This blog is the place where I post reviews of the books I have read. I review audiobooks, regular books and eBooks for authors and publishers as well as any other book or audiobook that catches my eye.
My occupational memoir reveals one nurse’s bedside observations on where nurses come from, how we are educated, treated in the workplace and how we learn to do what can never be taught in a curriculum. When a patient vomits explosively onto your chest how you may unexpectedly vomit right back. How to explain to a deaf patient where a suppository goes while an audience of staff and visitors listen in from the hallway. How to collect your thoughts and make a plan when you arrive for a home care visit to find your elderly confused patient has ingested a full bottle of liquid laxative and left evidence of those results all over the walls, floor and Barco lounger in the home. It is where medical science meets nursing artistry. Where technology meets humanity. Where hearts open and wounds heal. Through selected vignettes, I recognize modern nurses’ courage to lean into discomfort and hard emotions. I acknowledge the power they hold in their healing hands and throw forward a lifeline of hope to renew their faith and joy in their vocation. And to my many non-nurse readers, come experience a nurse’s day; what we see, feel, hear and touch. Have a peek behind the bedside curtain.
MY REVIEW:
ONE NURSE UNIVERSE is a collection of anecdotes written by a retired registered nurse. These short stories run the gamut from heart wrenching and heart breaking to hilarious.
For a debut author to so skillfully write stories from her own life, it takes a knack for storytelling as well as an innate knowledge of which details need to be included and which can be left out.
I very much enjoyed the stories Nurse Susan has included in this memoir, and, as was inferred by the author, she no doubt has many more tales to tell. I hope this means that she is already working on her next collection of true stories. If so, I know I will definitely buy a copy.
I admit to being a bit thrown off by the cover, but once I discovered it was a picture drawn many years ago by her son (at age six) it made perfect sense as to why she chose to use that illustration for her book cover. Unfortunately, that might not be apparent to potential readers and I worry it might put them off. If so, they will miss out on a terrific anthology.
I rate ONE NURSE UNIVERSE as 4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
****Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book****
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Susan Turnage is an RN, E-RYT200, RYT500, and a CYN- Certified YogaNurse®. She has clinical nursing experience in pediatric oncology, pediatric head injury, corrections, home health and case management.
She teaches weekly healing mat and chair yoga classes in her local communities of New Kent and Charles City, Virginia, to a multiethnic population of all abilities.
Susan also works as an art conservation technician, is a volunteer for the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences as a game fish tagger, is an instructor in a yoga teacher training program, creates one of a kind, themed jewelry, is a driftwood sculptor and a writer.
Her husband is an artist who creates porcelain pottery and is also a gardening guru and fishing enthusiast.
She has 2 treasured sons and an elderly German Shepherd.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
Both a personal story of living with chronic pain and a positive guide for anyone who suffers regular physical pain and related stress.
Anne Welsh has lived with chronic pain all her life. As a sufferer of sickle cell disease, she is no stranger to the everyday struggles and mental anguish that can come from living with an invisible illness.
Like so many who suffer from painful and life-changing conditions, Anne has battled with depression: times when she believed that she could never lead a normal and happy life. But thanks to the support of many people along the way, she has discovered that life can still be wonderful, no matter your challenges.
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Click HERE to read about Anne Welsh’s press junket on AFRICAN GLITZ.
Photos By: @danielsync
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MY REVIEW:
Do you know anyone who suffers with Chronic Pain?
If your answer is no, then you are extremely lucky.
I have been living with debilitating and demoralizing pain since 2009. It has affected and still affects all aspects of my life.
“I am often asked what sickle cell pain feels like and for me there are no words to describe it, but if I must try, all I can say is that it is like someone using a hammer to knock on your bones over and over again.”
Anne’s pain is caused by Sickle Cell Disease and she has been dealing with it’s effects her entire life. I admit to having heard of this disease before reading this book, but I knew next to nothing about it’s symptoms.
After reading Anne Welsh’s memoir, I feel that I am much better informed about Sickle Cell Disease and it’s details.
This book contains terrific tips and ideas of how to live with a chronic illness, as well as wonderful ideas for the families and friends of those of us who have an invisible illness as to how they can assist and support us. These ideas can be applied to any chronic illness, and are not specific to Sickle Cell Disease.
