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Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – Farewell: A Short Story by Stevie Turner

Published on by dgkaye86 Comments

My Sunday Book Review is for women’s fiction writer, Stevie Turner’s new book – Farewell. A fun romp with an aging band, with a twist of detective story.

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Blurb:

Blurb:

Kickback have a problem; their manager Richard has booked a string of sold-out concert venues, but ageing has taken its toll on the band and now they’re not sure whether they can manage a long tour anymore. Seth will need steroid injections in order to sing, Rob has prostate trouble, Ethan has RSI and tennis elbow and cannot make his beloved Flying V guitar cry or sing, and years of being hunched over a drum kit has given Mick an arthritic back.

Ethan suggests calling his friend Baz to help play any guitar solos. Baz is willing to help, but has already checked himself into rehab. Baz meets a fellow alcoholic, Steve, in rehab, whom he discovers has more than a passable voice. He suggests bringing Steve along to the rehearsal sessions as a backing singer when both of them have dried out, and the rest of the band agree.

However, once Baz and Steve arrive at Seth’s mansion in deepest Wales, a tragic event occurs that none of the band could have ever foreseen and which threatens the commencement of what will now be the band’s farewell tour.

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My 5 Star Review:

I always enjoy Stevie’s books, and this one is no different. In this book five aging rock stars and their band named Kickback, are planning to do their farewell tour, but nothing is easy.

Every band member has health issues and are dealing with their issues while trying to get their jam sessions going. Seth is housing the band so they can practice their sessions and material for the tour. Baz finishes rehab and invites his new friend Steve, whom he met at rehab to join the sessions to fill in as backup singer for the tour because their regular fill in is Eddie who is already busy on a contract. But surprisingly, Eddie shows up with his girlfriend, dismayed to find Steve has become his replacement. All the band members like Steve, except of course, now Eddie, as well as Mick because he accuses Steve of hitting on his wife, which of course didn’t happen. And when a tragedy occurs at the house, the story turns into an interrogation by police to discover whether the tragedy was an accident or intentional.

©DGKaye2023

bitmo Sharing alert

Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair 2023 – #Memoirs – #Motherhood #Relationships by D.G. Kaye, #Life #Relationships Cheryl Oreglia, #Teaching Pete Springer | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Published on by dgkaye39 Comments

Sally Cronin has opened up her Christmas Book Fair and I was thrilled to see my book featured today – P.S. I Forgive You, along with other greats reads by Pete Springer and Cheryl Oreglia.

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Welcome to the Christmas Book Fair where I will be sharing books by my recommended authors that I believe would make great gifts. If you are gifting someone a Kindle this year it would be a great idea to stock it up with some great books to be enjoyed.

Memoirs are written from the heart and when you reach a certain point in your life you find reading about another person’s life, challenges, loss, loves is reminder of how many such events we all experience. Whilst they can be heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking, they also inspire and are a celebration of the human spirit.

The first memoir in this post is P.S. I Forgive You by D.G. Kaye. Debby is not only a contributor to Smorgasbord, but also supports so many other authors and bloggers every day by sharing them on social media, reviewing their books and sharing her understanding of relationships, the spiritual world, life and loss. This book focuses on one of the relationships that is so important to us all… with our mothers.

About the book

“I hurt for her. She wasn’t much of a mother, but she was still my mother.”

Confronted with resurfacing feelings of guilt, D.G. Kaye is tormented by her decision to remain estranged from her dying emotionally abusive mother after resolving to banish her years ago, an event she has shared in her book Conflicted Hearts. In P.S. I Forgive You, Kaye takes us on a compelling heartfelt journey as she seeks to understand the roots of her mother’s narcissism, let go of past hurts, and find forgiveness for both her mother and herself.

After struggling for decades to break free, Kaye has severed the unhealthy ties that bound her to her dominating mother—but now Kaye battles new confliction, as the guilt she harbors over her decision only increases as the end of her mother’s life draws near. Kaye once again struggles with her conscience and her feelings of being obligated to return to a painful past she thought she left behind.

