Book Review: "Fake Truth" By Lee Goldberg

With so much attention placed on Fake News and Fake Truths --I thought why NOT read this one...

However, while the plot seemed interesting it never captured my attention and I went through the motions but didn't really retain that same excitement at the end.

Fake Truth was a 'mock thriller' with Ian rescuing a Chinese woman and keeping her 'hidden' from her country of China.

The characters just felt bland and nothing really got the reading juices flowing...

Thank you to Lee, the publisher, and NetGalley for this early read in exchange for this honest review.

Book Review: "Lost Hills" By Lee Goldberg

What more can one say than,"Kudos" for showcasing a strong heroine cop with EVE in the driver's seat!

For me this was a good procedural cop thriller with the evidence and criminal research to back up the plot but it lacked a strong ending and a longer storyline.

It felt condensed or as one reviewer put it like a Law and Order segway that was shortened from an hour show to a thirty minute drama.

I wanted more but did get enough to entice my reading and keep the pages moving along which was great!

Many might say Eve was almost a bit too over the top -super hero- able to go without sleep and catch the bad guys on 'perseverance' and 'determination' alone.

In the end the video that propelled her initially was a similar video that helped end it all and have our 'hero' back in the spotlight saving a young girl from harm's way.

All in all a great read!

Book Review: "The Power of Favor" By Joel Osteen

"God helps you accomplish what you couldn't manage on your own. With His blessings, you stand out in the crowd and get breaks that you didn't deserve. The psalmist said, "God's favor surrounds us like a shield." That means that everywhere you go, you have an advantage, a divine empowerment, and a key to open up the right doors."

In fact the power of favor is all around us as we witness God in action.

The favor always wins! 

God will make the wrong's right!

God sees it, he feels it, he hears our cries for help.
He knows the disrespect, he will level the playing field, he will fight your battles.

Have faith in God as he endorses you, as he loves you.
You are made in the image and likeness of the Lord.
He will not forsake you. He will never leave you.

If God is for you who could be against you is something I hold to the heart after I myself was left bankrupt, homeless, LT unemployed from divorce.
When I was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis with possible mild COPD (which was not diagnosed for insurance reasons) I was devastated. I never smoked but worked in a factory and was subjected to second hand smoke almost daily.

Back then the air pollutants policies were null and nearly void.

"Favor is more powerful than your resume." Is how I live my life as I've searched for employment for ten years being recently asked,"why I can't get hired and was told I come across as desperate and as if I'm owed something because I've volunteered."
I turned to the employer and said when you ask a negative your response will be the same.
Had you asked what I can offer to a prospective employer my answer would've been enormous with plenty of accolades and accomplishments personally and professionally that would entice the employer in showing what teamwork, perseverance, and leadership is all about.

"God prepares a table for me in the presence of enemies."

The more they bring me and my family down the higher the blessings we receive.
In fact, even while in and out of the hospital due to a compromised immune system having received a flu/pneumonia shot and still having the flu; I noticed that God didn't stop handing out blessings.

Upon returning home from having IV fluids I was informed that I was selected to be on Harlequin's blog tours. Intrigue and Carina Press with the first being a new look for the series and the latter being a month long blog tour.

Even though they are both unpaid opportunities I know God has my back and always has since my son was born with vater syndrome and I had placenta abruptio and both of us nearly died 19 yrs ago.

I end with this, I sent my kids to Catholic school for a reason. I assumed the Catholics would be warm, inviting, and supportive. When my son who was med disabled all his life graduated he received not only high honors, not only was he selected for the Bishop's Youth Award, but he also had perfect 4 yrs of attendance as a medically disabled individual.
The crowd scoffed, mocked, laughed at my son when he went to receive the award because apparently it's not the 'popular' thing to do and he was one of only two boys who had such an honor. Perhaps they might've been more welcoming if they knew since 2010 we were bankrupt, homeless, and his mother was left w/o income or child support and sought work for the past 10 yrs.

This is the new norm and while it's sad and disheartening it allows room for growth and I pray those reading this will think twice about how those on the receiving end struggling to survive in extreme poverty and who were left homeless without income might feel.
We live in a world where 'entitlements' is often used yet nobody wants a hand out but a hand up.

We are all one step away from the same experience in my case it was divorce, and medical issues, but in your case it may be different.

I pray you never experience the same as I've been subjected to over the years but I know it's wishful thinking because the world is on fast track all the time.

Stop and smell the roses. Live life to your fullest. Be authentically you. Don't worry about the haters as if you had none you wouldn't be doing it right.

Enjoy life. Love one another. Help one another. Never turn your back on your brother or sister.

We all have gifts to give. We are all God's children.