Anne’s upbeat attitude and her determination to live life as fully as possible despite her terrible and debilitating condition is inspiring and offers hope to the rest of us. The following quote really spoke to me.
“Finally I had come to understand that to become a better me, I had to accept help as well as not be afraid to ask for it. This is a realisation that all of us who live with a chronic illness need to come to. We cannot do it on our own, so accept the help offered, and it will make an enormous difference to your life.”
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I rate this book as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐
***Thank you to #NetGalley and the #publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book.***
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Watch “Anne Welsh – Living with Sickle Cell (Part One)” on YouTube:
Anne Welsh is an author, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was born in Nigeria and emigrated to the United Kingdom when she was very young. She was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia at the age of four, and, after returning to live in her homeland while still a child, faced many of the problems that come with living with a life-threatening disease in a developing country.
Since returning to the UK in her late teens, and with the support of her family, Anne has created her own path to happiness through her academic studies and her career. After completing a degree in Accounting and Finance, Anne went on to achieve an MA in International Banking before starting her career in investment banking. She now runs her own consultancy firm, specialising in business development in Africa and beyond.
Anne is a tireless advocate for sickle cell disease and her memoir, Pain-less, was borne of her determination to raise awareness about the impact invisible diseases such as sickle cell can have on individuals, and also to give support and advice to other sufferers and their families. Having frequently battled with depression, Anne is all too aware of the difficulties faced by sufferers of life-threatening illnesses. By writing this book, she hopes to help others improve their mental and physical wellbeing and enable them to achieve a joyful and fulfilling life.
Anne is married with two children – something she once thought may never be possible – and two stepchildren and lives in London.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
Talking about this book? Be sure to tag it using #PainLess #NetGalley
#ChronicPain #Fibromyalgia #CFS #ChronicFatigue #constantpain #pain #sicklecell #sicklecelldisease
SOME EARLY REVIEWS/ADVANCE PRAISE
“A powerful account of Anne Welsh’s own journey with her ‘invisible illness’.”
– Dr Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization
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“An honest and insightful account into a world unknown to so many.”
– The Most Revd and Rt Hon. Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
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“Any help for people to learn how to avoid pain triggers and handle their pain better is to be welcomed, as in this book based on the life and experience of Anne Welsh.”
– Professor Dame Sally C Davies, Chief Medical Officer UK
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ABOUT SICKLE CELL DISEASE:
– In 2008, the UN established WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY. It falls on June 19th each year and is marked with various events worldwide.
– In 2018, the National Institute of Health launched it’s CURE SICKLE CELL INITIATIVE.
At the dawn of the Second World War, Inès is the young wife of Michel, owner of the House of Chauveau, a small champagne winery nestled among rolling vineyards near Reims, France. Marrying into a storied champagne empire was supposed to be a dream come true, but Inès feels increasingly isolated, purposely left out of the business by her husband; his chef de cave, Theo; and Theo’s wife, Sarah.
But these disappointments pale in comparison to the increasing danger from German forces pouring across the border. At first, it’s merely the Nazi weinführer coming to demand the choicest champagne for Hitler’s cronies, but soon, there are rumors of Jewish townspeople being rounded up and sent east to an unspeakable fate. The war is on their doorstep, and no one in Inès’s life is safe—least of all Sarah, whose father is Jewish, or Michel, who has recklessly begun hiding munitions for the Résistance in the champagne caves. Inès realizes she has to do something to help.
Sarah feels as lost as Inès does, but she doesn’t have much else in common with Michel’s young wife. Inès seems to have it made, not least of all because as a Catholic, she’s “safe.” Sarah, on the other hand, is terrified about the fate of her parents—and about her own future as the Germans begin to rid the Champagne region of Jews. When Sarah makes a dangerous decision to follow her heart in a desperate bid to find some meaning in the ruin, it endangers the lives of all those she cares about—and the champagne house they’ve all worked so hard to save.
