Book Review: How I Survived My Childhood by Marilyn Meredith

 

You've been fascinated by the writing of Marilyn Meredith for decades. Now, it's time to learn her story from the very beginning. 

How I Survived My Childhood is Marilyn Meredith's first memoir. Taking the reader through her years growing up during World War II in a suburb of Los Angeles, California, through to her marriage to her beloved Hap, this is a story of the ups and downs of life, memories of a time when life was simpler--at least in some ways, and of a young girl who grows up, graduates high school, and finds the man she will marry and start a family with. 

How I Survived My Childhood tells of her father and his work at Paramount Studios, how he could build just about anything, and how he influenced Marilyn's life. It is a story of school days, childhood friends, and childhood antics. It is a story of leaving childhood behind, becoming a young woman, and then a wife. 

If you enjoy a trip down memory lane, then How I Survived My Childhood is a great read. It gives you insight into the life of a well-known author's early years and all of her fond memories growing up in an American suburb. For me, this book allowed me to get to know a good friend on an even more personal level, and that is a true blessing.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CT9W2RFX
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ 31 Months LLC; 1st edition (January 24, 2024)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 24, 2024
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 2473 KB
• Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 173 pages

I purchased a copy of this book for my Kindle. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Tangled Webs by F. M. Meredith

 

Return to Rocky Bluff where the local police department is busy solving a murder with numerous suspects, a new officer puts the moves on a colleague's wife, and Doug's teenage daughter becomes secretive and moody.

Tangled Webs by F. M. Meredith starts with a neighbor discovering the body of local daycare teacher, Melody White. People knew someone had been stalking the woman, but the investigation shows her ex-husband and one of her co-workers might also have a motive. 

Officer Gordon Butler--one of my favorites--is training the latest new hire, but he can't understand why his wife doesn't like him. He brushes Dakota Ayala's actions off as being overly eager, just like he was when he first started. Could there be something more?

Beth has made great strides since moving in with the Milligans. So, when she starts acting strangely, Doug and Stacey are worried. They hope they can discover what's going on with her.

Meredith's trademark style of blending personal and professional lives of law enforcement is fully evident in the fourteenth installment of the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. I've so enjoyed watching these characters develop book after book. Ryan and Barbara Strickland, Abel and Maria Navarro, Felix and Wendy Zachary, Doug and Stacey Milligan, Gordan Butler and more have gone through numerous professional and personal changes over the years. The introduction of a new police chief several books back also brought some changes for everyone as well. Because the author has stayed true to exploring how the job affects personal lives and vice versa, the reader truly gets to feel like these characters are friends they get to know. 

As with other books in the series, there are subplots that play out alongside the other main plots. This helps the reader keep up to date with the goings on of minor characters, too. 

A police procedural that makes you feel like you are part of this community is what you find in Tangled Webs.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08C475W13
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (June 30, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 202 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8660060618

This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Musing Mondays - Sep 5

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme now hosted at Jenn's blog Books And A Beat that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Name your best-loved character from a fiction book.

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Hope you have some nice weather to enjoy it. It's breezy here, the result of Post-Tropical Cyclone Hermine. But the sky is blue and it's a lovely late summer day.

The girls started school on Wednesday. so we are all getting back into our regular schedules. Hopefully that means more blogging here.

I'm currently reading Joshua's Mission by Vannetta Chapman. It's the second book in her Plain And Simple Miracles series. Coincidentally--considering we've been watching the path of Hermine this past week--a storm plays a pivotal role in this book.

As for my best-loved character from a fiction book, I'll have to give you two: for children's literature it would need to be Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series and for adult literature it is Gordon Butler from F.M. Meredith's Rocky Bluff P.D. series. 

Young Anne is impulsive, out-spoken, and usually finds herself in a spot of trouble. Thanks to her imagination and her ability to string words together she can get herself out of most jams. 

Gordon finds himself the butt of jokes because strange things happen to him, but he's got a heart of gold. He is usually in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he is as dependable as the day is long. 

I like characters that I can root for; characters who make me care about them and have me wishing they succeed simply because, despite their tiny flaws or quirks, they are good people. Anne and Gordon fit that bill. 

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters?

