Death Books

My father, a well-intentioned school teacher who never met any situation that couldn't be turned into an object lesson, gave me this book to read when I was 14. There was no preamble, just, "Here." To this day I remember several passages in horrific detail, so I can safely say that the writing was clear, effective, and moving.

I somehow doubt my Dad thought I was going to become a child abuser someday, but this book certainly fixed in my mind the horror that a child can endure at the hands of adults and I believe in my heart that I would never do anything like this to a child. I don't know if it could have that effect on everyone, but perhaps it should be assigned reading--it certainly couldn't hurt to try.

I'm in the Navy. I'm 32 years old with a 3-year-old girl. I think I read this book about a year ago and it touches me every day. I think about it all the time. I picture Ursula, I pray for her, I pray to God she's with him. I look at my little girl with her long, blond locks and think that in around two years she will be Ursula's age. It breaks my heart to know she is learning the alphabet as Ursula did. It causes me to cringe deep down to imagine such an innocent, lovely creature such as a small child would endure torture at the hands of those she was supposed to be loved by and who should have cared for her. The truth is that I finished it in spurts, crying and yelling at the bathroom ceiling when my husband was at work and my daughter at preschool, the only time I could find to devote to little Ursula's story. I see her picture in my mind's eye. I have a BS in Business Admin, and not in Social Work, but I hope to retire from the military someday and find my place in the world helping children instead of residing in the business world, as I had previously planned. I owe it to Ursula, and I owe it to my little girl so I can help her see that people should care for each other and try to make a difference.

How can you read this book and NOT feel compelled to help a child who is suffering...? Children can't protect themselves. Even as strict as our laws are, we need them to address, above all, crimes against children as the most heinous of our society. Protection of all children should be our #1 priority. It's the only way to make our future bright.

I read this book and it took me about a week!! Why??? Because everytime I started to read it the tears just started flowing! It is unthinkable what this poor child went through. I cannot even imagine what the mother was thinking or should I say "monster" because she is by NO means a mother! I can just feel for this little girl, she was so wanting to please her monster to no avail. Right up to the end thats all she wanted to do. HOW can people do THIS??? There is barely a day when I don't think about Ursula and wish SOMEONE had done SOMETHING to stop this! To me it's ridiculous how people can just ignore it or not see it. This world just gets worse day by day. For you URSULA I say the world is cruel. I love you!

I grew up and still live in Central Florida and when this book came out, it was required reading in high school. I will never forget how the book made me feel. It's a very hard book to read and has many emotions all wrapped up into such a small package. I highly recommend this book. It's basically the authors recreating the last days of this little girls life.

This book is the true story of a woman who allowed a live in boyfriend to abuse her child - to death. It shows also how many people the child tried to reach out to (next door neighbors) and how many people witnessed her suffering (doctors, teachers) and did not do anything. It is a horrifying account of a man's desire to control a child's behavior through evil and dehumanizing tactics. Children need to be understood. It is wrong to expect behaviors from children beyond their years, comprehension, abilities. This little girl was a normal child with normal behaviors, and unfortunately her mom chose someone to be with that was unable and unwilling to cope with having a little girl around. It is tragic. Please read it.

This is a wonderful book, I really enjoyed it. It reads like a novel and there is even a wonderful romance in it. It is not about the spiritual realm but about the life of this remarkable woman.

Her insight into her gift and the effect unseen forces have upon us is captivating. I like her spunk and I agree with most of her beliefs. I read the book and do feel that it will have a positive affect on whosoever reads it. If they read it with an open mind.

Whatever Lisa does in this life surely we are blessed to have her input into the spirit realm. I truly wish to see my loved ones again and to find that in the darkest place I was never alone. As a christian I have no trouble believing that God uses many people and ways to reveal Himself.

A very good read.

I really enjoyed reading about Lisa. She is an amazing person and very down to earth. Got to see her in person in May and enjoyed that a lot. Would love to have a reading with her.