In the present, Liv Kent has just lost her job—and her marriage. Her wealthy but aloof Grandma Edith, sensing that Liv needs a change of scenery before she hits rock bottom, insists that Liv accompany her on a trip to France. But the older woman has an ulterior motive—and some difficult but important information to share with her granddaughter. As Liv begins to uncover long-buried family secrets, she finds herself slowly coming back to life. When past and present intertwine at last, she may finally find a way forward, along a difficult road that leads straight to the winding caves beneath the House of Chauveau.
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MY REVIEW:
THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE is a work of historical fiction. Set in Italy during World War II, the author has done extensive research into the history of World War II in the wine and champagne making regions.
Until receiving an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of this book, I had never thought about how WWII impacted the winemaking economies and how the greedy German army looted and pillaged from the great winemaking houses.
Although this book is fictitious, the historic facts are highly researched and based on true historic data.
The characters are relatable and the fear they experience in the story equals that of what was faced by those who lived through those terrible and terrifying years of war and deprivation.
This book is both a dramatic tale of life during war as well as a beautiful love story. There is romance, drama, action and adventure. In fact, there is something for every reader to enjoy while reading this tale.
For anyone who enjoys historic fiction, this book will be a welcome addition to their collection.
The story follows two timelines; one in the past and one in the present and how the lives of those in each timeline are inextricably linked together.
This is a fascinating read with in depth looks at how the past has influenced the present and how events and decisions made by one’s ancestors can (and does) have far-reaching consequences.
I rate THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
***Thank you to the Publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book.***
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Photograph by Phil Art Studio,
Reims, France
Kristin Harmel is the international bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amélie and The Sweetness of Forgetting, and several other novels.
Her work has been featured in People, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, and Ladies’ Home Journal, among many other media outlets.
She lives in Orlando, Florida.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
Her husband Adam is an innovative surgeon with the technology to save her.
When Katherine wakes in an unfamiliar hospital room, she discovers her brain has been transplanted into the body of a man and Adam is nowhere to be found. This is where her nightmare begins.
She must find Adam at all costs, even if that means pretending to be someone she’s not.
But something is wrong inside her. Very wrong…
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MY REVIEW:
Worcester, Massachusetts is not one of the places that come to mind when thinking about medical or scientific breakthroughs. This tale will change that perspective.
Katherine has devoted her life to her husband and his work. He promises to change the landscape of medicine forever.
When Katherine learns she has Stage IV cancer and that it continues to spread rapidly, she knows it is going to kill her. However, Adam has a plan. He says he has perfected the Brain Transplant procedure and a plan is put in place.
Many things go right. Katherine is alive. Her constant, excruciating pain is gone. But … Something has also gone drastically wrong. When she awakens from her coma, she discovers that instead of using the body they had chosen together, Adam has instead trapped her inside the body of ……… a man.
Imagine her shock. Imagine the betrayal she feels. Imagine how ridiculously strange it would feel to have a man’s body and a woman’s brain. She is living a nightmare and her “husband” is nowhere to be found.
This is where the real nightmare begins…
I was sucked into this story from the very first chapter and I just couldn’t put this book down.
Delving deep into her character’s (and her reader’s) psyches, the author taps into the universal fear of being trapped. Whether someone is buried alive, or is trapped inside the body of another, either way, it is the fear of helplessness that every human being harbors deep inside.
It is amazing to me that A LITTLE BIT PSYCHO is author J.L. Strange’s debut novel. Her writing reminds me of some of the truly great horror authors of our time, including Robin Cook, Stephen King and Dean Koontz, yet she also has a style all her own.
I am 100% certain J.L. Strange is a writer to watch and I fully expect to see her name gracing multiple Bestseller Lists.
I rate A LITTLE BIT PSYCHO as 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I encourage everyone reading this review to mark your calendars for October 28th, 2019 and to purchase a copy of this terrifying story, or better yet, go ahead and pre-order a copy today to be among the first to discover this astounding new talent on the horror author scene. You will be glad you did.
