Lucci's List: February 2020

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Self-Help/Inspiration

"I Am, I Create" by Erin Werley is a self-help book of guidance towards inner peace, self-motivation, and the belief in a higher power to encourage you.

Written in first person, this book reads smoothly. At times conversational, others poetic or scripted, it is a well-thought out examination of goals and the doubts that keep us from attaining them. It offers meditative opportunities to discover solutions to the questions of "what if" that plague us all at different crossroads in our lives.

Ten sections for ten days of self-study are the basis of this book.

It begins with Day 1: The Voice. This is an introduction to the practice of inner prayer. This book hints at a Christian god, but it could be applied to any higher power.

Day 2: No Limits explores deeper the inner voice, and the questions we ask about the world around us.

3: The Joy of Being a Creator expresses the idea that love is everywhere and it is the chain that binds us all. With this connection, we can share new ideas.

Day 4: All the Answers are Within is a chapter that encourages self-inflection to seek what is truly important to us as individuals. Our inner voice helps connect us to god, the I Am within each of us.

Day 5: Why You Think You're Not God differentiates between the ideas of good and evil in the world and the self-blame we place in our intuition.

Day 6: Create With Purpose encourages the reader to think, then act. The thinking is as important as the action, but it is the doing that dissolves self-doubt.

Day 7: Victimization, Power, and Suffering studies how the lack of self-awareness breaks our connections with other people, creating fear and violence.

Day 8: Doubts discusses the philosophy that there is no one way to improve or create something within ourselves to share with the world. We all can use our inner personas uniquely to achieve our goals.

Day 9: Communicating With Your Inner Voice describes ways we can be more attuned to ourselves.

Day 10: Trust Yourself invites the reader to continue the personal journey of enlightenment and connection in their personal way that suits them best.

This is a wonderful book to start out or continue New Year's resolutions, or to put aside quiet moments of reflection any time.

Memoir/Biography Romance

"Always With You" by Shalini Bhalla-Lucas is more than a love story. It is a memoir of young love, sweet romance, and lifelong joy mixed with mental illness, self-help, family trauma, disease, abandonment... Life.

But the ending gives hope.

The story begins with Shalini, an independent young Indian woman in England. She experiences a meet-cute with her handsome British neighbor, Jeremy. Quickly, their friendship became romantic, and intensely so. Love letters, acts of kindness, declarations of passion...this fantastical fairytale love proved to be the real thing.

Shalini was two decades younger than her beau, but that didn't bother either of them. What was distressing was the disapproval of Shalini's traditional Indian family. Torn between her honor for her family and her love for her man, she inevitably chose Jeremy.

When panic attacks and depression entered Shalini's life, Jeremy was there with her to ensure that she got proper medical care. This theme of accepting mental health care as a necessity for full health is expressed throughout the book. Many interesting and diverse examples are given of therapeutic aids, from multiple cultures. The author described these practices as all being equal with each other. The tie between mind and body became a focus of Shalini's that she focused on for the rest of her life.

Through two decades, Shalini and Jeremy's love grew and strengthened. They had typical spats (which is the proper way to squeeze toothpaste?) but their dedication and romantic gestures and feelings never stopped.

But then disease invaded their lives.

Their lives became a fixation on ridding Jeremy's body of cancer. Every medicine, potion, meditation, diet, prayer was attempted. But nothing could completely cure him.

After his death, Shilani experienced the typical spectrum of grief. When her grief turned to depression and suicidal thoughts, she was ready to go. She was convinced that she couldn't live without him, and wanted to die.

It is at this point in her story that Shilani reveals what kept her going. What gave her hope. The ability to live.

Her life has since brought joy and new life to communities she had loved. She honoured her love for her husband, and found her light in the darkness.

"Letters to My Ex" by Anita Oswald is a post-breakup journal. Written over the course of a year after a two year relationship, the author recounts what went wrong, what could have been, and how she can move forward.