God bless,
Former Minister of Hospitality who had the collection basket ripped out of her hands upon wishing to be the only female in an all male group of ushers (St. Ignatius of Loyola Kingston Pa).

May god always provide the Power of Favor upon you!!!!

Book Review: "Relics of Anthracite in Northeastern Pennsylvania" By Michael Rushton

If we want to provide a history we need to include not exclude the entire history...Here's just a sampling of what the coal industry would rather you forget:

Don't ever think everyone is on board to bring back coal as 'DT' has suggested in his campaign stop at Mohegan Sun Arena Wilkes Barre Twp.

In fact the recent concerns of building a new school upon the culm banks brings added concerns:
https://www.timesleader.com/news/740020/cheers-jeers-as-wilkes-barre-area-breaks-ground-on-new-school

Many of us also are familiar with black lung and the collapse of mind subsidence areas as well as the culm banks on fire in wbtwp near giant's despair.
https://news.psu.edu/story/602325/2019/12/20/research/cdc-grant-focus-effects-nano-coal-dust-lung-disease-coal-miners

And many know the issues with these fires:
http://www.undergroundminers.com/laurelrun.html

You don't have to go back decades to learn we still are dealing with the aftermath from all this mining:
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/mine-subsidence-closes-w-b-twp-road-1.2470100

You mentioned concrete city but you failed to list some other factual information so I left it here:https://discoverypa.blogspot.com/2014/05/ghost-town-concrete-city.html

I know my own father who lost his father in the coal mines has noted that many areas are still unstable from the fill ins.

In fact I leave you with my youngest brother in his own words about coal mining industry and his work dealing with sustainability fossil fuels today.
https://revsustainability.com/blog/insights/david-gatcha-a-passion-for-sustainability-fueled-by-coal/

Book Review: "American Unemployment" By Frank Stricker

"American Unemployment is an introduction for everyone that takes aim at misinformation, willful deceptions, and popular myths to set the record straight"
In fact we can begin by using more accurate measures such as U6 and not U3 to report the unemployment numbers as many have given up looking and are not counted, many are out of work longer than 6 months, many are working poor yet still need help, many are temp and seasonal working but w/o the true full time status.

Now, in addition we will note the miconceptions and myths are abundant and for the poor they are damning.

In fact good luck using EBT and not hearing how those lazy bums don't work, want handouts, all on drugs, or they have better cars/cellphones/and food choices than I do...aka no we don't buy lobster tails nor can we purchase cigarettes with EBT. In fact, you can't buy a hot rotisserie chicken but you wouldn't know this by the way many make myths become reality.

What I see is a wave against the poor.

A revolution if you will that is rooted in pure hatred for the fact that the poor often are in need and many feel they don't deserve to be helped for whatever reason.

I have a Masters, I never expected I'd be bankrupt and homeless or in extreme poverty with three kids. Certainly not after marrying and being married for 11 yrs. Certainly not after obtaining a Masters and still paying for it. Certainly not after working in a factory as top producer in two departments, associate of the month, and being such a hard worker and volunteer with 20 yrs experience.

But life happens and people need to understand that there are no good paying jobs with room for advancement like in years past. There's no more superiority. The idea that one works hard and is rewarded is a farce and a selling point.

While one can blame automation, lack of skill or trade, lack of work ethic the reality is far from all the above.

I've personally applied for 10 yrs seeking work. I'm highly skilled, and highly trained, and have utilized on the job training offers and referrals. Yet here I stand before you seeking full time work because employers hire the young and college grads without families to support who don't necessarily seek benefits, higher wages, or flex schedules.

We are living in an era when it's a dog eat dog world and a good paying job brings in high competition and competitive salaries.

Therefore, those who've been out of the workforce raising families, the women who are paid less than a man, those who must beg are finding it harder and harder even with the skills that pay the bills.

Not everyone like myself would send cold call emails to future employers but I did and was told I came across as desperate and needy with a negative connotation- Keep in mind the first question asked of me during the interview was why I can't be hired?

If you start with a negative this way the answer isn't going to be a happy go lucky response.
Sure, ten years of job searching will make anyone feel less than optimistic yet if I felt 'entitled' I wouldn't be going door to door, sending cold call emails, begging for work. I'd instead wait for a job to come to me.

Now, this is the problem with today's world -everyone has judgments and want to make opinions in the first 10 minutes of knowing you.
You couldn't be more wrong about painting everyone with the same brush without using a totality of the circumstances approach.

I will offer you up this video from my former president of the food bank in which I volunteered for food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HakCA...
In this you tube TED X video she discusses some of those common myths and misconceptions ingrained in the psyche from repetition and misuse.

