Connect Five Friday: Mental Health/Addictions

It’s Friday once again and that means it’s time for Connect Five Friday, hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way.

As I was checking what books I could read for the coming August challenges, I realized that I have many of the books on my TBR for the challenge for Diversity. The category for their August pick is “Mental Health/Addiction”

Here are 5 books relating to mental health/addiction I hope to read

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wells. A memoir
From Goodreads: “Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.”

 

From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle. A moving debut memoir
From Goodreads: “n this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle—once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar—chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is.”

 

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. A harrowing memoir of her 2 years in a mental hospital.
From Goodreads: “Kaysen’s memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a “parallel universe” set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties.”

 

Dear Scarlet by Teresa Wong. A graphic novel/memoir about her postpartum depression.
From Goodreads: “In this intimate and moving graphic memoir, Teresa Wong writes and illustrates the story of her struggle with postpartum depression in the form of a letter to her daughter Scarlet. Equal parts heartbreaking and funny, Dear Scarlet perfectly captures the quiet desperation of those suffering from PPD and the profound feelings of inadequacy and loss.”

 

Legacy by Suzanne Methot. “Trauma, story and indigenous healing”
From Goodreads: “With passionate argumentation and chillingly clear prose, author and educator Suzanne Methot uses her own and others’ stories to trace the roots of colonial trauma and the mechanisms by which trauma has become intergenerational, and she explores the Indigenous ways of knowing that can lead us toward change.”

July Reading Round-Up

July is ending with continued stress. My hubby got out of hospital after 6 weeks, was home a week when he spiked fevers throughout this past weekend and ended up in hospital again. With a different infection. I definitely needed fantasy and excellent books this month to escape – and I found many such books.

It’s time to share what I have been reading this past month.
The total read for July was 23 books, with the following breakdown:
Fantasy /Paranormal – 6
Historical Fiction/Historical Romance– 2
Romance – 7
Women’s Fiction – 5
Memoir/Non-fiction – 2
Pix books – 0
(Diverse books – (2)

I continue to record in more detail where the books originated – from the library, on my TBR shelves (bought/gifted or won), an e-book, or a charity read (Bought from a charity store). Here’s the breakdown
Library reads –14
TBR books –1
E-books – 8
Charity reads – 0

Here are the books read for my favourite challenges:

Popsugar Ultimate Reading Challenge (Through Goodreads)
I only read for 1 category for this challenge, so really need to catch up now.
#15 – Involving social media – The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

52 Books in 52 Weeks
I read 3 for this challenge – slowly catching up
#5 – Character who is a senior – The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley
#39 -Book used in a celebrity book club – In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
#44 – Recommended by Amazon – Storm and Fury by Jennifer Armentrout

Beyond the Bookends
The theme this month was “About Christmas”. I read 2 books:
Mistletoe and Cocoa Kisses by Stacy Eaton
Tangled in Tinsel by Stacy Eaton

Monthly Key Word Challenge
The key word I used this month was: “Summer”.
Summer in Sorrento by Melissa Hill

Monthly Motif
The theme this month was “Around or Out of this World”.
Come Away with Me by Karma Brown (Thailand, Italy, Hawaii)
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver (England)
Seeker by Rita Pomade (sea voyage)
Summer in Sorrento by Melissa Hill (Italy)

Blogger’s Bookshelf
The theme was “Book with a map”
Seeker by Rita Pomade
Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

Favourite Reads
Here are my top 10 reads:
Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas   (Absolute favourite though!)
Storm and Fury by Jennifer Armentrout
Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs
A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare
Come Away with Me by Karma Brown
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley
The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Looking Ahead to August

I started two YA fantasy series (Hex Hall and Booke of the Hidden) and plan to finish them in August.
I’m taking part in 3 more reading challenges over the summer months. So will continue to work on these challenges.