An easy read and a delightful self written story of a young woman born with the gift of a medium maturing and following in the footsteps of her grandmother who was a well known medium in England.
T. S. in Decatur, GA

I loved reading about Lisa Williams and how she came to be where she is today. I have watched her on TV and I love her energies and caring personna. Hope to see more of her on TV.

After reading this book and then seeing Lisa in Nashville on July 19th (and finding out yesterday that no one other than country-music legend Johnny Cash came through at that event, held at the Ryman Auditorium where he and June Carter Cash, who also came through that night along with his first wife, had performed countless times- his daughter was in the audience and got read, but no one there at that time, including Lisa, knew who they were during the reading!!!), I can say that Lisa is the real thing when it comes to psychic mediums. She is such a bright light, full of love and healing for those with open minds and hearts, I highly recommend this book, her website, and most certainly seeing her in person. My husband and I drove 3 hours to see her, and he WAS a skeptic- until his mother, her mother and his two great-aunts came through. Plus, he is a HUGE Johnny Cash fan, and I couldn't wait to tell him what I had learned from reading Lisa's blog, that she found out what family she had been reading for after the show, during the book-signing meet-and-hug. She was oblivious as the rest of us during the reading and was truly star-struck to find out what a legend had honored us with his presence that night. I just love her and want to assure the rest of you out there who hold Lisa dear that she said another tv show is on the way, a "daily show", network and details to be announced (watch her website!!!).

Now, get the book and find out for yourself. Enjoy reading with an open mind and open heart and life just might hold some surprise gifts for you, too! Blessings, SS

I can't tell you how much of an impact this book has had on me. I'm also a daughter caring for her mother and it was almost like I was reading my own thoughts. It was just so extremely comforting to know that I'm not alone with the thoughts and emotions I'm experiencing as my mom fades further and further away from me as Alzheimer's takes over. She's in the later stages of that dreadful disease now. This book was written with such honesty and raw emotion. It has greatly heartened me to know that maybe some of my own thoughts aren't so bizarre after all, and that maybe I really can make it through this without completely losing myself along the way. Thank you so much, Carol, for sharing this part of your life with us. You are truly a gem! I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I have given this book to friends and recommended it to others who are steering the difficult passage as caregiver to a parent. O'Dell uncovers moments of frustration and inspiration but above all, truth, as she exchanges roles with her mother who struggles with deteriorating physical and mental health. There's plenty of humor--like when her mother demands O'Dell wear a slip because ladies do not go outside without one--and moments of heartbreak. In a culture geared toward youth, this powerful book presents details of a parent in decline and a daughter who protects and loves her to the end. But this parent isn't dropped into a nursing home. O'Dell courageously takes her mother into her own home and tries to balance the needs of her enlarged family. For Baby Boomers, Mother Mother is relevent and poignet and I'll continue to give it to the growing number of my friends who find themselves in similar situations.

MOTHERING MOTHER is a tough book to read. Carol D. O'Dell shares her real, day-after-day experiences caring for a woman who had once been her mother. She describes an exhausting, exasperating, often lonely life journey that many of us in the "baby boom" generation are facing or will one day face. But just when this challenging existence threatens to overwhelm her and her family, Carol finds the absurdity in the frustration, and the humor in the unbearable. MOTHERING MOTHER is a book that demands the personal involvement of the reader. Join Carol on her journey--you won't regret it.

Carol O'Dell's story of caregiving is both timely and insightful. I thought this book was very honest in it's portrayal of the often lonely and frustrating job of caring for an elderly parent. The author also does a fine job of describing her and her mother's southern heritage and how it defines this stage of their life together. You will find yourself alternating between laughing out loud, shaking your head in agreement and wiping a tear away! A thoroughly enjoyable read!

I thought "Mothering Mother" was enlightening, encouraging, humorous and heartwarming. I read excepts from it out loud to my husband and he asked me if Carol O'Dell was writing about her mother or MY mother! My Mom, the Ancient Toddler, has quite a few of the traits that Carol's Mother had. Carol doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but she does a terrific job exploring and writing about the many emotions a caregiver goes through. I'm SO glad I read this book!