One of the reviews for the book

Balroop Singh 5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener… This book is for all Parents!  Reviewed in the United States

Why forgive? Isn’t it extremely hard to do so? This question reverberates around me even after reading the most poignant account of D.G. Kaye who had nobody to turn to for love, care and affection.

When a child’s mother is selfish and self-centered, when she blames and threatens her own daughter, when emotional abuse almost breaks the spirit of a girl who tries her best to please her mother, forgiveness is a far cry.

Forgiveness is the most intransigent emotion, the most hurting feeling, rekindling the sensation of being victimized; highlighting the supremacy and the arrogance of our perpetrator yet Kaye emerges resilient, responsible, benevolent and at peace after she decides to let go all the grief that had eaten into the best hours of her life.

‘P.S. I Forgive You’ is the story of every child who is deprived of a loving childhood due to insensitive parenting. It could inspire a thousand mothers to be emotionally present, to be more understanding and loving and pay attention to the little concerns of their children.

My heart missed a beat when I read how Kaye is torn between guilt and duty to go and see her dying mother and decides to go to her father’s grave “to speak to my dad about current goings on in my life and update him on family matters,” she confides.

“I feel lifeless, I miss you, mama. I miss everything I didn’t have from you. Still I am sorry. I forgive you.”…That sums up the distressing memories of the author whose grief and guilt merge into each other at the death of her mother. 

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Books by D.G. Kaye

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Read all the reviews and buy the books and find out more about D.G. Kaye: Amazon US – and: Amazon UK – follow Debby: Goodreads – Blog: D.G. Kaye Writer – Twitter: @pokercubster – Linkedin: D.G. Kaye – Facebook: D.G. Kaye – Podcast: YouTube –   All Links: Linktree

Another book that I found I could relate to and also found highly entertaining is Grow Damn It! by Cheryl Oreglia. Cheryl is also inspiring outside of her writing as she accepts the challenges to explore the world in rather a unique way… on the back of a tandem and you will find many entertaining posts on her blog about her adventures, life in general and getting the most out of life..

About the book

Grow Damn It! is a captivating work by Cheryl Oreglia, who uses uncommon honesty and arresting humor to draw you into her cantankerous life, forty-year marriage, and revolving empty nest. She claims the space between past and future is where our potential is created or destroyed.

If you don’t like where your life is going, dig deeper, and write a new story. By weeding out the things that clutter her life, she invites you into a refreshing space with some of her most popular posts from her beloved blog Living in the Gap.

She surrounds herself with a gaggle of intriguing friends, along with a large and rambunctious family who challenge both her and the reader to live fully in an ever-changing world. Her provocative writing dares us to confront our lives not only with optimism, but courage, and uproarious laughter. Oreglia uses her experience to explore what matters most in life… the degree to which we love and are loved.

One of the reviews for the book

D.L. Finn 5.0 out of 5 stars A book that deserves to be read more than once. Reviewed in the United States

“Grow Damn It!” is an insightful and often humorous collection of essays that blend into an amazing memoir. It was like I was sitting with an old friend having a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and Ms. Oreglia was sharing life stories with some lessons weaved into them. Subjects varied, some light and some not, like the drive to the hospital after her son was in a car accident.

There was an adventure on a tandem bike, which intrigued me as I have always wanted to try it. I laughed at the silly comment they got over and over when they rode. Clear Lake, where they bought a second home, was beautifully captured. I spent a lot of time there as a child, and the essays made me re-live my memories.

I appreciated the love of family plus an enduring marriage. The raw honesty was welcomed because things aren’t perfect all the time, but love is always there. We all need to learn life lessons and live life to the fullest. This book captures living and reminds us that each day is a gift to enjoy and, on those certain days… survive. A book I felt on many levels. I highly recommend this collection. I know I will read it again and add it to my bookshelf. 

Head over to buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Connect with Cheryl read the reviews and buy the book –  Amazon US – Amazon UK –  – Blog: Cheryl Oreglia – Twitter: @CherylOreglia – Facebook: Chery Oreglia

There is an old saying:

“Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.”
― Aristotle, The Philosophy of Aristotle

This memoir They Call Me Mom by Pete Springer is written following his over thirty years experience as a teacher. It is an interesting snapshot of the American education system, particularly the kindergarten and elementary school years. As Aristotle identified this is a key period in a child’s life and so important that the skills for learning and development are absorbed during these years.

