From A Favorite Author Comes The Selected TOP Favorite Book for 2025 - Helena's Diary by Linda S. Prather

Gabriella tried to smile but couldn’t pull it off. “Life is all around me, and yet I still feel dead inside.”

No matter how much we love someone, there’s a part of all of us that’s just a little selfish.” Gabriella wiped away a tear. “I feel like I’ve changed so much. Like I’m not the same person anymore.”

She would read a portion of her mother’s diary, and then she would start writing The Locket.

She opened her eyes and reached for the button to turn off the alarm. She couldn’t remember even setting it the night before. Lying back, she steadied her breathing as memories of the dream caused her body to flush and she groaned in humiliation. What is wrong with me? The man in the locket was her mother’s lover. He had to be at least seventy years old. Definitely not the young, muscular body she’d just lusted after and ravaged. She glanced down at her twisted, sweaty silk pajamas lying in a heap beside the bed. So why feel humiliated? She was young, and for the first time in over two years, she felt passionate about something. Even if that passion was directed at a man she couldn’t have. 

Pulling up the covers, she giggled as an image of Maddy raising an eyebrow and waving the imaginary cigarette filled her mind. Now that, darling, was toe curling. Gabriella took one last glance in the mirror before picking up her purse and locking the door behind her. She’d spent the day reading more of her mother’s diary and outlining her new novel. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled in a way they hadn’t since leaving college. She couldn’t wait to tell Robert her news. Maybe he’d even take off and go with her. The thought didn’t bring the pleasure she’d expected. Madrid was beauty and romance. Robert would never be able to see that or feel it. Maddy’s voice once again flooded her mind. So, why exactly are you with him again? She knew the answer, even if she didn’t like it. He represented safety, and when she was with him, she didn’t have to make decisions. She didn’t have to wonder how she was going to pay for dinner, or which bill could wait a few more days. She’d grown so tired of making every decision. Tired of pinching pennies and learning fifty ways to cook chicken so they didn’t eat the same meals every night. What if he doesn’t want you to go? “Madelaine Jones, get out of my head.” She hadn’t really considered Robert not wanting her to go. But why wouldn’t he? She wanted to go. Robert was just practical. He wasn’t really a controlling jerk. Is he? Shaking off the thoughts, she used the rest of her time driving to Girando’s to plan her speech. Robert simply wouldn’t understand her need to meet the man who had made her mother a gushing teenager. The man she’d described in pages of the diary as her soul mate. She wanted to do this, but she also felt she had to. 

Pulling into the lot, she ignored the valet parking attendant. Her ten-year-old Honda was another thorn in Robert’s side. He called it an embarrassment and refused even to walk her to the car when she was driving it. It worked, was cheap on gas, and had low maintenance expenses. Anything more at this time in her life was a luxury she couldn’t afford and didn’t need. She exited the car, smiled at the attendant, and glanced at the door where Robert waited for her. She could tell by the tightening of his jaw she was in for another “sell your mother’s house” speech. Maybe when she came back, she’d actually give that some thought. He turned his cheek as she approached for the customary peck before taking her arm and ushering her inside. “You look a little flushed, Gabriella. I hope you’re not coming down with something. I have a massive work load for the next several weeks, and I can’t afford to be ill.” 

“Not ill, Robert, just excited. I can’t wait to tell you my news.” Robert nodded to the hostess and led her to a table in the back. “I’ve already ordered for us. I may have to call it an early night. I have some good news myself.” Gabriella swallowed, trying hard not to show her disappointment. “All right, but me first?” His lips lifted in the briefest of smiles. “What? Another book? Surely that can wait.” He didn’t bother even to glance at her as he took his napkin from the table, shook it out, and draped it over his lap. “I’ve been going over our finances, and if we get top dollar for your mother’s house, we can get married by the end of the year. The partners are ready to offer a contract, but they prefer a married man to a single one. For some reason, they feel they’re more stable.” The flush in her cheeks grew hotter as her hands clenched in her lap. She hadn’t expected a romantic proposal from Robert. Honestly, she’d never expected him to propose at all. “I didn’t know we had decided to get married.” 