Violent Departures Blog Tour Schedule

College student, Veronica Randall, disappears from her car in her own driveway, everyone in the Rocky Bluff P.D. is looking for her. Detective Milligan and family move into a house that may be haunted. Officer Butler is assigned to train a new hire and faces several major challenges.

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

April 1 http://mmgornell.wordpress.com/

What’s Happening with Gordon Butler?

April 2  http://christanardi.blogspot.com/

            Introduction to the Rocky Bluff P.D. Mystery Series

April 3 http://gumbojustice.blogspot.com/

            My Writing Process

April 4 http://justthefactsmaam.blogspot.com/

            Research

April 5 http://jrlindermuth.blogspot.com/

 What’s Up Next?

April 6  http://marianallen.com/

The Importance of Place

April 7 http://buriedunderbooks.blogspot.com

            Coming Up With New Ideas for an Ongoing Series

April 8  www.paguthrie.blogspot.com

Where Do My Characters Come From?

April 9 www.stephenbrayton.wordpress.com/

            What About the Dialogue?

April 10 http://anastasiapollock.blogspot.com

  Interview

April 11 http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/

            How I Keep Up With my Characters and What’s Happened

April 12 http://lesleyadiehl.com/

            After So Many Books, How Do You Get Fresh Ideas?

April 13 http://www.lindathorne.com/blog/

            When to Think About Promotion

April 14 www.samwriteaway.blogspot.com

The Good and Bad of Writing a Series

April 15 http://lornacollins-author.blogspot.com

            Ghosts and Why I Write About Them

April 16  http://jlgregerblog.blogspot.com/

            Reading Reviews of my Books

April 17 http://drusbookmusing.blogspot.com/

            Stacey Milligan’s Dilemma

April 18 http://marjamcgraw.blogspot.com/

            The Inspiration for Violent Departures

April 19 http://evelyncullet.com/blog/

            Who Do I Write For?

April 20 https://bookbrowsing.wordpress.com/

            What Makes the Rocky Bluff Mystery Series Unique?

April 21 http://blog.jamesmjackson.com

Final Interview

F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of over thirty published novels. Marilyn is a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Besides having family members in law enforcement, she lived in a town much like Rocky Bluff with many police families as neighbors.

Links:

Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com/

Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/ (Check out the contest she is running during the tour!)

Facebook: https://facebook.com/marilynmeredith

Book Review: Murder in the Worst Degree by F. M. Meredith

Another spectacular installment of the Rocky Bluff P.D. Series is now available. Officer Gordon Butler is patrolling the beach when he is approached by a surfer about a body that has washed ashore. The Rocky Bluff P.D. is fairly certain they know who it is, but it will be up to Detectives Doug Milligan and Felix Zachary to figure out what happened. Meanwhile, Officers Stacey Milligan and Lizette Gibbs investigate the rapes of two women. The new police chief, Chandra Taylor, is making some changes at the department, one of which impacts Ryan Strickland, who is already on pins and needles awaiting the birth of his first baby.

F.M. Meredith shows she knows how to keep it fresh for fans of her long-running Rocky Bluff P.D. Series. Several changes have come to the department: a new police chief, some retirements, and a promotion for Felix Zachary to detective. That doesn't mean new fans will feel lost. Not only is there just enough backstory to help newbies feel comfortable, each book is a stand alone, so you truly can pick up any book in the series for a great read that blends the personal and professional lives of the members of the Rocky Bluff P.D.

Murder in the Worst Degree, like the other books in the series, draws its strength from the likable, complex set of characters working within the department. Coupling this cast with an intriguing plot with twists and turns along the way, you'll enjoy getting to know everyone while trying to figure out the suspects and motives.

One of the best aspects of this series, and this book in particular, is that you see plausible situations played out in this fictional police setting, by a group of people who seem almost as real as one of your friends or relatives.You meet new characters within the town as the police department follows the clues and works to keep the residents of Rocky Bluff safe. It's a perfect blend of both worlds. I would love to see these novels turned into a television series.

If you enjoy mysteries that are equally character driven and plot driven, Murder in the Worst Degree is a perfect choice.


Series: Rocky Bluff PD
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Dark Oak Mysteries (January 23, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1610091450
ISBN-13: 978-1610091459

PURCHASE HERE!

For more information about F.M. Meredith, you can visit http://fictionforyou.com/

I received a free digital copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

A video trailer for this book is coming soon!

I have read this book for the following challenge:

Book Review: Dangerous Impulses by F.M. Meredith

Officer Gordon Butler is thrilled to learn he is being partnered with the drop-dead gorgeous new hire, Lizette Gibbs, but happenings in Rocky Bluff are going to keep them too busy for much socializing.

Detectives Doug Milligan and Frank Marshall are called in to investigate the murder of a mother and her teenage son. They have trouble narrowing down the suspects to one likely candidate. Meanwhile, Doug's wife, Vice Officer Stacey Milligan, is looking into a party where numerous teenagers were sickened by a recreational drug, and none of the kids will talk about what happened that night.

The latest installment in F. M. Meredith's Rocky Bluff P.D. series is more proof of why the author has carved out a lengthy and prosperous writing career. In Dangerous Impulses, Meredith brings back favorite characters and introduces new ones, always blending the elements of the characters' personal lives and their jobs. Perfect as a stand-alone novel, new readers will enjoy this murder mystery, and longtime fans of the series will be thrilled to see how everyone in Rocky Bluff is getting along. 

Meredith weaves in numerous sub-plots around the larger plot of the murder investigation and Stacey's questioning of the kids at the party. This gives readers a true sense of community inside and outside of the department. 

Dangerous Impulses is a quick, enjoyable read. I dusted it off in two nights. It only took me that long because I was working on deadline. It was hard to stay away. 

Lovers of police novels and murder mysteries will like this one.

Paperback: 202 pages
Publisher: Dark Oak Mysteries (December 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1610090608
ISBN-13: 978-1610090605

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.

Book Review: No Bells by F. M. Meredith

Long the butt of the police department's jokes, Gordon Butler never seems to catch a break. He gets sent on the oddest calls and manages to end up in some rather strange situations. It looks like his luck might be changing, though.

A routine traffic stop introduces Gordon to Benay Weiss, a local hair stylist. He thinks he's finally found the love he's been seeking. But when Benay's best friend, Geri, is reported missing and then found dead, Benay soon becomes a prime suspect. Gordon puts his job on the line to prove her innocence.

I've read all the books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Gordon has been my favorite character since he was introduced. I am so thrilled No Bells spotlights this great character.

The point of this series and what F.M. Meredith has always done well, is to show how the job impacts family life and vice versa. Even though we've gotten some glimpse of Gordon's personal life in previous books--the way his marriage broke apart, his falling in love with a fellow officer, and his living with Detective Doug Milligan--the reader didn't get a chance to see a whole lot of Gordon outside of his job. This book changes all that. In addition, we get to see Gordon from his own point of view. He knows the guys laugh at his expense. He knows they don't think he's the brightest bulb in the box. You don't ever see him stick up for himself or try to change their opinions.

In No Bells, we see Gordon going against the advice of his peers when he decides to try and prove his girlfriend's innocence. The evidence against Benay is mounting, but he just can't believe she's guilty. The reader has to keep turning the pages to see if Gordon is rewarded in the end.

This book has a lighter tone than some of the other books in this series. There's action, but it's not constant. The main focus is on the murder investigation of Benay's best friend instead of there being several different cases to be solved, as in some other books in the series. We still see a lot of the regulars and their lives, but Gordon is definitely the focus.

I'll definitely be waiting in line for the next Rocky Bluff P.D. book when it comes out next spring. While you don't have to start at the beginning, all of them are great reads. No Bells will stay a favorite of mine since Gordon is so much a part of it.

Paperback: 204 pages

Publisher: Dark Oak Mysteries (March 12, 2012)

ISBN-10: 1610090861

ISBN-13: 978-1610090865

SRP:  $12.95

I received a FREE electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The author is a former client of Pump Up Your Book. She paid me to create a book trailer for No Bells. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

This is the twentieth book I've read for the following challenge:

It is the thirteenth book I've read for the following challenge:

It is the sixth book I've read for the following challenge:

It is the fifth book I've read for the following challenge: