Book Blast! History Book- A Conspiracy of Silence: The Health and Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt- Harry S Goldsmith

Book Tour and Contest Link

Pump Up Your Book

This book reads like a detective story in its pursuit of information concerning a conspiracy associated with the physical condition of FDR and its subsequent effect on the country at that time and into the present. A search for this information led to knowledge concerning the political manipulations surrounding the nomination of Harry S. Truman for the vice presidency in 1944.

Details are presented as to how close Truman came to losing this nomination. A recently discovered secret memo now shows that FDR was aware of his deteriorating physical condition that impacted the importance of Truman's vice presidential nomination. It was Truman's belief that FDR personally chose him for this position, but he was led to believe that he was not FDR's choice but became the vice president because of political chicanery. Truman tried unsuccessfully at a later date to disprove this belief. The book contains a host of new information regarding FDR and gives further evidence that FDR was well aware of the impending attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

NY Times Article in the Health Section on this book -link.

Amazon Link to this book.

ABOUT HARRY S. GOLDSMITH, M.D.

Dr. Goldsmith has been a professor of surgery for 35 years and a student of medical history throughout his life. He has invented several surgical procedures including an operation to treat Alzheimer?s disease and a procedure to treat acute spinal cord injuries. He is an author of 227 papers or book chapters, has edited three surgical texts, and has received honorary degrees from two Chinese universities. He is a surgeon, worldwide lecturer, and advisor on the application of his surgical procedures.

Title: A Conspiracy of Silence
Genre: History
Author: Harry Goldsmith, M.D.
Publisher: iUniverse
Pages: 289
Language: English
ISBN - 978-0-59584-331-2

Harry S. Goldsmith takes a surprising and historical journey into the last days of one of America’s most revered leaders in A Conspiracy of Silence: The Health and Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In his quest to find the truth behind FDR’s death, Goldsmith sought to find FDR’s medical records. Failing to uncover such documents, he stumbled across a secret memo. This document revealed that FDR was aware of his deteriorating physical condition and knew how it would impact the importance of Harry S. Truman’s 1944 nomination for vice presidency.

Goldsmith contends that the memo was directly tied to the political intrigue involving FDR’s last year of life. The Health and Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt also contains a host of new information regarding FDR and gives further evidence that he was well aware of the impending attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Book Review - In Falling Snow - Mary Rose MacColl

Title:  In Falling Snow

Author: MaryRose MacColl

Review:  Well, this book was interesting when I was finally able to get far enough into it.  At the beginning it jumps around too much and I had trouble keeping track of what time period I was supposed to be in.

That said, the book was an interesting read with some language that I thought was totally unnecessary to the story line, it did absolutely nothing to further the story or to build the character.  My advice TAKE IT OUT!!

The following is taken from the publicity that was sent with the book “A World War 1 novel of love, loss and the strength of two women’s spirits….When Iris receives an envelope bearing the Royaumont logo memories of her bittersweet past shatter the tranquility of her contented, elderly life.  Suddenly, she remembers her first love, her best friend and the tragedy that changed everything.”

The story starts in 1914 when our heroine, Iris, makes the trans-continental journey from Australia to France with the hope of bringing home her fifteen year old brother who had enlisted. While waiting for a train in Paris to take her to the front, she meets the charismatic Miss Ivens, who is starting up a field hospital in an old Abby in the countryside in France.  Since Iris is a nurse and seems to have time on her hands, Miss Ivens enlists her help in delivering supplies to the up and coming hospital.  The experiences she has while there and the friendships she makes shape and change her life forever.

Parallel to the story of Iris’s adventures is the story of a young woman doctor in 1971 named Grace, who is Iris granddaughter.  Her story revolves around her struggle to be accepted into a male dominated work place, trying to balance home-life and a demanding profession with her concerns about her grandmother, who raised her and who is aging badly and the failing health of her sweet little son.

The story was interesting but the reading is slow.  The book at times seems to go on forever and ever and maybe even ever!  It did not keep my interest, but I read to the end and there at the end was a surprise I had not foreseen coming.

The story takes an unexpected twist and I think will take just about any reader by surprise.  The author is very good at descriptive writing and at slowly building the story and her characters.  Her descriptions are vivid and you can see and feel the cold of the winter nights in the old abbey at Royaumont, France.

I give this book of three out of five stars.

