"Intervention" by Terri Blackstock

Intervention is A Real Page Turner!
This is a fiction story about a mother who tries to get help for her daughter, Emily, who is on drugs by having an intervention.  The person who is going to help the daughter gets killed while escorting Emily on the way to the rehab center and then the daughter is missing.  The last 100 pages of this book are really good.  That’s when the action starts
(Gerard's Review 2/19/10)  (5 stars)

Intervention by Terri Blackstock is a book about a single mother’s love for her children and the struggle to help her daughter, Emily, get off drugs.  What begins as an intervention quickly turns into a nightmare involving murder and Emily’s fight for survival.  I found this book to be interesting, exciting and captivating.  The author wrote from first-hand experience with her own daughter who had a drug problem.  This is Christian fiction that shows the power of prayer and how God intervenes in our lives.  The ending was predictable as with most Christian fiction, but not the journey getting there.  I liked this book and think any parent would find it interesting and could relate to the mother.

(Karen's Review 2/13/10)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Playing With The Enemy" by Gary W. Moore

Playing With the Enemy:  A Baseball Prodigy, World War II and The Long Journey Home by Gary W. Moore is a true story of Gene Moore who was a super baseball player and a super person. It shows how he cared about other people. Hard to put this one down. Can't wait to see the movie. A must read for anyone who enjoys a good book, this is it!!  I loved this book!!
(Gerard's review 6/20/08)

Comment By Gary W. Moore on July 13, 2008 03:25:

So happy you enjoyed Playing with the Enemy! Thank you for your review. Gary

"Front of The Class: How Tourette Syndrom made me The Teacher I Never Had" by Brad Cohen and Lisa Wysocky

Front of The Class:  How Tourette Syndrom made me The Teacher I Never Had by Brad Cohen and Lisa Wysocky is about Brad Cohen and his Tourette Syndrome which is something that causes him to make strange noises and movements that he cannot control.  Growing up, he was bullied by his dad and his schoolmates, yet had a burning desire to be a teacher.  This book tells about how he overcame so many obstacles to achieve his goal and is truly inspiring.  Front Of The Class was so good that they made a Hallmark movie about it.  I enjoyed both the book and the movie very much recommend it to anyone.
--Gerard's review 2/25/10 (5+ stars) Karen enjoyed the movie too but did not read the book.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Homer’s Odyssey" by Gwen Cooper

Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper was better than I expected!  It’s about her life with her three cats, Scarlet, Vashti and Homer, the eyeless kitten no one wanted with a big heart and love for exploring, playing and adventure.  I found her tales of flying to New York with her cats, being separated from them for days when the terrorist attack happened 9/11, chasing off the burglar and how people who didn’t even particularly like cats warmed up to Homer particularly interesting.  She shares how she learned from Homer to be brave and take risks, to live life as an adventure.  Her great love for her cats shines through the whole book and as a cat lover, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and closely identified with her.
(3/18/10  Karen's Review)

This is a must read!  I loved Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper!  It's just AWESOME!  Gwen Cooper has two cats and that's it until she gets a call from a vet friend regarding a blind kitten that nobody wants.  This book works in so many ways:  funny, touching, loving.  You will just love Homer and Gwen is fantastic!  I felt the love she has for her cats (she reminded me a lot of my wife that way)!  

Please read this book, you will be so glad you did!  The best part is that Homer does not die!  Yea!  Thanks for sharing, Gwen!  Awesome job!!!  If you go on www.gwencooper.com you can actually see Homer in action--way cool!    (5+++ stars)

(Gerard's Review 3/11/10) 

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

By reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett I learned a lot about the unwritten "rules" that maids were expected to follow and that segregation was quite extreme in Mississippi during the 1960s.  For some reason, I thought that the mistreating of blacks as low life was longer ago in slave days.  The main story line is that one of the white ladies, Skeeter, gets the maids to share with her what it's like being a maid and how they feel about things so she can write a book about it.  The author actually grew up in the south and had a maid.  

I was fascinated by this book which revealed a very different community from what I am used to.  I liked how Abileen, the maid who took care of a little white girl used to tell her "secret" stories that were teaching her that people are people, whether black or white.  It is entertaining to read what the maids thought of the families who employed them and is a thought-provoking book.
(5/13/10--KAREN'S REVIEW)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett has been on the best sellers list for a long time so I just had to find out for myself if it was that good--it is!  The writing is superb!  This is a novel, but you would think that the characters were actually real.  It is about the early 60s when white people in the south had black maids and a young girl decides to write a book from the maid's perspective. 

I enjoyed this book very much!  It went fast and I was into it from beginning to end.  I'd love to see this book made into a movie--it would be outstanding!  Read this one, you won't be disappointed! (5+++ stars)
 GERARD'S REVIEW (3/18/10)

See also: Bloggin' bout Books review:  The Help A Pitch-Perfect Southern Masterpiece
The Parchment Girl

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?