About the book

Who Will You Inspire Today? Teachers face this challenge and responsibility each day, but in the process, the author discovers that his students can also have a profound influence on him. Pete Springer takes you on his memorable thirty-one-year journey in education as an elementary school teacher and offers the many valuable life and teaching lessons he learned along the way. Get ready to laugh out loud at some of the humorous and memorable experiences that all teachers face, feel inspired by the inherent goodness of children, and appreciate the importance of developing a sense of teamwork among the staff.

Learn valuable tips for working with children, parents, fellow staff members, and administrators. This book is ideal for young teachers, but also a reminder to all educators of the importance and responsibility of being a role model. This book is a must-read for all new teachers and those teachers that need a reminder they are human! Mr. Springer educates others in his easy-to-read, story-like, first-hand manuscript. You will laugh, cry, and get motivated to be the best educator you can. After reading this, I have a better outlook on relationships with my colleagues and am reminded to savor every moment. -Tami Beall (Principal, Pine Hill School)

One of the reviews for the book

Jacqui Murray VINE VOICE 5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers are friend, advisor, mentor, mom, and so much more  Reviewed in the United States

Pete Springer’s memoir about his first years teaching is a delightful story for new teachers and will have experienced educators nodding along with him. His early experiences remind all of us of the joy inherent in teaching:

“This job required about as much brainpower as my tree planting experience.”
“This is the story of how I fell in love with teaching and the joys and challenges that this noble profession provided to me over the course of thirty-one years.”

He breaks the book into chapters every teacher will understand:

How did i get here
Setting up your classroom
Working with students
Working with colleagues
Working with your boss
Discipline

…and more. Aside from grading, parents, lunch duty, conferences, and yard duty, these are the biggest issues we teachers face. I’m a veteran teacher of thirty years and still I couldn’t wait to read Pete’s take on these timeless issues.

“Instead of saying, “Do everything my way, and you can become a successful teacher,” she was giving me her permission to find my way.”
“…storytelling was one of the most successful methods to get my students to pay attention.”
“…when we lose our calm, we are teaching them that it is okay to behave in this manner when something is not going right.”

Every new teacher will benefit from Pete’s daily experiences of what in the end results in a journey well traveled with more importance than most of us would car eto admit. Educational philosophies change. Favorite tools like iPads and Chromebooks change. What never changes is the fundamentals that Pete covers in this book:

“…tell the kids when I made similar mistakes growing up.”
“I do think that it is possible for parents or schools to provide too many rewards for kids.”

Overall an excellent book. If you’re a new teacher, I’d call this an essential read prior to your first day.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Read the reviews, buy the book and discover more about Pete Springer: Amazon US – and:Amazon UK – Read more reviews:Goodreads – Website: Pete Springer WordPress – Twitter: @OfficerWoof

Please hop over to Sally’s original post and say hi.

Thank You Sally for all you do!

©DGKaye2023

Original Source: Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair 2023 – #Memoirs – #Motherhood #Relationships by D.G. Kaye, #Life #Relationships Cheryl Oreglia, #Teaching Pete Springer | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – All That Was Taken by Lisette Brodey #psychothriller

Published on by dgkaye61 Comments

Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. Today I’m reviewing Lisette Brodey’s psycho-thriller/romance – All That Was Taken.

Emotionally damaged John Hennessey leaves his rented home on Catalina Island with his dog Kono, and moves to Teal Beach Bay to escape his past. While waiting for his new home renovations to be done, he stays at the Sundial Inn where he befriends the owner, Sunny Harrison, and there’s where this story begins.

A slow burn in the beginning as we get to know the two protagonists and a peek into their pasts, which of course, made them the people they are now.

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Blurb:

All That Was Taken is a contemporary fiction novel that delves deeply into love, loss, and healing but comes with a suspenseful twist.