 Publisher:  Published August 27th 2013 by Penguin books  (first published September 26th 2012)

ISBN:  0143123920

Page Numbers:  448

Quick Review:  3 out 5 stars

Why I Read this Title:  I love WWII novels and this was sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis:  A vivid and compelling story of love, war and secrets, set against the backdrop of WWI France. 'In the beginning, it was the summers I remembered - long warm days under the palest blue skies, the cornflowers and forget-me-nots lining the road through the Lys forest, the buzz of insects going about their work, Violet telling me lies.' Iris is getting old. A widow, her days are spent living quietly and worrying about her granddaughter, Grace, a headstrong young doctor. It's a small sort of life. But one day an invitation comes for Iris through the post to a reunion in France, where she served in a hospital during WWI. Determined to go, Iris is overcome by the memories of the past, when as a shy, naive young woman she followed her fifteen-year-old brother, Tom, to France in 1914 intending to bring him home. On her way to find Tom, Iris comes across the charismatic Miss Ivens, who is setting up a field hospital in the old abbey of Royaumont, north of Paris. Putting her fears aside, Iris decides to stay at Royaumont, and it is there that she truly comes of age, finding her capability and her strength, discovering her passion for medicine, making friends with the vivacious Violet and falling in love. But war is a brutal thing, and when the ultimate tragedy happens, there is a terrible price that Iris has to pay, a price that will echo down the generations. A moving and uplifting novel about the small, unsung acts of heroism of which love makes us capable.

 

Author Information:  Mary-Rose MacColl is an Australian writer whose first novel, No Safe Place, was runner-up in the 1995 Australian Vogel literary award. Her first non-fiction book, The Birth Wars, was a finalist in the 2009 Walkley Awards. In Falling Snow (October 2012), Mary-Rose's fourth novel, tells the largely unknown story of a small group of Scottish women who ran a field hospital for France in World War I in an old abbey. MacColl holds degrees in journalism and creative writing and lives between Brisbane, Australia and Banff, Canada with her husband and son.

Other Reviews:

Booked Out

Aussie Review

Guest post for Nightmares and other Therapy by D.W. Carver

I am D W Carver, English, married with three sons and live in East London. I have been writing ever since I learned how but have only worked on novels in the last twelve years. My writing process tends to fall into the same pattern regardless of how I promise myself I am going to plan a book.

I have a basic plot idea; add a character with a history he (or more often she) would like to forget and I bring them together. It’s a bit like free-flow modelling with clay – get a lump, soften it give it a twist and a tweak and then inspect it from all angles and see if it is telling you what it wants to be. That doesn’t work for you? Well maybe it’s just me then.

Of course my background: years working in community mental health has a big impact on how situations are processed in my head. I have sat on underground (metro) trains and watched people have anxiety attacks that I know from long experience would have been feeling like an earthquake to them, but went unnoticed by those around them, except for me. That sometimes sets me thinking about plot ideas rather than offering to help. Something else I know from experience – people are almost invariably ashamed of their perceived ‘weakness’ suffering in this way and can feel totally humiliated when they realise some stranger has noticed. So I stay away and just keep an eye out in case this person does something that could be misconstrued by other passengers.

I recall one young man I worked with – six four, three hundred pounds and when he felt as if anxiety was going to explode his body he had to walk close to the nearest person if he was on the street. If that person was female and it was night time, he could be and once was, in serious trouble but it ended well – the police were understanding, his details were circulated and knowing he wasn’t going to be bundled into a police car if it happened again (at his size good luck with that) he found walking alone much easier.

So readers will understand that when I see some street event, I am likely to interpret it in a far broader range than most people and the possibilities are grist to any writer’s mill.

My novel ‘Nightmares and Other Therapy’ involves a young man who has to make his obsessive compulsive behaviour look normal or as close as he can get, if he is to have any life at all and the one time that went wrong was in exactly the worst place. This book has been labelled a horror by some, much to my surprise, but I will admit it is dark. Maybe you would like to make up your own mind?

Authors Web Page Link

LINK to Amazon page

Book Review - No One Lives Twice - Julie Moffett

Title:  No One Lives Twice

Author: Julie Moffett

Review:  Lexi Carmichael is a Geek from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and everywhere in between.  She is a computer hacker for the NSA but the most excitement she sees is running away from the dreaded family dinner.  Then one day her best friend disappears, gun toting thugs pop into her life and not one but two very sexy men can't seem to stay away from her.  A Geek girls dream come true.

No One lives Twice a fun girl novel that takes you on a nonstop roller coaster ride wondering who is really trying to help and who is trying to kill Lexis Best Friend Basia.  Basis is Lexis only best girl friend who translates documents for a living and one day came across a documents that could change the world. She didn't know what else to do but send it to the one person she could trust, Lexi. With the help of the Zimmerman twins, brilliant computer hackers, they contact a national treasure and super hack Slash.  They slowly figure out what the documents are about with the help of a sexy Irish Lawyer Finn who isn't what he seems to be.  Lexi doesn't trust anyone and plays her cards close to her chest.  I love how Lexi feels life is logical but soon learns quickly not everyone is as logical as a computer and has to fight to survive.

I fell in love with Lexi right away because her ability to think on her feet, her loyalty to her friends and the awkward way she stumbled though the book made the reader feel like they were in Lexi's shoes.  Lexi can be somewhat depressing at time because she does focus on her lack of love life, her lack of taste in clothes, but redeems herself with loyalty to help those she loves most.

