Infotriguing – The Story That Made Us Stronger by Iris March #IrisMarch

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

It’s funny, not funny ha ha, but that odd kind of funny. I woke up at 4:30 this morning, writing the review for The Story That Made Us Stronger by Iris March, in my head. That happens sometimes, seeing my major activity these days is reading.

Most times cozy mysteries are fun, for me. A relaxing read to give me a rest from the dark and dangerous, sometimes gruesome stories I love the most. A palate cleanser, if you will. Most of the time, I give them a three rating. Not because anything is really wrong with the story, just that it is ‘sorta’ skimmed over, light, not enough meat on the bones kind of story.

Then, I read a story like The Story That Made Us Stronger by Iris March, and all the ‘events’ she hit on had me thinking, thinking so much, I found myself surfing, looking for more information, loving the way she wove the elements into the story.

We have running, cancer, stem cell replacement, a male nurse, ham radios, the Underground railroad, a message in a bottle, and a group of people brought together through unusual circumstances. I found myself unable to put the book down, and, at times, was waiting for that proverbial ‘other show to drop’, which really doesn’t happen for me in cozy mysteries. Iris March has a way of writing that gave me a suspenseful feeling, highly unusual for me in a cozy mystery.

I quickly became involved with the characters, Connor and Katie, especially, but his nieces who are soooo adorable, and the peripheral characters had such large personalities and added that extra bit, that everyone of them added those extra feels that mean to so much to us readers.

Well, this was one of those rare reviews, for me. One where I never went to my notes. I got up at 5:00 am and immediately wrote it. The story wouldn’t let me go back to sleep, soooo here we are. Maybe now, I can put the story to rest…until my next visit to an Iris March adventure that I feel sure will be an entertaing one.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

An abandoned building. A motivated runner. A Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer survivor.

Connor Jackson has been training for a half marathon for the past six weeks. Katie Brandt has been training to beat cancer for the past 50. When Connor discovers an intriguing secret in a tiny, abandoned building on his running route, Katie finds that the mystery is what she needs to help her get through her three-week stem cell replacement procedure. Together, Conner and Katie must find the strength to achieve their personal goals and, in the meantime, expose the many past lives that the tiny building led.

  • Genre: Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery
  • 236 pages, Paperback
  • Published September 27, 2002 by Wandering Ginkgo Press
  • ISBN
  • 9798985918236
  • Language: English

ABOUT IRIS MARCH (from Amazon)

Iris March has a reputation for killing house plants and now she’s killing people off in books? Coincidence? Perhaps not. Iris has spent two decades working in the sustainability field and is usually either reading a book or on a trail. She lives in Ohio with her husband, son, and three cats. Learn more about upcoming books and sign up for her newsletter at irismarchbooks.com.

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Happy Book Birthday for Celia Bonaduce’s Smooth @pumpupyourbook @CeliaBonaduce

 


We’re thrilled to announce the release of Celia Bonaduce’s new book, SMOOTH: LIFE HACKS TO GET YOU SMOOTHLY THROUGH CHEMO today! To help celebrate, we are asking our readers if you can please pretty please pick up a copy at Amazon and come back and tell us how you liked it? Or, leave a review while you’re there! 
 

Congratulations, Celia, on your new release, Smooth: Life Hacks to Get You Smoothly Through Chemo!






Is Now Available in Paperback!
 




Title: Smooth: Life Hacks To Get You Smoothly Through Chemo
Author: Celia Bonaduce
Publisher: BookBaby
Pages: 100
Genre: Nonfiction

When cancer got in the way of Celia traveling for her day job as a field producer on the hit HGTV show, House Hunters, she did not let it stop her creativity. While the road to her first nonfiction book was anything but SMOOTH, it was a path that Celia felt compelled to explore. This collection of life hacks comes from Celia’s own experiences living through chemo.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pmQoFa

 


One test had led to the next and then the next. I’d had two mammograms, an ultrasound, and a biopsy. So when the call came, I was ready.

“Hi, Celia…” my doctor said, her voice trailing off. “It’s cancer.”

“Yeah,” I said, picturing my life as a novelist and a TV producer grinding to an immediate halt. “My village would have to be missing its idiot for me to not have suspected this.”

So then I did the breast cancer thing—lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. I learned a lot about breast cancer (for example, that mine was Stage 1-B triple-negative breast cancer). But here’s a secret: while there are lots of books out there about women’s personal stories during their breast cancer journeys, when you’re going through it, you don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone else’s story. You just want to know how to get through it yourself.

