Gone in a Heartbeat

By David and Marie Works



Synopsis (Barnes and Noble)

On a snowy Sunday morning in December, David and Marie Works and their four daughters were about to leave churcha typical scene for thousands of familieswhen suddenly a gunman appeared, shooting at anyone who got in his way. Rachel and Stephanie Works were killed, and David was critically wounded.The shootings at New Life Church are one of Americas greatest recent tragedies. At the heart of that tragedy is the Works family. A mom and dad left to cope without two of their daughters, two sisters left to grieve the loss of their siblings. How do you make sense of a gunman who goes to churchdetermined to kill thousands of people? Is forgiveness possible? Is moving on?For the first time, David and Marie Works reveal the complete story of that fateful day, how theyve coped since then, details of their emotional meeting with the gunmans family, and what they learned when a parents worst nightmare became reality. For anyone facing their world turned upside down, Gone in a Heartbeat tells a true story of hope and fearless faith.

My thoughts: I know...I don't why I read these books. For some reason, though, they don't make me depressed. They inspire me. The way this family forgave the family of the 19-year-old kid who randomly shot and killed their two daughters is beyond belief. The Works family reached out to his parents because they too had lost a son (he was killed by a security guard at the church) and had no one to reach out to. The family's forgiveness towards the gunman's family helped them heal, and their faith in God and His commandment to forgive was foremost in their minds. The description of the first meeting between the two families is heartwrenching and emotional. I cannot imagine the pain. I hope I would be able to forgive like that. I know God would have to help me out there :)

Loved the book.

***** 5 Stars

Life Without Summer

By Lynne Griffin

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble):

Tessa Gray's life changes forever when she loses her four-year-old daughter, Abby, in a hit-and run accident outside her preschool. Once a vivacious, joyful mother and wife, Tessa now spends her days holed up in Abby's room, sleeping in her bed, clutching Abby's Tootsie Rabbit stuffed animal - anything to keep her memories close. As Tessa grapples with a terrible grief, made worse by the police's insistence that the case is unsolvable, she finds solace in Celia Reed, the therapist her husband has pushed her to see, and in the journal she's keeping, where she compulsively counts the "days without Abby" and maps out her plan for catching the driver who tore her family apart." "As Celia struggles to keep Tessa from getting caught up in a bleak crusade for answers, she finds that their sessions open the door to emotions that she's spent years ignoring, forcing her to face the rising tensions in her life - her troubled teenage son, her alcoholic ex-husband, and her fragile new marriage. Celia begins to realize that she must come to terms with the tragic mistakes of her past and the choices that have led her family to their own brink of destruction." A haunting portrait of two women whose lives converge unexpectedly when the answers one needs turn out to be the other's only chance for peace, Life Without Summer illuminates connections between love, marriage, truth, and forgiveness no reader will forget.

My thoughts: I loved this book. It started out a little slow, but once I figured out the main characters and got a picture of them in my head, I couldn't wait to find out what happened.

**** 4 (and a 1/2) stars

Columbine

By Dave Cullen



Written after 10 years of research, the author sets the story straight. Obviously the fact that two shooters wreaked havoc on a high school, killing 13 people, including themselves, has not changed. But Dave Cullen debunks several myths, namely that Cassie Bernall did not profess her faith in God just before Eric Harris shot her. It was mistakenly reported by a boy in the library that he heard Cassie answer 'yes' to the killer's question of whether or not she believed in God. This exchange actually occurred between Valeen Schnurr and Eric Harris, and it was after he had already shot her, as she begged for her life. After the Cassie Bernall martyr story came out, Valeen Schnurr kept her knowledge of the actual events a secret. She knew the pain this would cause Cassie's parents. After several interviews with people in the library, including the girl sitting directly next to Cassie the moment she was shot, the truth came out. Unfortunately, not before Cassie's mother wrote a book called "She Said Yes."

Another myth: The killers were victims of bullying. Not true. The diaries they both kept did not indicate anything about being bullied. They were outcasts, but they were not bullied. Eric Harris was a sociopath and hated the world; Dylan Klebold was suicidal and Eric Harris encouraged him to go along for the ride. Both got what they wanted in the end.

The story was difficult to read; the details were descriptive. The author tells of Danny Rohrbaugh, the first student killed outside, whose mother requested the two slabs of pavement on which he died. The school honored her request, jackhammered the slabs from the ground and gave them to her. She had them installed in her yard, around which she built a rock garden memorial to her son.

I found the book fascinating, and although I didn't think many people would be interested in it, there are 77 names behind me on the hold list at the library waiting for its return.

***** 5 stars

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows




Set in the 1940's, in the aftermath of World War II, Juliet Ashton is a writer looking for her next book subject and finds it after meeting an interesting group of people on Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. The group's book club - and it's name, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - is formed as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans.

I LOVED this book, which was written as a series of letters. It was funny, endearing, and lighthearted, and there is just something about that era that I love - especially the language. I found myself taking on a proper English accent in my head while reading lines like this - "My dear, let us all rejoice in her good fortune." Or this - "Sidney had left this morning, so maybe she'd been feeling bereft too." Or - "I would be glad to offer you hospitality."

***** 5 stars

RATTLED - Review

RATTLED

By Christine Coppa




Hilarious memoir of a 26-year-old urbanite whose boyfriend dumps her when she becomes pregnant. Being a single mom, I could TOTALLY relate, but anyone would enjoy this book I love the way she writes. Really fun and easy to read. Took me only 3 days.

***** 5 stars