It's the Book Blogger Hop! Week of June 9-15

This is something new for me and it looks like fun.

Each week, the Book Blogger Hop starts on Friday and ends on Thursday, with a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The Hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blogs. 

Here's this week’s question:

If you could have lunch with any living authors and/or 

book bloggers, who would you choose and why?

 (submitted by Kitty @ Vicarious Bookworm)

I'll go first.

 This is a tough one because I have so many beloved authors, but I'd have to ask the New York Times bestselling writer who motivated me to stop talking about writing and start writing: Elizabeth Berg. Her novel True to Form captured my interest in such a way that I had to begin my own novel. I'd also invite Anne Tyler, the subject of my Honors thesis back at UMass Boston. Incidentally, she's a favorite author of Elizabeth Berg. Lastly, I'd save a seat for Jan Karon, because I adore her Mitford series; each novel in the series makes me feel like I live in the town. 

What about you? Who would you invite to your writer's table? 

About the Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013.

AlzAuthors: Karenna Wright and her memoir, "The Grapes of Dementia"

by Karenna Wright

It used to be that nine months or so after a traditional wedding, couples would announce they were pregnant. Not with Alan and me.

Nine months after we were married, and before our first honeymoon year was over, we were instead adjusting to the symptoms of Alan’s newly diagnosed dementia.

He passed less than five years after that diagnosis. He was 67 years old, I was 59.

Since then, I've been writing about our lives with early onset dementia, as well as my grief process.

I'd been writing all my life, had published in journals and magazines, so the thought of writing our story came naturally to me. And really, it wasn't an idea at all. It was something I did as instinctively as a mother loves her child.

At first I randomly jotted down brief notes, a shorthand to capture all my memories.

Several years later, Alan fell at home, then had a bad reaction to an anti-anxiety drug given him in the hospital.

He suffered disorienting, disturbing hallucinations and excruciatingly painful muscle spasms. Under the influence of the drug, he clawed at me, grabbed me, pulled me close to him, and fought me off—all at the same time. He squeezed my hand so tight I thought it would break.

When I got home at eleven o'clock that night, physically beat up and emotionally broken, I wrote down everything that happened that day.

My writing was raw, uncensored. I wrote for my own mental health. I needed to share my agony, to find a glimmer of hope in it, then offer it to others.

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For me, summer is all about reading: at the beach, in the pool, laid out in a hammock in my backyard. Of course, this requires lots of books. YA is one of my favorite genres, so I'm happy to offer you 30+ FREE titles for your e-reader along with a cool raffle to get your summer reading started.

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What about you? Where do you like to read?

Book Blogger Hop: June 2 - 8

This is something new and it looks like fun.

About the Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created 

by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books

in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012.

With Jennifer’s permission,  

Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013.

Each week the hop starts on Friday and ends on Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blogs. 

Here's this week’s question:

Do your bookshelves have books ONLY

or do you also have bookish items on the shelves?

(submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

I'll go first:

My bookshelves are overflowing, spilling books out on to the floor and any other available space. I cull them frequently, and donate those I'm not serving well to my library's used bookstore, where I hope they'll find better owners. My bookshelves also display other assorted items, such as my daughter's artwork, photos of my daughter, a cute doll I won one Christmas in a Yankee Swap at work, a lint brush, and a few other pieces of paraphernalia I haven't found a better home for. What about you? What's on your bookshelves? Comments welcome.

It's Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month. Why Did I Write a Book About Alzheimer's?

From my early days as a nurse I’ve had a soft spot for dementia patients. Most people are unfamiliar with the day to day pain and loss this disease brings. Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story is my attempt to tell the heartbreaking story of dementia, and to honor the more than 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and the people who love and care for them.

One day at work as a nurse case manager in a rehabilitation unit, I met an elderly couple who inspired my characters Jack and Sara. She had Alzheimer’s, and he was physically frail. The amazing thing about them was that they’d driven from Florida to New York by themselves without any incident. Unfortunately, once home she fell and broke her pelvis and landed in the hospital. That’s where I came in, to assist with the discharge plan. She was supposed to go to a local nursing home for continued rehab and her son planned to drive her and her husband there on discharge day. I completed their plans and said goodbye, but couldn’t stop thinking about them, wondering what would happen if they somehow left the hospital without their son and did not go to the rehab. Where would they go? What would they do? My wild imagination took off, and the seeds for the novel took root.

The response from readers is both satisfying and humbling. When I published I had no idea if the book would find an audience, but within weeks I’d received several 5-star reviews from caregivers who thanked me for writing “their” story. A later reviewer called it “healing,” and another said it was “grief release.” A favorite comment is “Read it twice just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.” I could not have hoped for a better response.

As a nurse, I’m proud to help others dealing with this disease. As an author, I’m grateful this important topic found me, and that I had the determination and fortitude to bring this book to completion.

Knowing that I have not only touched lives but validated the experiences of these unsung heroes is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

Preview Blue Hydrangeas on Amazon

AlzAuthors: Paul Hornback's Devotional Book for Alzheimer's

By Paul M. Hornback

I’ve been living with early onset Alzheimer’s disease for over seven years. Soon after my diagnosis, God kindled within me a deep desire to do something positive for people who were struggling with this disease. I wanted to help them maintain their faith as they face the challenges of living with early to mid-stage dementia.

My faith has always been strong and God has blessed me in so many ways. After my diagnosis, I knew God still had a plan for my life and would continue to allow His grace to flow through me. His grace enabled me to write words of encouragement for people struggling with dementia.

I have always loved reading devotions, so it seemed natural to start writing devotions centered on living with Alzheimer’s. As I started writing, God seemed to guide my thoughts and my hands as I typed devotions filled with encouragement, peace, contentment, joy, hope, and faith.

Young Adult Book Bonanza - Great YA Books Just .99c! Build your Summer TBR List!

I'm pleased to join this sale to get your YA TBR list ready for summer reading. Here are 30+ titles in  fantasy, contemporary, dystopian, paranormal, sci-fi, sports, romance, mystery, and historical fiction, including Swim Season, all for just .99c each. 

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