Some Books I Liked This Year

I get tired of talking about my own books sometimes (The Christmas Village and its sequel, Return to Canterbury) - OOPS, sorry, I mentioned them again.

So let's talk about OTHER PEOPLE'S BOOKS. A couple of the ones I'm mentioning today are by authors I met here in the blog world. Arthur Wooten is a friend I went to high school with - we reconnected via Facebook and he was a great mentor and support when I published my books(which I already mentioned above and won't mention again :D )

I live by the rule my mother always used:  "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So if I tell you about a book, it means I liked it.

Dizzy by Arthur Wooten

The fast-paced and witty story of a Broadway diva who learns she has a debilitating vestibular disorder that threatens to destroy her career. It's a fictional memoir, as Wooten himself suffers from this condition. He deftly interweaves the fun of New York City and Broadway with the very real drama of a dancer/singer/actress finding herself faced with the potential devastation of a life-changing illness, and figuring out, with the help of friends, how to navigate - and live - in her new circumstances. As with all of Wooten's books, it's witty and fun, but also moving and filled with compassion.

I know you want to read it now, so here's the LINK: DIZZY by Arthur Wooten

Wooten is also the author of the WONDERFUL and BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED children's book, Wise Bear William, a New Beginning, and a number of other great reads, including Leftovers and Birthday Pie.

Patchwork of Me by Gregory G. Allen

This is the story of a woman who, with the help of a therapist, uncovers memories from her childhood that stun her. As a result, she travels from Arizona to Maine (passing through New Mexico) to confront her past. Along the way, she must struggle with whether to allow herself to be defined by events long past, or to define herself on her own terms. I liked the story, which takes some unexpected, but satisfying turns, and it was a plus for me that Allen took me from Scottsdale, Arizona, where I lived for seven years, through New Mexico, where I also lived, to Boothbay, Maine, where, believe it or not, I also lived. I think he might be stalking me!!

Find Greg's book here: Patchwork of Me by Gregory G. Allen

Greg is also the author of the children's book, Chicken Boy, The Amazing Adventures of a Superhero with Autism

That Sadie Thing and other stories by Annalisa Crawford

Count me as a HUGE Annalisa Crawford fan! I read her first novella, Cat and the Dreamer, and found it so intriguing. So, even though I am usually not a huge fan of short stories, I was eager to read this collection and I LOVED IT!

Crawford is a terrific writer who uses spot-on description (She's British, so I'm talking British :D) to create vivid scenes and characters. The narrative is very internal, meaning that we are instantly transported inside the heads of her characters, thinking their thoughts right along with them.

Her stories are vignettes; almost-cringworthy-personal glimpses into the lives of others. I picture her sitting in coffee shops, watching people and then making up stories about their lives and their secrets. (I'm glad she doesn't live near me, though I WOULD like to hang out with her!) She has a dark side, and even though I'm not all that dark-sided, I really appreciate hers! Also, I pride myself on being somewhat hard to surprise when it comes to plot twists, and the best thing about Crawford is that she never failed to surprise me! I found myself laughing out loud when she did, in a kind of, "Oh, Annalisa, you GOT me with that!" way.

Check her out; she's awesome and I think she is going to be Wicked Famous.
That Sadie Thing by Annalisa Crawford

Authors put their hearts and souls out there for us all to see, and as a book lover, I feel the best way I can say thank you is to buy their books and tell everyone I know how much I liked them. I hope you'll do the same.