Book Review: The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent by Ann Jacobus

The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent by Ann Jacobus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After a challenging journey, there was peace at the end.

Although Del, the young protagonist, travels a tough journey, there is ultimately peace and hope for all in The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent, the new contemporary young adult novel by Ann Jacobus. The book tackles some of the most difficult topics, too: suicide, alcoholism, and death, so ending up with such a compelling and satisfying story, the author has met and overcome some big challenges. This story is special.

Del, the eighteen-year-old main character, although doing better than she had been a year and a half earlier, is maintaining a fragile balance between recovery and relapse. Although now sober and in a better mental space than when she attempted to end her life, she is beset with anxiety, depression, alcoholism, and the heavy, awkward baggage that comes from how people react to her past. It was eye-opening to realize how maintaining that balance was a constant battle for her, seeing her coping well one minute and then not the next.

Her Aunt Fran’s terminal diagnosis is a tipping point for Del, who continues to grasp at cures long after her aunt has recognized the futility and decided on an altered path for her future. The story explores in depth through Fran and Del’s ensuing experiences of the dying process: our modern removal or distancing from the process, attitudes, and physical stages. Fran’s death is not done behind closed doors. Del, and subsequently the reader, is there for the pain, symptoms, and bodily changes. Fran’s final weeks are assisted with hospice care, and how that works is part of the story.

Complicating matters are Del’s relationships with the two men in her life: her father and her childhood friend, Nick. Her father had turned over his daughter to his sister and abdicated his presence as a parent through fear and grief. Del had also pinned some romantic hopes and dreams on Nick after a visit the previous year had ended with a kiss. She’d spent the time since obsessing over that single kiss and building it up in her mind, while Nick had not. The mismatch in expectations when he comes to nearby Berkley for a summer internship, makes for an awkward reunion and heartbreak for Del.

The audiobook, skillfully voiced by narrator Jen Zhao, imbues the work with the solid feel of reality. Jen became the voice of Del, and I felt like I was hearing the character herself pour out her heart and soul to me. Zhao alters her voice appropriately to distinguish the other characters from each other. I thought her performance enhanced an already great book.

I recommend THE COLDEST WINTER I EVER SPENT to readers of contemporary young adult fiction that includes serious topics such as suicide, death, and dying.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

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Book Blitz: The 7 Pillars of Successful Caregiving by Dr. Eboni Ivory Green

 

The 7 Pillars of Successful Caregiving

Things No One Tells You

Family Health, Self-Help, Health, Fitness & Dieting

Date Published: May 2024

 

 

The 7 Pillars of Successful Caregiving is a deeply authentic handbook that seeks to provide practical guidance and emotional support to frontline and family caregivers. With a mix of actionable exercises, checklists, insights, and self-care strategies for avoiding stress and burnout.

Inside, seasoned health care professional and founder of Caregiver Support Services Dr. Eboni Green provides an essential overview of the7pillars behind successful caregiving.

Exploring how caregivers can work through their emotional challenges, readers will learn how they can help their loved one or client work through anxiety, anger, depression, and loneliness. Tips for coping with guilt and grief are also shared. Other highlights include guided meditation sessions and journaling exercises that empower caregivers to maintain their emotional and mental wellbeing. As a must-read for frontline healthcare workers and families caring for a loved one, The 7 Pillars of Successful Caregiving explores the important things about caregiving that no one tells you.

 

About the Author

Dr. Eboni Green is an inspirational author, Registered Nurse, and passionate advocate for caregivers whose insightful books have become essential resources for those navigating the complex journey of caregiving. With a career spanning over 30 years in the healthcare field, Dr. Green's work has been instrumental in illuminating the challenges and triumphs faced by caregivers in a society that often overlooks their crucial role.

Her journey began as a nursing assistant, where she worked closely with top professionals and immersed herself in the intricacies of care systems. It was through these experiences that Dr. Green witnessed firsthand the pivotal role of caregiving and the profound challenges faced by caregivers and families alike. Recognizing a glaring gap in resources and education for both parties, she found her true calling: to champion the needs of not only those in need of care but also those who care for them.