The server chose that moment to deliver their food, and Gabriella smothered a gag. Her plate held a half-raw steak. Robert knew she didn’t eat meat often, and when she did, she preferred it almost burnt. The waiter hovered by her side. “Will there be anything else?” Robert waved him off. “Don’t be silly, Gabriella. Of course, we’re going to marry. Why else would we have spent the last six months together?” Tremors of anger erupted deep inside her stomach, forcing their way to the surface like molten lava. There was a huge difference in making decisions and controlling. Robert wasn’t just making minor decisions for her anymore. He had already planned her entire life. “And I assume we’ll have two point five children, and I’ll entertain your friends on the weekends and do charity work during the week?” Robert swallowed a bite of raw meat and patted his lips with the napkin. Her sarcasm had been totally lost on him. 

“A boy and a girl would work well. I won’t expect you to entertain until I run for office, of course. Until then, you’ll need to find a job to help me with expenses.” Gabriella gripped the napkin between her hands, twisting it into a perfect garrote as she studied his face. He was serious. How had I missed this part of his personality? Have I been totally blind or just stupid? “I have a job, Robert. I’m an author.” 

Robert picked up his water glass and sipped it. “I’ve humored you with your hobby, honey, but if we’re going to have the kind of home a future Supreme Court justice needs, then it’s going to take both of us working.” Gabriella stared at him. Her mind drifted back on other comments and decisions he’d made for her. Nothing was ever about her. It was all about him. Her hands clenched as her jaw tightened. Robert Gray was, as Maddy had said many times, a total jerk. 

“You humored me? With my hobby?” Gabriella dropped the napkin on the table and pushed back her chair. “Gabriella, sit down and lower your voice. You’re embarrassing me.” 

“I’m sorry, Robert.” She raised her voice and smiled as restaurant patrons glanced their way. “I wouldn’t want the rest of these nice people to know just what a pompous ass you really are.” “Gabriella!” She grabbed her purse and headed for the door. The doorman smiled as she walked past him, and he whispered, “About time somebody put that jerk in his place.” He winked and raised his voice. “You have a nice night, ma’am.”

Maddy, her mother, the neighbors, and even the doorman had seen what Robert was really like. Everyone except her. She’d seen it but told herself it was okay. He was just levelheaded. Something she needed in her life. Her heels clicked louder on the pavement as she headed for her old but reliable car. She climbed in, fastened her seatbelt, and reached for her cell. Calmness spread through her, as if a heavy weight had lifted. She’d made excuses to everyone, including herself, about Robert for far too long. It felt good to tell him off and walk away. Really good. What she needed now was to share her excitement with someone who would appreciate it. Grinning, she dialed Maddy’s number and waited for her to answer. “Hello?” 

“Can you come over?” Gabriella asked. “I thought you were going out with Robert tonight.” Gabriella laughed. “I was, I did, but I’m not anymore. I have something exciting to tell you.” “I can’t think of anything you could tell me more exciting than not anymore Robert. Put on a pot of coffee, and I’ll be right there.” 

Gabriella almost dropped the two cups of coffee she was carrying as Maddy let out a whoop. “Madrid? Oh, my God, Ree, you’re going to have so much fun.” She flopped down on the couch and reached for a cup of coffee. “Tell me everything.” 