This isn’t a personal retrospective, nor is it a medical journal. But I do have some recommendations I’d like to pass along—just some ideas that might make your life easier during this most stressful of times. All the products mentioned are my personal favorites from my own chemo adventure. No company has endorsed, sponsored, or bribed me. The photographs of the products are beautiful and professional looking because my beautiful and professional friend Justine shot them.

As you start your journey, you will wonder where you will get the mental as well as physical strength to voluntarily show up for chemo month after month. But you will find that strength or that strength will find you. I hope these tips will make your trip easier.

Because it’s all about you.

As it should be.

 

About Celia Bonaduce



Celia Bonaduce is an award-winning novelist, podcast writer, and television producer. Celia spent fifteen years as a producer-director in lifestyle programming on shows that include ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and HGTV’s House Hunters and Tiny House Hunters. As a novelist with Kensington Publishing, Celia has written three trilogies: the Venice Beach Romances, the Fat Chance, Texas series, and the Tiny House Novels. The Tiny House Novel series won top honors with a Grand Finalist nod from the New Apple Official Selection, first place in the Book Excellence Awards and Gold from both the National Federation of Press Women and the Elite Choice Awards. Celia is also a co-author of A Texas Kind of Christmas, an Amazon #1 Best Seller in Historical Romance that took Gold from the National Federation of Press Women.

Website: https://www.celiabonaduce.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CeliaBonaduce

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBonaduceAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celiabonaduce

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/celia-bonaduce
 
 


 




  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

SPOTLIGHT BOOK TOUR: Unseen Arms: A Story about Cancer, Crisis, and Being Carried by Faith by Evelyn & Wayne Hausknecht @iReadBookTours


 

Join Us For This Tour From:  May 3 to May 16
 
Book Details:
Book Title:  Unseen Arms: A Story about Cancer, Crisis, and Being Carried by Faith by Evelyn & Wayne Hausknecht
CategoryAdult Non-Fiction (18+), 168 pages
GenreMedical Memoir
Publisher: Mascot Books
Publication Date: May 3, 2022.
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: Mature as it is a medical journal/novel.
 
Book Description:

Patient and Caregiver: the main characters in a drama that started in 2007 and is still unfolding for Evelyn and Wayne Hausknecht. In 2007, Evelyn was diagnosed with an aggressive, recurrent type of non-Hodgkin’s T-cell lymphoma. Although in Unseen Arms Evelyn and Wayne are as medically accurate as their memories and blog allow, the greatest purpose here is to tell the story from a patient’s and caregiver’s perspectives.

Recently, while having an in-depth conversation with a lung doctor when Evelyn was in the hospital with pneumonia, Evelyn was thanked by the doctor for what she and Wayne were doing. She was in awe of his excitement for the book. The doctor saw the need for future patients to learn from experienced patients. Evelyn and Wayne were peer volunteers for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for years. The goal of that program was the same: an experienced caregiver and patient walk beside a person entering the transplant program to make their path smoother. Even though each diagnosis and circumstance is different, every patient has the same questions, fears, and needs. The greatest need is for someone understanding to talk to. When Evelyn was diagnosed, it was easy to find medical information, but caregiver and patient perspectives were limited.

Evelyn and Wayne had three purposes for writing this book. One was to give God the Glory for His faithfulness during this process. The second was to give hope to the patients and caregivers of today and the future. The third was to give some limited insights into the stem cell transplant process. The medical part of this process is rapidly changing, but the patients and caregivers still have the same needs.
Buy the Book:
Mascot
Amazon ~ B&N
 
Meet the Author: 

Evelyn and Wayne Hausknecht have spent most of their careers in education. Evelyn has taught different subjects and ages in public and Christian schools. Wayne, a wood engineer, helped build the largest sawmill in Brazil and has managed mills in Michigan and North Carolina. They both enjoy motorcycle riding and rode their Harley Davidson Road King to Glacier National Park in 2006. Recently, they traded their motorcycle for a Model A truck and now enjoy going to car shows. They have two married children and six grandchildren and reside in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

connect with the author:  facebook instagram 
 
Tour Schedule:

May 3 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book spotlight
May 3 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight
May 4 – JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder – book spotlight
May 5 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight
May 6 – fundinmental – book spotlight
May 9 – Kam’s Place – book spotlight
May 10 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight
May 11 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight
May 12 – Working Mommy Journal – book spotlight
May 13 – From the TBR Pile – book spotlight
May 16 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight