Rocky Mountain Writer

Tolle Legge - Take up and Read

As long as I can remember I have loved to read. As a young girl my favorites were the Nancy Drew series, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, historical fictions and biographies. As an adult I have read a lot of different authors. Some of my favorites are C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Michelle McKinney Hammond, John Piper, Jodi Picoult. I have hundreds of books and never find myself without something to read. While I enjoy non-fiction, I really love fiction....I love a story that I can get lost in, can feel kinship with the characters and can draw a vivid picture in my mind of the setting. For example, the Mitford series by Jan Karon is set in the fictious town of Mitford. While I read the books Karon drew such a vibrant picture of the town I could see myself walking down main street and meeting Father Tim. Often I feel a sense of sadness when I finish a good book, knowing I am leaving the characters and that I will miss them. This page is testament to some of the books I have read recently, some good, some not so good. Feel free to take up one of these books and read!

Reading List 2008

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow

Scarlett by Stephen Lawhead

Maggie by Charles Martin

Making Life Work by Michelle McKinney Hammond

The Paradise War by Stephen Lawhead

Dragon Bones by Lisa See

Slaughter-House-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

A Sister's Secret by Wanda Brunstetter

Twisted by Jonathan Kellerman

No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark

False Testimony by Rose Connors

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

This Dame for Hire by Sandra Scoppettone

Life in the Balance by Thomas Grayboys, MD with Peter Zheutlin

Have the Last Dance with Me by Joann Lloyd Fichtner

Black by Ted Dekker

Red by Ted Dekker

White by Ted Dekker

Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs

90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey

90 Minutes in Heaven was placed in my hands by my dear friend, Amie at my mother’s funeral. She thought I might receive comfort from Don’s description of heaven.

You see, in 1989 Don Piper’s Ford Escort was hit head on by a semi-truck on a narrow two lane bridge. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who arrived on the scene pronounced him dead when they found no pulse. They proceeded to help the other victims of the accident. Four separate EMTs checked his pulse and finding none pronounced him dead.

A Baptist preacher who was stalled in traffic because of the accident came to the scene and felt compelled to pray for Don despite his being pronounced dead. 90 minutes later Don began singing and the preacher felt his pulse. Astounded, the EMTs called for the Jaws of Life to remove him from the car and transported him to the hospital.

Don recounts what he experienced during those ninety minutes that he was dead. He spent ninety minutes in heaven, but returned to earth and an arduous recovery period. Shaken by this experience he has turned his energies toward encouraging those who are experiencing illness or the loss of a loved one.

His inspiring story defies logical explanation. Yet, it has inspired people over the last 18 years.

11.13.07

But Inside I'm Screaming by Elizabeth Flock

Isabel Murphy froze at just the wrong time. She was covering a breaking news story and had just gone live on air. She was frozen and unable to utter a word.

As a news anchor covering stories all over the world she had it all together. Yet inside she was falling apart. In an effort to save herself she admits herself to Three Breezes for severe depression.

During her time at Three Breezes she meets Ben, Keisha, Kristen, Lark, Peter and others. One by one these people have an impact on her life. She begins to see that others have deeper problems than herself. And finally she learns what the root of her problem is. Only when she gets down to the core of her being is she able to journey back to herself.

But Inside I'm Screaming is a fast moving story of a women's self discovery. Sometimes funny and sometimes distressing it's an interesting read.

10.13.2007

His Brother's Keeper by Jonathan Weiner

"What would you do to save your brother's life?" This is the question placed forth on the book jacket for His Brother's Keeper.

Stephen Heywood was a physically fit, active, and energetic carpenter when he noticed some weakness in his right hand. Only twenty-nine years old he figured it was just fatigue. He had been working hard to reconstruct and remodel a cottage in Palo Alto, CA. Then came the devastating news that it wasn't simply fatigue, it was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Lou Gehrig was a major league baseball player with the New York Yankees in the late 30s and early 40s. He was known as the Iron Horse. As the most famous victim of ALS his name has become synonymous with the disease.

ALS is a degenerative disease in which the brain is unable to communicate with the muscles of the body. Over time the person becomes paralyzed. Eventually, even the lungs will be unable to function and death will occur. There is currently no known cure for ALS and the prognosis is typically two to five years.

Stephen's brother, Jamie, a mechanical engineer quit his job and began a journey to find something to help his brother. With fierce determination and a salesman's personality he is able to create a non-profit biotech firm in hopes of being able to offer his brother a live saving therapy.

Jonathan Weiner was approached to write a piece for The New York Times about this amazing story of brotherly love. He spent more than five years getting to know the family and scientists involved in this venture. He may know the family as well as they know themselves at this point. He has become a semi-expert on the gene therapies that were being pursued.

During the time he was involved in the Heywood family his own family was experiencing a crisis of their own. His mother, once lively and spry, had begun to have unexplained falls. The diagnosis was Lewy Body Dementia. As many of my web readers know, this is the disease my mother has. His family's story was interwoven throughout the book. It was all too familiar to read his accounts of his mother's disease progression. It was later found that his mother actually had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP.) Much like Lewy Body Dementia, PSP is a degenerative brain disorder that is very similar to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Unable to put this book down until it was completed; I tore through it in just 24 hours. I was fascinated by the story as well as the scientific approaches Jamie and his team were coming up with. Mr. Weiner was able to take technical information and portray it in a way that was understandable and did not interfere with the real story. Much like I did while reading the book, he saw potential advances for Lewy Body Dementia and PSP while researching the book.

His Brother's Keeper is a poignant story of a family coming together in times of crisis. It is the tale of a love that is strong enough to move mountains. The book is wonderfully written and touching. And I leave you with the question, "What would you do to save your brother's life?"

09.22.2007

Blaze by Richard Bachman

Blaze is a story of isolation and desparation. Clayton Blaisdell, Jr, known as Blaze to his few friends, has lived a tough life. He started life as a smart child which lasted until his father threw him down the stairs in a fit of anger, not once but three times. After this incident he was sent to a state home until he was 18 and set out on his own. Being larger than any other child and having such a low IQ, Blaze had few friends and even fewer options.

When he was released from the state home he began a career of petty thefts until he meets up with George. While they plan the one big crime, George dies and leaves Blaze alone again. It is then that Blaze decides to go ahead with the big crime, kidnapping a six-month old heir to millions. The problem is George was the brains of the operation and though Blaze succeeds on dumb luck for a while, it is bound to end at some point.

Richard Bachman, the writer, existed only from the years 1966 - 1985. He lived in the body of Stephen King and published several books. In 1985, Bachman succumbed to cancer of the pseudonym. King found the manuscript in a box of Bachman's work and after several considerations decided to polish it and publish it.

Stephen King, the writer has veered off the path and most of his recent work is just bizarre. In his early days, though, King was a master story teller. His books were imaginative while also holding a sense of reality. Blaze is an example of his story telling at it's best.

09.10.2007

Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

My friend, Renee, has been encouraging me to read the Harry Potter books for years. Finally, I have read the first book and am now working on book two.

Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone is an amusing story of one young boy who finds himself in the most unlikely of places. This book has everything you could want in a fantasy adventure; flying broomsticks, an old, enchanted castle, spells, enchantments, invisibility cloaks, secret passages and an unlikely hero. Harry Potter has led a dismal life. Orphaned as a baby, he has grown up with his aunt, uncle and horrible cousin. He is different and they make sure he knows it.

Taken into a world he never knew existed Harry finds new friends and adventure. In the requisite battle between good and evil, Harry finds his courage and strength. Book one ends leaving the reader looking forward to book two.

08.04.2007

A New Kind of Normal by Carol Kent

Finally, I have finished something other than Jodi Picout (although, in all honesty, I did finish Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult the day before starting this book!)

Carol Kent is a renown Christian speaker and writer. Her world fell apart in 1999 when her only son, Jason was arrested for murder. At that time everything she had written and done came into question for her. I Laid My Issac Down was written as she and her husband, Gene struggled to come to grips with their new reality.

In A New Kind of Normal Carol moves on in her story. She and Gene are dealing with the aftermath of this horrific event. Her son is currently serving a life without parole sentence in a Florida penitentiary. They all know God did not ordain this event, but now Jason is trying to come to terms with how God will be glorified in his current situation.

The book is well written and thought provoking. Their story is complemented by stories of other Christians who have experienced life changing circumstances such as death, illness and financial devastation. Christians all over the world deal with finding a new kind of normal. How we choose to approach this new normal makes all the difference. Carol encourages her readers to look to the Lord for guidance and not give up hope. With His help we can all learn to live in a new kind of normal.

This book is an easy read and has questions at the end of each chapter to help the reader process the information. Even if you are not experiencing a new kind of normal, this book provides an excellent base for understanding each other in a compassionate way. Carol and Gene never expected to spend the rest of their lives visiting their only son in jail on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Likewise, our lives can change at any given moment.

07.15.2007

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Yep, another Jodi Picoult book. As with the other Picoult books I have read, Nineteen Minutes, is a true to life story. This story is of nineteen minutes that changed the world. A school shooting leaves a small town stunned. It delves into the turbulence of the teenagers trying to find their way and parents attempting to understand their child's journey to adulthood. The book is well written and gripping and with her typical finesse, Jodi pulls a twist that was unexpected.

06.20.2007

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

Although Jodi Picoult has become one of my favorite authors recently, this book plods along. It is the story of Paige O'Toole who is abandoned by her mother at the age of five. The story begins at age 18 when Paige runs away from home, starts a new life, meets and marries a doctor and starts her own family. I found her character to be flat and unappealing with no reason to cheer her on or wish her a happy ending.

06.13.2007

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

A designer test tube baby is created to provided cells for her older sister with leukemia. Thirteen years later Anna decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation. She loves her sister, but no one ever asks her if she wants to give up pieces of her body. The story is richly told with each chapter coming from one character's point of view. It is a real life look at the struggles faced by families coping with chronic illness. I highly recommend this book as an example of Jodi's finer writing.