The Girl Who Had No Enemies: And the Man Who Hated Women by Dennis Patrick Fleming

This might be one of the best books I will read all year. 

This memoir was unlike any that I have read so far. It was a mix of a true-crime novel as well as a memoir.

It is a story about the tragic death of Dennis Fleming’s sister Mickey and the man who was messed up enough to cause harm to not only their family, but countless others around the country.

It details the struggles of a hurting family torn apart by not only this tragic incident, but personal relationships and beliefs as well. No family is perfect, but this shows how a family can come together through a tragic incident even if they don’t always see eye-to-eye.

I could not put this one down. From the moment I read page one, I was hooked.

I knew what the book was about before going into it, so the first section was so bittersweet to read. It establishes Dennis’s relationship with his sister and shows the reader who she was.

Knowing that something bad was coming to her and the family made me not want to get attached, but after reading so much about her and the family, you feel like you start to really know them.

Once I got to the section about Mickey’s death, I almost called it quits. I didn’t want to read about what happened because it is just so sad, but as I said before, I was hooked.

I reluctantly turned the page, and even though I may have shed a tear or two, Dennis did such a wonderful job at writing it that I do not regret continuing. You can really just feel his emotion, and it is just heartbreaking to read.

I really liked the parts about LaRette and his past that were inserted to break up the story. It added a certain flow to the book that made the reader aware that something was going to happen, but also kept them informed. It was a nice touch that I don’t see very often. When done wrong, it could completely mess with how the story is read, but Dennis inserted those sections at just the right times and it really added to the whole reading experience.

A must-read for true crime fans.

5/5 Stars

Memorable Quote: "A feeling, pure, and as powerful as the love I felt witnessing my first child enter the world, seeing her face for the first time—a feeling that powerful crystallized like a black diamond in my heart—I had to kill a man."

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13 Years in America by Melanie Steele

13 Years in America is a very real memoir about chasing happiness and stability in life. I also got out of it how love can conquer hardships.

After moving from Canada to America and getting married, Melanie and her husband chase after the American Dream.

But it isn’t always as great as it sounds.

Never happy settling in one place, they move from town-to-town and state-to-state trying to find a place that suits their lives and opportunities for financial stability.

Along the way, Melanie decides to go back to school to finish her degree. It takes up most of her time because she is dedicated to being the best. She loves doing the research and writing out her thoughts into fantastic academic papers, and even gets one published.

This doesn’t help to solve the financial situation, though.

When she decides to go to grad school, she and her husband decide it is a great time for them to start their new life as a young family. That way, he can stay home with their child while she is in school since she will be making a little bit of money. He will not have to worry about finding a job and being unhappy, and their child will never have to be taken care of by anyone except a parent. It seems like a fool-proof plan.

As time passes, the finances never become ideal, but they get along. They are happy as a family, and sometimes that is what needs to be focused on in order to get by. There are tough times along the way, but they endure it with love and positive thinking.

This book is very well written. It all flows nicely together, which makes it very easy and entertaining to read. The dialogue fit well with the rest of the story. It didn’t seem forced or out of place.

The story is very enjoyable as well. Not everything in life can be easy, but you can get through it if you have hope and are surrounded by people that love you.

I really liked reading Melanie’s story. Anyone who enjoys memoirs will enjoy it too I believe.

4/5 stars.

Memorable quotes: “I look out at the two different countries that make up this beautiful, serene landscape, and I’m struck for some reason that the two sides look exactly the same. Two different countries, but water just flows into water, and one island looks exactly the same as the other.”

“I try to push the memories from my mind. I need to look forward instead of back, I remind myself. I take two deep breaths, and that helps. I feel better with each passing moment.”

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Tomato Stakes by Melanie Jo Moore

Tomato Stakes is a sequel to Letters to Young Chong.

Melanie has many more crazy stories to share with her readers in this one.

If you read Letters to Young Chong, you know of her interesting obsession with a Mexican man named Julio.

Much of this books details the ups and downs of their times together. Just like everything else in her life, it just can’t go as she planned and it cant be easy.

There is a lot of alcohol, a lot of karaoke, and a lot of tequila insanity.

Some people have lives that are meant for memoirs, and Melanie’s is one of them. I often found myself laughing out loud while reading part two of her memoir series. 

She has a very entertaining and engaging writing style that makes it easy for the reader to not put the book down. I often said “One more chapter. . ., “ and it would turn in to two or three chapters before I could put it down.

Read Letters to Young Chong first. If you enjoy it as much as I did, you have to read this one too.

It is really funny even though you may feel like yelling at her decisions from time to time.

I can't wait to see where she takes us next. 

4.5/5 Stars. Sometimes you just need to laugh at someone else. This is a perfect book to help you do that.

Memorable quote: "Remember our discussion on diagnosing insanity.   A key component I forgot to mention was that the insane will make sudden and rash decisions, even when they made a perfectly rational one SECONDS ago."

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Soul on the Run by Robin Korth

Soul on the Run is a book of self-discovery; A story of coming from a dark and damaged path to finding hope and light in life.

It is not a book that is going to sugarcoat everyday struggles, and that is apparent from the very beginning. The introduction sets the tone for what Robin Korth has to say to her readers.

Soul on the Run is basically a collection of the author’s thoughts and feelings about different things in life. They are little tid-bits of suggestions, advice, or questioning.

I think I expected a bit more out of this. Instead of just little thoughts, I thought she was going to talk about her life experiences and how she recovered.

I think that may have been the intention of this, but it sort of gets lost. It seems more like a pick-me-up book rather than a book about coming out of the dark to see the light.

One good point I found form this book is that the author is directly talking to the reader. You can almost hear a voice behind the words. It makes reading the book very personal, and some people may need that if they are going through a rough time and are seeking some sort of guidance.

I received an advanced review copy, so the final piece is not out yet. When it is released, I would like to see some nice formatting on the pages. Since there is so much white space available on the pages, there is a chance for some nice framing and typography to be added.

Whether this is going to happen or not, I do not know.

Overall, from the intro, I was expecting a bit more from this book.

3/5 stars

Memorable Quote: “To truly hate another human being, we must have a dead spot within ourselves.”

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