“Monday’s Pick” is a feature here at Keeper Bookshelf that showcases a novel I picked up for free.  This week’s pick was found at Amazon’s Free Kindle Books offerings.

Look for a “Free” novel to be picked each Monday and the review to appear on the following Monday.   There are some really good “free” novels available (and some not so great too).  Let’s weed them out.  If this sounds like something you might like to take part in — awesome, just leave a link with your Free Monday Pick in the comment section and let us go check it out.

Blurb:

One look, a passionate love . . . and then they part . . . Forever?

Before the bestselling and award-winning Wyoming Wildflowers series, there was another love story, one that laid the foundation for all those that came after.

Ed Currick’s and Donna Roberts’ worlds couldn’t have been any more different – a rancher from Wyoming and an up-and-coming Broadway musical actress on a national tour. What could have been a momentary encounter sparks desire . . . and more. But can there be anything but heartbreak ahead when they have only days before their dreams pull them apart?

Happy Mom’s Day to all of the amazing mothers out there – especially those in the writing, reviewing, reading, blogging world.

An extra “hug” to all of the moms of kids with what the world calls “special needs” – we who love those kids know that they are simply ours and we love them in any shape or form that God gave them to us in.

Today, my adult “kid” will take me and my best friend and her son out for our traditional Mother’s Day event.  We head into the beautiful mountains of Western Pennsylvania to a ski resort called Seven Springs where there is no longer snow, but there is the most amazing Mother’s Day brunch.  We will shop in a fantastic bakery and pick up  some Buckeyes (sinfully delicious peanut butter globs dipped in chocolate) and some pepperoni bread.  Then head to the local butcher where we’ll pick up some of the best cuts of meat around and store them in the freezer to enjoy the rest of the year.  There are tons of local artists’ shops where I’m certain we will find another hand made wooden piece of furniture (a tradition) and whatever other treasures catch our eyes.  It will be a day spent with my family and those two other people who have become the family of my heart if not blood.  It will be a fantastic day, we’ll return home stuffed and broke – but happy and blessed to have spent one more special Mom’s Day together.  It’s the memories that matter the most.

But before we head out for that precious day, I’d like to share some “mom” thoughts with you, my online family.

I’ve been a daughter and I’ve been a mom, so I guess I’ve seen the world from both sides now.

The most difficult job I’ve ever had was being a mom.  The absolutely most rewarding job I ever accepted has been being a mom.  Again, both sides of the coin.

Not every mom is a perfect mom – but I believe we (for the most part) try our best to be the kind of mom our kids need most.  I have said “I hate you” to my mom.  I have heard “I hate you Mom” from my son – and now I understand the heartbreak I handed to my own mom when, in teenage anger I delivered that strike to her heart.  And even though as an adult I know she knew that I didn’t really mean it – words cannot be unsaid.  So be careful with words, they really can wound sometimes.

I think the most precious words I ever heard were from my son when one day out of the blue he said “I love you, Mom.  Thanks for not giving up on me.”  As if I ever could or had.  But hearing the emotion was priceless.

It’s not a smooth sailing kind of life, there are plenty of stumbling blocks along the way.  But it is so worth every single moment.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you.  The world might think it’s just one day out of the year – we know better.

And to my own mom who has been gone from my daily life for years now, but never, ever far from my heart or thoughts – I love you, Mom.

Self-Help

What makes a good listener?

In this book are a variety of tried and true exercises to benchmark where you are as a listener. Discover the power of being a good listener in the six benefits of being a good listener. Take part in the eighteen concrete activities to become a better listener, plus learn fourteen things to avoid when listening to someone. Of extreme relevance is Chapter 7: Listening Challenges in the Digital Age and how to Overcome Them. One of the first casualties of the digital juggernaut is the art of effective listening and writing. Instead of communicating with people face-to-face, we are reading texts, e-mails, and social media updates. This is a book that can be referenced again and again as you continue your journey of becoming a better listener.

I don’t normally review Self-help books here.  Yet the family and I had been having discussions lately about the lack of listening, really listening to what each of us is saying.  When I saw this available on NetGalley I thought, perfect timing – let’s see what I can learn about listening.

I enjoyed reading this book.  I came away with some insights into focusing better on actually listening instead of simply hearing someone talking at me.  One major plus was that this book didn’t “talk down to me” as so often happens in Self-Help books, at least I’ve found that often.  While I found it interesting, I think the first line of the synopsis is very telling:  In this book are a variety of tried and true exercises…

Honestly, I came away with the knowledge that I already “know” how to listen for the most part, the fact that I allow distractions to interfere with what I’m thinking someone is saying to me is what I need to hone in on.  Reading The Power of Listening will definitely help you pinpoint those areas where you  need some work.  Yet, it’s more of a reinforcement of what we already know.  To really listen to someone you need to focus on them and only them.

*I received an e-ARC of The Power of Listening from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.