​Darlene M.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very heartfeltheartfelt!
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I loved everything about this book. It is very encouraging to anyone going thru a similar situation. The humor is an extra added bonus. When one goes thru bad times, humor always helps. Without faith, humor and sharing with friends, hard times seem much darker. This is a great book to give to anyone that has been given the responsibility of caregiving.

M. M. Bishop Award-winning author and poet
5.0 out of 5 stars A HEARTWARMING, COMPASIONATE LOOK AT LIFE AS A CARETAKER
I just finished reading the most heartwarming, compassionate memoir by Jill Zapata ‘A Walk With Virginia.’ In it, Ms. Zapata recounts her time spent as a caretaker for her future mother-in-law Virginia.
Having spent time as a caretaker for my mother, I can attest that there are both the funny, as well as those that were heartbreaking, confusing, and yet as Ms. Zapata puts it a ‘fellow feeling’ happens that can only be, between those who you have spent the time as their caretaker.
For as they lose their mobility, ability to do things they once could, and sometimes even their ability to communicate, or hold onto a thought, or activity for long, they become not only your friend, but your child, and no relationship can you ever be quite as close to another, as you do when you become a caretaker.
Yes, it is at times challenging, emotional, frustrating, and difficult, but the joys, and laughter lives on in us so much longer than those harder memories.
I loved this book and shall be one I reread over the years

​Martha A. Cheves

VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Baby Boomer Memories!
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`Growing up, Sand was confused by the two recurring nightmares. The dream about the house with the black cloud was vague and what preceded and followed it changed each time, but the other nightmare was a vivid memory that repeated itself exactly the same way each time. She was in an adult body, naked and being dragged by men in black uniforms toward a brick building. To the right of it next to the wall was where they let go of her, and she sank to her knees onto the ground with her head tucked under her body. There was a loud bang. She felt even more pain searing through her upper body and neck, and she knew she'd been shot from behind, but she was still conscious. Then the uniformed men picked her up and carried her into the brick building toward the left side of the room. It was a room with the ovens.'

Sandra Strasberg, called Sand by her friends, was born the day after Thanksgiving in 1953. She was born to normal, southern parents who showed very little affection between themselves much less Sand and her older brother Jody. Due to her mother being Catholic, she attended the local Catholic school and live went on smoothly, but the times were on the verge of changing.

At the early age four Sand would dream of living in another life during another time. For most of her life she had no idea of what could possibly be causing this disturbing dream. As Sand will later learn, her dreams seem to follow the life of Nadia Narim who was arrested in 1943 by the Nazis. Could she possibly have been reincarnated? I'll let you be the judge of that.

Being born as a baby-boomer, Sand grew up with many changes going on throughout, not just America and the south but throughout the world. She lived through segregation in the schools, Alabama governor Wallace being shot, Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, the Viet Nam war, and even a few disasters involving the race to the moon. What made Deception Past so interesting to me was that I too lived through these times and events. Reading Deception Past was like reading the "cliff notes" of American history from 1953 to 2006. I found myself pausing with each new occurrence to remember where I was and what I was doing at that time. It was a sometimes very enjoyable sometimes not so enjoyable walk down history lane for me.

If you're a baby-boomer, like myself, I feel sure you will enjoy following the life of Sand, her family and friends as they travel through this time period in history. I have no doubt that you too will be sent down a road of memory. If you aren't a baby-boomer, give our history a try to see how it stacks up with your own.

​M. M. Bishop Award-winning author and poet

5.0 out of 5 stars THOUGHT PROVOKING LOOK INTO LIFE, DEATH, AND HUMAN NATURE
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Franki deMerle, wrote one of the most thought-provoking books I have read in a long time. Deception Past made you think about society, history, and the tendency we as humans have of deceiving ourselves throughout our life. It covers birth, death, and reincarnation, leaving one wondering about life, death, and our purpose here on this earth. I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in human nature or just interesting thoughts. Kudos to Ms. deMerle for her courage in taking on such a interesting subject.

I found myself wondering if she had been born out of the files or they were born together. At any rate, the files and Miss Tofte were inextricably tied up with each other. I tell you it was weird!
If it had been anybody else, I would have felt kind of sad about it, I mean, a little old lady with no life other than the file department. But with Miss Tofte, you had an altogether different feeling. This was the way she liked it, make no mistake, this was her choice.
Anyway, I guess I have pretty well established that to all appearances Miss Tofte had always and was always in the files, and she gave every indication of going on this same way forever. She probably would have too, if something had not happened to change her world.
Miss Tofte is a paranormal story that will chill, delight, and leave you wondering.

Viv Drewa
5.0 out of 5 stars This book keeps you wondering!

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Throughout this entire book I was trying to figure out Miss Tofte. You get the feeling she's not going to ever leave the file room, even when the file room was being updated.
It gave me goose bumps!
I highly recommend this book!

​Gerald was born with strange abilities, and is a psychopath, as his father was before him. In fact, his father helped him develop his abilities. When he decides to find a mate, it is to have a woman as his play toy just like his father did before him. Will he win???

​Leyla Atke

5.0 out of 5 stars 
Wonderful fiction which will take you immediately into another mysterious world!

The Choosing by Marta Moran Bishop is an amazing fiction describing the ancient culture and customs of a fictional tribe.

The main character is a young woman named Mondoani elected by gods to be an apprentice of Old Mother, who was the memory keeper of the tribe. Foreseeing the imminent end, Old Mother hurry to make Mondoani the new memory keeper, who will protect the tribe and provide it with a safe and happy existence.

To do this, they go into a long and arduous journey together with the tribe to implement the transfer of power ceremony at the designated location.

The story takes place on the background of beautiful descriptions of ancient customs and culture of the tribe, which worships many gods.

Upon arrival at the designated place, Old Mother falls into a trance to make the transfer of the power to Mondoani. Unfortunately, Old Mother will never come out of this trance, which became the last one in her deserved life. Mondoani becomes the new memory keeper of the tribe, who should lead it and protect against adversity, asking gods about welfare.

Becoming the new memory keeper, Mondoani herself begins to worry about how to find a new apprentice. Looking for a new apprentice, Mondoani regrettably realizes that she will take away the daughter from her mother and deprive her of happiness to have children and normal life. She also understands perfectly the state of the unfortunate mother. Mondoani begins to bother when she realizes that the choice could fall on beautiful Ashtra, daughter of Naomi.

When it comes to action, Sky Spirit and Spider Woman do much unexpected choice: they choose Towandiaka on the one hand, and on the other Ashtra. Then they bring them together and announce them bonded in holy matrimony not only in this life, but also in the next! This will of course allow them to have children and be happy parents.

This moment, emotionally described by Marta, made me so happy that I felt radiating myself. The gods then chose not one but two young women who have become Mondoani's apprentices.

The book gave me a great pleasure not only because of perfect plot, but also because of wonderful and realistic description of the culture and customs of the ancient tribe. I had the feeling that Marta may witness it herself in some mysterious way. It will remain a mystery to me forever. Reading the book, I felt I was there.

The Choosing by Marta Moran Bishop is a special tribute to the culture and traditions of our ancestors, it teaches us to live in peace and harmony with nature and respect each other. Highly recommended!