Truly a memoir more than a ghost/psychic story

A Haunted Life: The True Ghost Story of a Reluctant Psychic by Debra Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a tough one to review - it's part memoir about Debra Robinson's life and the tragic death of Robinson's son and father, and part ghost/psychic story. We know from the beginning that Robinson's son James is going to die - there is a dedication to him at the beginning of the book, so this is not a spoiler.

This memoir began intensely interesting with her ghost sitings and psychic experiences. I could relate to these, mostly from the perspective of the ghosts, since I lived in a haunted a little over 25 years ago. The psychic stuff, not so much, but I find it interesting subject matter. Later in the book I was reminded that I was reading a memoir about Robinson's life. My heart breaks for her and what she has been through.

Debra Robinson's book is far more of a memoir. If you're looking strictly for a ghost/psychic story, this isn't it. If you like reading memoirs, then this is the right book for you.



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part memoir, part spiritual, part writing book

Once Upon a Time: Discovering Our Forever After Story by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Macomber's book is part memoir, part spiritual, part writing book.

I didn't know what to expect when I opened this book. I've read quite a few of Macomber's books and enjoyed them immensely, but this nonfiction titled held more of Macomber than her novels do. Intensely Christian, she begins each chapter with a verse from the bible (both old and new testaments). She frequently injects faith into her chapters and sometimes gets a bit preachy, which at times was a just a bit off-putting. I've never felt comfortable with books that preach too much. She also explains in this book why her fiction is not preachy, which I believe opens her beautiful fiction to a broader audience.

As I said, this book is part memoir (parts left me teary-eyed), part spiritual (parts that became too preachy were skipped over), and part writing book. This book was more of a window into what makes Debbie Macomber tick since none of the three dominate the book.


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