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Golden Roots: a family legacy
DonnaLee Overly’s Golden Roots: A Family Legacy is a sweeping work of historical fiction that follows one Pennsylvania Dutch family across nearly two centuries. The story begins in 1848 with Fannie Schaffer watching Jacob Wildasin leave Manheim Township for the promise of better farmland in Iowa. Jacob’s journey eventually carries him to the California Gold Rush, while Fannie remains rooted in Pennsylvania, building a meaningful life through faith, family, work, and music. From there, the novel follows their descendants through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II, and the creation of Codorus State Park, ending with a modern descendant’s effort to preserve the family’s history. Overly draws openly from family stories and historical research, blending documented events with imagined emotions and conversations.
The strongest part of the opening section is the contrast between Jacob’s restless ambition and Fannie’s attachment to home. His chapters offer danger, travel, gold fever, violence, and reinvention, while hers show how waiting can become its own difficult journey. Fannie’s growth is especially satisfying. She begins as a heartsick teenager whose future seems tied entirely to Jacob, but she gradually discovers a calling as a musician and choir director. The wonderfully direct sentence, “Music saved Fannie,” captures that transformation in three words. When Jacob returns seven years later, their romance has more weight because both of them have changed, made mistakes, and developed lives beyond their youthful promises.
The novel’s broad historical range gives it an unusual structure. Once Jacob and Fannie’s love story reaches its resolution, the focus passes to their daughter Flossie, granddaughter Florence, and later generations. Everyday details do much of the storytelling: canning jars, feed-sack aprons, church music, farm chores, family recipes, radios, automobiles, and inherited household objects. These details create a strong sense of how history enters ordinary homes. The Great Depression, for instance, is shown through farm families feeding strangers and sharing roadside produce, not simply through a summary of national events. This approach makes the family’s values, especially generosity, faith, and hard work, feel lived.
Because the book covers so many years and people, some sections move more like a family chronicle than a tightly plotted novel. Major losses, marriages, relocations, and historical events can arrive quickly, while domestic routines sometimes receive considerably more space. Still, that patient accumulation of detail fits the book’s central concern with inheritance. The repeated images of roots, soil, stars, music, and changing seasons connect generations that never meet on the page. Overly also handles the later loss of the family’s land with genuine feeling. When property is taken for the reservoir project, the displacement matters because readers have already spent generations walking through those fields, kitchens, orchards, and gardens.
In its final section, Golden Roots becomes partly a story about writing Golden Roots. A present-day descendant visits cemeteries, historical societies, relatives, and the landscape now covered by Lake Marburg, trying to recover what time and water have concealed. She explains that the book is meant to give her ancestors “a voice so they will be remembered,” which serves as a clear statement of the novel’s purpose. That personal framing makes the book feel much like an heirloom assembled from records, legends, memories, and imagination. It’s an affectionate, deeply researched family saga for readers who enjoy multigenerational stories, regional history, and the small traditions through which people remain connected to those who came before them.
Pages: 257 | ASIN : B0GZXDZGMR
Visiting
Visiting is a tender, funny, unsentimental diary of a daughter spending time with her dying mother through hospice, dementia, ordinary errands, cigarettes, fast food, caregivers, family history, and the strange practical weather of grief. The book follows Polly Walker Blakemore’s visits from 2018 to her mother’s death and burial in 2020, and what accumulates isn’t a dramatic plot so much as a lived-in record of decline: the “bad lady” who is really the bath lady, cereal improved with ice cream and sugar, Panera and Pieology and Five Guys becoming almost sacramental, Rhonda Ba Bamba appearing like a grace note, Missy’s death opening a fresh pocket of sorrow, and finally the obituary, the grave flags, the lichen on the cross, the household objects waiting to be claimed.
