Book Description:

A personal memoir by bestselling author and celebrity journalist Glenn Plaskin, KATIE is a moving story about a man who discovers the true meaning of family after adopting a cocker spaniel puppy. Through the magnetic personality of his mischievous dog, the author soon makes powerful connections with several of his down-the-hall neighbors in a high-rise located in the unique Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. First, Katie trots into the lives of Pearl and Arthur, a warm-hearted elderly couple just a few doors down from Glenn. Later, John, a single Dad, and his rambunctious young son, Ryan, also move in and are seduced by Katie’s charms.

All of their lives are profoundly changed as they are transformed from neighbors to friends to family, with Pearl as matriarch. The motherless boy finds a “Granny”; his Dad inherits a mother, Glenn discovers a confidante. Set in New York City, we witness nearly sixteen years of antics and family adventures spanning Hollywood high times, bad health, accidents, blustery winters, even the terrors of 9/11. Through it all, the family clings to each other, sharing a deep bond that give each comfort, support and security.

My Comments: Dog lovers everywhere will enjoy this book.  Katie is a little person in a fur coat.  She responds to people everywhere and shows lots of love to the people she comes in contact with.  This book shows the deep relationship a human can have with his/her pet.  In this case, Katie brings together five lonely people and helps to create a family, nontraditional, but nonetheless a family.  The common love for Katie bonds these five people.

I found the writing quite engaging and the story moving.  I actually found myself wanting to get into the car and go the the pound to get a pound puppy!  Dog books generally effect me that way, especially well-written ones such as this.  I am a true dog lover, but at this time it would be impractical to have a dog (or so my husband says)  If you love dogs, or need to live vicariously through a dog owner, this is the book for you!  I loved it, and I loved Katie!

About the Book: This is the tragic story of Kent Whitaker’s heart-wrenching journey toward forgiveness and faith after the brutal murder of his wife and one of his sons.

Straight from the headlines comes an incredible true story of a son’s treachery. For the first time, readers are offered inside access to the emotional drama that went on behind the scenes. At the core is the remarkable healing power of forgiveness, demonstrated by Kent Whitaker, which shows how the survivors of such atrocious events can still forgive those who have permanently damaged their lives.

One evening, the Whitaker family returned home after dinner, celebrating a son’s impending graduation from college. On opening the front door, they faced a gunman lying in wait. The gunman opened fire, instantly killing the younger sonand Kent’s wife, leaving Kent and his older son lying wounded until police and ambulances arrived. While recovering in the hospital, Kent resolved in his heart to forgive whoever was responsible for the deaths of his wife and son.

Over the next few weeks, it was discovered that the whole murder plot had been orchestrated by the surviving son — whom Kent had unknowingly forgiven. After a trial that resulted in a death sentence for his son, Kent emerged from this harrowing ordeal to share their astonishing journey toward forgiveness and redemption.

My Review: This story is nothing short of incredible. When I read the synopsis, I hadn’t heard of the crime and could only think that this was pretty much one of the worst things you could imagine happening to someone. For that very reason, it’s an incredible story about God.

What amazed me was that within just the first few hours of this all taking place, Kent felt compelled to forgive the person who had murdered his wife and son, and shot him and his other son. He is able to give this forgiveness right away, which sets the stage to offer even more healing and forgiveness. That’s not to say that there isn’t a tremendous amount of pain left to work through…there is, but taking that initial step of obedience made the rest of the story possible.

The writing is actually very good in this book as well. It at times almost reads like a novel. One of the things I really liked about this book was the way that Kent was so honest. He wasn’t afraid to share what his honest emotions were in certain situations, but he didn’t make excuses for them.

I highly recommend this book. It’s a great reminder of the power of God and the way He can use even the most damaging and painful situations in our lives for good.

About the Book: When a tragic drowning accident leaves fifteen-year-old Jacob in a coma, the faith of his family and community is shaken to its foundation. Medical experts used phrases such as “persistent vegetative state” and said, “Jacob will never wake up,” but Jacob’s parents knew God would have the final say.

Without sugar-coating the realities of pain and suffering, Parting the Waters presents the heart-warming, true story of what can happen when a community rallies around one wounded family. While Jacob’s parents struggle to preserve their faith and family, the prayers and innovative efforts of community members result in Jacob’s gradual awakening. Each dramatic milestone in Jacob’s recovery creates a new ripple, touching and changing many lives forever.

Told from a mother’s perspective, Parting the Waters is a poignant tale of unexpected beauty found in brokenness.

Bonus feature: a “Q & A” section that fearlessly tackles issues regarding God, His love and mercy, and His divine purposes related to suffering.

My Review: Parting the Waters is a touching memoir about how God can use even the most heartbreaking of life events to draw people to Him. It’s not an easy read, and Ms. Damoff spares us nothing…she is completely honest with her feelings throughout the book about this tragic event. And because she is, this book is very authentic and inspiring. The process of dealing with suffering is a gradual one…and even when she can see that God has brought good things from Jacob’s accident, she grieves all that he has lost.

Jacob makes many miraculous recoveries…small victories in his very difficult battle. And God uses everyone around the family to bring support and hope. The community effort involved blew me away.

This is a great book for anyone. If you have ever faced a huge disappointment in life, I also think you will enjoy this book.

You can visit the author’s website here.

Like most of you, I couldn’t escape the constant headlines about Britney Spears. To my great shame, I’m sure I passed quick judgement on her as her life seemed to unravel before our eyes. I have to say I didn’t follow the headlines closely, but it was impossible to ignore them altogether. I didn’t know how I’d feel about this book. I actually didn’t know much about Lynne Spears but it seems that she has earned quite a bad reputation for herself as a stage mother. I didn’t know what this book would be about or if I I could believe it.

What I read was the account of a heartbroken mother whose private family life was shoved into the spotlight. As her daughters faced their own individual heartaches, they were offered up for public judgement. But in truth, each member of the Spears family is more than what was made available to us in tabloids. They each have their own full lives, flesh and blood people like the ones that surround us. This memoir is Lynne’s attempt to pass something on about them and their family history and lives to her children.

It’s an interesting read as most memoirs are detailing their family lives and Lynne’s own struggles with her marriage, giving up her career for her children’s, the loss of her family members (both parents and her sister), and the unexpectedness of what Britney’s fame brought to them all. I couldn’t always follow the parts about Britney, because I think it was assumed that the reader had obsessively read the tabloids. While I saw certain events reported, I must admit I tend to turn the channel when a particular celebrity (or politician!) is constanly in the headlines. I did understand that Lynne loves her children.

It did seem to me she was a bit naive about what fame would do their family and bring to her children, but at the end of the day, it’s not my place to judge. This book is an excellent reminder that the people you see on television are real…and hopefully will give us all the ability to judge a little less.