Gabriella filled her in on the arrival of the package, her mother’s diary, and the locket with the request it be returned to the owner. “I got the letter the same day, so I guess it’s fate.” Maddy sipped her coffee. “Or destiny. Spanish lovers are hot.” She blushed and ducked her head. “Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.” “That doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for a lover, just some fresh material for my new novel.”

~~~

And, No, I don't have to wait until the end of 2025 to decide... I know this is my top favorite book for the year--right now! First, I want to say that Linda Prather, to me, is the writer who writes like I read...

Prather has, in my opinion, a level of sensitivity with which she treats every single character in her books, that is rare... From the very first word through to the end, there is a continuity--a fluidity--that permeates so that the story, if you allow it to, will engulf you! I had read this book months ago, but with health issues, had failed to proceed to my review. So I read it again, yesterday... And I fell in love again...with her story, just as it is... You see, Linda allows each character to be herself, to be the human, as created, by a master puppeteer... More to illustrate that later... And, therefore, it is a special bonus for me, the reader, to be allowed into the intimate part, especially, of the main character. 

What a privilege she gives to us as long as our own prejudices do not corrupt... Don't know what I mean when I say that? Well, just let me say that a writer either sees the whole human she has created as if they were our friends, our neighbors, or, in other words, real people--no matter who that person is.  When an author works to ensure there is a clear distinction of sex versus love, she let's us know she has created a character that truly reflects that she is just like the rest of us. For me, when an author allows each of her characters to be exactly who they are, then I am the reader that is able to realize that this person is just like me, with all the thoughts, faults, or fears that I, too, have felt. My kind of writer...and Linda has done it since her very first book, The Gifts.

I fell in love with Linda's first book as well... many years ago... I had reviewed it in 2006 while working on my earlier review site and have confirmed that it is still available... Unfortunately I tried to update and add a picture for the ebook, but this didn't work on an archival post, at least so far... So do check out the book costing less than a Buck! In fact, of any book of hers I've had a chance to read, it's proven to be a wonderful selection! If you haven't read her yet, she is a multi-genre writer that gives each reader a choice in getting to know her writing better!

With a touch of time-travel through the receipt of her mother, Helena's, Diary, Gabriela has been given a chance that most of us never have. To go back into a parent's life and discover, to your, perhaps, pleasure, that she was...just...like...YOU! Not every individual will discover that--I wouldn't. But, the possibility--the grace given to allow that to happen is a powerful dream in which we all could fall...

Gabriela's mother had recently died and she is still grieving not only her mother, but now being totally alone, except for her best friend who will be relocating soon. But her mother, along with another individual, had already planned a future that could not have ever been imagined! And, at least, partially, that gave her the ability to break free from a very bad situation with a man she'd been dating, that everybody had been warning her about for months!

First, after reading the book, I decided it was...Fate! How else could one woman who had been, for the most part, an independent professional writer, be suddenly willing to hop on a plane and travel to Spain!? LOL So, how did this happen? First, Gabriela received, on the same day, a package that her mother had pre-arranged to have sent to her upon her death. It was Helena's Diary! The other was a formal letter from a lawyer who was providing complete financial coverage to visit an old friend of her mother's who was also near death... And here's the Hook provided by her mother. She had been given a locket early in her life by, who we learn was Helena's First Love... 

Helena had asked that Gabriela visit Spain and return that locket to the original owner... Only one hint as to what happens thereafter... Helena's First Love has a son...

But what makes this Romance a Suspense thriller is that there is a villain in Spain! And SHE is not happy to have Gabriela visiting... While that tension develops into a deadly situation, Gabriela is getting to know her mother's First Love and her Son... who is very busy with a upcoming birth by a horse, which, when given the chance, she gave the name Helena... And one might think, after you read the book, that even that was heavenly controlled...

I loved it! If it sounds like something you'd like, I guarantee you won't be disappointed... I rarely reread a book, but, it was even more precious to me second time around... And I knew it would always be a favorite--just like The Gifts had become...over 20 years ago! Do Check out this award-winning author! She's worth your time--every time...

GABixlerReviews

Steven Manchester's Latest, and My Favorite of His Books, Brings Memories of Lassie...and His Owner...Meeting Life 12 Years Later!

Take one small boy and his dog, add 12 years into the future of their lives, and you can begin to understand the latest book--I think my favorite--from Steven Manchester! We have a different dog and a different boy, but the love and loyalty that many of us experienced with Lassie and Timmy--the one I most remember--is the  same. Reading the book is almost like a sequel, except in today's quite different world!


The Changing Season

By Steven Manchester

The traditional "Coming of Age" genre never quite meant as much to me before this book. In fact, I was interested enough to do a little research and found the word Bildungsroman! This seemed to fit wonderfully to place The Changing Season, especially regarding "the psychological and moral growth" of the young boy... 

In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman: "novel of formation, education, culture,"  a coming-of-age story (though it may also be known as a subset of the coming-of-age story) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age)  in which character change is extremely important.