What I loved most was the book’s refusal to tidy anything up. Blakemore doesn’t pretend caretaking is noble in some glowing, greeting-card way. It’s exhausting, smoky, repetitive, bodily, sometimes gross, often funny, and frequently boring until suddenly it isn’t. I found myself moved by the way love here arrives through small maintenance tasks: fixing a loose door handle, bringing candy, rubbing a back, watching Food Network, sitting beside a bed while language thins into echo. The book understands that grief can coexist with irritation, curiosity, appetite, logistical competence, even relief. That honesty gave the whole thing a deep steadiness.
The writing has a wonderfully vibrant texture, dry and observant. Blakemore has a sharp eye for the comic absurdity of decline, like trying to make a “safe-smoking protocol” for someone on oxygen, or treating a car trip for burgers as both outing and ordeal. But she also knows when to let a sentence soften. Her descriptions of her mother’s hands, her grandmother’s calendars, the orchids and peace plants, the final season shifting toward fall, all carry a quiet ache. The ideas in the book felt strongest when they circled memory and identity: how a person can become unrecognizable and still remain intensely themselves, how children only ever know part of their parents, how a life gets reduced and preserved through objects, habits, foods, phrases, and other people’s recollections.
By the end, I felt both saddened and oddly calmed, as though the book had made room for death without making it pretty. Visiting is best for readers who appreciate reflective memoirs about aging, caregiving, mothers and daughters, dementia, and the messy, intimate comedy of family life. I’d especially recommend it to anyone who has sat beside a loved one and wondered whether “just being there” is enough, because this book answers, gently and without fuss, that sometimes it’s everything.
Pages: 131 | ASIN : B0GTWQLH6K
Fatherhood Matters!
Anthony Owens’s Fatherhood Matters! is a heartfelt guide to the role fathers play in family life, especially in the emotional, social, and identity development of children. The book opens from a personal place, with Owens explaining that his own upbringing by a single mother shaped his desire to write about why fathers need to be present and active. He frames fatherhood as more than biology, writing that it’s “the role of a provider, protector, mentor, and friend.”
The book works best as a practical encouragement piece. Owens moves through the evolution of fatherhood, the benefits of a father’s presence, the challenges fathers face, and the impact fathers can have during adolescence. His main idea stays steady throughout: children need guidance, stability, emotional safety, communication, and love, and fathers are uniquely positioned to offer those things when they’re engaged and consistent.
One of the strongest parts of the book is its attention to different fatherhood situations. Owens doesn’t limit the discussion to the traditional two-parent home. He writes about single fathers, co-parenting, divorce, separation, death, incarceration, cultural differences, and same-gender parenting. That gives the book a wide scope and makes it feel like it’s trying to speak to real families in real circumstances, rather than only presenting one version of family life.
The tone is earnest, motivational, and sometimes almost devotional in the way it talks about parenting. Owens often uses images of fathers as anchors, compasses, shade trees, and guides, which gives the book a warm and encouraging feel. The closing message captures the spirit of the whole book: “Fatherhood is not about being perfect; it’s about being present.” That line fits the book’s central purpose, because Owens isn’t arguing for flawless fathers. He’s calling for fathers who show up, listen, support, guide, and keep learning.
Fatherhood Matters! is a sincere, accessible book about the value of active fatherhood. It’s part personal reflection, part parenting guide, and part call to action. The book is most compelling when it connects big themes like identity, discipline, education, and emotional health to everyday father-child moments. It’s a book for fathers, father figures, parents, and anyone interested in how steady love and presence can shape a child’s future.
Pages: 188 | ASIN : B0DFXB1B6Y
A is for Amy
A Is for Amy by Steven Crandell is a romantic comedy novella about Amy, a young widowed mother of three trying to find her way back into desire, confidence, and choice after grief, betrayal, and exhaustion have narrowed her life. The story follows her alphabetically through encounters with Charlie, an alluring ex-milkman with his own wounds, and Quentin, a gentler surprise who eventually becomes the more grounded romantic possibility. It’s funny, messy, and deliberately intimate, a romance that is less about being rescued than about remembering that wanting something is allowed.