The title should be a better match for the book's content. I bought the book expecting to read about the author's death experience only to find that topic touched on very briefly. Most of the time is devoted to lessons he learned as a result of that occurrence. He gives some very solid, practical advice about putting one's house in order before death. It is a great kindness to surviving family members. I also like the advice he gives on writing out goals in a prayerful way.

One common epiphany people going through such experiences usually share is a focus on doing things to please God. Building a name for one's self in this life or accumulating wealth lose their attraction. Another realization than comes about is the need to invest time in relationships.

Sjogren talks about filling his mind with positive motivational material. People tried to tempt him to have a bad attitude toward medical people whose negligence and lack of professionalism resulted in permanent negative consequences for him, but he refused to do so. An additional lesson he said he learned was to be a receiver. He notes, "Generous people are creative and energetic."

I can relate to a lot of this book. We don't always know why things happen, bad things that is, and god doesn't always take away the pain. I guess part of me wanted to see the opposite. I felt somewhat disappointed in the end, but also encouraged ,that this man marches on and now cherishes every moment of life.

Simply and directly written, Steve's experience is one that every busy or driven person should read. Steve does not dwell on how he died so much as how we should live, more fully and personally, slower and deeper.

This is an inside look into eternity, first hand. It helped me understand many facets of my own spiritual journey and experiences.

This is an excellant book about the meaning of life, and the encouragement to live a life to the fullest. I was not disappointed in the quality of the book; it's a fine read for those not already acquanted with "life after life" experiences. However, the title and Jacket suggest the book will be primarily about the dying and the immediate recovering experience. Instead, I found this book to be more of an evangelical inspiration book. If that's what the reader wants, this is a good one.

Hace dos anhos fallecio nuestra hija y entre los muchos libros que leimos sobre la perdida este fue el que mas nos ayudo. Se lo hemos recomendado a muchas personas.

After our daugher's accidental death two years ago, my husband and I read many books on grieving and loss. Sittser's book was the most helpful to us in processing our own grief, offering not pithy platitudes, but thought-provoking reflections out of the author's own catastrophic loss. We have bought many copies of this book for friends going through difficult times because it is relevant to those who suffer loss of any kind.

Peggy Reynoso

Excellent, cannot say enough about how this man explains the grieving psyche. Moves beyond everything else that is written. Although my loss was not as terrible as his I could identify with everything he said. It is so good to have someone confirm that it is something that we go through and, perhaps more importantly, what we can get through.

Would recommend this to all who have undergone loss in any form.

I am going through a very difficult time in my life and was advised to read A Grace Disguised. This book offers an amazing insight into the grieving process and acknowledges that everyone's healing process is completely unique to them. I felt encouraged and rejuvenated knowing that I could relate to the many emotions experienced by the author and so many others who may also be going through similar scenarios but have had their emotions or actions repressed and even belittled. I strongly recommend everyone read this book because it not only offers personal growth during troublesome times, it also may help guide those who have a friend or loved one experiencing a difficult loss to offer stronger support.

The book, A Grace Disguised, changed my life. A doctor actually "prescribed" it for me, after the death of my daughter and her fiance. After hearing so many people blunder through callus pharses they hoped would make me feel better it was a great relief to spend time with someone who actually knew how I felt.
Many, in my family, have read this book. My husband's life was changed, as was my own. We have given this book to countless others who are in the midst of grief. We always keep several copies on hand. My husband, who is new to online buying, bought these copies. When they started arriving in Spainsh we were both a little confused. He had somehow gotten over to the Spanish version with out knowing it. We can only deduce that we're about to meet spainsh speaking grievers in need of comfort.
As you can probably tell by reading this, I am not Richard, I am his wife, secretary and best friend.

Jerry Sittser knows loss. He deals with the most difficult aspects of grief. He understands and leads us to healing. Of all the books I've read over the past year, this one was by far the best and most helpful in dealing with the death of my loved one.

And Quiche was a great kick-off to start this series. Great characters, good mysteries, fun protag. Just a good read all the way 'round.

