“Write It All Down” by Cathy Rentzenbrink Review by Marlene Cullen A friendly book encouraging people to write without worries. Easy to read with specific suggestions that inspire writing. My motto is “Just Write.” Cathy’s motto could be “Release your fears. Stay in your chair. Write.” #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter
Category: Book Reviews
Maisie Dobbs
Maisie Dobbs series of books one through eleven, reviewed by Marlene Cullen Winter 2025 I needed escapism reading . . . where a heroine cracks the case, the murder gets solved, the valuables are restored, and at the end, I smile with satisfaction after absorbing excellent writing. And so, I re-read the first eleven books in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. Even though they were published between 2014 and 2016, some scenes could be describing today’s political events. I wonder how Jacqueline had the prescience to do that. Her books contain inspirational messages: “Birds of a Feather,” page 220 “Tell me, Dr. Dene, if you were to name one thing that made the difference between those who get well quickly and those who don’t, what would it be?” “If I were to name one thing, it would be acceptance. Some people don’t accept what has happened. They are…
You Can Heal Your Life
“How did we go from being a tiny baby who knows the perfection of itself and of life to being a person who has problems and feels unworthy and unlovable to one degree or another? People who already love themselves can love themselves even more. Think of a rose from the time it is a tiny bud. As it opens to full flower, till the last petal falls, it is always beautiful, always perfect, always changing. So it is with us. We are always perfect, always beautiful and ever changing. We are doing the best we can with the understanding, awareness and knowledge we have. As we gain more understanding, awareness and knowledge, then we will do things differently.” Excerpted from You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise L. Hay.
Gold Digger
Review: Gold Digger by Rebecca Rosenberg. One look at Baby Doe Tabor, and you know she was meant to be a legend of the Wild West and Gilded Age! She was just twenty years old when she came west to work a gold mine with her new husband. Little did she expect that she’d be abandoned and pregnant and left to manage the gold mine alone. But that didn’t stop her! She fell in love with an old married prospector twice her age. Horace Tabor struck the biggest silver vein in history, scandalously divorced his wife, became a U.S. Senator, and married Baby Doe at the U.S. capitol with President Arthur in attendance. Though Baby Doe Tabor was renowned for her beauty, her fashion, and her philanthropy, she was never welcomed in polite society. Her friends were stars they hired to perform at their Tabor Grand Opera House: Sarah Bernhardt,…
Charmian Kittredge London
“Charmian Kittredge London, Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer” by Iris Jamahl Dunkle elegantly brings Charmian to life in this chronicle about the woman who is mostly known as Jack London’s wife. Dunkle’s gift as a researcher and a writer glow with perfection. Her writing abilities bring Charmian to life with intriguing adventures and travel tales. I highly recommend “Charmian Kittredge London, Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer” both as an entertaining page-turner and as a text on how to write a biography.
Safe Handling
Travel on a journey with Rebecca Evans in “Safe Handling” as she and her son traverse the skies, the streets, and the floors of a hospital where her son needs immediate and important surgical intervention. Skilled as a poet, Rebecca writes eloquently about survival, a mother’s enduring love, a caring surgeon and nurse among a busy, always moving, weary world. “Safe Handling” offers a respite, a calm from our busyness, to reflect and respect what others are going through. Bio from Rebecca’s website: “Rebecca Evans writes the difficult, the heart-full, the guidebooks for survivors. Her work reflects, among many things, fractured relationships. This fracturing influences every subsequent relationship—carrying scars and wounds throughout one’s life. Evans weaves disability, domestic violence, and a fight for survival throughout her narratives, hoping to start conversations, create awareness, compassion, and tolerance. She hopes to inform what it means to navigate this world as a woman,…
The Emotion Thesaurus
Review by Marlene Cullen. I have heard about this book, read about this book, seen posts about this book for years. So, I bought “The Emotion Thesaurus” by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi. Yes to this book! From the introduction: “What we [recognized] was our own difficulty conveying character emotion in a way that would engage readers. This problem was a big one, because only when the character’s emotions are clearly shared can readers become more involved.” I have often thought about how to “show” body language when writing. As you know, when we interact with others, there is much about body language that conveys our mood, emotions, reactions. How to show these things? The Emotion Thesaurus to our rescue! “We wanted to ensure that our character’s feelings would trigger the reader’s own emotional memories, encouraging empathy that would draw them deeper into the story.” Tips on how to write…
You Can’t Catch Death
Sometimes you read a memoir, put your book away, and get on with your life. “You Can’t Catch Death” by Ianthe Brautigan is not one of those memoirs. Ianthe’s stories about her father and how she was affected by him results in a loving tribute to her conflicted and artistic father, Richard. Ianthe shares details that are painful to read and yet, I read far into the night, needing to know what happened next. I appreciate Ianthe’s gentle handling of difficult and misunderstood subjects: alcoholism and death by one’s own hand. “You Can’t Catch Death” could be a text on how to write a memoir – go deep. Be truthful. Be as honest as you can be. Be authentic. Ianthe excelled on all these levels. Writing Prompt “Watershed moment,” inspired by Ianthe Brautigan from a Writers Forum writing workshop. Thoughts about hurting people’s feelings when writing true stories: Writing has…
Life Span
“Life Span: Impressions of a Lifetime Spent Crossing and Recrossing the Golden Gate Bridge” reviewed by Marlene Cullen. “Life Span” by Molly Giles chronicles numerous trips across Golden Gate Bridge from her earliest memory (1945) to 2023. I’m thinking of the quote “Something happened to someone. So what?” While crossing and re-crossing the span, “Life Span” readers are treated to gorgeous writing, and perhaps inspiration to write their stories. “Life Span” opens with, “If I start to behave like a normal three-year-old girl, my father will let me sit in the front seat of the moving van with him. But I have to crawl out from under the kitchen table, wash my hands and face, and stop snarling. He did not come back from The War to be attacked by a wild tiger.” I like this little girl and I want to know more. In the last chapter, Molly travels…
Party Like it’s 2044
“Party Like it’s 2044: Finding the Funny in Life and Death” by Joni B. Cole. Reviewed by Tracy Wood Here’s to another great collection from a gifted story teller! Joni Cole’s essays are a cross between David Sedaris and Kelly Corrigan. Whether she’s sharing tales of coffee mishaps on airplanes or weird encounters in public restrooms, Joni captures the humor and humanity in everyday adventures. Joni’s stories offer a break from the daily news headlines that compete for doomiest and gloomiest. Funny but never trite, her deeply personal narratives reveal universal emotions: embarrassment, nostalgia, misunderstanding, and even love of cute animals. Many chapters had me laughing out loud, and they all offered some tidbit worth remembering! I will return to these essays like I would a favorite pair of shoes. Tracy often suggests Joni’s books on writing to her students. Tracy Wood is a former Marine and retired secondary English teacher. She…