For eight years, John Hennessey has lived in near-solitude on Catalina Island. He keeps his world small, for every precious thing in his life has been taken from him. But when his peaceful existence is threatened, he buys a cottage farther up the California coast in the sleepy town of Teal Beach.


There he meets Sunny Harrison, owner of the Teal Beach Sundial Inn where he stays until his cottage is ready for move in. The connection between them is magical, though both are surviving painful pasts and are afraid to trust … especially as an undercurrent of darkness dwells in their midst.


In no time at all, their quiet lives explode. Sunny receives ominous phone calls while John grapples with his own unsettling communications. Their bond strengthens as dangerous enemies threaten.


New guests at the hotel appear to have ulterior motives, and with each passing day, more and more feels eerily out of place. As tensions escalate and the enemy comes into focus, John and Sunny know they face grave danger from people with no conscience. Yet, they have no idea what diabolical plans lie in wait for them.


NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I write characters as I hear them speak to me. Some of these stories contain non-gratuitous expletives and sexual references. This book also contains several situations that may be triggering to some readers. If this is not to your liking, please don’t read this book. Thank you.

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My 5 Star Review:

Emotionally damaged John Hennessey and his dog Kono move to Teal Beach from Catalina Island to run away from his past. There he meets Sunny Harrison, owner of the Sundial Inn where he stays while his new beach cottage is being renovated. Sunny is a widow who has never been with anyone else since her husband Grey was murdered. A friendship develops between John and Sunny, and although they are both aware of the sparks flying between them, tread carefully into a relationship as grief and fears keep this relationship a slow development.

With many minor characters in this story to add suspense to the story, it wouldn’t be a story if there wasn’t trouble in paradise as some ‘shady’ guests check in to the hotel.

The author brings in quite a few shady, but minor unsavory characters who show up from the character’s past to heat up the action. And secrets will all come to the forefront, tying in both the lives of Sunny and John. A great mixup of romance and evil plots which adds great mystery to this, no longer, sleepy beachtown read.

©DGKaye2023

Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – Jumped by a Deadly Cholla by John Maberry – #shortstories #speculative Sci-fi

Published on by dgkaye66 Comments

My Sunday book review is for John Maberry’s new release – Jumped by a Deadly Cholla. This is just one of eleven stories with twisted endings in this collection of speculative and science fiction. As many of you will know, I am not a sci-fi reader, but my friend John has recently released this collection of short stories and asked if I’d read and review. He is a wonderful storyteller.

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Blurb:

Cactus roots draw microbes from a meteorite—Lois nearly dies. One of eleven stories in a diverse collection of speculative fiction. A potpourri of fantasy and SF. Humor and horror. Supernatural and time-travel. Quick reads from flash fiction through short works, but a novelette too. Like twists? Find them here.

Jack hears the Dog Star’s Bark; an invite from the sun goddess of Sirius—a funny story. The Wishing Bell—evilreminiscent of The Monkey’s Paw. A sentient (alien) shrub offers gene modification tools in Climate Crisis Changes Humans. Werewolves—good ones and bad, in Dog Is my Copilot.

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My 5 Star Review:

Maberry is known for his speculative and science fiction short stories. In this new collection of stories, he takes us in to some strange environments with his stories, a mixed bag of funny to scary to things that leave you thinking. You will find stories about a deadly Cholla plant, werewolves, vampires, time travel, and a trip into the future after climate change has reached its capacity, if you enjoy futuristic and sci-fi stories, you will enjoy this book.

A few notable stories: A Climate Crisis Changes Humans – In the 22nd century devastation left from the previous century, Grelm says, “The humanoids will listen now.” Melanie and Josh discover a scentient plant. Fencing in The Sky – Big Sky county Montana, nobody needed fences. But a cyber scammer finds a way to sell his “BS Fencing” to the builder to include in the sale of land parcels complete with a digital fence.The Wishing Bell – Smitty is given a wishing bell and told he can make three wishes and must ring the bell after each one and must then pass the bell on to someone else and if not, there will be consequences. But after what happens after the first wish, Smitty decides he doesn’t want anymore wishes and doesn’t want to pass it on to anyone else. Jumped by a Deadly Cholla tells a story about a Cholla cactus plant that has injected some of its spores from a meteorite resting nearby, piercing Lois’s skin. These spores take on life by injecting humans through the Cholla barbs and poking the skin. Their aim is to take over the brain and thinking, but they need a host, and they find one in Lois as she brushed by it.