As a devoted fan of M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series, I was intrigued to keep reading reviews of Hamish Macbeth books by people who claimed they liked the Agatha Raisin series better. But every time I contemplated the title, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, it just seemed too tongue in cheek to be possibly any good. Well, I was wrong. Although the book couldn't be any more satirical and much punnier than it is, the book works very well both as a straight story and as a satire. It's like getting two books for the price of one.

Since the Hamish Macbeth series started first, let me address Hamish Macbeth fans first: Think of Agatha Raisin as being one of the optimistic incomers to Lochdubh who hope for peace and tranquility without realizing what village life in Sutherland is really like. But Agatha has mostly good intentions (except towards the women in the area who drive her batty) instead of being an incipient homicidal maniac like the incomers in Sutherland. Agatha is also her own woman, and not about to take any prisoners she doesn't have to. Like Hamish, she has a crime-solving partner, Bill Wong (of the local detectives), who helps her in ways she doesn't always appreciate (like Priscilla Halburton-Smythe does for Hamish). Agatha is based, however, in the gentle Cotswolds so there won't be too many stories about brutal winter blizzards in this series. You won't miss hearing about Strathbane.

In this inaugural book, Agatha has just sold her PR firm in London (where she succeeded by being a blunt instrument in plying journalists with meals and drink and then shaking them down for stories) and decided to retire to a cottage in the Cotswolds, an area she had once visited as a child. Naturally, she has a romanticized view of what life there will be like. Having been a busy businesswoman, she now finds herself not quite sure how to fill her time. Although she had made no friends in London, she expects to make many in rural Carsely. People nod and are friendly, but it goes no further. Agatha soon makes an enemy of her next door neighbor by stealing her housekeeper. While catching up on her reading of Agatha Christie mysteries, Agatha decides she needs to get everyone's attention. Why not win a prize for baking?

Plotting her strategy, Agatha invites the quiche competition judge, Reginald Cummings-Browne, and his wife, Vera, to an expensive dinner (expecting to curry favor as it were in the quiche wars). Agatha instead ends up with a very large bill and a not very high opinion of the Cummings-Brownes. Agatha makes a quick foray to London to buy a wonderful spinach quiche that she enters as her own.

But her plot is soon foiled when the woman who always wins the quiche competition once again triumphs. Agatha leaves her quiche behind in disgust, and Vera Cummings-Browne takes it home as a snack for her husband. That night, he eats the quiche and dies of poison! Naturally, there's a police investigation and Agatha has to confess that she cheated.

Feeling like she will never make it in Carsely after such a large faux pas, Agatha begins to think she should move out and go back to London. Soon, she's between two islands of discord and not sure what to do.

The police decide that the poisoning was an accidental death, but Agatha's not so sure. Before long, she starts acting on her urge to detect . . . with consequences that definitely heat up the story.

Where most detective stories are mostly about a crime and the process of uncovering the criminal, that element retreats into the background in this book. Instead, Agatha's search for happiness is the main focus of the story. The crime and its solution are merely incidents along the way. I liked that element. In fact, this would have been a very entertaining story even if it hadn't contained a mystery.

Any time your attention threatens to flag, you can just sit there and chuckle over the outrageous satirical elements. Although you know they are overdone, you can't help but laugh . . . as you might at good burlesque sketches with imaginative pie throwing.

Although I haven't read past this book in the Agatha Raisin series, I would have to say that Agatha could displace Hamish as number one in my affections for M. C. Beaton characters.

Enjoy!

This is the very first Agatha Raisin book. In it we meet Agatha, retired early from the London PR firm she owned, and ran with an iron hand. Agatha grew up in the Birmingham slums, and dreamed that one day she would live in a Cotswold village and no one would ever know she had been poor. In order to escape the slums, she learned to be tough and hard-headed, and never had a friend in her life. Now she wants to be someone important in her new hometown. She has never cooked or baked, or planted a garden, but has learned through hard experience how to get by: with ingenuity and a little cheating. When the judge of a local baking contest dies after eating the quiche she submitted, the truth comes out: she bought the quiche in London. Now she must deal with utter humiliation and try to clear her name, and in the process she begins to thaw out and make friends for the first time in her life. What a great book!

