Monday, July 29, 2013

Review: Autobiography of a Scizophrenic Girl by Renee'



          Paperback: 192 pages
          Publisher: Meridian; Reprint edition (November 1, 1994)
  • ISBN-10: 0452011337
  • ISBN-13: 978-0452011335

    I am glad I saw this on Goodreads and read it.  Renee tells the story of her illness in a way that is very powerful and engaging.  The way she describes what is happening and her thoughts and feelings are amazing.  It really gives the reader a glimpse into psychosis in a way other books on the subject don't. It is a personal voyage more than anything else.
         The Interpretation section of the book however, is a bit of a challenging read, steeped deep in Freudian thinking. Its greatest fault IMO is that it doesn't give a time frame or any follow up so one cannot gauge how effective the 'cure' really is.  While it IS interesting to see what the therapist's reasonings were for the unusual treatment methods she used with Renee', I find it hard to believe they could cure her delusions long term.  I think to skip it would NOT be a loss.

Terri

Friday, July 12, 2013

Victorian Mysteries


Good Morning Bloggers,

Well the morning in Blue Springs, Mo is almost perfect. Thank all of you who sent me birthday wishes. I had a wonderful birthday.

Today I would like to ask how many of you read Victorian mysteries? I am a big fan of them. Terri recently sent me a collection of short stories that host some Victorian mysteries. I love the Mrs. Jefferies Series.

If you read them tell us some of your favorite Victorian mystery title. I am always on the outlook for era mysteries.

My summer had been challenging and fun. I have had a few peaks and valleys but who among us hasn't as even the weather has hosted peaks and valleys.

What has been your most fun summer read? For me Dead, White and Blue by Carolyn Hart was of course really fun. I also have to say I have discovered Evan Marshall Mysteries and I am enjoying one of his series. Currently reading TOSTING TINA and so between the Victorian Short Stories and the Evan Marshall Mysteries I am in heaven.

 

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Pam

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Review: Head to Head by Linda Ladd


  • Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Pinnacle (March 1, 2006)

  • ISBN-10: 0786017171
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786017171


  • Claire is a cop who has left LA to live in a quiet Ozark small town.  When there is a horrifying ritualistic murder of a soap opera star at a local resort, she has no idea how bizarre it will get. 
    I really enjoyed the suspense in this book and the dynamics of the characters.  Not to mention the back story on Claire.

    Now I do have to say that the suspect/love interest psychiatrist, Nicholas Black, was a little TOO perfect for me (Billionaire, gorgeous, thoughtful, generous...LOL) 

    I accidently took a bit of the pleasure out though, because when flipping to the back to see how many pages I had left at one point, I saw a chapter heading that gave it all away for me.  So of course, I picked up on clues I might not otherwise have done and went from a whodunit to a why?  But that's okay, it still engrossed me and satisfied me. 

    Definitely want to read more in this series.
    Terri

    Wednesday, July 3, 2013

    Foil Packet Meals

    Pamela asked me to post this after I told her my mom and I were having one for dinner last week.  She had never heard of it.  And it is so simple.  So here we go:

    Basically, preheat oven to 425

    Take a large piece of foil and pat down a large (I usually do about 6 inches diameter) hamburger patty.

    Then pile on veggies (I use carrots and bell peppers, onions and potatoes most often)

    Season with salt and pepper or whatever other seasonings you might like.  Sometimes I use creole seasoning.

    Fold over the foil and tuck edges in to seal (leave room for steam.

    Bake for about 40 minutes so veggies all cook through and are soft.  Take out, unwrap and chow down.

    Terri

    Tuesday, July 2, 2013

    Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan


    The Merry Month of June

     

    This blog has been checked by Grammarly: http://www.grammarly.com/ ‘cause what the heck. We all need help, and I need more than most.

     

    After hurrying like a madwoman (not difficult, given the state of my sanity at the best of times) in order to get all my work done, I left New Mexico for my home state of California on June 19! The purpose of this visit was threefold:

     

    1.      2013 is the fiftieth anniversary of my graduation (along with approximately 999 other kids) from John Muir High School in Pasadena, California, and I wanted to attend the reunion.

    2.      I wanted to see my younger daughter, Robin; my younger grandson, Riki; Robin’s husband, Gilbert; and several of my old Pasadena buddies.

    3.      I wanted to EAT! You can’t get good food in Roswell unless you make it yourself. I wanted to dine on Japanese, Middle Eastern, and East Indian food. And I did!

     

    Therefore, the trip was a rousing success. Missions accomplished. Here’s a picture of John Muir High School, the school of my youth, which doesn’t seem so all-fired long ago, although everyone who attended the reunion looked terribly old:

     

     

     

    At the reunion I also touched base with a woman with whom I played flute at the Eliot Junior High School Band. Janet Levine was her name back then. She’s Janet Levine Goldberg now, and it was mega-fun to see her again. Here are Mary Ray Cate (now a physician in Santa Fe, with whom I’ve been in touch for years), Janet and me in the Muir Auditorium. Hey, I played a Winkie in The Wizard of Oz in that auditorium! I think they left the Winkies out of the movie. Story of my life.

     

     
     

    I got a ticket coming home from California. I deserved it, too. I was going eighty-five in a seventy-five mile-per-hour zone. However, since the ticket was given to me by a Laguna Pueblo Police Officer, it won’t go on my permanent driving record. It’s treated more or less like a parking ticket. I don’t understand why that is, but I’m grateful my insurance rates won’t suffer.

     

    Then, when I came home again, much to the delight of my dogs and the kind people who cared for them while I was away (Ann and Barry Lasky), I participated in a Concert of American Music on June 30. It was so much fun! The only problem with singing in choruses, etc., is that I have a very low voice for a female and, therefore, sing with the tenors. I’m five feet tall. All the rest of the tenors are a lot taller than I am. Ergo, since I sat at the end of the second row for this concert, I had to take a giant step to my right in order to be seen and heard by the audience. What the heck. I guess we all use the talents we’ve been given. If I was meant to have been a soprano, I guess I’d have been born one, huh? Anyway, that was fun.

     

    Altogether, June was a much more enjoyable month than May was. Here’s hoping good things for July.

     

    If you’d like to enter my contest, this month I’ll be giving away a couple of copies of PECOS VALLEY RAINBOW, Book #3 in my Pecos Valley series. To enter, all you have to do is send me your name and home address in an e-mail to alice@aliceduncan.net . Also, please visit my web site: www.aliceduncan.net and join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

     

    Review: Blotto, Twinks and the Intimate Review by Simon Brett

    Blotto and his friend go see  Light and Frothy;   a new popular show and his friend falls for the star of the show.  After his friend is k...