If you enjoy well written and intriguing themes for sci-fi short stories, you will enjoy this fun read.

©DGKaye2023

Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – Why?: A Complicated Love by Danny Kemp

Published on by dgkaye43 Comments

My Sunday Book Review is for Danny Kemp’s novella – Why?: A Complicared Love. Complicated love is an understatement in this fast paced and sometimes raunchy story of love and consequences.

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Blurb:

Why? Is a story set in a web of despair, sex, unreachable emotion and love. One man’s crippling injuries, caused by an unprovoked, vicious attack, ruins the lives of everyone around him. This includes Terry Meadows, a nineteen-year-old boy who falls in love with the main character’s daughter Laura, twenty-seven years before the opening of the story.The twisted, interconnecting matrix in which Francis, Laura’s father, lives, destroys and distorts his daughter’s image of life beyond repair. It is a sad tragedy with an unexpected ending.

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My 5 Star Review:

This novella is a story about sex, corruption, and despite the goings on in this criminal telling, love and a tragic love story.

The book begins at the end of the tragedy and goes into the story leading up to that end. Terry is a nineteen year old who wound up in the wrong place looking for sex. When he meets Sammy, a woman who could have been his mother, and she entices him to come back to her place for some raunchy rock and rolling sex, Terry had no idea that his life would take a 180 that day.

We’ll learn that Sammy is always being watched by her criminal, impotent, perverted, almost invalid husband Francis. They live separately, but he controls her life – and his own voyeur sexual fantasies. After a lengthy session up in Sammy’s bedroom, Terry meets her daughter Laura and an instant spark is shared between the two. But Terry is just learning that he is now under the power of Francis, anyone who tangles with Sammy is open target to become one of Francis’ criminal accomplices and if they don’t comply, is threatened with torture and a fiery end. Laura is well aware of her father’s twisted life and knows well he doesn’t make idle threats.

Francis is happy that Terry is servicing his wife and lets him know that if Terry can keep her happy sexually, and supply some other people to do the same, Francis will elevate Terry’s life in status and money. Terry really has no choice once he’s now in Francis’ world. The only caveat is that Terry cannot touch Laura, and herein lies the conflict, Francis has made clear to Terry the consequences of ever touching Laura.

Laura is well aware of the dangers of her father’s wrath, yet secretly harbored an attraction toward Terry for years. Years later, Terry is financially set and ordered to fly to Rome with Laura, by Francis. Francis sent Laura in charge of the papers to have Francis and Sammy’s marriage annulled. Francis felt after so many years he should set his wife free. At the same time he was setting up Terry to see if he’d be faithful to his promise to Francis of never touching Laura. Epic fail.

The Why? A Complicated Love is just that, and not just for one, but for Francis, Sammy, Laura, Terry, and quite frankly, anyone else who becomes part of any of their lives. Love is complicated, and often misconstrued, and for some, even fatal.

Note: Although the subject matter evolves around sex, it is not explicit.

©DGkaye2023

Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – #Poetry – Sorrowful Soul by Harmony Kent.

Published on by dgkaye71 Comments

My Sunday Book Review is for a heartfelt read, – Harmony Kent’s new release – Sorrowful Soul. This book was written in free verse poetry and dedicated to the claimed, seven stages of grief – despite the stages in no way being linear – just ask me, one who is living with grief. A beautiful Calla Lilly was depicted for the cover. As the author expresses, the Calla Lilly is used for both weddings and funerals, and occasions in-between, but also represents tears as the water droplets form on the petals.

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Blurb:

f we’re lucky, we meet twilight at the front door and old age creeps in on the night breeze.

Even if we make it to our twilight years, the more we age, the more loss we must endure as part of the cycle of life. Many of these poems lament death, but they also relate to broken relationships, severed friendships, and the loss of youth. This book of grief poetry is as much about saying goodbye and working through loss as it is about death and love split asunder.

