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I have never actually turned this blog into anything resembling a “sales venue”, but of late I have had the pleasure of reading two true (even though one is deemed fiction based on real life experiences) to life books and interviewed the authors. I feel quite humbled by their honesty and strength to share their stories with the public and then answer questions from people like me and bare even more of their very private lives.




The first is Falling into the Sun by Charrie Hazard. It is a fictional, but many of the experiences Charrie and her family really lived through and still do. Charrie wrote about how she essentially walked in on her neighbor’s suicide and in turn recognized that her own son had the same amount of despair and could very possibly wind up doing something just as extreme if she didn’t find him help.




As a mother, I found myself rooting for her main character of Kate and her family. Every page was gripping, teaching, scary and kept me enraptured until the end. I was then able to interview Charrie and found that this brave woman was a kindred spirit and that I hope to stay in close contact with her and hope that others find this book and it becomes a huge success. If it does, it will help others see that there is no shame in mental illness just in the fact that not more is done for those who suffer from it.




The other book I hope you put on your list of must reads is Chased by Demons by Jacqueline Grossman. It is a very honest memoir written by a woman looking back at her lost childhood during WWII. Grossman vividly relates her visions on all the fear, humiliation, hunger and anti-Semitism she and her family endured. The times they spent hiding, lying about their faith, being shuttled in the Jewish underground railroad. Her various separations from her parents and her oath at age 10 to her mother swearing to be a surrogate mother to her baby sisters until they would re-unite years later.




Again, after not being able to put this engaging and riveting book down from the moment I opened it until I finished it a mere one hour before our set interview time. I found this dear woman, now 78, to be a beautiful, intelligent wonder still fearful of letting anyone know about what her faith means to her.
Again, I have never felt that my blog should ever become a place to suggest what anyone should read or enjoy-but trust me on this, whether you read one or both of these books, you’ll be very glad you did.





Both are available on line through Barnes and Noble. Hazard’s book is starting to be carried in some of the stores and Grossman’s book is also available through Amazon.