Here are books read so far for these challenges:
20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge ( here for more info; here for my list/post) none read

2020 Summer Reading Challenge (at The Messy Middle) (Have now read the 7 I needed for challenge but want to do more of the categories)
Young adult novel (fantasy) – Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Book longer than 700 pages – Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
Book with teacher – Menace by Laramie Briscoe
A Novel: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
About a country or culture, you have never visited: Seeker by Rita Pomade
Verb in the Title: Intercepted by Alexa Martin

2020 Popsugar Summer Reading Challenge (here for more info)
#3 – Takes place in dream summer destination: Summer in Sorrento by Melissa Hill (Italy)
#7 – Body of water on cover – Come Away with Me by Karma Brown
#17 – Sunglasses on cover – Intercepted by Alexa Martin
#19 – Classified as “beach read” – The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

I am linking with the following:

Monthly Wrap-up(At Feed Your Fiction Addiction)

 

Best of the Bunch(at A Cocoon of Books)

 

Friendship Friday Blog (at Create with Joy)

Top Ten Tuesday – Books Published in 2020 I want to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s Top Ten list is a free choice.
There are so many books being published this year that look amazing – especially those by some of my favourite authors. I haven’t participated in a while but I have been making a list already of the 2020 books I’d like to read, so thought this was the perfect time to share.

Here are 10 books being published this year that I want to/plan to read:

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren. I’ve already started this one and really enjoying it.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

 

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Claire

 

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

 

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

 

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

 

What You Wish For by katherine Center

 

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

 

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout

 

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s time once again for Kathryn’s weekly meme “It’s Monday! What are You Reading? “, at Book Date, where we share what we’re reading and have read over the past week.

What I Read Last Week
I missed last week – my hubby was finally released from hospital (after 6 weeks- definitely not the same as when he went in: before he could walk and was independent and had a working, although compromised kidney; after: unsteady, just a few steps with a walker and now on dialysis). It was a challenge the first few days (well, really the first week). He still has a long road to recovery.

So here are the books I read over the past two weeks – sharing them all because some were sooo good. (Books really do help when stressed!)

Week 1:

Seeker: A Sea Odyssey by Rita Pomade. I read this for a WOW blog tour and really enjoyed this memoir of their voyage at sea. Lots of adventures. (Check my review here)

Mistletoe and Cocoa Kisses by Stacy Eaton. A quick ebook romance – to celebrate Christmas in July.

 

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver. So enjoyed this novel, loved the premise: What would you do if your partner died?

 

Storm and Fury by Jennifer Armentrout. This was the first in her new fantasy series and I needed this world to disappear into. A great read.

This past week:

House of Earth and Blood; Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas. What a fantastic read. Only problem? Have to wait another year for the second!

 

The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley. Julian leaves a journal in a café with his truths written in it, encouraging others to do the same. It starts a chain of events –what would you write?”  It was a wonderful read.

 

Shadows in the Mist by Jeri Westerson. This was the third in her fantasy series and was a fun read.

Come Away with Me by Karma Brown. Another book about grief and loss and love and about fulfilling one’s bucket list. So enjoyed this novel.

What I’m Reading Now
The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren
Two Summers by Aimee Friedman

On Writing by Stephen King. Long on my TBR, reading this now as part of a book club

What’s Up Next – STILL! and determined to finish them – sometime!
Keep it Moving by Twyla Tharp.
Becoming by Michelle Obama

 

Connect Five Friday – Books Published in 2020

It’s Friday once again and that means it’s time for Connect Five Friday, hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way.

I just finished a great book tonight and it made me realize that I have read a number of books published in 2020. I have mentioned a few in other connections, but these are the latest 5 I read (and loved by the way) that were published this year.

 

The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley. Would you reveal your secrets in a journal you found and then leave it for someone else to find? What a wonderful premise – and wonderful characters.

 

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. 800 pages of an incredible new fantasy series by Maas. Got so caught up in the world, the characters and the events. Now I must wait ANOTHER YEAR!

 

Storm and Fury by Jennifer Armentrout. This fantasy which begins an intriguing new series did not disappoint.

 

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs Another great fantasy read in this series. So enjoyed it.

 

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Another interesting premise – seeing and living your future for an hour.

 

WOW Blog Tour for “Seeker” – Guest Post by Rita Pomade

As part of the WOW blog tour for Seeker by Rita Pomade, Rita has agreed to share her advice with us on how to write a memoir.

Welcome Rita!

Advice on Writing a Memoir
Rainer Marie Rilke, known mainly as a poet, also wrote memoir. A young man who wanted to write memoir wrote Rilke for advice. The poet answered: First you experience something. Then you grieve the loss. Then you have to forget it. Then you remember it. Then you write. I thought Rilke’s response was a good first step as so much of a good story comes from the unconscious. It’s often dormant until we start putting words to paper. Technique is just the vessel into which the story is poured, and shouldn’t take precedence over the message. Memory needs time to mellow, to take the bitter edge away. My memoir, Seeker: A Sea Odyssey, would have been less layered and nuanced had I written it just after the journey. Letting time pass made it a better story.

