Leaving The Hall Light On by Madeline Sharples
Published by Dream of Things
Publication Date: July 13, 2012
ISBN-10: 0982579489
ISBN-13: 978-0982579480
Pages: 338
Review Copy from: Dream Of Things
Edition: TPB
My Rating: 4 

Synopsis:
Leaving the Hall Light On is about living after loss: first and foremost how author Madeline Sharples chose to live and go on with life and take care of herself as a woman, wife, mother, writer. It is about the steps Sharples took in living with the loss of her son, including making use of diversions to help ease her grief and the milestones she met toward living a full life without him. She says, “to let ourselves grieve is to feel the depth of our love. For those whose children have died, that may take the rest of our lives, but we will discover the gifts of our loss in the process.”

My Thoughts and Opinion:
Over the past year or so, I have stepped out of my comfort zone, and started reading memoirs. And honestly, the ones that I have read have had a lasting impact on me.

The author shares, very candidly, her journey as, a wife and mother, coping with a son who was diagnosed with a Bipolar Disorder and then his suicide. Her pain and recovery. This book was a bit of a hard read for me because of some of the parallels in the story. A thought provoking read on many levels and for varied reasons.

One of the similarities was I am a parent of 2 sons, 2 1/2 years apart and the oldest named Paul, the same as the author. While reading of her struggle with her son Paul, I found myself asking, “what if it was my Paul? Another thing I could relate to was the Bipolar Disorder, because of my background in nursing, I am familiar with the struggles of those diagnosed with the disease, the patterns they have and the signs and symptoms.

Ms. Sharples shares her painful experience of living through her son’s periods of mania and depression. Her raw emotions are palpable. Then the worst nightmare that every parent fears, burying one’s child. And even worse, not knowing the whys. Does any parent have closure? No such thing. How does one go on? I can’t even imagine, having to go through something like this. She frankly and honestly describes her emotions of love, anger, worry, depression, hope, guilt, and even at times, selfishness. How she used writing poetry, which are also in the book, as a coping mechanism. And the decision to write this, which had to be very painful, memoir. As a parent, it was a heart wrenching read. But it was also a read of survival and recovery. It’s then that the hall light goes off.

A powerful and poignant read!! 

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

This week’s question:
How do you organize/store your books? Do you go through them often? Or do you pretty much just shelve them and then leave them alone until you need them?

My response:
I love this question and will enjoy seeing how everyone answers.

In my office/reading room, I have 3 bookcases , each having a special purpose.  When I receive a book, the first thing I do is catalogue it to my spreadsheet with the date received, who it is from and any other notations.  I then put a post-it with the same information on the front cover.  I would be lost without my spreadsheet especially for those books that are in my EReaders.

It then goes into my big TBR 5 shelf bookcase, in the order received.  I am now up to 2 1/2 shelves for requested reviews.  The bottom 2 shelves are for personal TBRs that I have either won or purchased.  I also have another smaller 3 shelf bookcase that holds my prized possesions, the signed books, on the first shelf.  The other 2 shelves holds books I have won and need TBR.  The 3rd bookcase is a corner unit, which is a sentimental piece of furniture.  It was my grandmother’s, and even though it doesn’t match the other furniture in my office,  I think of her when I look at it.  This bookcase holds the books I have read along with some photo albumns.

However, there  may be some rearrangement this coming weekend, since I ordered a new desk for my office, which is supposed to be delivered this week.  I am so excited because my desk now is a mess, unable to hold all my computer and office items.  This is the one I purchased:

December is being hosted by Suko’s Notebook

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.
According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”
Click on titles for synopsis via IndieBound (I am an IndieBound Affliate)

Monday:  Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay from GCP/Forever
Monday: Hunk for the Holidays by Katie Lane from GCP/Forever
Wednesday: Private London by James Patterson from The Hachette Book Group
Wednesday: Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh recommended by Gina @ Hott Books (personal d/l)
Saturday: Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson recommended by Gina @ Hott Books (personal d/l)

If you follow this blog, then you know I have a weakness for reading challenges.  I am trying my best to contain myself from signing up for as many as I did last year.  And so far I have been good, however, it is still early!!

Two challenges are being added today, which brings me up to 6 as of this moment.

One challenge is a new one for me so I have to give it a try.  Plus who doesn’t want to live in a mansion lol?

The other one that I am signing up for today is another fun favorite.  Even though I didn’t complete it for this year, it is still fun to see where I have travelled to with the books I read.

Here are the details in case you want to join me:

I was so excited when Tracy from Media Muscle/The Book Trib contacted me about today’s guest.  It has been a while since he was last here, but today, he is back to tell us about his latest novel.  So I ask, as only you can do, to give a warm welcome to an old friend, Allan Topol!!

ALLAN TOPOL

 Allan Topol is the national bestselling author of seven novels of international intrigue. He is a graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology who majored in chemistry, abandoned science, and obtained a law degree from Yale University. A partner in a major Washington law firm, and an avid wine collector, Topol has traveled extensively, researching dramatic locations for his novels. He is a contributor to the Yale Law Report, Glenn Beck’s online magazine, and Military.com. You can visit him at www.AllanTopol.com for more information.

ABOUT THE BOOK

National bestselling author, Allan Topol, returns to the scene of the crime with his second Craig Page Thriller and sequel to The China Gambit, THE SPANISH REVENGE (Vantage Point; $14.95; September 2012). This time around, Craig Page, the bold and daring EU Director of Counterterrorism, must once again team up with the resourceful Elizabeth Crowder, a newspaper reporter, to stop a feared terrorist, Ahmed Sadi, whose goal is to provoke a Muslim uprising in Western Europe.

