Book Review: Be Not Far From Me

Be Not Far from Me is the second Mindy McGinnis book I've read. I was as swept up in the story this time as I was in her previous book. She has an impressive skill for sucking a reader in and making them want further details to know how things will turn out for the characters. This is not a Christian YA book, yet the title comes from a passage in Psalm 22. It was fitting and is my prayer in my life as well. The inside cover blurb says: "Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a compelling and harrowing story about survival and one girl's attempt to endure the impossible." This book, about being up against great odds, was riveting!

Ashley Hawkins is partying in the Smokies with her friends when she comes upon her boyfriend in a compromising position with another girl. Drunk and delirious with rage, she flees the scene and ends up falling into a ravine and injuring her foot. Now she is miles from help (as if she were a person who would accept the help of others, ha), and wandering alone in the threatening woods. She must endure countless challenges (at one point, she wakes to find an opossum chewing on her diseased foot - yikes) in order to survive. Her best hope, she believes, is to channel the wisdom she learned from her mentor, Davey. But Davey went into the woods and never came out. This isn't a comforting thought in her precarious situation.

I am impressed by this author's ability to secure and hold the reader fast. Her writing makes you forget that there is a puppet-master manipulating the strings of the dance before you. You become so deeply involved that you forget there is a writer at all (a mark of a good one). While I winced at some scenes, I never looked away. Ashley's voice of narration is unique. She is quite a character and her strength, while it sometimes gets her in trouble, carries her through tremendous obstacles. This was an entertaining and educational read. Still, I hope I never find myself in the woods, reaching back in my mind to pull forth the wisdom Ashley exhibits.

Compilation: Twenty Outstanding History Books

I have a master's degree in history. My favorite focus is Victorian British history, but I also have studied some American history. When I began to compile this list, I was overwhelmed. I apparently read a lot of non-fiction history books. Thus, I limited this list to outstanding titles, primarily read in the past five years, but a half dozen from further back in my blog. Some of my favorite historical authors include Daniel James Brown, Candice Millard, and Erik Larson. Here are twenty that stand above the rest (and I'm sure I'm leaving out a few because I couldn't take the time to skim all the history reads on this blog):

1. Forty Autumns by Nina Willner - Berlin Wall story
2. The Lost Airman by Seth Meyerowitz - Nazi occupied France
3. A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte - WWI, Lewis & Tolkien
4. The Wager by David Grann - a British shipwreck
5. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore - US history
6. One Summer by Bill Bryson - America 1927
7. The Greater Journey by David McCullough - Americans in Paris
8. Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown - US in WWII
9. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard - Theodore Roosevelt
10. The Library Book by Susan Orlean - LA library fire of 1986
11. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard - US president
12. The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale - Victorian London
13. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson - Winston Churchill in the Blitz
14. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold - Jack the Ripper victims
15. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown - 1936 Olympic rowing team
16. Dead Wake by Erik Larson - the sinking of the Lusitania
17. Under a Flaming Sky by Daniel James Brown - a Minnesota fire of 1894
18. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson - WWII Berlin
19. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - WWII
20. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson - advancement of wireless communication

Book Review: The Heirloomist

What a perfect book for a week when I couldn't face anything with depth or difficulty. The Heirloomist: 100 Treasures and the Stories They Tell is full of minor vignettes about items with major sentimental value. The stories were delightful. From a fork gifted for a first date to a Magna-Doodle with a captured message from a deceased father, these stories pull at your heartstrings. I loved the treasured notes from the past and the baby bench almost sold before friends recognized its significant value.

The 81st treasure, especially, stood out to me. It showed a list torn from Life's Little Instruction Book. The list was one the owner lived by and it stood out to his children and friends. I noticed the first item on the list: "Compliment 3 people every day." I read this during a tough week. But, I received a gift from someone following this rule and I can tell you how meaningful it was. I was leaving a medical facility when a woman called out, "Your hair is beautiful." It took me by such surprise, I doubted she was talking to me, but she looked right at me. I said, "Thank you." Then I turned around and added, "That made my day! You can't imagine how much!" 

