EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic
By Nancy Stordahl
Independently Published, 2023
Genre: Memoir/Breast Cancer/Grief & Bereavement
Pages: 120
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Some books are meant to be sipped and savored slowly, like fine wine. NancyStordahl’s EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic is one of them. Profound and powerful, Emerging takes readers on a deep dive into the lifelong process of healing and self-acceptance as learned by a self-described “average sort of worrier.” It’s a terrific read!
Books are amazing. Sometimes they’re exactly what you expect. Sometimes they surprise you. You can’t always tell what’s inside by looking at the cover. Perusing the book blurb. Or even reading other reviews.
Memoirs can be especially tricky in this regard. Cuz let’s face it, Cupcake. Unless you’re famous, a celebrity, a Big Name or have an uber compelling life story with a transcendent theme that’s gonna resonate with lotsa folks, most people who don’t know you and have never heard of you aren’t gonna care. Sorry, Toots. That’s just the way it is.
Keeping the Watch is one of those. To be clear, Watch isn’t a “bad” book. It’s pretty well written and is a history of the Blau family. It’s based on true historical figures in the author’s ancestry. But we just could not get into it. We tried and tried and tried. Gave it so many second, third, fourth and more chances, we got whiplash.
We put off reviewing this book for so long, our cerebral hard drive sprouted cobwebs. On the cobwebs. But we finally got down to brass tacks today. So here ya go:
Let’s get one thing straight right off the kibble, shall we? spake I, Kimber the Magnificent. Today’s book is From the Sidelines to the Finish Lineby Emily Falcon. It’s a memoir about Emily’s lifelong journey with a congenital cardiac condition.
Now, From the Sidelines to the Finish Lineis a good book. You really oughtta read it. You know this is so cuz I’m telling ya it is. Got that, Cupcake? Cuz I wanna make another thing clear right off the football: There are some real stand-outs in this memoir-ish read. They have fur and four feet, if ya get my drift. And no, Toots, I’m not talking felines here. I’m talking Phoebe the therapy dog. Dual doggies Maxi and Blueberry. And Josie, chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix with the heart of a lion.
Conversations of Self-Discovery, Clarity, and Love
By Cathay O. Reta
Pages: 148
Publisher: Keep Walking Publications, 2023
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Solitude and quiet conversation are becoming a lost art n this often-frenetic, fast-paced world of “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!” Remember that game? When people got together and actually talked? Like, for real? Face to face? Instead of burying themselves in their devices and ignoring the real live person right next to them??
Those were the days.
And a new book by Cathay Reta gently draws us back to the art of conversation. Dialogue. Give and take. Learning. Growing. Sharing. Letting go.
Kimber the Magnificent here. Telling you about how I nudged Her Momness in the direction of a book that looked really good the other day. “Oh, and this one , too!” I mean, hey. Who can resist these covers? We’re talking Serious Sweet Stuff here, right? Like, Canines R Us.
So I talked Mom into grabbing two woof-worthy titles. (It wasn’t hard, if ya know what I mean.) Here’s the 4-1-1:
There’s a reason Jon Krakauer is a bestselling author of narrative nonfiction. If you’re unfamiliar with Krakauer, then consider picking up a copy of his book Into The Wild. It’s an excellent introduction into the work of this crack investigative journalist as he pieces together the life and death of Christopher McCandless (aka: “Alexander Supertramp”).
The 4-1-1
The son of a well-off family, McCandless disappeared after graduating from college. He donated his $25,000 in savings to charity. Abandoned his car and most of his possessions. Burned all the cash he had. McCandless chose to become a “leather tramp,” relying on hitchhiking as his primary mode of transportation (as opposed to a “rubber tramp,” someone who travels on wheels).
Essentially divested of all connections to civilization, McCandless sets off across the country with his sights set on his “great Alaskan adventure.” Intending to spend the summer alone in the bush, living off the land, McCandless walked into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992. Along with his meager possessions, McCandless carried a pair of borrowed boots, a guide book on edible plants, and a ten pound bag of rice.
He was found dead by moose hunters four months later. He weighed 67 pounds. What may have happened to McCandless and why makes up the balance of this riveting read.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, Mom and Dad and other grown-ups. ‘Fess up. How many times have you wished you had an informative but low-key and highly readable resource to grab during that mad dash to the E.R. with a sick or injured kiddo?
And you don’t have to be a ‘brain surgeon’ to figure this one out. None of that ‘doctorese’ or medical mumbo-jumbo here. Nope. This is an honest, easy-to-read and soothing resources for little ones. And big people, too. Like this:
Go Find is about being lost. The memoir tells the true story of how Sue and her avalanche dog, a black Lab named Tasha, search for missing people in the high country of Colorado and elsewhere from about 1995 to 2007.
We had high hopes for this book. But it gets lost in Soap Opera Land, with too many side trips into Tedium, Tiresome and Blurrysville. Ditto the countless detours into life with the author’s allegedly petulant, controlling husband, Sir Pouts-a-Lot.
“Decomp”
We eventually learn that the vast majority of Tasha’s deployments are “decomp” missions to locate human remains. A live find is rare. Sue and Tasha are often deployed as “last resorts” – long after any decent chance of locating a live missing person has flown the coop. Too often egos, petty politics and jealousies within the SAR community as well as weather, terrain, logistical details and a lot of other stuff mitigate against a live find. It’s depressing and frustrating.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A Little Background
Back in February 2022 we received a review request for a “dog book.” It sang the praises of a pit bull, Stella. Here’s how we wrapped up that review:
So there’s no doubt Stella is a wonderful dog. (Not as wonderful as a certain Border Collie mix. But nobody’s perfect.) After awhile, however, I just wanted this book to end. Additionally, Kimber has a story of her own on the subject. Sort of.
Kimber: When I was about a year old, Mom and I were out for a walk. On a public street. Chugging along. Minding our own business. All of a sudden two dogs tore out of a house, racing straight toward us. They had us surrounded faster than you can say “Rin Tin Tin.”
One dog grabbed my shoulder. Mom pushed him off. He came back again. Mom jumped between us. She morphed into Mama Grizzly Mode, yelling and screaming at those dogs to Go away! Go home! Leave us alone! Get. Your. Dogs! (Note: You so don’t want to mess with Mama Grizzly Mom the Raving Lunatic. Ever.)
The owner finally came out of the house. The dogs didn’t pay any attention to her. Another human finally came out and got ahold of those two dogs. It took some doing.
We got away. I wasn’t hurt. But I was scared! Those were the most aggressive dogs I’ve ever seen.
Kimber: “Memoirs? Biogs? Is that like when that Barbra lady sings about misty water-colored memories? Like in the movie with Robert Corvette?”
Mom: “The movie is The Way We Were, Kimster. And the actor is Robert Redford.”
Kimber: “You drive what you want and I’ll drive what I want… Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. Memoirs and Biogs. Guess we better start with some definitions:”
A memoir is usually a collection of memories written by the person themselves. It’s the story of a specific time, theme, or experience in a person’s life.
A biography presents chronological events from the life of a specific person. It’s the story of someone’s life told by someone else.
An autobiography is a person telling their own life story.
Got that? Great. Cuz we’re gonna color outside the lines a bit. Bring you some of All of the Above, under the general-ish category of Memoir/Biogs. (We’re using the terms a bit loosely. So don’t blow a gasket, okay?)
EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic
Pages & Paws 