But where to begin once time has played its role? I found folders were a good first step. I stored photos, letters, and then bits of memory that would spontaneously pop into my head. When you focus on past events related to your memoir, forgotten memories start surface. If I wasn’t sure about a detail and asked for confirmation, I stored that information in my folders as well. My next memoir takes place in early childhood. Unfortunately, I have no one to glean stories from or to verify if things I had overheard were accurate. If you’re lucky enough to have living witnesses to interview, make sure to add those valuable pipelines to your past. Your folders hold vital parts of your story that will be woven into the fabric of the whole as you write. The fragments that had floated into your mind earlier and were stored will expand in the process of writing. Before I started my memoir, I selected photographs from my folder and taped them to the wall in front of my desk. I studied them each time I sat down to write. They drew me right into my story.

A memoir isn’t linear. Writing a sequence of events has no heart. And memoir writing is all about writing from the heart. Anais Nin said write what grabs you at the moment. You’ll figure out where it goes later. As you write, related material enters that expands your vision. Don’t stifle it. See where it goes. If it doesn’t work, you can edit it out later.
I found visualization helped me enter a scene. I took time to meditate on the section I was writing about. By placing myself inside the part of the story I was working on, I brought back not only the location, but sounds, smells, sights—even tactile sensation. Once I was back there my emotions and bodily sensation came into play, and I could transfer them to the page. I was now in the story and not a spectator of my life telling a story. When you’re really inside your story, you take your reader there with you.
Rita Pomade
ritapomade@gmail.com

 

Thank you Rita – such valuable advice on what a memoir is how to write one.

 

Biography

Rita Pomade— teacher, poet, memoirist—lived six years aboard a small yacht that took her from Taiwan to the Suez to Mallorca, dropping anchor in 22 countries. She and her husband navigated through raging monsoons, encountered real-life pirates, and experienced cultures that profoundly changed them. Seeker: A Sea Odyssey, published by Guernica Editions under the Miroland label tells her story.
Rita Pomade, a native New Yorker, first settled in Mexico before immigrating to Quebec. During her time in Mexico, she taught English, wrote articles and book reviews for Mexconnect, an ezine devoted to Mexican culture, and had a Dear Rita monthly column on handwriting analysis in the Chapala Review. In Montreal she taught English as a Second Language at Concordia University and McGill University until her retirement. She is a two-time Moondance International Film Festival award winner, once for a film script and again for a short story deemed film worthy. Her work is represented in the Monologues Bank, a storehouse of monologues for actors in need of material for auditions, in several anthologies, and in literary reviews. Her travel biography, Seeker: A Sea Odyssey, was shortlisted for the 2019 Concordia University First Book Award.

 

Be sure to check out other stops along the WOW Blog Tour for Seeker

Connect Five Friday – Living an Alternate Life

It’s Friday once again and that means it’s time for Connect Five Friday, hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way.

I had mentioned The Two Lives of Lydia Bird last week as one of my recent library books. Well, I read it and loved it. It made me think of several other books – books where the main character lead an alternate life – as well as the movie “Sliding Door”.  In some novels, twins switch places, such as the classic The Prince and the Pauper. In others, there is an actual body swap as in Freaky Friday. In some, the character dons a disguise, especially in historical fiction, or is flung back in time. There are so many possiblilities.

 

Here are 5 books where the protagonist leads an alternate life.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver. Lydia loses her fiancé Freddie and then is drawn into a world where Freddie still lives. What a premise.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Dannie falls asleep and wakes up 5 years in the future, with a different man and different apartment. Then wakes – to her current life.

 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldron. One of my favourite time travel novels!Claire is drawn back in time to begin a new life with her Highlander Jamie.

 

I haven’t read either of the next two books but both these YA books intrigue me

 

Two Summers by Aimee Friedman, Summer is having to make a decision between 2 possibilities, about what her summer will be like

 

In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody. What would have happened if she had gone to a private school? Kennedy finds out when she hits her head.