As a devoted fan of M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series, I was intrigued to keep reading reviews of Hamish Macbeth books by people who claimed they liked the Agatha Raisin series better. But every time I contemplated the title, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, it just seemed too tongue in cheek to be possibly any good. Well, I was wrong. Although the book couldn't be any more satirical and much punnier than it is, the book works very well both as a straight story and as a satire. It's like getting two books for the price of one.

Since the Hamish Macbeth series started first, let me address Hamish Macbeth fans first: Think of Agatha Raisin as being one of the optimistic incomers to Lochdubh who hope for peace and tranquility without realizing what village life in Sutherland is really like. But Agatha has mostly good intentions (except towards the women in the area who drive her batty) instead of being an incipient homicidal maniac like the incomers in Sutherland. Agatha is also her own woman, and not about to take any prisoners she doesn't have to. Like Hamish, she has a crime-solving partner, Bill Wong (of the local detectives), who helps her in ways she doesn't always appreciate (like Priscilla Halburton-Smythe does for Hamish). Agatha is based, however, in the gentle Cotswolds so there won't be too many stories about brutal winter blizzards in this series. You won't miss hearing about Strathbane.

In this inaugural book, Agatha has just sold her PR firm in London (where she succeeded by being a blunt instrument in plying journalists with meals and drink and then shaking them down for stories) and decided to retire to a cottage in the Cotswolds, an area she had once visited as a child. Naturally, she has a romanticized view of what life there will be like. Having been a busy businesswoman, she now finds herself not quite sure how to fill her time. Although she had made no friends in London, she expects to make many in rural Carsely. People nod and are friendly, but it goes no further. Agatha soon makes an enemy of her next door neighbor by stealing her housekeeper. While catching up on her reading of Agatha Christie mysteries, Agatha decides she needs to get everyone's attention. Why not win a prize for baking?

Plotting her strategy, Agatha invites the quiche competition judge, Reginald Cummings-Browne, and his wife, Vera, to an expensive dinner (expecting to curry favor as it were in the quiche wars). Agatha instead ends up with a very large bill and a not very high opinion of the Cummings-Brownes. Agatha makes a quick foray to London to buy a wonderful spinach quiche that she enters as her own.

But her plot is soon foiled when the woman who always wins the quiche competition once again triumphs. Agatha leaves her quiche behind in disgust, and Vera Cummings-Browne takes it home as a snack for her husband. That night, he eats the quiche and dies of poison! Naturally, there's a police investigation and Agatha has to confess that she cheated.

Feeling like she will never make it in Carsely after such a large faux pas, Agatha begins to think she should move out and go back to London. Soon, she's between two islands of discord and not sure what to do.

The police decide that the poisoning was an accidental death, but Agatha's not so sure. Before long, she starts acting on her urge to detect . . . with consequences that definitely heat up the story.

Where most detective stories are mostly about a crime and the process of uncovering the criminal, that element retreats into the background in this book. Instead, Agatha's search for happiness is the main focus of the story. The crime and its solution are merely incidents along the way. I liked that element. In fact, this would have been a very entertaining story even if it hadn't contained a mystery.

Any time your attention threatens to flag, you can just sit there and chuckle over the outrageous satirical elements. Although you know they are overdone, you can't help but laugh . . . as you might at good burlesque sketches with imaginative pie throwing.

Although I haven't read past this book in the Agatha Raisin series, I would have to say that Agatha could displace Hamish as number one in my affections for M. C. Beaton characters.

Enjoy!

...And great fun to read! Agatha first comes across as hard to take, but pretty soon we begin to appreciate her vulnerability. Set in the Cotswold villages of Britain, Agatha's adventures are closely tied in with her inability to safely navigate normal social life amongst the village. The supporting cast is wonderfully diverse, and the humor that is liberally sprinkled throughout Agatha's observations and experiences kept me thoroughly entertained chapter to chapter. I don't much care for series, but look forward to reading more in this one. I appreciated that it was PG rated, and that the main emphasis was on characterization and solving the mystery. No blood and guts.