Well written in an easily flowing non-formal style, this book takes the reader through all the emotions one experiences after a relationship sours and ends. At times funny, at others bitter, Oswald has captured the ups and downs of feeling independent yet lonely.

I respect this book as the author's own feelings, yet it seemed a bit whingey at times. I got tired of her complaints and putdowns, and between the lines, saw many faults that she had not considered in herself. She has offered an honest emotional journal of her broken heart to the world, which is brave. I think more self-reflection would make this book a winner.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance

"Over the Hills of Green" by E.V. Svetova is a modern fantasy novel that challenges social mores, prejudices, and the concept of a successful life.

Anna is a strong independent woman. Motivated to excel in her university studies of psychology, she is thrilled to be assigned a "John Doe." His case of amnesia is a perfect puzzle for her problem-solving mind, and will make an excellent thesis project.

As her study of John continues, she begins to believe there is something inhuman about him. His dramatic good looks are magical enough, but there is evidence that he possesses other-worldly qualities.

Her pride, focus, and hum-drum relationships are put on hold as she obsesses over her would-be patient, who is quickly becoming a friend, and much, much more.

The characters in this book are well drawn. Their background stories and motivations were clear and meaningful. Anna was relatable as a woman who has had to change her priorities and goals because of family circumstances. Her resoluteness in succeeding at her profession seemed natural. The intimate relationships she shared showed that even as a strong woman, she still faltered between love and convention. Adding John to her life disrupted her longing sense of routine and normalcy, but she found herself so drawn to him, and comfortable in their burgeoning friendship, that she began to question herself and her life choices. The world as she knew it was forever changed by this mysterious man, and she knew she would never see life the same way again.

John was an intriguing character from the start, and I was relieved when he didn't turn out to be a "Twilight" type of superhuman. The magic and adventure brought forth by his presence was both endearing and breathtaking.

I am not usually a "romance reader," but this storyline depended on the love and lust powerfully pushing the pounding plot forward. Excellently written.

I would recommend this to fans of "The Lord of the Rings," and "Inu-Yasha," and everybody seeking a magical romance in an average world.

"Dating the Undead" by Juliet Lyons is not "Twilight" - and that's good!

This paranormal romance switches points of view between the male and female lovers. Intrigue and mystery add to the hotness of their sexual exploits as together they encounter deceptions.

In a world where vampires are out of the closet, a dating site becomes a devious target for anti-vamps. Logan and Silver are embark on a gritty modern action-packed youthful adventure to save their love and their version of society.

The characters were not always likable, but Logan was one of those bad boys that girls like Silver find irresistible. His character was delicious. He reminded me of Hook from "Once Upon a Time." Smartly witty with slick flirtations, his dialogue with Silver was what kept this story going for me.

This is definitely a romance book with erotic scenes, so I would not recommend it for readers under the age of eighteen. For everyone else who doesn't want to read three long boring books to get to the disappointing, abrasive, degrading human/vampire sex scene, (yes "Twilight Saga," I'm looking at you), this book will be gratifying.

Gay M/M Romance

"Obsession" by Theophilia St. Claire is a triple X hot M/M action-packed romance.

Nick and Claude are an example of how opposites attract. Their hot romance with luscious pornographic scenes turns dark and deadly. Excitement turns to fear. Murder lingers in the background. Mistaken identity, psychosis, violent possession. Can they trust each other, or themselves?

This book was full of shocking twists. I actually gasped out loud in surprise at the end of one chapter.

There were many parts of this book I read over and over for various reasons. This early scene drew a beautiful picture of Claude and Nick's relationship: “Nick didn’t hesitate to return the kiss. Claude’s lips were soft and tender. He tasted like spice and scotch. And danger. The way he kissed Nick with so much passion and heat made Nick feel less like a cheap male whore and more like the most desired man in all of New York City.”

This is a thrilling adventure for readers 21+