Month: September 2024

Books That Changed Me: 2024 Fall Edition! @Sandra_Cox @RobertaEaton17 @YvetteMCalleiro #writingcommunity #mustreadbook #whattoread

Happy belated Fall! (—or Spring!)

It’s back my favorite time of year! The leaves are changing into yellows and reds while the nights are getting cooler. Summer is still trying to hang on but Fall is pushing its way in. I’ve been baking pumpkin and banana bread and thinking about an apple cobbler. My Halloween decorations are up and I’m ready for this season’s walk in the woods.

Another fun autumn thing to do is read a good book. You’ve seen these books reviewed on my blog, but they deserve another look. I’ve included their blurb and link. Happy fall reading.

The Last Pilgrim 

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This book captures and celebrates the grit and struggle of the Pilgrim women who stepped off the Mayflower in the winter of 1620 to an unknown world – one filled with hardship, danger and death. The Plymouth Colony would not have survived without them.
Mary Allerton Cushman was the last surviving passenger of the Mayflower, dying at age 88 in 1699.
Mary’s life is set against the real background of that time. The Last Pilgrim begins from her father’s point of view – she was, after all, only four when she descended into the cramped and dank living space below deck on the Mayflower – but gradually assumes Mary’s voice, as the colony achieves a foothold in the New England’s rocky soil.
What was a woman’s life like in the Plymouth Colony? The Last Pilgrim will tell you.

Mateo’s Woman 

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Delilah is dead.
With her demise, everyone should be safe, but something insidious is happening to Mateo’s town and to the woman he loves. People are dying and Blair is changing, taking on mannerisms that are clearly not her own. Becoming a danger to herself and others. He has no idea what is happening to the town’s people but he has an inkling of what is happening to Blair and what he’s thinking just isn’t possible. But whether it’s possible or not, he has to pry Blair from the evil that’s sunk its fangs into her. Now it’s a race against time to save the woman he loves and get to the bottom of who is killing Grizzly’s citizenry. And if that’s not enough of a challenge for the shapeshifting sheriff, his future mother-in-law has come for a visit.
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A collection of short paranormal and dark stories.
Includes the award-winning short story, The Bite.A group of boys participate in a reality television challenge; to the death.What does it mean to be a Canary Girl? One young woman is about to find out.Where is the bride? A beautiful young woman goes missing during a game of hide and seek on her wedding day.Some stories will make you cry, some will make you gasp, and some will leave you believing in vigilante justice. All will end with a grave.

And a powerful short story:
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JT pulled the short end of the stick when he was given his life’s journey. With a convicted felon as a dad and a drunk as a mom, there weren’t many positive influences in his life. When his mom’s boyfriend began sharing his marijuana with JT, his father fought for custody and won.
Life on his dad’s farm was simpler. JT started turning his life around until one tragic event sent him spiraling again. All choices have consequences. For JT, those choices left him staring down the barrel of a gun. Could JT rise above his circumstances, or would karma have its way with him?
Embrace your inner fall child, read a good book! D. L. Finn

New Release! “Simple Pleasures” By Elizabeth Gauffreau #writingcommunity #readingcommunity #poetrycommunity #newrelease #whattoread #poetry #haiku

I’m thrilled to have Elizabeth Gauffreau here to day to talk about her latest release, “Simple Pleasures!” Here’s my five-star review: LINK

Simple Pleasures Blog Tour

Thank you, Denise, for hosting me on my blog tour for Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right! For today’s stop, I’ll be taking your readers to Smugglers Notch, which is between Jeffersonville and Stowe Vermont. (In this context, “notch” refers to a pass between two or more mountains.)

 Smuggler’s Notch originally got its name during the War of 1812 when it was used to smuggle goods to and from Montreal, Quebec after President Thomas Jefferson placed an embargo on trading with Great Britain and Canada.

There were plenty of large boulders and caves to provide smugglers with ways to evade detection. (Source: Vermont Historical Society)

In the 1850s, the Underground Railroad used the pass to smuggle runaway slaves into Canada. And, of course, Smuggler’s Notch was used to bring liquor across the border into the United States during Prohibition. (Source: Vermont Historical Society)

So, Smugglers’ Notch has earned its name! Today, a narrow, winding road with hairpin turns and jutting boulders makes vehicle passage a tricky proposition in places. Needless to say, the road closes in winter.