I gotta say one thing; WELL DONE BRYCE!!!! first, i didn't cry; i'm not real sentimental, but i was very touched and i think that damon was a man of steel; going through 24 years of pain and suffering. i wanted to cry when damon's friends came over. well done, courtenays.

This book affected me so deeply and has stayed with me since I first read it years ago. Having lost a loved one to AIDS I could relate to Bryce Courtenay's pain and I could feel the anger and passion he felt writing this book. Through Bryce's amazing talent for telling a story I felt I really knew Damon and his family. When I got to the last page I let out a deep sigh and cried for Damon, for my own loved one and for everyone affected by AIDS. I thank Bryce for having the courage to write this important book and for sharing Damon's life with us all.

I've read several of Bryce Courtenay's books and every one is a gem. I'm only disappointed that his books are not published in The United States and not readily available in our local bookstores.

I highly recommend this book to everyone and I know you'll be hooked on Bryce forever afterward.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY was the hardest book Bryce Courtenay ever wrote, and it's also one of the hardest books I ever read. I started it (the first time) on a Friday evening and did nothing but read (and occasionally try to sleep) until I had finished it -- I couldn't imagine stepping out of the middle of the story into my own life. I've read this book, given it away, bought it again, several times: it's not a book you can forget.

Courtenay's son Damon was born in Australia with severe haemophilia. Along with the moving story of an afflicted but strong-spirited boy, Courtenay paints a bitter and angry picture of the Australian medical community at that time, steeped in paternalism and political expediency.

Several times a week Damon would bleed into his joints, and his father would take him to the hospital for infusion of Factor VIII to induce clotting. In other countries families were allowed to stock Factor VIII and infuse at home, minimizing both disruption to the family and permanent damage to joints. This was not permitted in Australia, to the extreme detriment of haemophiliacs and their families.

Worse than this, the screening and fractionation of donated blood in Australia did not at that time meet safety standards known and required in other countries. Damon contracted AIDS from the contaminated Australian blood supply and died of that disease on April Fool's Day in 1991.

The book is saturated with the author's bitterness, and the reader can't fail to walk his angry path with him. You WANT it to have been different, you WANT to find a justification or at least an exculpation for the medical mismanagement of Damon and the entire cohort of haemophiliacs in that time and place.

You'll find a celebration of Damon's spirit and his family's faithful support. You'll find love that fights tooth and nail for Damon. But you won't find forgiveness or exoneration, and if you're like me you'll think you should, and keep reading the book again looking for it -- in yourself if not in the author.

Courtenay's work (THE POWER OF ONE, TANDIA, WHITETHORN, etc) appears not to be well known in the United States, although he's highly regarded in his birth county (South Africa) and adopted country (Australia). APRIL FOOL'S DAY should be more widely known. It's a challenging read with a personal message the reader has to translate and tease apart. Read it for that challenge.

I am a fan of Bryce Courtenay, and have read all his books. This one tells the true story of his last son, Damon, who was born with haemophilia and went through a very hard life, still one full of love and joy. I found myself crying for what happened to Damon, from the purple head episode in hospital to the AIDS he caught during a blood transfusion. And I do completely agree with what Damon said, whatever your problem is, HEALTH is a gift, the most precious one we possess, together with LOVE. The book is about love against the odds, the prejudice, the injustice of a health and political system in Australia in the 1980s; it is full of details and vivid images, and I can imagine how hard it was for the author to write about his own experience, and the suffering in trying to explain in a clear way what exactly happened to him and his family those days. Everyone who has been through a quite serious illness will love this book, as I did. Thanks, Bryce.