I really liked the voice. It’s sharp, playful, and sometimes outrageous, but underneath the jokes there is real loneliness. Amy’s thoughts move the way a tired parent’s mind moves, bouncing from breast-feeding to unpaid bills to sex to self-help books to the weird emotional weather of being seen again. I liked that the humor doesn’t polish her life into something cute. It lets the house be chaotic. It lets grief be ugly. It lets motherhood be loving and boring and gross and sacred, sometimes all on the same page.
Crandell makes a bold choice with the alphabet structure, and I think it works because the book itself feels like Amy trying to name her life one piece at a time. Attraction. Baby Bartlette. Freedom. Nutella. Yes. The structure gives the novella a quick, bright rhythm, almost like flipping through snapshots. I did sometimes feel the comedy pushed hard, especially with Bart and some of the broader side characters, but even then, the excess seems tied to Amy’s way of surviving. She turns pain into punchlines because otherwise the pain would just sit there, heavy and unmoving.
As a romantic comedy novella, A Is for Amy will probably appeal most to readers who like love stories with bite, warmth, and a little domestic chaos. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven romance, especially stories about second chances after loss. This book has sass, it has crumbs on the floor, kids at the door, and a heart that keeps choosing to open.
Pages: 95 | ASIN : B0GL9VKNXS
Navigate Family Technology: A technology roadmap for families with ideas to navigate uncharted waters
Navigate Family Technology is a clear-eyed, heartfelt guide to raising kids in a world ruled by screens. Author Nora Duncan O’Brien lays out the modern family’s digital dilemma: how to help children thrive without letting technology consume them. Through chapters that blend research, personal stories, and practical advice, she explores everything from communication struggles and social media traps to empathy loss, anxiety, and sleep disruption. The book reads like a roadmap for parents who feel lost in the constant hum of notifications and the tug-of-war between connection and control. It’s as much about reclaiming calm as it is about setting boundaries.
I found myself nodding along at every mention of the “magnetic pull” of devices. O’Brien doesn’t wag her finger or preach, she levels with you like a friend who’s been there. I appreciated how she backed her advice with science but kept her tone real and warm. Her writing has rhythm and heart, and you can feel her genuine concern for kids and families in every line. Some chapters, especially those about online predators and the permanence of digital mistakes, made me pause and feel a lump in my throat. She’s not just talking about technology, she’s talking about childhood, safety, and the kind of presence that screens quietly steal from us if we’re not careful.
There’s something brave about the way O’Brien admits she’s learning right alongside us. She owns her mistakes and turns them into lessons without ego. I loved how she weaves humor into serious topics, it makes the heavy stuff easier to sit with. Her practical ideas for setting boundaries, encouraging empathy, and helping kids “embrace boredom” actually feel doable. The mirror she holds up to our tech habits is unflinching.
I’d recommend Navigate Family Technology to any parent, teacher, or even older teen who’s trying to understand why screens feel so irresistible. It’s a wake-up call for families trying to find balance in a hyperconnected world. If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through your phone while your child talks to you, this book will make you want to put it down and really listen. It’s wise, gentle, and full of heart, a rare mix in a world that’s usually shouting advice at us from every glowing screen.
Pages: 222 | ASIN : B0DZF9VL27
Meaningful Improvement
One Percent 365 lays out a simple but powerful idea: small daily efforts, as little as one percent, can add up to huge changes over time without feeling overwhelming. Why was this an important book for you to write?
To share what I have found to be useful in improving outcomes and personal perspectives in my life. TO break it down to be manageable, no matter the stress endured, real or perceived.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
To show the possibilities and value of applying this to many aspects of our day-to-day living.
What is one thing that people point out after reading your book that surprises you?
That I have revoiced a known one percept concept and shown how applicable it can be to many aspects of our lives besides weight loss and work metrics. Kindness and forgiveness, as applied, appear to impact my readers.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from One Percent 365?
This concept can be tailored to each of us in a way that is palatable and shows a meaningful improvement over time.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
The author takes the reader on a journey to illustrate the possibilities of change that we can examine, address, and begin to make progress one percent at a time, each day. The simplest truth will become evident that each of us can tackle any aspect of our lives and work toward a desired goal with small incremental efforts while making steady, daily gains.
