Happy Friday!

I hope you are doing something fun this weekend.  We have 2 Hanukkah parties (one rescheduled from last weekend) and another one with more family!  We are so fortunate to have so many people to celebrate with…we get to extend the holiday for another weekend even though it technically ended last week.

My 2.5 year old son has his first soccer class this morning!  He keeps saying that he “doesn’t want to kick a ball” so this should be fun for everyone. 🙂  Good luck to his coach!

As many of you saw on Facebook, a few weeks ago I was invited to attend the Midwest Writers Association joint meeting with the Windy City Historians.  I had such a nice time!

I left with new friends, new knowledge, and 3 wonderful new books.

Full disclosure: I was given copies of these 3 books to feature on my blog.  All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Mollie’s War: The Letters of a World War II WAC in Europe

Synoposis:

The 150,000 women who served in the Women’s Army Corps are now seen as the undersung heroes of the Second World War. This memoir describes the life of a WAC enlistee who would serve in England when it came under attack, France immediately after the Allied invasion, and Germany after VE Day. From her experience in basic training in Daytona Beach to the climactic moment when she saw the Statue of Liberty as her ship approached American shores upon her return home, this work provides a glimpse into the life of a woman in uniform during this crucial time in American history.

My Thoughts:

The discussion topic of the meeting that I attended was “expressing your passion” and how a writer discovers and applies that passion into his/her writing.  Listening to Cyndee Schaffer describe how this book came to fruition was the definition of how a writer discovers and applies her passion into her writing.

This book is made up of her mother’s stories and contains actual pictures and letters throughout.  I love how she tells the stories through these avenues, it makes for a very interesting read.

It’s a beautiful, fascinating book written by a lovely mother daughter team.

Redlined: A Memoir of Race, Change, and Fractured Community in 1960s Chicago

Synoposis:

Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, Redlined exposes the racist lending rules that refuse mortgages to anyone in areas with even one black resident. As blacks move deeper into Chicago’s West Side during the 1960s, whites flee by the thousands. But Linda Gartz’s parents, Fred and Lil choose to stay in their integrating neighborhood, overcoming previous prejudices as they meet and form friendships with their African American neighbors. The community sinks into increasing poverty and crime after two race riots destroy its once vibrant business district, but Fred and Lil continue to nurture their three apartment buildings and tenants for the next twenty years in a devastated landscape―even as their own relationship cracks and withers.

After her parents’ deaths, Gartz discovers long-hidden letters, diaries, documents, and photos stashed in the attic of her former home. Determined to learn what forces shattered her parents’ marriage andundermined her community, she searches through the family archives and immerses herself in books on racial change in American neighborhoods. Told through the lens of Gartz’s discoveries of the personal and political, Redlined delivers a riveting story of a community fractured by racial turmoil, an unraveling and conflicted marriage, a daughter’s fight for sexual independence, and an up-close, intimate view of the racial and social upheavals of the 1960s.

During the meeting that I attended, we discussed our passions.  I explained that reading has always been a huge passion of mine, and writing this blog has given me a creative outlet to take my passion to a whole new level.  After the meeting, Linda Gartz gave me a copy of her book and when I opened the cover later, I discovered this:

Love.

My Thoughts:

The biggest lesson that I learned during that meeting was to always let your passion drive your writing…and Linda Gartz did exactly that while creating this interesting book.

Filled with actual photos and relics, this book was especially interesting to me as I am from and currently reside in a suburb of Chicago.  I loved reading about the history of my city and I learned a great deal.  The personal stories she told about herself and her family were interesting and added such personality to the factual information told throughout the book.

This book would make a fantastic present for anyone who was growing up in Chicago during this time period!

Heart and Soul (Second Edition) A Psychological and Spiritual Guide to Preventing and Healing Heart Disease

Synoposis:

A medical doctor argues for the importance of spiritual and psychological well-being in the battle against heart disease and outlines his five keys to healthy living and seven keys to a healthy heart.

My Thoughts:

Who among us can’t use helpful tips on managing our health?  This book outlines basic techniques you can do to improve your overall health.

It is written in 2 parts.  Part 1 (You and Your Heart) describes the basic relationships that we all need to have with ourselves and our doctors.  It goes into detail on the various components of heart health including identifying and handling stress.  Part 2 (The Spiritual Heart) discusses spirituality, God, and death.

Personally, I am always looking for ways to improve my health and find the topic of self care to be so important for anyone at any age.  This book gives simplistic, easy to follow advice that anyone would find to be beneficial.

Thank you, Midwest Writer’s Association, for inviting me to your meeting!  I had such a lovely time.

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Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

(Note: The above link of Heart and Soul is for the 1st edition)