With that, I am quite able to commend this book as exceptional in responding to both the normal coverage of this genre, but more importantly on the additional psychological and moral issues that greatly strengthens the story line. For me, it is the best I've read in coming-of-age novels.

Why was this important to me? Because I had already fallen in love with Billy and Jimmy as the boy and dog main characters. But then I began to notice that Billy spent a lot of time playing computer games...and lived in a pig sty room. Ok, to me, these are signs of immaturity, at best. He also drank excessively and was not strong enough on his own to make, for instance, a decision to pull over and wait during a heavy rainstorm, while his two friends were with him... I was not really sure about Billy at all. In fact my opinion of him went downhill, as they say...

Until that summer...

Billy was in his final year of school and, unfortunately, seemed like many of the boys of today. He spent most of his time outside of school playing computer games, along with his other two friends. They, however, had a plan for their future, while Billy had no idea what he might do. He was enrolled to enter college but had not picked a particular subject in which to major. Nor was he prepared to deal with the expense of that endeavor, since his parents could not support him. 

The thing that draws you to him is his love and interaction with Jimmy, his best friend. This is especially poignant since Jimmy is old in dog years and had greatly slowed down and is dealing with age-related issues such as arthritis. Still, Billy was able to accommodate to his age and had even begun to worry about losing him, wondering why dogs didn't live as long as humans...

Jimmy was so excited to see Billy that— as if his canine frame were made of rubber bones— his body bent in half from his tail wagging so hard. The dog barked and spun in circles a few times, unafraid to hang his heart out on his furry sleeve and show his love for Billy. 
Billy quickly went to his knees. “Shhhh. We don’t want to wake up Mom and Dad,” he whispered to the dog, raking his fingers through Jimmy’s heavy coat. “I’m okay, buddy,” Billy added. “You missed me, didn’t you?” 
Jimmy barked again, answering the question. He smelled musty, like he’d just come in from the rain himself. 
“Shhhh,” Billy repeated and laughed. Like most Americans, Jimmy— named after Billy’s late uncle— was a mixed breed, a mutt— Labrador retriever blended with one or two unknown breeds. His shiny, raven-black coat was broken up by two white socks on his front legs and paws— and a discolored patch of fur on his hind quarter; it was an old battle scar, proof of his love and devotion to his family. A perfect white stripe ran down the length of his snout, and there was lots of snow on his muzzle and around his eyes, thick swaths of silvery fur that betrayed his advanced years and experience. His milk-chocolate eyes were soft and kind and his left ear stood up straight while the right one normally flopped onto his forehead. He had a thick barrel chest which didn’t lose any girth all the way to his back hips. And his black bushy tail, dipped in white, was always on the move— as if controlled by some over-caffeinated puppeteer. As Jimmy convulsed for attention, Billy rubbed his chest up and down— fast and hard— exactly the way the dog liked it. “Let’s get a drink before we turn in,” Billy told him and started for the kitchen, with Jimmy hobbling closely behind. 
The two of them stepped into the dark kitchen. In the refrigerator’s soft light, Billy placed the gallon of milk to his lips, tilted it toward the ceiling and took a few long gulps. In the shadows on the floor, Jimmy lapped at his water bowl, spraying back wash all over the worn linoleum. After placing the milk back into the fridge, Billy wiped his sleeve across his mouth and looked down at the sitting dog. “Do you have to go out, boy?” he asked, while the refrigerator door slowly closed and the kitchen went dark again. As he limped past Billy, Jimmy’s nails scratched across 
the floor. “Jimmy, your toenails need to be cut,” Billy told the dog. “You sound like a ferret on tile.” Billy took a few steps toward the back door and laughed, realizing his own nails needed to be trimmed. Jimmy waited at the back door to be let out. Years ago, the mutt had been trained to go out to the wood line to do his business. There was no need for an electric fence, just a little discipline and a whole lot of love. Jimmy always went out alone, did his thing and came back in without having to be yelled at or even summoned. Billy opened the door. “Make it quick,” he said. “It’s bad out there.”
 The rain was still coming down hard. Two minutes later, the mildewed-smelling dog hurried back in, shaking the rain from his coat and tracking mud through the kitchen like a small monster truck. 
“Oh Jimmy…” Billy complained, grabbing the paper towels and haphazardly wiping up the linoleum behind them. After Billy relieved himself— and Jimmy waited by the bathroom door, being just as patient— the two of them stepped into Billy’s bedroom. The room smelled like a mix of high school locker room and the moment a forgotten lunch box— that’s been sitting in the sun for a full August afternoon— is opened. Billy huffed at the stench and looked down at Jimmy. Like a canary heading into a coal mine, the mutt didn’t seem to notice; with his head down, he marched straight in. A half dozen hip-hop posters covered the cracks in the plaster walls. The only window in the room was covered by an old throw blanket, which was intended to block out every ray of the sun, whether it was morning or noon. It was a tight space containing a single bed, a small desk supporting a television and video game console, a bureau and a closet that might have comfortably stored two-dozen outfits. Instead, it was used for storage. The spring-loaded door was rarely opened, though, as everything would have spilled out. It was also the door that Billy feared throughout his childhood: the monster’s front door.
A bag of cheese puffs had spilled out from the bureau onto the floor and a box of pizza crusts sat on the desk chair. “Home, sweet home,” Billy told Jimmy and snickered. With all that covered it, Billy couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his bedroom carpet. A year before, his mother had abandoned any hope for the room and refused to enter it again. “You want to live like a pig, then go ahead,” she’d told him. “Whatever’s not in the laundry room doesn’t get washed.”
Besides Charlie and Mark, Jimmy was the only soul brave enough to enter the landfill...