This heartfelt collection provides company and compassion through the devastating journey of loss and shows us we do not travel this lonely road alone. Within these pages we share shock, numbness and denial, catapult into anger, bargaining, depression, loneliness, and guilt, and—eventually—make the seismic shift into testing the possibility of a new normal and finding acceptance.~~~~~

Praise for Slices of Soul, Book 1 in the Soul Poetry Series:

“I found my answer in this wonderful treasure-trove and have already read it three times.” Robert Fear

“I found in Slices of Soul something approaching aesthetic bliss, a sense of being connected in some way to other states – like tenderness, kindness, ecstasy – where art is the norm.” Colm Herron

“A stunning collection of poems that I read in one sitting! Unable to simply put this down until I had read the last. I love the clarity of the short poems, such clear images created in so few words or phrases. Many of them touched my heart and I will be giving them a 2nd and 3rd read!” Audrina Lane

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Praise for Life & Soul, Book 2 in the Soul Poetry Series:

“…a wonderful and relatable look on the seasons of life and the heartbreak and happiness of love and family.” Julie

“I would highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for some good poetry that hits you right in the feels.” Katie

“Powerful and Enlightening: I highly recommend this volume and eagerly look forward to her next collection.” Writester

My 5 Star Review:

I couldn’t wait for this book to come out in paperback, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m familiar with this author’s multi-genre talent in writing, and I especially enjoy her heartfelt poetry. The book is divided into what is said – the seven stages of grief. As the author points out, and I can attest to, these stages are by no means the law and order of grief and can and will be felt at various times after a loss, and in no specific order – Shock and Disbelief; Denial; Guilt; Anger and Bargaining; Depression, Loneliness and Reflection; Working Through; and Acceptance.

It’s difficult to write this type of heartfelt poetry if one hasn’t loved and lost someone or something, just as a reader won’t take in the breadth of it unless they too have lived loss themselves. But one doesn’t have to have lost someone to take in these evocative poems and feel both the love and the pain of loving and losing to stir up emotions and reiterate how precious life is. These stories in poetry speak of painful losses – death, youth and health.This is a beautiful book that one can pick up at anytime and open up a page to. A handy reference to revisit time and time again. This would be a lovely gift for someone who is grieving or for friends and relatives to offer some insight into the grieving process and the loneliness that ensues.

All these poems hit me hard, in fact, each and every poem spoke to me, especially, Borrowed Time from Part 1 – Shock and Disbelief:

“From wedding bells

To funeral dirge

From dancing and fun

To tears and disbelief

None could have known

How soon you’d be gone

We miss your smile

And loud, easy laughter

Your compassion

And unassuming friendship

From May to December

You withered away

And by the new year

We burned your bones

Scattered your pale ashes

To the fickle wind

And looking back

I still can’t believe

Nor properly grieve

From wedding bells

To funeral dirge

Where to now?”

Each and every poem resonated me as I endure my own great loss, and my compassion was lent to the author in her own stories of her losses. It’s difficult to pick out a favorite in this heartfelt read, but a few more that gave me pause, some favored quotes from:

No Words – “…I’ve died a hundred times since you left my life bereft”

The Worst Kind of Thief – “…The sparkle in your eyes ignited me whole”

Not Since – “…Didn’t sleep last night Nor the night before, Not since they carried you, Out the door”

Down Deep – “… And joy on the beach, All I feel now is the scratch of the sand, In this barren, strange, unknown land, You were my navigator, my pilot, My life’s one true love, And, oh my darling, I miss you so much”

Triggers – “a discarded shoe, an odd sock, or a simple visit to the shop, who ever knew the total and utter shock such simple things could induce?”

At the end of the book, Kent also leaves some important resource links for people who are in need of seeking help with mental anguish. I highly recommend this beautiful book full of verses of the human condition and emotion.

©DGKaye 2023

Reblog and featuring

Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair – New Book on the Shelves – #Memoir – Fifteen First Times: Beginnings: A Collection of Indelible Firsts by D. G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Published on by dgkaye31 Comments

My heartfelt thank you again to Sally Cronin for featuring my new release – Fifteen First Times, as a New Book on the Shelf at Sally’s Smorgasbord Bookshelves.