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**I would like to say a special thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.**
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
J.L. Strange writes unsettling psychological horror with a sci-fi twist. She was born and raised on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and studied animation at Rhode Island School of Design. Telling stories became an obsession, although she still creates art whenever the mood strikes. A single mother with a newly empty nest and lover of all things outdoors, she’s currently pursuing life’s next adventure.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
Tales from behind the Window” is based on memories of an Anatolian grandmother and women she knew who suffered from male dominance over their lives. Writer and illustrator Edanur Kuntman seeks a unique way to express and give voice to women in her grandmother’s memories and in our reality who were not able to reconcile their inner emotional depth with their rural worlds in Northern Turkey. One long and two short stories included in this book revolve around terrifying emotional burdens such as forced marriages, being betrayed by patriarchs, and lost love, which have haunted and still haunt many in rural Anatolia.
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MY REVIEW:
This graphic novel tells the true stories of three women from the author’s family. Although this book is categorized as fiction, it is based on interviews have the author’s grandmother.
This type of book is important because if we remember the past and the many injustices faced by women, we give them a voice. Those voices remind us of how far society has come and how far we still have to go.
Using the medium of a graphic novel, the author is able to convey emotions much more powerfully than if she had only described them in words.
The use of darker colors and austere illustrations, readers easily see the difference between the vibrant colors of the female illustrations and the grim male based illustrations. This is brilliantly rendered.
I rate TALES FROM BEHIND THE WINDOW as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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*Thank you to #NetGalley and #EuropeComics for providing me with a free copy of this book.*
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***** THE AUTHOR ALSO CREATED an Animated TV Spot created for Down Turkey together with Koff Animation. The goal was to remind people that Down Syndrome is not a disease and people diagnosed with Down Syndrome are capable of working just like the rest of the society. In this project she worked as a character artist and animator.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Edanur Kuntman is an up-and-coming Turkish artist who has been working in animation, illustration, and game design, as well as taking on publishing projects, and has a degree in political science.
She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York, as a visual and game designer.
She is the author of the graphic novel Tales From Behind The Window (Akan Ajans/Marmara Cizgi; Europe Comics in English).
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
Europe Comics is a joint digital initiative run by 13 European comics industry players from 8 European countries. Its main purpose is the creation of a pan-European catalog of award-winning graphic novels from across the continent, published digitally in English and available through major retailers and library networks. Europe Comics also works towards the promotion of European authors and the creation of a European comics online directory, meant for both comics readers and professionals.
To find out more about Europe Comics, Visit the following links:
On August 17, 2014, the body of fifteen-year old runaway Tina Fontaine was found in Winnipeg’s Red River. It was wrapped in material and weighted down with rocks. Red River Girl is a gripping account of that murder investigation and the unusual police detective who pursued the killer with every legal means at his disposal. The book, like the movie Spotlight, will chronicle the behind-the-scenes stages of a lengthy and meticulously planned investigation. It reveals characters and social tensions that bring vivid life to a story that made national headlines.
Award-winning BBC reporter and documentary maker Joanna Jolly delves into the troubled life of Tina Fontaine, the half-Ojibway, half-Cree murder victim, starting with her childhood on the Sagkeeng First Nation Reserve. Tina’s journey to the capital city is a harrowing one, culminating in drug abuse, sexual exploitation, and death.
Aware of the reality of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, Jolly has chronicled Tina Fontaine’s life as a reminder that she was more than a statistic. Raised by her father, and then by her great-aunt, Tina was a good student. But the violent death of her father hit Tina hard. She ran away, was found and put into the care of Child and Family Services, which she also sought to escape from. That choice left her in danger.
Red River Girl focuses not on the grisly event itself, but on the efforts to seek justice. In December 2015, the police charged Raymond Cormier, a drifter, with second-degree murder. Jolly’s book will cover the trial, which resulted in an acquittal. The verdict caused dismay across the country.
The book is not only a true crime story, but a portrait of a community where Indigenous women are disproportionately more likely to be hurt or killed. Jolly asks questions about how Indigenous women, sex workers, community leaders, and activists are fighting back to protect themselves and change perceptions. Most importantly, the book will chronicle whether Tina’s family will find justice.
As proud as I am to be Canadian, there are many things I wish I could change. There are even things that make me ashamed of my country and one of those things is how Indigenous people have historically been treated. Even more horrifying is that although it is finally improving, at least in some areas, Indigenous people still face an unconsciounable amount of racial discrimination to this very day. This racism and discrimination is not limited to Canada, and is a Continent-Wide issue.
