Reading, Writing & Pondering

Ten years ago it was Lena Donohue's wedding day. However, to say things didn't go as planned is an understatement. Today, Lena deals with the fall out of her sister and her fiance's betrayal that day. Or rather she tries not to think about the painful memories of the day. Since then, she has moved on with her life and became a successful travel writer in New York City. She stays far away from Watersend, South Carolina where her sister lives, currently married to her former fiance, until Lena's brother calls to let her know she is needed at home. Lena's dad's health is failing. One thing has never changed, Lena loves her dad and would do anything for him. Including going home and facing old memories and people she has avoided for years. The Favorite Daughter is a complex layered story that touched me on several levels. I thought Lena's wrestling with forgiveness was realistic and I could understand why it wouldn't be easy for her to be with her fami...

I have personal experience with Alzheimer's disease and dementia as we have cared for family members and I have friends caring for family members with this disease. I understand the toll it can take on caregivers so I try to read whatever I can about this disease and how to care for those who have it. New Every Day by Dave Meurer is full of compassion and great advice for those who are caring for a loved one with this disease. New Every Day , according to Meurer, is not written in any particular order to sort of mimic what it is like to deal with the disease that often seems somewhat random in how it presents itself. Meurer give a lot of factual information on how to care for your loved one, how to pace yourself and not burn out, how to manage the financial and legal end of things, and a lot of other good information. At the same time, Meurer encourages caregivers to keep their sense of humor throughout the book. I think New Every Day would be especially helpful to someone...

With so many older people getting some form of dementia, many of us are concerned about brain health as we age. The Aging Brain by Timothy R. Jennings, MD offers a lot of good information on taking care of our bodies and, ultimately, our brains as we age to give ourselves the best chance at a life without a memory loss disease. Dr. Jennings starts out The Aging Brain by sharing how dementia is personal to his family as he has watched his mother-in-law deal with Alzheimer's disease over the past few years and has seen his wife's concern that she may also face that challenge. Dr. Jennings then shows readers ways that the disease can begin, then progress and many ways to fight off the disease. The Aging Brain is divided into four sections: History and Aging, Oxidative Stress and Aging, Lifestyle and Aging and Pathological Aging. Each section contains several chapters of  solid scientific advice and information that Dr Jennings has collected. I especially like that each ...

I watched my paternal grandfather go through dementia and I know how heartbreaking it is for loved ones. As a result, Defeating Dementia by Richard Furman looked interesting and helpful as someone who doesn't want to follow in my grandfather's footsteps. Dr. Furman has been a vascular surgeon for more than thirty years. He draws on his expertise to write Defeating Dementia. At the same time, he watched his mother-in-law go through dementia so he also writes as one who has witnessed the challenges of the disease in a loved one. Defeating Dementia is divided into four parts: Understanding Dementia, The Aging Process and the Health of Your Arteries, The Risk Factors for Developing Alzheimer's, and Lifestyle Choices for Defeating Dementia. This book is straightforward and written so a layperson can easily understand the process and how to prevent the disease. Throughout the book, he also shares a sidebar of his mother-in-law Mrs. Dell's experience with dementia. I fo...

Increasingly people in our society are diagnosed with some form of dementia. Daniel Amen has two new books designed to help people at risk for memory problems to makes changes to improve their odds of not getting memory-related disease. Memory Rescue is Amen's main new book with detailed steps to improve brain health. Stones of Remembrance is designed as a companion book to help Christians, in particular, contribute to a healthier mind through Scripture memorization. Stones of Remembrance is a small book that would be easy to carry along for memorization and mediation on Scripture to inspire, comfort and challenge believers in all walks of life. This little book starts out with an inspiring introduction from Stephen Arterburn on how Dr. Amen helped him with his brain issues. There are three sections to this book: The Twelve Spiritual Disciplines for improving your memory, The Twelve verses to remember when. . . , and The Twelve Verses every Christian Should Know. I am so ...