At this point the offering of incentives to hire long term unemployed with families isn't working so more needs to be done in terms of creating living wage opportunities so that those with families can survive.

Working multiple jobs and early retirement isn't the best option when many are falling in from companies like Amazon and Walmart who are paying peanuts and having workers drop like flies because of the stress and strains from this level of manual labor placed upon them.

We need answers and we need help.

I pray for those in similar circumstances because the red tape society and the top 1% are ruining our country. Taking from the poor while giving tax breaks to the rich only creates further hostilities and inequality.

We can't allow this new norm in which we turn a blind eye to the world's suffering.

Empathy and compassion need to have a place in society.

Book Review: "She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be" By J.D. Barker

"Something as simple as a pencil can open the door to a new world, can create life or experience death. Writing can take you to places you’ve never been, introduce you to people you’ve never met, take you back to when you first saw those shadows in your room, when you first heard the sounds mumbling ever so softly from your closet, and it can show you what uttered them. It can scare the hell out of you, and that’s when you know it’s good." -J.D. Barker

Well, hot damn -Welcome- !!!

Have you ever been told the dark couldn't hurt you?

You know in darkness there is light?

Yes....Oh so much light and love and family connections!

Where to begin and where to end is inconsequential when you have such magnificent character development that spans across the decades!

What is a story without travel?

So, with this said this is a journey about not just relationships but love, dreams, fears, and most importantly of the dark side and death.
I digress but roughly a three weeks ago I came down with the flu and it's funny how life goes full circle...as it was first a curse but perhaps in the end it was a gift.

Makes you wonder how life is fragile yet beautiful.

Oh, and speaking of beautiful this one character David is BEAUTIFUL!

Now not to be outdone but Jack is in his own way special as he's the BOY WHO COULDN'T DIE!
Stella well she's quite something as her heart is pure and her love is golden.

This reminds me -remember that game Frogger by Atari in the early eighties? "The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of hazards."

Funny, but similarities are shocking...

It's like a 'leapfrog' but with plenty of odd consequences and actions resulting and burned out bodies left in its wake.

This was part sci-fi meets part thriller with everything in between that was pure MAGICAL!
What I can tell you is this," Nobody else matters, there's only us. Nothing else matters."
Gosh if my husband told me this..we'd still be married today, LOL.
Instead my ex husband tried to destroy me and my kids as he suffered from a personality trait disorder known as malignant narcissism.

Now you might ask why I brought that up here-- and you see-- mental illness and or personality traits are quite rooted in DNA and it appears DNA has quite a bit to say about both past and present actions.
But what if there's something more we as patients can do to counter such illnesses or diagnosis?

Makes you wonder...

What if love makes the heart grow fonder?

What if you can't die?

What if,"The safety of the known outweighs the unknown."

When my mother in law had lung cancer she went through a trial offer by the pharma company to buy time - time she couldn't get back - time to attend our wedding- time that she used to reconnect with her only son and new daughter in law...but what if the doctors had told her that she could live forever, or perhaps her offspring would never suffer if she took some magical cure all pill? I think she'd still be here...right?

Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye..in fact sometimes we wish they'd take others or in this case, "take us all."

What if you can stop it?

Now, think about it!

So I leave you with this...44yrs later and still beautiful....scars and all.

Ahhh that's the ticket~!
What a fab read! My word I'm speechless!
But in closing - as a huge PSU fan I must note this on record- 'WE ARE'

ENJOY!

Book Review: "The Playground" By Jane Shemilt

This was a weird one because of the way it was written with disjointed feelings mashed together from every angle and relationship.

I felt like I was on a train to nowhere about to jump the track as the story progressed with small snip-its of each situation thrust upon me.

The abuse angle in one was especially hard to endure knowing the silence that goes along with the pain and not just as a parent but as a child from the outside looking inward.

This could be the reasoning that connected the entire plot because while everyone clearly had issues in the end it was the kids who had to endure the most hardships and yes even death.

But by whom? And why? 

As parents we are to protect, guide, nurture and support yet you seen very little of this behavior and more of the narcissistic tendencies to mold, shape, and manipulate one another.

As someone who helps others from NPD and DV relationships I know that when parents think the kids aren't listening or understanding they have truly no idea.
The kids no more than we think and while we believe we are protecting them -we often are doing the exact opposite upon staying in such toxicity.

So take that to heart upon reading this story because this title of the "playground" is more like a "merry go round" with a "hamster wheel" that spins out of control.

Affairs, sexual abuse, violence, and more is in here so beware if triggers are not your thing.

If it had been written slightly different I think I would've enjoyed it more but I felt like I was falling into one relationship and then another and not being gradually guided or freely moving about so it felt more forced than anything.

All in all not a bad read for your enjoyment.