Dillan Kane gives his own account of his brother's suicide at the age of 16. He talks about memories with his brother, his own feelings and fears, as well as the impact it had on his own life.

“So many had taken bits and pieces of me and kept them for their own pleasures and vice,” writes Marynell Lund about her incredible life of abuse. Born to a mother who did not love or want her, and a father whose affection manifested itself in sexual abuse, Marynell experienced a childhood of pain, fear, and self-loathing that ultimately led her into abusive marriages. She chose the title "The Normal Side of Insanity" for her memoir because amid the incest, drug addiction, mental illness, and alcoholism of her family, she was the only person not participating in the insanity. Today, Marynell educates people about abuse, but beyond that, she is a living example of hope and that a better day can come for anyone. As she said in a recent interview, “The sky is the limit once you learn to love yourself.” She wants victims of abuse to know they are not alone and they do not have to deal with their pain by themselves. Her message in "The Normal Side of Insanity" will educate readers and give much-needed hope to many.

Book Review: Goddess Shift: Women Leading for a Change Editor: Stephanie Marohn Publisher: Elite Books ISBN: 978-1-60070-067-5

Paris, Moi and the Gang is part faux memoir, part travel guide, and part romance novel and is absolutely entertaining. Frances Gendlin is a veteran travel author; she writes with a friendly, conversational style that will quickly have you feeling like you and she are old friends.

As a child our imaginations are endless, our ambitions know no bounds, our dreams are realistic possibilities and our feet are never still. Somewhere along the way our feet pause and slow down. Our dreams fade to what will probably never be, and our ambitions have boundaries. We lose sense of our imagination because we are no longer innocent and our imaginations are easily blocked by the harsh realities of life. As far away as these qualities may go, they never disappear. Deep within us all lays our imaginative self, the ambitious dreamer, the child within. A Hot Dog Stand in the Himalayas captures this child and doesn’t let her go. It is grandma’s memories, a granddaughter’s words and actions spoken, a beacon reminding us all that we are life. We are all the excitement, joy, hopes and dreams. Who says only children can keep that alive? The book challenges you to find your inner five year old and remember. Take your wisdom and knowledge of the years and use it to help fuel those ambitions and dreams, never loosing sight of your imaginations. For “It is if you believe it is”! I really enjoyed this book. It was simple and easy to read. It was short, a nice cleansing of my mental palette, a break from the longer novels I have been reading. I was wrapped up and drawn into my own childhood memories of my beloved Nana. It was as if I were five again and learning to cook and dream big. It is a flashback, but yet a glimpse of the future. It will challenge you, if not for yourself, then for future generations. I would recommend this book to all readers, young and old. It will hold something different for each, because we are all different. One thing will remain the same, the memory of your youth and the thoughts that young child dreamed and imagined.

After returning from a two year low budget honeymoon around the world, Ayumu Takahashi decides to have the next adventure in his homeland, on the island of Okinawa, in Japan. The adventure is one that will prove to be both exciting and challenging, ultimately changing his life. His goal was to build a self sustaining village on the island. Island story is a vibrant, photographic journal of his quest. The process took eight years, however the self sustaining village is a paradise, lush, green and vibrant! Amazingly, it was built from nothing. Island Story chronicles Ayumu’s journey along with his friends who set out to help him. This small group of friends created shops, an Inn, and a place where visitors and residents could spend their days with the spirit of fun. Using only the resources around them, they accomplished their goal. It is a paradise that will inspire you, as it has inspired the world. This book is amazing. It was hard to overcome my difference in personality and way of thinking, at first. Our personality traits are so different, that it was almost too difficult to open my mind and think as Ayumu does. Once I did, it amazed me. The feat of what these people have accomplished against all odds and negativity thrown towards them, is inspiring. Their determination to be independent and rely only on themselves and the land is eye opening. It took hard work, effort, determination and the good will of others who could share and envision the dream to make this island possible. I realized that this book is much more than adventure and fun. The experiences in this book and the eight years chronicled are what has made Ayumu and his friends who they are today. Ayumu was basically like a freshman in college. He was not sure who he wanted to be, or what job he wanted to have. He was full of life and wanted to dream big and accomplish something. He put his mind to it, and he did accomplish his goal. This experience molded him and help him discover these parts of himself. Today is he successful and still sharing the dream with others all over the world through his book and his island. The book was wonderful for just the pictures and beauty of the island of Okinawa, the story was just a second amazing part to this book.

This collection of 23 short stories and poem collection was a refreshing read. The stories are a mix of real life tales of the past, works of fiction and works of science fiction along with a collection of poems. The stories range from fantasy science fiction to real life science history, with stories from the great depression era and historical family memories. The author has many different writing styles. Each story was unique in its own way, and while I didn’t always enjoy each story, I knew the next story would be a fresh start and a different tone. Edward Hujsak did a wonderful job with his writings. The publication is what you would expect from the title, an intriguing collection of short stories. The cover art of this collection of stories will grab your attention and lure you into the contents. A Pig in the Rumble Seat was one of my favorite stories along with San Diego’s Missile, Killing a Rooster and The Still. I learned a lot of history by reading this book. I felt I was given an insight into the past, a revelation of time and how things have changed. I loved reading this because I grew up in southern New Hampshire and have spent many years in the same area as the author. It was very interesting to compare his memories with mine and how things have grown and changed over the course of years, but managed to somewhat stay the same. It made me miss home and long to go back. I enjoyed this book for many reasons. I learned things I did not know about in regards to science and missiles. I was amazed at the intelligence of the author, and enjoyed hearing his accounts first hand. The stories were all very different, but many of them were funny, insightful and useful. I felt I received a bit of American history through the readings, along with personal history and generational history. This collection of stories will stay with you. There is something in this book for everyone. I enjoyed reading it.

An emotional tale of a Pakistani-American woman after losing her husband in the 9/11 tragedy.

Book Review Indigo Awakening: A Doctor's Memoir of Forging an Authentic Life in a Turbulent World Author: Janine Talty, DO Publisher: Elite Books ISBN: 978-1-60070-63-7

Essays and vignettes of Sherry Jones Mayo's work life as first a paramedic, later working in the ER, providing comfort in crisis intervention and finally teaching. Great writing, Non-fiction and honest.