The reason I bring up racism is because it is definitely a factor of Tina Fontaine’s disappearance and murder as chronicled in RED RIVER GIRL.
Police map of missing limbs in the Red River – Photo obtained from the BBC
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Author Joanna Jolly has researched Tina Fontaine’s life from childhood up to, and even after her death. I believe that Joanna Jolly’s experience as not only a journalist and author, but also as a documentary film maker has culminated in a book that must be read. She does not shy away from disclosing the horror that Tina experienced in her short fifteen years of life. Not does she gloss over the cultural stigma Tina lived with every day of her life.
This book not only highlights the life and death of Tina Fontaine, it also highlights the excellent investigative skills shown by the dogged police detective who pulled out all the stops to find Tina’s killer and to bring him to justice. However, that was not to be.
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When killer Raymond Cormier’s trial ended up with him being acquitted, people across Canada (myself included) were both outraged and dismayed. The only positive that came from that trial was the spotlight that was shone on the horrific epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
If you care about the truth, if you care about our Indigenous population, if you want to be more informed regarding Indigenous homelessness, as well as other related topics, you need to buy a copy of this book.
I rate RED RIVER GIRL as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*** Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
Thelma Favel – Tina’s Great Aunt
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
JOANNA JOLLY
Joanna Jolly is a multi-award winning former BBC South Asia Editor and documentary film maker. Over the past decade, she has reported from Jerusalem, Brussels, Kathmandu, Washington DC and Delhi. Red River Girl is her debut novel. In 2016, she was a Shorenstein Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
A House on Stilts tells the story of one woman’s struggle to reclaim wholeness while mothering a son addicted to opioids. Paula Becker’s son Hunter was raised in a safe, nurturing home by his writer/historian mom and his physician father. He was a bright, curious child. And yet, addiction found him.
More than 2.5 million Americans are addicted to opioids, some half-million of these to heroin. For many of them, their drug addiction leads to lives of demoralization, homelessness, and constant peril. For parents, a child’s addiction upends family life, catapulting them onto a path no longer prescribed by Dr. Spock, but by Dante’s Inferno. Within this ten-year crucible, Paula is transformed by an excruciating, inescapable truth: the difference between what she can do and what she cannot do.
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MY REVIEW:
I have recently read numerous biographies and memoirs and many of them have focused on the theme of addiction. Addiction was once ‘hush-hush’ and considered to be a dirty little secret. It is now beginning to be viewed not as shameful, but as a disease that is just as deadly as cancer, and one that can (and does) strike anyone at any age.
Many people look down on addicts and their families. They blame the addict’s parents, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, race, religion or any other of a myriad of factors upon which someone can place the blame. Often, in their smugness, they think “we are nothing like that family, therefore addiction will never be part of our lives.” Oh, how wrong they may be.
Paula Becker and her husband were living a charmed life. They were happy and when they added a son, Hunter, to the equation, they felt even more blessed. Adding another son and a daughter, and they were content.
In order to give their children, what they believed to be, an idyllic upbringing, Paula and her husband decided to homeschool them. Her husband was the main income provider and Paula could work as a part-time author from home. So, although it meant that they would have to be extremely smart with their spending, they were willing to do anything it took to ensure their children’s lives would be filled with learning and love.
Does this sound like a home where an opiate addict might come from? If asked, most people would answer “No.” Therein lies the challenge of identifying a person with a predilection toward addiction.
A HOUSE ON STILTS will force readers to confront the fact that addiction can (and does) happen to anyone, regardless of economic status, race, religion, colour, disability, location or any other of the myriad of reasons people have blamed for addiction.
Paula Becker’s memoir A HOUSE ON STILTS is being released at the perfect time. I firmly believe that every parent needs to read this book, and needs to read it NOW!
Paula Becker’s memoir will tug at your heartstrings as she writes about how her family’s life changes as her eldest son first dabbles, then dives headfirst into drugs. As Hunter’s addiction spirals out of control, his parents mourn the loss not only of his mental and physical health, but also the loss of a mother’s dreams for her son.
The Beckers family was lucky in that due to their economic status and health care insurance, they had the resources to get the very best treatment money could buy. Yet despite having so many advantages in life and even in addiction treatment options, they found that no matter what the family tried, that it would not work. They couldn’t wish Hunter better because it is the addict who must want to change.
