights On for Ike by Rebecca Daniels

Jun 20

9

13 Billion To One by Randy Rush-Review

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on June 9, 2020
Posted in Book Tours • Books Read in 2020 • Memoir  | Tagged With: , , , | 1 Comment

13 Billion To One by Randy Rush13 Billion To One: A Memoir: Winning the $50 Million Lottery Has Its Price by Randy Rush


Publisher:  Rantanna Media (June 24, 2020)
Category: Memoir
Tour Dates June and July, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9992524-0-3
Available in Print, Audiobook,  and ebook, 283 pages
13 Billion to One

Description 13 Billion To One by Randy Rush


A Riveting Story About Grit, Determination and the Refusal to Give In or Give Up — No Matter How Great the Odds.

As a welfare kid who grew up in the streets, Randy Rush had to fight for everything he got and knew what it was like to struggle. So, when he was suddenly handed $50 million in tax-free money, he vowed to use his new-found wealth to help others. But what he didn’t see coming was Jeremy Crawford.

In his gripping, adrenaline-packed memoir, Rush takes readers on his rocket-fueled journey after a trip to the corner grocer to buy food for his beloved cat, Conway Kitty, leads to the discovery that he has won Canada’s $50 million Lotto Max jackpot.

Soaring on a seemingly endless endorphin high, Rush spends the months following his win traveling, feeding his passion for rare sports cars, considering charitable causes, and splurging on friends — paying off their debts and even giving them a free place to stay in million-dollar homes. But his world comes crashing down when he discovers that Dave Crawford, a man he loved like an older brother and had generously provided for, has served him up to his con artist son, Jeremy — who scams Rush out of nearly $5 million.

Reeling from Dave’s betrayal and fueled by the discovery that the Crawfords are serial con artists who have devastated the lives of more than a hundred others, Rush embarks on a mission to take his adversaries down. But as his quest for justice drags on, his festering rage reaches a boiling point and he is faced with a choice: Let the Crawford’s cons destroy him, or re-focus his attention on doing good in the world and enjoying the enormous gift he has been given.

My Thoughts 13 Billion To One by Randy Rush


’13 Billion to One’ is not only a memoir but a cautionary tale in the most unadulterated sense. At the beginning of 2015, Randy Rush was just a normal guy. After growing up poor and surviving on welfare, Randy suffered some difficult setbacks in his 20’s and ended up having to move back in with his parents. But, after managing to get back on his feet and find work in an equipment rental agency, he cleaned up his life.

That was, until he won 50 million dollars in the Canadian lottery.
Saying that Randy’s life changed suddenly is a bit of an understatement, I think most of us would struggle to imagine the shock of suddenly winning such a large amount of money when you only left the house to pick up cat food.

Of course, money like that can bring out the criminal in people. Randy quickly found out who his real friends were and who was kissing up to him for a taste of the wealthy lifestyle. Particularly, the son of a friend who convinced Randy to invest in his tech start up, only to later turn out to be a scam.

Randy, who comes across as a very nice and personable guy, had never experienced betrayal like that. The memoir goes on to show his process through the courts trying to get his money back and the eventual beginnings of his crusade to help fight white-collar crime.

This book was a very enjoyable reading experience for me, as I absolutely love memoirs and this story was a doozy.  From the opening pages, where Randy wins the money to the eventual betrayal by his friend, I was hooked!  This guy has lead a pretty unbelievable life and has quite the story to tell from it. He also goes on to help a charity in Africa that educates children.  After visiting a charity run grade school he decides he wants to help in a big way and builds a high school. There is also some lighter laugh out loud moments, from now on Meeka’s canned cat food will be called “premium soft-serve.” That is what Randy calls his cat, Conway Kitty’s, cat food. I highly recommend this excellent book! It gets all 5 stars from me.

I received the ebook for my honest review.

About Randy Rush


13 Billion To One by Randy Rush

Randy Rush- Africa, 2017

Randy Rush is on a mission to stop white collar crime and other social injustices by exposing them to the world. He recently founded Rantanna Media, a mission-driven publishing and production company, to give victims a voice and raise widespread awareness about the devastating impact of these crimes. Randy is also committed to transforming the lives of children in Africa by providing them the education, love and hope they need to succeed.

He divides his time between Canada and Europe.

Website: http://randall-rush.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RandyRushSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RandyRushSpeaks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RandyRushSpeaks/

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Giveaway 13 Billion To One by Randy Rush


This giveaway is for 3 print copies open to Canada and the U.S. only. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends August 1, 2020,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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13 Billion To One by Randy Rush

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