There is an abundance of hot guys all seeming to fall in love with Lexi at once had me questioning who would turn out to be the bad guy and who would turn into the good guy and the author is true to Lexi even had her guessing until the very end of the book.  I think the author was going for the idea when you have confidence men will see you as desirable because almost every guy in the book had a thing for Lexi.

The action was perfect and reminds me of the classic James Bond stories unbelievable story but tons of fun. Perfect book for the beach or a cold winter night.

 No one Lives Twice is number 1 of a series and if you like this one you will love the others.  Thank you Heidi for the review.

Publishers:  Published August 16th 2010 by Carina Press

ISBN:  B003U89RS0

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 314 Kindle Edition

Quick Review:  5 stars (out of 5)

Why did I read it: It looked funny and cute at Amazon.

Synopsis:  I'm Lexi Carmichael, geek extraordinaire. I spend my days stopping computer hackers at the National Security Agency. My nights? Those I spend avoiding my mother and eating cereal for dinner. Even though I work for a top-secret agency, I've never been in an exciting car chase, sipped a stirred (not shaken) martini, or shot a poison dart from an umbrella.

Until today, that is, when two gun-toting thugs popped up in my life and my best friend disappeared. So, I've enlisted the help of the Zimmerman twins—the reclusive architects of America's most sensitive electronic networks—to help me navigate a bewildering maze of leads to find her.

Along the way, my path collides with a sexy government agent and a rich, handsome lawyer, both of whom seem to have the hots for me. Hacking, espionage, sexy spy-men—it's a geek girl's dream come true. If it weren't for those gun-toting thugs...

Previously published.

Author Biography:  I have always been a romantic at heart. So when I finally decided to pursue my dream of writing a novel, naturally, it was a romance. I have published several novels in many genres – historicals, time-travels and paranormals.

I’m a military brat (Air Force) and have traveled extensively. My more exciting exploits include attending high school in Okinawa, Japan (Go, Kubasaki!), backpacking around Europe and Scandanavia for several months, a year-long college study in Warsaw, Poland and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where I fell in love with castle, kilts and brogues.

I have a B.A. in Political Science and Russian Language from Colorado College and a M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. I worked as a correspondent for the international radio station, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Washington, D.C. writing hundreds of articles and producing numerous radio programs for eleven years before "retiring" to be a stay-at-home mom and full-time writer in 1999.

I speak Russian and Polish (I married a Pole in 1991!) and love reading foreign literature (especially Slavic). I had a beautiful baby boy named Alexander in 1995. I never knew what joy a child could bring to my life.

If you would like to receive occasional e-mails from me announcing my new releases, please let me know. I also have a newsletter and bookmarks available via snail mail. If you send a legal-sized SASE to the address below, I’ll be happy to put them in the mail for you.

Other Reviews:

Nights and Weekends. Com

Tales of Whimsey

CD Review - Come Alive - Mercy River - 5 stars - beautiful sounds from 3 beautiful women of faith- Contest at the bottom of post-

Review:  Great inspirational, uplifting music.  My teenage daughter loves this group as they seem to sing songs to inspire the youth of today.  I loved listening to this CD, the music was beautiful sounding and the words made me really think about life and changes I need to make to live a full true to my value life - not a bad thing to do here and there to be sure you are on the page you want to be on at each stage of life.

I think anyone would enjoy this CD - play it at a party to fill in the background and watch those who actually hear the words and are uplifted by them.  Go get it today.

5 stars-

On the heels of their hit album Higher, Mercy River is back with mesmerizing harmonies and upbeat vocal arrangements. Their new album features inspirational favorites and original songs that highlight the talents of this singing sisterhood.
 Sing It Out
 Speak Life
 How Deep the Father's Love For Us
 Walk You Through the Night
 Who I Am
 Holy Ground
 Restless Reason
 For the World
 Walking On Sunshine  

Tour Schedule

  About Mercy River With 13 children between them, it’s amazing that Whitney Permann, Brooke Stone, and Soni Muller have time for anything other than runny noses, sock hunts, and prying suckers off the van floor. But music has been a part of each of their lives since childhood, and is now a strong presence in their homes. The three friends met while singing in the Jenny Phillips Choir and there found a common love for tight harmonies and sharing the gospel through song. Over the past five years, Mercy River has traveled all over the United States and Canada as a highly sought after ensemble, performing for thousands of people while testifying of the Savior. Each member of the group brings several years of experience performing, writing, and directing hundreds of firesides and concerts—as well as recording on dozens of inspirational albums. Their self-titled debut album was released in May 2008. “Beautiful Dawn,” was released in March of 2010. Their third album, “Higher” was released with rave reviews in February 2012. Mercy River is back with mesmerizing harmonies and upbeat vocal arrangements in “Come Alive”.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 1/26/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway