The Girl on the Train

      The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins gets off to confusing start with the narrator imagining the names and lives of people she sees from the train as she rides each day to and from her make-believe job in a nearby city.

       Once the reader gets a grip on the pattern of Ms. Hwkins’ writing style and how she moves from one character’s view to another, the reader will find this novel fascinating.

       Rachel’s fear and depression works its way into the mind of the reader, letting her/him experience, as close as possible, the character’s pain and worry. Questions plague Rachel as she tries to remember how she was injured and why she has blood on her clothes.

       I can truthfully recommend this book, but be prepared to take notes, at least mentally, of who and what is happening in the first couple of chapters. The end knocked this reader for a loop. I just wasn’t prepared for it.

        

 

                          

Amazing Faith A Walk With Cancer 

          by Paul Paris

This novel is more, much more, than a testimony about faith. This novel
is actually three novels skillfully woven together.  One strand gives the
 reader a picture of Paul's wife and her determination to live life to the fullest in spite of her cancer and the treatments to kill it.  A second
 strand reveals the author's feelings of frustration, helplessness, love,
 and admiration as he fills the role of supporter during the couple's journey through the tangle of treatments, insurance forms, and side
 effects of medications.  A third strand discloses Paul and his wife's
 unshakable foundation of Christian faith and how it comforts and
 strengthens them at this low point in their lives.

Amazing Faith A Walk With Cancer is an inspirational read that changes the reader's perspective of life.

They Call Me Missing

 For those readers tuning in to the supernatural tales set in the 'Who Done It' category,   Cyndie Lord has just the book for you, They Call Me Missing. Ms. Lord writes in first person as the character Sandy Derringer, a tough, no nonsense private detective. Sandy Derringer's face to face meetings  with those physical beings harassing her at every turn pulls the reader into the action. The challenges from the physical world is equal to those spirit beings demanding her attention to solve their murders. Stress causes Sandy to have a short fuse and ready to deal hard knocks to anyone crossing her. They Call Me Missing can be purchases from Amazon in either paper back or Kindle format. It is a good read for those who aren't afraid of ghosts.

Dragondrums

I just discovered one of Anne McCaffrey's old books, Dragondrums. It was published in 1979. I don't know how I missed it.  I've been a devoted fan of her books for years.

 Piemur, a talented singer in the Harper's Hall, is about to perform a leading part in a special program when his voice cracks as most young men's voices do at a certain age. He is devastated, frustrated and looking for something to do. A natural at getting into trouble, Piemur manages to find a special prize he wants very much. Once he has it, he must protect it at all costs.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dragondrums.  It is a short read, only 139 pages and, for me, a page turner. You can still get if from Amazon.

Anna's Healing

I have just finished reading Anna's Healing by Vannetta Chapman
and can recommend it to anyone interested in an inspiring novel that strengthens their own Christian faith. Anna is a young Amish woman who isn't interested in the traditional Amish roll of marriage. Restless for something new, she moves to an Oklahoma Amish farming community and lives with her aunt and uncle and a wise grandmother.


An accident leaves Anna crippled. The accident changes not only Anna's life but the lives of everyone in the family as well as that of a young Amish man with a strong urge to travel across country.

I first read about Anna's Healing and the author Vannetta Chapman on James Callan's blog http://www.jamesrcallan.com/blog/  Ms. Chapman shares several interesting facts about her writing and her latest novel Anna's Healing.   I found the novel a great read.

I just read and want to share an article concerning the estimated 580,000 homeless people living in the United States. Scott Carrier reports on,  "The shockingly simple, surprisingly cost-effective solution that won over a bunch of conservatives in Utah" It is a way to, clean up cities, give the homeless a place to live and save money too. His report, "Room for Improvement" can be found in Mother Jones March + April 2015 magazine.

Housing First began in Utah and spread to California and Colorado. A graph on page 35 compares the cost of caring for people living on the streets and those participating in Housing First. Comparing cost in Detox, Incarceration, Emergency room care, Outpatient care, and Inpatient care in Denver, the research shows the city saved $17,858 per person over 2 years in these costs alone.

Scott Carrier ends his article with: "It's not a matter of whether we know how to fix the problem.  Homelessness is not a disease like cancer or Alzheimer's where we don't yet have a cure.  We have the cure for homelessness-it's housing.  What we lack is political will."

I urge you to read the article and think how we as a society can do something about this curable problem.  "Nearly 1/3 of all homeless live in just 10 cities."  Could the churches in those cities band together and provide that housing? Could the chuches in smaller cities band together and take care of the homeless in their area? There are many challenges in this tangled ball of twine, but it can be solved if we, the people, really want to cure the problem of the homeless.

Read more about the details in Mother Jones March + April 2015 issue  Room for Improvement by Scott Carrier

I've been side tracked for a few months with family illnesses, but now I'm back writing. Now Where Did That Come From? is a collection of some of my favorite tales. I added a paragraph or two after each story explaining where the seed idea originated. Some came from Christmas cards, others from newspaper articles or a story told by a friend.  In any case, children and adults often ask about the source of ideas to write about.

Now Where Did That Come From? is fiction. Family stories, however, are just as interesting and preserve the history of the family. People, young and not so young, enjoy telling stories  as well as listening to them. Writing them down is the next natural step. Written stories can then be shared with family and friends. The funny, heroic, and sometimes embarrassing stories found in every family should be recorded and published if only for the family and its future generations. These unique stories are told, laughed at, and retold over the years for everyone's enjoyment. But some of that history is lost with each passing generation unless it is recorded and published.  More on writing your family history later.

Now Where Did That Come From? can be purchased in paper back or kindle format from Amazon. Keep reading and consider recording those family stories for your children and grandchildren.