Tag Archives: illness

August 17, 2021 · 7:00 am

‘What’s Not Said’ and ‘What’s Not True’ by Valerie Taylor (2 Book Spotlight)

Picture
2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Women’s Fiction
2020 Canadian Book Club Awards Finalist in Fiction
Chosen as an August 2021 Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection
Featured by the international NoMo Book Club in May 2021
 
 

What’s Not Said is a story about Kassie O’Callaghan, a middle-aged woman on a mission to divorce her emotionally abusive husband and start a new life with a younger man she met while on a solo vacation in Venice. When she learns her husband has chronic kidney disease, her plans collapse until she pokes around his pajama drawer and discovers his illness is the least of his deceits.

Then again, Kassie is no angel. The separate lives they lead collide head-on into a tangled web of sex, lies, and DNA. As she helps her husband find an organ donor, Kassie uncovers a secret, forcing her to decide whose life to save: her husband’s or her own.

 
​
 BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon Purchase Link ~ Book Depository
Indie Bound ~ Bookshop.org
B&N ~ GooglePlay
Add to Goodreads
 
 
 
 
 
 
Available for Pre-order

Picture
​
With her court date set for her divorce and her plans with the younger man in the rearview mirror, Kassie O’Callaghan shifts attention to reviving her stalled career. But things get complicated when she unexpectedly rendezvous with her former lover in Paris. After a chance meeting there with a colleague and a stroll along Pont Neuf, Kassie receives two compelling proposals. Can she accept them both?

But Kassie’s decision process screeches to a halt when her soon-to-be ex-husband has a heart attack, forcing her to fly home to Boston. There, she confronts his conniving and deceitful fiancée—a woman who wants not just a ring on her finger but everything that belongs to Kassie. In the ensuing battle to protect what’s legally and rightfully hers, Kassie discovers that sometimes it’s what’s not true that can set you free.

 

Buy the Book
Amazon Purchase Link ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Indie Bound
Book Depository

 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
Picture

 
Valerie Taylor was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. She earned a B.S. Marketing degree and an MBA from Sacred Heart University, as well as a graduate certificate in health care administration from Simmons University (formerly Simmons College). She had a thirty-year career in the financial services industry as a marketer and writer. Valerie is a published book reviewer with BookTrib.com; and a member of Westport Writers’ Workshop, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She enjoys practicing tai chi and being an expert sports spectator.

​connect with the author: 
website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

 
 

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 10, 2021 · 7:00 am

Does Grandma Remember Me? by Evita Sherman (Book Review)

DOES GRANDMA REMEMBER ME? by Evita Sherman

Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7),  38 pages

 
It is always challenging to watch a loved one grow older and face new, confusing obstacles that always seemed easy. Does Grandma Remember Me? shows how love transcends age and difficulties, even when things become overwhelming.
 
This new book from author Evita Sherman is the first in a new children’s book series. It will put the disease of Alzheimer’s and dementia in perspective for young readers.
 
Buy the Book
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Target
Mascot Books
Add to Goodreads
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from
I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
Dementia is a very grown-up word for kids to grasp. Most little ones wouldn’t know how to pronounce it, let alone define it. While the condition’s ins and outs are far from simple, Evita Sherman breaks it down so children can understand the basics: forgetfulness and confusion. 
 
Through the endearing illustrations courtesy of Chayla Bolden and Evita Sherman’s storytelling, we witness the fear, confusion, sadness, and love from a child’s point of view and a grandmother’s. Does Grandma Remember Me? gives children hope. While they might be scared by specific situations, they are now more prepared to handle them. Hugs, kisses, holding a hand, all these small gestures go a long way in lifting spirits and binding two hearts. 
 
If dementia affected someone you know and you’re unsure how to explain it to your child(ren), I encourage you to read this story with them. I’m sure after reading it, they’ll run off to hug their grandparent. <3
 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author
Author Evita Sherman
 
Evita’s passion is assisting the elderly, especially those living with dementia. Her mission is to help people age in the manner they envision for themselves and not through the lens of others. She works to provide data and resources to assist elders in effectively aging-in-place and equips their families and friends to support their loved ones amidst uncertainty. Working in the elder care field as a licensed nursing home administrator, senior living marketing professional, and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS), Evita witnesses both elders and families make tough decisions. Some of those decisions result in despair, while others result in healing. The key to enabling elders to live life to its fullest is to help them find their voices and exercise their right to choose.
 
Evita collaborates with family and friends to ensure that her mother, who lives with dementia, and her father, recently diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, maintain their voices and make well-informed choices as their disease progresses.

connect with the author: goodreads
 

 
 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,