Driven by a desire to make a difference, Dr. Green has authored several transformative books, including her latest work, "Journey Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: Finding Your Emotional Home as a Caregiver." This book provides a new outlook on managing life's hurdles, offering strategies to tackle complex emotions and situations effectively. Her other notable works, such as "Caregiving: Things You Need to Know," "Reflections from the Soul," and "The 7 Pillars of Successful Caregiving," serve as valuable tools, guiding caregivers through their journey with wisdom and empathy.

Beyond her writing, Dr. Green co-founded Caregiver Support Services with her husband to offer training to caregivers and support their mental health. Her impact extends to academia, where she shares her knowledge and passion as a college professor, further influencing the next generation of healthcare professionals. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and gardening.

Through her comprehensive efforts, Dr. Eboni Green remains a beacon of hope and a pillar of support for caregivers worldwide, advocating tirelessly for their recognition and well-being.

Contact Links

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Purchase Link

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The Key to Circus-Mom Highway by Allyson Rice

The Key to Circus-Mom Highway by Allyson Rice
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Key to Circus-Mom Highway was an extraordinary story, exciting and enjoyable, from cover to cover.

Jesse receives a call that she and her sister, Jennifer, have been left a hefty inheritance by their birth mother but only if they both come to a meeting at an attorney’s office in Florida. Since Jenn won’t return her calls, Jesse quits her awful job bartending at a strip club managed by her sleazy, cheating boyfriend, grabs all her stuff from his apartment, including the puppy he’d recently acquired, and hits the road to Chicago to convince her sister to go to Florida with her in person. Jenn, married to Sean and mother to two children in college, says she doesn’t need the money and doesn’t want to go, but the real reason for her refusal to leave home right then is heartbreaking; she thinks Sean is having an affair, and her absence would allow him free rein to indulge in his new passion. However, after seeing how much this sudden windfall would help Jesse, Jenn agrees to go.

At the attorney’s office, the two sisters learn the truth about the couple they had always thought were their parents; they were their birth mother’s childless sister and husband, and their mother had taken off, abandoning the two toddlers in their care. They had been wonderful people but had never gotten around to telling the girls the truth before tragically dying in a car accident. This revelation is not the only surprise, though. The girls’ birth mother has left them over $1M, but to collect their legacy, they must journey across the southern United States together, finding and talking with the people who held significant places in their mother’s early life. They are only given a week to complete their task and must be accompanied by a third beneficiary: a younger brother they never knew existed.

The Key to Circus-Mom Highway was so enjoyable I would have read it from cover to cover in one sitting if I could have managed. The three siblings are delightfully fun, yet each is hiding secret sorrows or traumas that come to light over the course of the story. Their no-holds-barred banter had me laughing out loud as the pages flew past. But even after the story is over, I’m still thinking about these sisters and brother and their families and hoping everything in their lives worked out as if they were real people.

The exciting plot froths forward at speed as Jesse, Jennifer, and Jack follow their mother’s final instructions, literally from the grave, to attain the promised inheritance. Each stop along the way is peopled with interesting and sometimes outrageous supporting characters who reveal a small part of the narrative their birth mother wants to be told. I loved how the estranged sisters and the newly discovered brother come to terms with each other on their journey and truly create a family that includes them all. They blend and support each other as if they’d been together their entire lives, not just for a single week. They pick at each other unmercifully at times, and their exchange of barbs was hilarious.

The siblings’ journey to discover who their mother was swiftly takes them from Chicago to Louisiana to Savannah; they must complete their task within one week or lose out. The plot moves fast, and there’s never a dull moment with these three. Then, just as I got comfortable with where the story was going, a twist or turn occurred, sending any feeling of complacency out the window.

But within the laughter and exciting action, there are also the tragic sorrows and long-held secrets to exorcise. After all, the siblings’ entire lives have been lies. Although wonderful, the parents they knew and loved were never who they thought they were. And just the truth about their birth mother abandoning them, albeit in good hands, would have been huge to wrap one’s mind around.

With engaging main characters in triplicate and a second chance plot, I recommend THE KEY TO CIRCUS-MOM HIGHWAY to contemporary fiction readers who enjoy a modern quest story and witty dialogue.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.


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Pre-Order Book Blitz: FIND THE MOON by Beth Fehlbaum

 

FIND THE MOON
By Beth Fehlbaum

Young Adult / Social Issues / Family Issues

Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press

Pages: 298 pages

Expected Publication Date: January 10, 2023

For as long as she can remember, Kylie Briscoe's been searching for the moon even though she has no idea why it soothes her. Placed in an impossible situation by her mother, Kylie cries for help. It brings rescuers and a new life, but it feels more like a death sentence when she is separated from her three-year-old sister Aliza, the only person Kylie's ever really loved.

Now she's in tiny Patience, Texas, with her eccentric potty-mouthed grandmother, ever-patient stargazing grandfather, an uncle who reminds her a lot of a cop who terrified her during a drug bust, a herd of Norwegian Dwarf goats, their "guard donkeys," and three canine roommates occupying Kylie's former nursery.

When the authorities make a mistake that could cost her everything, Kylie must decide whether to tell the truth-all of it-in order to save herself and her sister.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY FROM:

* Amazon * Barnes and Noble *

AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY!

Pre-order a copy of Find the Moon and enter the author's giveaway! Three lucky winners will win a $50 Amazon Gift Card, signed set of THE PATIENCE TRILOGY, and signed copy of BIG FAT DISASTER. Ends 12/30/2022. Visit Beth's website for more information and to enter!

5 stars!

Although this young adult novel addresses very difficult topics, it is ultimately a story of love, hope, and recovery.

Find the Moon by Beth Fehlbaum is an amazing story of triumph over childhood trauma and sexual abuse, resiliency, and hope. Kylie is a remarkable young heroine, surviving the worst situation while still protecting the little sister she loves above all others. This character's voice is raw and genuine, and I felt so much emotion reading her story. I ached for her as her separation from Aliza dragged on and on. The reader also learns throughout the book that many of Kylie's peers in high school have also suffered traumas of their own, each reacting and handling their grief in their own ways, some better than others.

 

The story is told from Kylie's point of view, so we only get glimpses of what Aliza's recovery looks like with her father and his new family. But Papa and Honey Briscoe are strong characters trying to get their granddaughter back to a decent life. They make mistakes, they struggle at times, and Kylie, who has experienced the greatest betrayals, must learn to trust again. She makes mistakes, too. But for the most part, she is surrounded and supported by good people who love her.

 

Readers should be aware that this young adult book addresses tough topics: child neglect and abandonment, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, drug use, drug dealing, date rape, animal death, and violence, but the story is ultimately one of hope, love, and recovery. I recommend FIND THE MOON for readers of young adult fiction that handle these critical topics.

 

Beth Fehlbaum is the author of the young adult novels Find the Moon, Big Fat Disaster (on the Spirit of Texas-High School Reading List, 2014-2015), Courage in Patience, Hope in Patience (A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers), and Truth in Patience. With Dr. Matt E. Jaremko, Beth co-wrote the creative nonfiction book, Trauma Recovery: Sessions with Dr. Matt. She is a high school English teacher. 

Authenticity, calling out hypocrisy, and finding one's voice are frequent themes in Beth's work, and they are absolutely essential themes in her life, as well. Beth has a B.A. in English, minor in secondary education, and an M.Ed. in reading. Beth is in-demand as an author-panelist, having presented/appeared at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference, the American Library Association's annual conference, YALSA, N.C.T.E./ALAN, and numerous YA book festivals. She's a member of The Author's Guild, SCBWI, Romance Writers of America, and the Texas Federation of Teachers.  She loves doing school visits and meeting teens, teachers, and librarians! 

Beth lives in the woods of East Texas in a house on a slice of family acreage. The home was built by her family over one very hot humid summer, a task she wishes never to repeat again. This sanctuary-of-sorts is lined by pine trees, and the woods are inhabited by raccoons, possums, and feral cats. All of these creatures appear to consider Beth their cat-food-providing goddess. There is no place she would rather be.

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