One Percent 365
One Percent 365 lays out a simple but powerful idea: small daily efforts, as little as one percent, can add up to huge changes over time. Joyner walks through how this principle can be applied across life, like health, habits, relationships, work, athletics, and even random acts of kindness. He mixes straightforward math with personal reflection, showing how incremental progress compounds in surprising ways. The tone is approachable, with stories and examples that make the concept easy to connect with.
I’ll be honest, at first I was skeptical. A whole book about one percent? It sounded like it could get repetitive fast. But Joyner’s style is conversational and, at times, playful. I liked how he broke things down into bite-sized chunks. His sections on “Spousal Approval Units” made me laugh, and they gave a very real reminder of how little things add up in relationships, too. I found myself nodding along, thinking of my own routines, and realizing how often I expect big leaps instead of small wins. That realization made me pause, and I felt a mix of relief and guilt. Relief because the book reminded me that I don’t have to overhaul everything all at once. Guilt because I know I’ve ignored those small steps too many times.
The math examples were clear, and some parts leaned into motivational talk. I found myself craving more stories from real people who had applied the one percent rule. Still, the honesty of Joyner’s voice carried it. He doesn’t come across as a guru preaching from a mountaintop, but more like a guy who has tried things, stumbled, and wants to share what’s worked for him.
This book doesn’t promise instant success, and that’s refreshing. It’s a steady nudge, not a shove. I’d recommend One Percent 365 to anyone who feels overwhelmed by self-improvement books that demand too much too fast. It’s especially good for readers who like practical, no-frills advice with a human touch. If you’ve ever felt stuck, this book might be the gentle push you need to start moving forward, one small step at a time.
Pages: 92 | ASIN : B0DZYV1QZY
Failure is Part of Learning
The Ultimate Other is a mix of memoir and self-reflection examining your experiences as a woman, a mother, a Jew, and a professional through a deeply personal and thought-provoking exploration of identity, otherness, and self-reinvention. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This was an important book to write for 3 reasons:
- It was a cathartic process for me to understand and give a narrative to my own experiences
2. It was important for me to be able to support others and share my learnings, to try and alleviate some of the difficulties of others going through a paradigm shift in their life, personal or professional
3. It is a thought piece about the importance of understanding yourself, having empathy for yourself, being kind to yourself and letting go. In my view, this is the first stage of a self-actualization process that will then allow space to have empathy for others. Once you understand your own values, triggers, and biases, you are in a much better position to have empathy for others – at home, at work, in teams and community. I believe this is the first step to reducing polarising and improvising social cohesion in our fragmented workplaces and society.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The most difficult thing to write about was my failures – the vulnerability and humility required to see my own contributions in the things that went wrong was very hard. Also writing about my family, my Jewishness, and including the word Jew in the title, at this moment in history was a very difficult decision to make.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The primary idea in the book was about positioning yourself as the problem to solve and having empathy for yourself to do so. Seeing failure as learning and being able to iterate and try something else to get you to where you want to be is also important.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
That the most important measure of success is your own, and you get to curate and narrate your own story.
Author Website
As the primary carer for three children and stretched by competing identities, her sense of otherness was first created by her gender. Like many professional women struggling to fulfil their potential, after her divorce Jackie began rebuilding her identity and trying to understand her internal narrative. And then the thread that had been there the whole time – her Jewish identity – was brought to the fore by events in the Middle East. Combined with her status as a divorced woman, she became The Ultimate Other.
A curious, lifelong learner, Jackie delved into the world of design thinking and discovered that she could use these powerful identities to reconstruct her life – by treating herself as the work in progress that needed to be iterated. Using design thinking, Jackie learned to treat herself with empathy and embrace her otherness.
In this deeply personal and vulnerable book, Jackie lays out the reflections, processes and activities that she utilised and experienced on her journey, and offers readers the opportunity to do the same.