One of the things I admire most about the author is her candor. She does not sugarcoat or try to justify any actions she has taken, nor does she try to make Hunter sound any better or worse than he really was. I am also happy that she chose to include details as to how Hunter’s addiction impacted his two siblings.
Written with her heart on her sleeve, Paula Becker’s memoir is important and deserves the highest possible rating. I rate A HOUSE ON STILTS as 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A House on Stilts: Mothering in the Age of Opioid Addiction (a memoir) will be published September 15, 2019, by University of Iowa Press.
To pre-order a signed copy of A HOUSE ON STILTS, please click HERE.
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*** Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book.***
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QUOTE:
“Hunter had been an erupting volcano during sophomore year. Now he was dormant. Barry and I monitored him, volcanologists. There was still smoke, there were occasional rumbles, but for a while Hunter put out relatively neutral readings.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Photo by David Ryder
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Paula Becker is a writer and historian living in Seattle, Washington. She is the author of the book:
More than 300 of Paula’s essays documenting all aspects of Washington’s history appear on http://www.HistoryLink.org, the online encyclopedia of Washington state history, where she is a historian.
Henry Morris is watching his wife slip away from him. In an ageist society, where euthanasia is encouraged as a patriotic act, dementia is no longer tolerated.
Kaitlyn, a young waitress, is desperate for the funds to keep her brother’s life support machine switched on.
When a chance encounter brings the two together, they embark on an unconventional business arrangement that will force them to confront their prejudices, as well as their deepest, darkest secrets.
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MY REVIEW:
Perhaps it is because I have a hidden disability or perhaps it is because I am 46 years old and looking forward to retirement within the next ten years, or, maybe it is just because I was raised with morals, but, the idea of an Ableist and/or Ageist society makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe it is because I see certain countries as already heading in this direction. Maybe my disgust with ableism is because I am #Canadian and have always been a firm believer that access to healthcare is a right that everyone should have. Access to quality healthcare should never be denied to anyone no matter their race, religion, age, color, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, disabilities or for any other reason.
In OVERDRAWN, author N.J. Crosskey has created a dystopian society with ageism at its core. “… they’d been bombarded with it, for years. The need to do one’s duty. It was the responsibility of all patriotic citizens to think always of the future generations before themselves. It was good and noble, to end one’s life rather than take up more than your rightful share of the world’s resources. To make sure you played your part in a fairer, more sustainable, future.”
The author uses fiction to highlight some of what is wrong with today’s society. In humanity’s past, elders were revered for their wisdom and knowledge. Today’s society no longer thinks that way. Warehousing our senior citizens in old age homes and ignoring them has become commonplace. I see this as a huge problem and author N.J. Crosskey seems to agree with me.
“How many lies were out there, masquerading as the truth?”
OVERDRAWN is an eye-opening look at one possible future and should scare the heck out of everyone who reads it for the simple fact that it is so plausible.
With characters of depth and of varying ages and viewpoints, author NJ Crosskey has created a wonderful work of dystopian fiction that should be on the top of everyone’s reading list for September 2019. Not only is her world-building truly exceptional, her characters relatable, and the plot fast-paced, but this book is detailed enough to provide everything a truly discerning reader could hope for.
I rate OVERDRAWN as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who reads this review. Who knows – It just may change your world view.
QUOTES:
“Typical, the one person who seemed to understand her decision … was senile. What did that say about her own mental capacity?”
“The wooden cabin-style houses each had their own small square of grass, outside their front doors. Many had dug out most of it, choosing to grow vegetables instead of wasting their coveted outdoor land on pointless, inedible lawns. Their small but precious crops were protected by boxes made of razor wire.”
“What if they’d all been sold a lie?”
“Our lives are short, but our legacies long. Live responsibly, always with the future in mind.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
N.J. Crosskey is the author of Poster Boy (April 2019) and Overdrawn (September 2019).
A mother of two crazy children, N.J has worked in the care sector for almost twenty years and is now fulfilling her life-long dream of becoming a novelist.
Both titles were published in 2019 by Legend Press.
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Amie's Book Reviews 