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Delighted to share the news of the latest release by D.G. Kaye…. Debby Gies. A memoir – Fifteen First Times: Beginnings: A Collection of Indelible Firsts

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About the memoir

This book is a collection of stories about some of Kaye’s first-time experiences with life’s most natural events. Told through the intimate conversational writing we’ve come to know from this author, poignant personal steppingstones to learning moments are revealed. She encompasses the heart of each matter with sincerity and sprinkled inflections of humor.

From first kiss to first car to walking in the desert with four-inch heels, Kaye’s short coming-of-age stories take us through her awakenings and important moments of growth, often without warning. Some good and some not, life lessons are learned through trial and error, winging it and navigating by the seat of her pants.

Editorial Review:

D.G. Kaye writes with heartfelt regard and unabashed honesty. The life experiences she shares in Fifteen First Times evoke tears as well as laughter. Kaye’s candor and compassion will no doubt appeal to and help many seeking to grow and come into their own. I highly recommend this book and all others by this forthright author. The reader will be left with an ardent desire for more. ~ Author, Tina Frisco

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Thoughts by D.G. Kaye

Do you ever think back on past events which have left an indelible impression on you or your life, or find that the incidents you’ve endured through life have helped shape the person you’ve become? Are your formed perceptions and values developed from experience, and have they consequently become incorporated into your daily life? Our experiences are steppingstones for much of what feeds our character. We live, we experience, we learn, we become, and we overcome.

Nobody sent me the memo on life, and most of the time, I had zero confidence to broach the subject of my conflictions and situations with anyone. All these events I experienced and share in my stories happened with little to no guidance or knowledge, making much of my young life experiences processes of trial and error. I was like the proverbial child who grew up in the wild, except I had parents and a comfortable home.

In these fifteen short stories, I’m fessing up to some firsts in my life, some of which turned out to serve as monumental lessons. These weren’t life-altering moments, but rather, moments of teaching to move my life forward, leaving me with scars and awakening moments, confirming my curiosities, and leading me in new directions of growth.

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One of the early reviews for the book

Dec 16, 2022 D.L. Finn rated it five stars it was amazing

“Fifteen First Times” is a group of personal stories told in a humorous yet perceptive manner. It felt like I was sitting with Ms. Kaye having a cup of tea while she shared some of her life stories. I found it easy to relate to a first kiss, first heartbreak, or first-time driving. It got me reflecting on many of my firsts and how I navigated life after. The author’s strength, fashion sense, and humor shined through the words, painting a picture of her moments. This is a book of youthful reflections and what we can learn from all our firsts. There was also a loving dedication to her departed husband that touched my soul. This is a beautiful collection of coming-of-age stories I can easily recommend. 

Please head over to pick up your copy at your local Amazon: Fifteen First Times Universal Link

Original Source: Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair – New Book on the Shelves – #Memoir – Fifteen First Times: Beginnings: A Collection of Indelible Firsts by D. G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

©DGKaye2022

Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – Well Behaved Wives by Amy Sue Nathan

Published on by dgkaye45 Comments

My Sunday book review is for Amy Sue Nathan’s – Well Behaved Wives. This book takes place in the early 60s where most women were coming into themselves and waking up for and beginning to stand up for their equal rights. But there are many places where that kind of ambition and talk is just nonsense. Ruth Applebaum is the main character and will have you cheering for her all through the facade she must keep up, hiding her true ambition.

This book is available on Amazon

Blurb:

Perfect wives, imperfect lives, and upending the rules of behavior in 1960s America.

Law school graduate and newlywed Ruth Appelbaum is acclimating to life and marriage in a posh Philadelphia neighborhood. She’ll do almost anything to endear herself to her mother-in-law, who’s already signed up Ruth for etiquette lessons conducted by the impeccably accessorized tutor Lillian Diamond. But Ruth brings something fresh to the small circle of housewives—sharp wit, honesty, and an independent streak that won’t be compromised.