WOW Blog Tour – “Seeker: A Sea Odyssey” by Rita Pomade

I am honoured to be part of the WOW! Women of Writing Blog Tour for Rita Pomade’s memoir, Seeker: A Sea Odyssey,  which I read and am now reviewing.

(Please note: I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.)

 

My Review:

Rita Pomade’s memoir Seeker, takes us on a thrilling adventure from Taiwan to Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Israel, Italy and Spain, with so many stops (and long stays at different locales) along the way. I
Pomade shares her adventures (and misadventures) and gives us a first hand look at the people and cultures she met on her travels. For her, it was important to explore these places and learn as much as she could about the places and people she met. Having never been to any of these places, it was like a window looking at them as I read.

It took seven years for Pomade and her husband Bernard to save enough to fund the building of their yacht in Taiwan. Yet no matter how long it took, they knew they had to follow their dream of sailing around the world.

For Bernard, life aboard the Santa Rita was what drew him. For Rita, it was the desire to learn about different cultures, to explore the places they traveled to and meeting people. In this way, she reminded me of Anthony Bourdain and his love affair with exploring new places, learning about new cultures and people, especially when sharing local foods.
As Pomade said at the end,
“…I learned people were the same everywhere. Whatever culture we were in, the fundamental needs and emotional responses of the people were the same.”

For about five years, the couple lived aboard their yacht, sometimes alone, sometimes with one or both of her sons, or with other visitors. Eventually though, the differences between the couple led to selling the yacht and eventually a divorce.

They had shared quite an adventure, one that few have achieved. Pomade has written a detailed, intriguing account of their many years at sea.
I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

 

Book Summary

Seeker: A Sea Odyssey is the story of two people who meet in Mexico and fall in love. Rita is an American part-time English language teacher and freelance reporter for an English language tourist magazine struggling to raise two young boys on her own. Bernard is a French geologist under contract to the Mexican government to search for underground thermal springs. She dreams of finding Shangri-La after witnessing a bloody government crackdown from which she barely escapes. He dreams of having a yacht and sailing the world. Their dreams mesh, and they immigrate to Canada to earn the money to build their boat.

Print Length: 330 Pages

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: MiroLand

Seeker: A Sea Odyssey is available to purchase at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Books-a-Million. You can also add this to your Goodreads reading list.

About the Author Rita Pomade

Rita Pomade, an intrepid nomad originally from New York, now lives and writes in Montreal. Her work has appeared in literary magazines and poetry reviews, and her monologue for auditioning actors was selected for inclusion in the Monologue Bank. An excerpt from her forthcoming memoir Seeker: A Sea Odyssey was included in two travel anthologies.

Be sure to visit all the stops along the blog tour!

— Blog Tour Dates

June 29th @ The Muffin

What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Grab your coffee and join us in celebrating the launch of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey. You can read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

July 2nd @ Fiona Ingram’s Blog
Visit Fiona’s blog and you can read a guest post by the author about how she could have enriched her journey at sea.
http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/

July 5th @ CK Sorens’ Blog
Visit Carrie’s blog today and you can read her review of Rita Pomade’s memoir Seeker.
https://www.cksorens.com/blog

July 6th @ Create Write Now
Visit Mari L. McCarthy’s blog where you can read author Rita Pomade’s guest post about what she learned about herself through writing.
https://www.createwritenow.com/

July 7th @ The Faerie Review
Make sure you visit Lily’s blog and read a guest post by the author about cooking on a shoestring at sea.
http://www.thefaeriereview.com/

July 8th @ Coffee with Lacey
Visit Lacey’s blog today and read her review of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
https://coffeewithlacey.com/

July 10th @ 12 Books
Visit Louise’s blog and read her review of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
https://12books.co.uk/

July 11th @ Bookworm Blog
Visit Anjanette’s blog today and you can read her review of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
http://bookworm66.wordpress.com/

July 12th @ It’s Alanna Jean
Visit Alanna’s blog today and you can read a guest post by author Rita Pomade about the ten best traits you need for living aboard a yacht.
http://itsalannajean.com/

July 13th @ The New England Book Critic
Join Vickie as she reviews Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
http://www.thenewenglandbookcritic.com/

July 14th @ Bev. A Baird’s Blog
Visit Bev’s blog today and read her review of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/

July 15th @ Reviews and Interviews
Visit Lisa’s blog today where she interviews author Rita Pomade about her book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/