Senior Night and Belated Anniversary Trip

Our oldest son blessed us with a visit for the weekend of Sean's Senior Night football game. Bryce arrived at midnight on Thursday. Despite my early-to-bed, early-to-rise nature, I'm usually the one who drives to pick him up. I enjoy the time talking with him in the car. He worked remotely on Friday (from the quiet privacy of my book desk in our guest room). A bunch of buddies from his football days invited him to tailgate with them prior to the game.

John and I made our way to the end of the stadium where the parents of seniors lined up. Is it bad to say I'm glad this is my final senior night? Ha!

Bryce sat with us during the game and regaled us with tales of his honeymoon travels (some flight delays and missed reservations - especially one for a cool pool experience near the runway of a NY airport). They had a wonderful time in the Maldives.

After the game, we waited for Sean to exit the field and snagged photos of him with Bryce and him with his girlfriend Claire.

On Saturday, Sean and Bryce drove up to Purdue to view the campus. This was far better than the campus tour I took with Bryce during his senior year. Bryce was able to show Sean all around the engineering buildings and campus hot spots. Sean hopes to attend Purdue for a degree in aeronautical engineering.

Tuesday before Senior Night, John and I finally got away for a brief trip to belatedly celebrate our August anniversary. We hiked in Turkey Run State Park the first day. John wanted to hike Trail #2 (one marked "moderate"), but I convinced him to take Trail #3 because everything on-line says it is the most scenic of the trails. Trail #3 was very rugged, just as the trail marker indicated. Not to mention, it sprinkled with rain twice during our trek, making the rocks slick. Again, following on-line advice, we went counterclockwise. This meant we had to go down (backwards, which felt very perilous) the ladders on the trail. Yikes! Although, it was fun, I ached for 3 days following our hike. (This selfie was taken at the end, when the sun finally dried things up.)

The next day, we spent walking around the Covered Bridge Festival in Rockville, Indiana. We visited some antique shops (with no intent to buy anything, as our goal is to downsize in the near future). Then, we returned to our favorite baked potato station. I also bought an order of corn fritters. It wasn't an extravagant anniversary celebration, by any means, but it was better than our 2020 celebration plans. Ha! 

Book Review: Heroine

Several months ago, I compiled a list of Indiana authors I'd like to meet. When September promised a trip to Ohio, I made a list for Ohio authors, as well. I initially sought authors I was familiar with: Margaret Peterson Haddix, Celeste Ng, Sharon Draper (author of Out of My Mind, a MG novel recently made into a Disney movie), and Thrity Umrigar. But, I looked up a few who lived nearer to my Ohio destination to see if I might want to read a book and seek the author. This is how I stumbled upon Mindy McGinnis' book, Heroine. I sought it despite knowing it might hit too close to home.

Mickey Catalan is an athlete with an injured leg (hmm, familiar). Her doctor prescribes an opioid (hmm, familiar). Thus begins a descent into addiction (hmm, familiar). The story is heart-wrenching but full of truth. McGinnis paints the real deal: the deceptions, the thievery, the justifications, the tolerance build-up, and the dependence. Mickey comes to believe the drug is her only answer. She doesn't see herself as a junkie until the evidence is too plain to ignore.

I appreciated the trigger warning at the outset, very important. What a great idea to open each chapter with an addiction-related term. Mickey's struggle tears at the reader's heart. It is a slippery slope. I'm not sure why some go down it and others are unaffected. I took an opioid after some of my surgeries and never struggled. Unfortunately, my son (like Mickey) was not so lucky.