I bought this book when we lived in Australia from 1993/1994. I have since read the book over and over again and have lent it to family and friends under the strict mandate that they must return it to me upon completion. This is the most moving book I have ever read and it will be one that I will keep forever. I cried, I laughed, I cheered and I was inspired by Damon's courage and determination to not only live a normal life but to overcome the stigma associated with HIV/AIDs. Bryce Courtney has written a beautiful testimonally to his son's life. I hope every parent loves their child as much as the Courtney's did to not only let him live his life but to also allow him to die with dignity. His girlfriend, Celeste, was also amazing. How many of us could stand by our significant others knowing what she did about the ultimate outcome.

This book is a must read on everyone's list, I am only sorry that it is out of print.

This book is so good. I couldn't put it down. I've read it over 10 times and burst into tears everytime. I recommend this book to everyone!

i loved this book. normally i read books and i end up putting them down.but this one is exactly the type of book that i love. its breath taking, romantic, the type of book a girl would read and read over and over again. this book sends a message that stays in your head forever and ever! if you go to a library and you find this book, i highly recommend reading it. it is a great book that at any time the oppertunity to read it should never be turnd down.
ashley .s.

The book I read is called Dawn Rochelle 4 novels. Its by Lurlene McDaniel. The book has many up and downs, and emotional. There are also some funny times, and romantic. Dawn Rochelle is thirteen when she is going threw the best times in her life. She popular, pretty, and just made the cheerleading squad. Till she finds out she has to get a check up.
"Dawn, you have cancer." The doctor tells her calmly.
They have her go threw chemotherapy till they can get the right blood type to get a bone marrow transplant. Her brothers the closes match, but he suppose to get married and his fiancée thinks its going to ruin the wedding plans.
When Dawns in the hospital she gets a roommate that ends up being her best friend threw out the book. The doctor recommends a camp for them both to go to. But Sandys not able to go because shes stuck in a difference hospital during the summer cause she ends up getting even worse threw out the book.
At camp Dawn meets two new friends. They make everything better for the whole summer and they do funny pranks on the directors and have romantic times by the fires with the one she thinks shes in love with. Days go by and camps over with.
You'll have to read the book to find out what else happens. Overall I would recommend this book because it's an engaging book.

In Lurelene McDaniel's Dawn Rochelle's four novels it is a heart wrenching book. As you are reading you want to keep reading more and more and you do not want to let your book down. This book is filled with life lessons to be learned. The book is about Dawn Rochelle who has found out that she has cancer. Now, only does she have to face death in the face, but also has to learn how to adjust to the outside world after recovering. She has to learn how to deal with death and losing the people she holds dearest. After she recovers she feels as though she is an pariah. Everyone treats her differently just because she has the disease. She has a different point of view on life now. She can see what truly matters in life over just the teenage things. This is a very easy book to read not overly pedantic

wow! i couldn't put the book down. i've read one and i read the books within half of a school day. even though i'm not going through what she's going through...cancer wise...i can relate to what she was saying. i burst into tears. i'm so touched by the relationship with her brother and her. i could just see everything. i loved it! i can't wait to read some more. i've heard great stuff about this author and everyone's been right so far. thanks.

I have been acquainted with Brian for several years now and also have met many of the characters in the book. In fact I have visited the scene of this incredible story. What God has done there will melt most anyone. God's work is stunningly beautiful and He has blessed Brian with a rare experience coupled with a storytelling gift. Not only will you be drawn into the story, you will - without hardly knowing it - come away trained in basic church planting principles. I recommend this book to anyone called to the mission field and to anyone called to support and care for missionaries.

For some of us who wonder where God is working in the world today, this is a great read. I did frontier missions training under Brian and Louise Hogan and had heard their story before, but got so many new insights and better understanding by reading the book. It is well written, exciting, and a great way to "story" your way through George Patterson's church planting principles. It's interesting to read what happens on virgin soil when a great farmer comes in and plants good seed, then nurtures it and as a strong plant, it starts to reproduce the good seed that was originally planted. Very exciting and heart rending, the book gives a good idea of the obstacles that church planters are facing in the 10/40 window.