Right away Ruth develops a friendship with the shy Carrie Blum. When Carrie divulges a dark and disturbing secret lurking beneath her seemingly perfect life, Ruth invites Lillian and the Diamond Girls of the etiquette school to finally question the status quo.

Together they form an unbreakable bond and stretch well beyond their comfort zones. For once, they’ll challenge what others expect from them, discover what they expect from themselves, and do whatever it takes to protect one of their own—fine manners be damned.

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My 5 Star Review:

This story is set in mid-upper class suburb of Wynnefield, Philadelphia, early 1960s. This is where Ruth has moved to with her newlywed husband Asher after she graduated law school in New York and eloped with Asher. They are living with Asher’s parents Shirley and Leon, with the secret that Ruth is a liberal woman who is studying for the bar exam, and decide not to tell Asher’s parents because his pushy mother Shirley expects Ruth to be an obedient, good Jewish wife and be subservient to her husband.

Shirley decides to send Ruth to her friend Lillian’s private housewife etiquette school at her home where a small group of girls learn how to become the perfect wives, shop, cook, clean, have babies, praise their husbands, and of course, after a day’s work, make sure they get changed into fancy dresses and put on make-up to greet their husbands when they return from a hard day’s work at the office, complete with a cocktail in hand upon their return – almost Madmen-esque. Except Ruth is a sharp and educated young woman and has seen and dealt with things growing up and living in New York that this group of girls she meets are oblivious to – until they become woke.

Ruth came from a family where women were treated equally and she lost her mother at four years old. She is forward thinking for the times. She didn’t want to upset the apple cart by sharing her becoming a lawyer intentions with anyone, until she befriends a few girls in the etiquette class and reveals her education to one of them. These girls also went to college, but not so much for the education, but to snag a husband. Ruth also volunteered to help abused women while back in New York, and somehow observes that there is indeed abuse going on in high society where she now lives, which isn’t exposed, nor believed around the good family value circles she’s now living among. The other girls in her group are Carrie, still childless with a secret, Irene who was made to give up her nursing career once married, and now has four young kids, and Harriet, newly engaged to be married, and both envious and curious about Ruth’s ambition.

Through the story we learn that Lillian’s seemingly perfect life isn’t as fulfilling as she wishes it could be Lillian could have had a career too, she comes to realize, once she learns how independent Ruth is. We can sympathize with Lillian, despite how she comes off at first as ‘Miss Manners’, as we get to know more about her sad childhood that comes to light in conversations, discovering she was raised by her grandparents because her mother was put in an institution when Lillian was only eleven and her father was dead. Until one day, Lillian discovers an old photo of herself with her parents, which compels her to go visit her institutionalized mother – with said, dementia, to see if the picture stirs anything of recognition – then a whole new kettle of fish is discovered – and a terrible secret exposed about what caused her mother to be institutionalized.

Ruth’s husband is crazy about her but keeps putting off the time to share Ruth’s ambitions with his parents. Ruth befriends one of the girls in particular and shares her secret that she has graduated law school and studying for the bar. She suspects this friend is being physically abused by her husband, but the girl denies it and makes excuses for her husband and tries to shut Ruth out of her life, afraid to cause trouble. But Ruth instinctively wants to help her, because it’s part of who she is and what she does – defend powerless women. Later in the book the women are forced to confront the realism of domestic abuse and many secrets of the past are revealed about Lillian and Shirley’s past, and secret lives.

This story takes on many issues about women back in the early 60s. Society dictates what’s expected of them, but some have a voice and go against the norm. Spousal abuse in an upper class surburbia just couldn’t be possible. Respectable men with important jobs would never abuse their wives, would they? And awakenings stir on the topic of mental health, which back in those days didn’t take much to have a woman committed for hysteria or any other dispicable label they could place on one to have them certifiably locked up because their men declared them so.

This book was a time capsule about the place of women back in the early 60s, a nod to how far we’ve come since then, but then again, how much further we have yet to go. I enjoyed this book so much – the characters, the issues, and the development of these ‘Diamond’ girls who learned to take their power. The writing was beautiful, and I should look forward to reading more from this author. At the end of the book, the author offers many resources for abused women to seek help. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

©DGKaye2022