Sadly, Mindy McGinnis was heading off for a book tour during the dates I was in Ohio. She kindly offered to answer my questions via email anyway. I hope to highlight her author interview in a post early next year. Heroine is an important book for teens to read to increase awareness of the allure of addictive drugs. We need to be more careful in prescribing drugs that ease pain, but in the end bring no end of pain when the afflicted individual leans into addiction. I cannot say whether my son would have spiraled into drug addiction anyway, but I'm sure for many, it is the initial prescription for an athletic injury that leads to this path of bondage and despair. 

Mid-month Mention: Homelessness Resources in Indy

In July, our son's addiction rendered him homeless. As if the fears associated with his drug use were not intense enough, we added anxious concern for his overnight parking. He often selected places in very bad parts of Indianapolis. The drugs might do their damage, but criminals could harm him, too. His homelessness inspired my interest in this month's mid-month mention topic.

Indianapolis is now fighting this battle with a new organization called Safe Park Indy. As of October 1st, they offer 10 safe parking spots in a NE church parking lot for those who submit an application and fulfill the program requirements (these requirements rule out my son). Accepted applicants not only gain a safe location to park in the evenings for two months, but they have access to phone charging, restroom facilities and social services opportunities. This program seems destined to offer a leg up to some who have been crippled by homelessness. Here is a WTHR news story about this Safe Park Indy program.

Another non-profit organization helping meet needs in Indianapolis is Indy Community Pantry. They have refrigerators at 3 Indianapolis locations, open 24 hours a day, stocked with food and resources for both homeless and needy individuals. Headed up by a concerned citizen, DeAndrea Rayner, these pantries offer opportunities to meet the needs of the less fortunate in Indianapolis. You can volunteer to help stock the fridges, you can donate items, or you can offer financial support. If you're in need, you can access food and hygiene items. Here is a WTHR news story about the Indy Community Pantry. 

The final organization provides an intersection of two topics I've bumped against: homelessness and hospice care. My mother was fortunate. She had my father to house and care for her both prior to and in her hospice days. Many are not so blessed. Morning Light, Inc. meets these unique homelessness needs. They provide free housing and round the clock care to those who have a terminal illness while homeless. Their 12-bedroom facility just happens to include my oldest son's name: The Abbie Hunt Bryce Home. They have already served over 900 Hoosiers. Morning Light requires community funding through grants and donations. They also utilize volunteers to help meet the needs of homeless hospice patients. I noticed a Facebook post by Madison Wood and wanted to get the word out about this compassionate non-profit organization. If you have an interest in the widespread homelessness problem, check out these resources and get involved to be part of the solution.

Book Review: Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea

I found Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles on the Hoopla audio app. It is the first book in the Heaven's Cove series. I enjoyed listening to this title and might seek the second in the series, A Letter to the Last House Before the Sea. The book takes place on the Devon coast. It is full of British charm and small town coziness.

Here is the summary from the Amazon page:

"Back in the tiny seaside village of Heaven’s Cove after the death of her mother, all Rosie Merchant wants is to hide her tears, rent out her childhood home, and get back to her ‘real’ life, away from the gossiping villagers and wild Devon weather she escaped from years ago.

She’s surprised to find a smiling man in hiking boots – local farmer Liam – waiting on the stone doorstep. His kind offer to help clear crumbling, isolated Driftwood House is hard to refuse, and despite Rosie’s determination not to let anyone get close, soon they’re walking and laughing together along the clifftops. As clouds scud across the endless sky and green waves crash against the shore, Rosie is reminded that nowhere is more beautiful than home.

Then, up in the attic of Driftwood House, Rosie stumbles across a photo which exposes the heart-stopping truth about how her mother came to live at Driftwood House years ago… and Liam only seems concerned about the implications for his own nearby farm. Did he know this painful secret all along, and should she run from Heaven’s Cove for good? Or will facing up to her devastating family history mean Rosie can finally put down roots in this beautiful place?"

Though characters exhibit a casual attitude toward sex, this was mostly a clean read. There are 7 books in the Heaven's Cove series. I will have to keep an eye out for the ones I can access easily. Who knows? I might get swept in and purchase the rest, as well.