July 16th @ Author Anthony Avina’s Blog
Visit Anthony’s blog where he reviews Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/

July 17th @ 12 Books
Visit Louise’s blog and read author Rita Pomade’s guest post discussing sailing myths.
https://12books.co.uk/

July 18th @ Author Anthon Avina’s Blog
Visit Anthony’s blog today and read his interview with author Rita Pomade.
https://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

July 20th @ Bev. A Baird’s Blog
Visit Bev’s blog again and you can read author Rita Pomade’s guest post featuring her advice on writing a memoir.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/

July 21st @ Jill Sheet’s Blog
Visit Jill’s blog where you can read a guest post by author Rita Pomade about how her handwriting analysis skills made her a better writer.
https://jillsheets.blogspot.com/

July 22nd @ A Storybook World
Visit Deirdra’s blog today and you can checkout her spotlight of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
http://www.astorybookworld.com/

July 23rd @ Choices
Visit Madeline’s blog today and you can read a guest post by author Rita Pomade about the benefits of spending time abroad.
http://madelinesharples.com/

July 24th @ Books, Beans and Botany
Visit Ashley’s blog today where she reviews Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey.
https://booksbeansandbotany.com/

July 24th @ Tiggy’s Books
Visit Tiggy’s blog today and read her review of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker: A Sea Odyssey. She’ll also be chatting a bit with the author!
https://tiggysbooks.com/

July 26th @ CK Sorens Blog
Visit Carrie’s blog today and you can read a guest post by author Rita Pomade about how she jumpstart her writing process.
https://www.cksorens.com/blog

July 27th @ Memoir Writer’s Journey
Visit Kathleen’s blog today and read her review of Rita Pomade’s book Seeker.
https://www.krpooler.com/

July 28th @ Lady Unemployed
Visit Nicole’s blog today where you can read a guest post by author Rita Pomade talking about stepping outside of one’s comfort zone.
http://www.ladyunemployed.com

July 31st @ Wild Hearted
Visit Ashley’s blog where you can read a guest post by author Rita Pomade about why she jumped at the chance to go to sea.
https://wild-hearted.com/

It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s time once again for Kathryn’s weekly meme “It’s Monday! What are You Reading? “, at Book Date, where we share what we’re reading and have read over the past week.

What I Read Last Week
I read books 6 books –a fantasy, 2 contemporary romances, 2 historical romances, and an historical fiction,

Books I read:

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs. The latest Mercy Thompson book arrived (One of my favourite fantasy series) and of course I had to read it right away! LOVED it. Now will  probably have to wait another year for the next – and I am sure there will be another few!

Intercepted by Alexa Martin. Needed for a challenge (sunglasses on cover) – but really enjoyed this contemporary romance, part of a sports football series.

 

Pestilence by Pamela Taylor – Read this historical fiction at time of middle ages and really got caught up in the story. (Read my review here)

 

My Wicked Marquess by Gaelen Foley. A very enjoyable historical romance, part of a series

 

Tangled in Tinsel by Stacy Eaton. A cute holiday ebook romance, read for a challenge.

 

A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare. So, enjoy her Spindle Cove series and this was so enjoyable.

 

What I’m Reading Now

Seeker: A Sea Odyssey by Rita Pomade

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren
On Writing by Stephen King. Long on my TBR, reading this now as part of a book club

What’s Up Next – STILL! and determined to finish them – sometime!
Keep it Moving by Twyla Tharp.
Becoming by Michelle Obama

Connect Five Friday – Can’t Wait to Read Library Books

It’s Friday once again and that means it’s time for Connect Five Friday,  hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way.

My local library has just recently opened for pick-up of books ordered online. It is quite the process – stand behind a long table, show your card and the librarian will search inside for your bag of already signed out books.
But at least I am finally getting some of the books I ordered several months ago and which weren’t available electronically. Not that I don’t have enough books to read – just that these really intrigued me.
Hare are 5 books I can’t wait to read (and in the order I plan to read, well probably!)

Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren. Love the books by this duo and this one sounds like a fun one. Can 2 assistants rein in a warring couple on a book tour?

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand. Love the premise of this book – a re-imagining of Scrooge, but with a teenage girl

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver. What happens when you get a chance to relive your life with your decesased former love?

Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas. How can I resist a new sizzling adult fantasy series by Maas??

By the Book by Julia Sonneborn. Billed as a retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.