And you do not want to attempt to bring a tractor-trailer rig through there.

(Photo Credit: Vermont State Police)

It’s always a thrill to drive between two mountains. (A lot of sun glare that day!)

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO LINK

It’s good to get up close and personal with the forest–

 

–and take a hike. Once again, a kindly stranger takes our photograph!

 

 The bird’s eye view:

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO  (Central Vermont Aerial Photography)

 

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free

‘Tis the gift to come down where I ought to be . . . .

                      ~ Shaker song attributed to Joseph Brackett

The simple pleasures of our favorite places in nature are gifts of the spirit to be shared with others. In this collection of 53 haiku, each paired with a photograph, poet Liz Gauffreau invites readers to come with her to some of her favorite places in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Some places are long-time favorites going back years; others have become favorites by virtue of inspiring poetry.

 

Author Biography

Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg  prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.

She has published a novel, Telling Sonny, and a collection of photopoetry, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance. She is currently working on a novel, The Weight of Snow and Regret, based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968.

Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018. Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband. Find her online at https://lizgauffreau.com.

Book2Read Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/SimplePleasures

Print & Fixed EPUB for tablets and Kindle Fire

BookFunnel PDF Purchase Link: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/gef1ili6qd

For any device.

September Book Reviews! @sgc58 @NoFacilities #whattoread #bookreviews #writingcommunity #readinglist

Here are the books I read in August that were four stars and higher. Click on the book titles for the Amazon link.

Size Always Matters: Don’t be part of a statistic, start losing weight today

By Sally Cronin

“Size Always Matters” is a book that reveals how and why to lose weight. Ms. Cronin, in her forties, realized she needed to lose 150 pounds to improve her health and live longer. She not only researched a healthy diet and applied it to her daily routine, but also helped others. I’ve constantly battled with the diet yo-yo, losing weight only to gain it back. I would think, I’ll get to it later, but my body is letting me know that now is that later. The book refreshed my knowledge, especially regarding Candida, but it also provided new insights. I love how Ms. Cronin covered the whole person, including our psychological reasons for overeating and our physical ones, too. This book isn’t only for weight loss, but also for overall health. I have used food and my diet to control health issues, and Ms. Cronin expertly explains the fundamentals of proper nutrition and necessary vitamins. Not only is there great information, but a way to find your ideal weight and delicious-sounding recipes. This book inspired me to cut out the food that has crept into my diet that doesn’t belong there and get rid of the extra pounds I’m carrying around. An excellent resource for weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. I highly recommend this!


Simple Pleasures: Haiku from the Place Just Right
by Elizabeth Gauffreau

“Simple Pleasures” is a beautiful gathering of 53 haikus and gorgeous photographs accompanying them. It’s incredible how much meaning can be packed into just a few words. I felt like I was walking along with the author and exploring where she lives and travels. Since the poems were all good, it made it hard to pick just these two haikus to share: stream water eddies/swirling whirlpools, sun-warmed rock/our feet touch the bottom and the pond in winter/windswept snow, crystalline sky/fridge air, silence. Ms. Gauffreau offers a nature that I so enjoy exploring. It was a soothing read that will be reread more than once. I can highly recommend this collection!

Bridge to Nowhere: A Rascal Todd Mystery

By Dan Antion

Rascal is a young journalist settling into her new job and boss. A building burns and she tries to prove it was arson. This leads to an eventual murder and a mystery for Rascal to solve and report. I enjoyed her enthusiasm for finding the truth. She is a strong character with an entertaining cat, Bonkers, who is focused on being fed. There are crossover characters from The Dreamer’s Alliance Series, which I also enjoyed reading. This book has a strong and vivid setting for Rascal to navigate, and although it isn’t necessary to have read the past stories to understand this one, I did like knowing the history. An exciting start to what promises to be a fun series!

NOTE: Still on my break, so haven’t been around much. As soon as I get my Christmas collection to the editor mid-month, I’ll be back. Although I will be on a writing break until the end of the year. xo

Embrace your inner child by reading a good book! D. L. Finn