With help from The China Gambit villain, Chinese General Zhou, Ahmed plans to launch an attack against Christianity and retake militarily, a portion of Southern Spain, for Islam. Relying on a medieval parchment claiming that Queen Isabella ceded a portion of Southern Spain to the Muslims, Ahmed has one major problem: Craig Page is hot on his trail and determined as ever to save the world.

THANKS TO TRACY FROM MEDIA MUSCLE, I HAVE ONE (1)
COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY. U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE

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I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
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ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
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An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

Many, many years ago, while in training to become an RN, I remember all of the brave patients that allowed me to take care of them as a student nurse.  They gave me the opportunity to reach my dreams and goals.  And now, eons later, I feel that I am paying it forward, to give indie authors a platform to reach their dreams.  So when Kate from Page Turner Book Tours contacted me, it was a yes.  So without further ado,

SONYA WATSON

Sonya was born in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica but moved to Canada eleven years ago. She discovered writing when she was eleven. However, was unable to pursue it since she lived in a country where writing was impractical. She rediscovered the art during third year at York University. Kinesiology, the program she was enrolled in, was no longer simulating and found herself questioning her purpose in life. This led her to poetry and poetry led her to writing novels.
Connect with Sonya on Goodreads.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Once upon a time, there was a sixteen year-old girl that lost both her parents under unusual circumstances. Abrianna was lonely and found some comfort in the arms of her boyfriend, Michael. Life turned grim when she realizes that a man, who was once the enforcer of fate, wanted her to die. The disgraced enforcer had taken great steps to ensure Abrianna’s death and planned to do this by enlisting the help of humans and creatures without their knowledge. Evil had washed over the land the humans named Dainesville. Abrianna had the power to heal the land and when she did she would return prosperity to the lives of the townspeople. When the time came for Abrianna to stand alongside her half-brother, Stephen, to fight the coming evil she did so without hesitation. Life ended. Darkness fell. Love faded. The End?

Purchase Links:  Amazon UK,  Amazon USA,  Smashwords, Barnes And Noble

Visit Page Turners Book Tours to for a chance to win a copy of this book.

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

I don’t know about you, but I am already tired of the cold here in New England.  So when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me about this book, it was a yes.  Just imagine being transported to the Caribbean.  That’s what today’s guest will do.  So please help me welcome Richard Meibers!!

RICHARD MEIBERS

Richard Meibers is a professional writer living in central Massachusetts. He is the author of two previous novels, STEAL AWAY HOME and TREE RINGS. He has also written two non-fiction books, one on dealing with anger and aggression in psychotherapy, and another on the history of watch-making in the 19^th century.

GUEST POST 

Guest Post for FALLING OFF THE WIND.

BOAT BUMS

Twenty years ago, the eye of Hurricane Hugo smashed into the tiny Puerto Rican island of Culebra. It ruined a lot of boats that had sailed in there purposefully to avoid the big wind. The deep bay in the center of the island surrounded by low hills had the reputation of being a “hurricane hole,” a place of relative safety. A number of the boats that either sank in the bay or were blown onto shore were not insured and became a total loss.

Why not have insurance on an expensive and vulnerable piece of property? I wondered about this until I talked with several of these owners. My first introduction to a widespread, loose kind of community known as boat bums, people, unplugged from what we think of as normal society, who spend their lives roaming the seas in sail boats.

Some very few of these boat bums have money of their own, but most scratch out a living wherever and however they can, performing menial jobs, crewing on other boats, or doing what in our normal society would not be considered exactly legal. They are not pirates but they might, for example, smuggle computer parts into Cuba. Their preferred choice of boat style is the sailboat because they usually cannot afford the fuel for a motorized vessel.

Boat bums can still be found all over the Caribbean, as well as the islands of the South Pacific, the Mediterranean. Though they range far and wide, they never leave home. The boat is their home. And their community is mainly one of sharing information on subjects like where to find work, where to find an inexpensive shipwright to fix something, where to find a cheap mooring, where to hide from a hurricane, or who might be having a party on some other island.

Getting to know so many boat bums has been fun. They all have their reasons for “dropping out” as they used to say in the Sixties. One woman told me that after her first trip on a sailboat she stopped biting her nails. Another, from Minnesota, said she had gotten sick of snow. A army veteran who acquired a boat after his tour of duty inViet Namsaid the life on a sailboat helped him forget; and it must be working, he said, because after twenty years at sea he did feel a little better. An older man came to theCaribbeanafter selling his small Midwestern electronics firm when his wife died.

The boat bum has a lot in common with the ski bum. Their lifestyles both revolve around an intense and addictive pleasure. But the boat bum, living in a warm climate is not slave to the weather, but merely to his or her own whims, which breeds an independence as intense as the pleasure.

My novel FALLING OFF THE WIND is about a boat bum in the Caribbean..

ABOUT THE BOOK

 Falling off the Wind by Richard Meibers.  This enjoyable adventure novel delves into the lifestyle of a Caribbean sailor and explores the realities of life lived on a boat.  Filled with hurricanes, smugglers, hardship and love, this story will reel you in and keep you hooked to the very end.
Purchase link:  Amazon

THANKS TO REBECCA FROM THE CADENCE GROUP, I HAVE ONE (1)
COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY. U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.