This is an eye witness account of how God works among people all over the world to grow His Church! Besides being extremely readable, full of engaging stories and observations of life in a Mongolian community, this book contains illustrations of key principles of pioneer or frontier missions. For example: how to lead from the middle, how to grow indigenous leadership, how to find and use local metaphors.
If you are a Christian, you'll be encouraged and challenged. If you are not a Christian, you'll see inside a Christian's heart to see what makes a missionary tick.

I happen to live near Brian and Louise and they are the real deal. No fluff or artifice here. You will LOVE this story.

This is a great tale told by an interesting character. It's just life depicted in a very open, humorous, candid manner. It is a can't put it down read that reveals a families heart for one another, for a foreign people group, and for what God has placed them here to do in this life. It's fun, sad, exciting, humorous, engageing. Read it!!! You will be glad you did.

Kadence, a confident woman says "I am a forty-something African-American with junk in my trunk and a chest that women go under the knife for". She has wasted eighty-three days and twelve hours, ignoring her man, now it's time to reclaim him.

Kadence arrives unannounced at the beach apartment of her longtime friend and occasional lover, Terrence, in the Caribbean. Kadence is mildly shocked when a very tanned woman answers the door, but she can handle this Barbie wannabee. To Kadence's surprise, Sheila does not want to be anything but Terrence's wife, and it seems a week from the day Kadence arrives, Terrence will marry Sheila. Kadence cannot leave soon enough, but the airport is booked for the next three weeks. With nothing else to do, she decides to enjoy the island, some of its inhabitants, and maybe tease her 'ex'.

Death of an Island Tart is a mere three chapters, but it arrests reader's attention. You know Kadence is going to get into some island mischief, she is too saucy not to. Croom's writing is captivating, humorous and well delivered. Now I want to know if 'Ms. I'm Every Woman' got what she came for.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Janice, if this was the short story you read while we were in Maui, all I can say is "Wow!" It is really good. You have grown as a writer and I'm very proud of you for persevering. It warmed my heart to transport myself to that island while I was facing twenty degree weather at home. Keep writing. You have a gift...and I, too, want to see Queen Latifah as Kadence. I hope you win. You deserve it. E. Adams

"Death of an Island Tart" is a jaunty mystery narrated by Kadence MacBride, a forty-something who jets off to the Caribbean to reconcile with Terrence, a boyfriend from whom she's been estranged for 3 months. Kadence is all dolled up and ready to go, when she discovers that Terrence has found a new woman, Sheila, a pretty, young island shop-girl whom he intends to marry. Hurt but helpless to change Terrence's mind, Kadence tries to return to the US immediately but is unable to change her reservation. So she bides her time touring the island and cuts loose at the local dance club.

Kadence is a witty, lively narrator with equal parts empathy and attitude. Island exoticism, sunshine, and hedonism make this an appealing setting. The way in which the islanders interact with the tourists is interesting to observe. They possess both a desire to impress and a contempt for the affluent vacationers who fuel their economy. Issues of race mingle with those of class, as there are both black and white working class islanders as well as affluent tourists. Kadence is a lot of fun, and, though it looks like something besides her love life will go wrong, I'm confident that she'll handle it with aplomb.

I love the voice in this first person narrative. A middle aged black woman who returns to her boy friend after a breakup of some months only to find him set to marry another woman. The descriptions are very good. I like that the girl was marking they guy like a dog marks his territory. Lots of good description.

I liked the character and I would read for the setting as I like somewhat exotic places like a Carribean island. I would definitely want to read the whole story.

This is one of those books where you know after the three paragraphs that it will be one you can't put down. The third paragraph is

"In this stuff, every time I stood up, I was sticking my chest in some man's face. And when I walked, my butt swished like a Whirlpool on agitate."

This effective imagery continues as Kadence travels to a Caribbean island and tries to get her man (Terrence) back. For reasons that are not explained, Kadence left him out in the cold with no explanation and she has had a change of heart. Unfortunately, Terrence has found Sheila and plans to marry her.
From the title, it appears that one of the women introduced in the short is going to die. There is no way to tell from this introduction which one it will be, but given the quality of the first 13 pages, it will not matter. This is an instance where the conclusion will be less interesting than the journey.