~~~

One of Manchester's strengths is as a storyteller. He develops the plot but fills it in with detail to give readers an opportunity to walk into his stories. His stories are character-driven and allows us to look into the lives of people--people like each of us--with whom we form a brief relationship, with the prevalent question, have we enjoyed meeting them. As I mentioned above, I wasn't too sure about Billy. On the other hand, we see his thoughts as he realizes that he is not even comparable with his two friends who already know what they plan to major in. He is ashamed, wondering if he's so out of it that he in unable to know himself well enough to consider what lies ahead in the future.

Peer pressure and first love play an extremely important part in the book. Billy is caught between loyalty to his male friends, while immediately recognizing he could lose the girl of his dreams. He procrastinates, he tries to act by challenging his male friend, but in the end, he, alone, faces the results of his actions...

During the summer after graduation, his father finds a potential job for him and  Billy starts working at an animal shelter. For those who love animals, (and for animals who love reading, LOL), this heightens the fun part of the story, while allowing Billy to learn from his boss and mentor. That relationship, actually, became the most important one in the book, especially when, in today's world, the parents are not who teenagers listen to in forming and making decisions. Too bad we can't duplicate Arlene Uslander*--we need her "skills" in helping young adults find their way in the difficult days as "teenagers."

I worry about our teenagers...those who are close to me and those who are caught in the web of deceit that comes unexpectedly through human trafficking and other criminal activities. I believe this book could very well be a must-read for many of today's teenagers. Parents...highly recommended for gifting to your children...

From Manchester's FB Photos

When I saw that Ed Asner (actor, Mary Tyler Moore, et. al.) and who I once met as a favorite star, had recommended the book, I was sold... But then I started seeing quite a number of other well-known authors who had provided early thoughts. So I should probably add that this is not only my favorite, but I believe the best written and most inspirational and memorable of his books...in supporting the needs of today's readers.

I don't normally add a personal note about the author, but I've been amazed at this writer's steady rise in quality of writing, plot, and importance of his books to readers and especially families across the world. If you haven't read Manchester yet and are looking for a great contemporary family-oriented book, this is the perfect novel to read and see what you're missing!

GABixlerReviews

Steven Manchester is the author of four #1 bestsellers: Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry Island. His long-anticipated, critically-acclaimed novel, The Changing Season, has just been released. Steve is also the author of the award-winning novel, Goodnight, Brian. He has written A Christmas Wish (Kindle exclusive), Wilbur Avenue (novelette), Just in Time (novelette) and The Thursday Night Club (novella), while his work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN's American Morning and BET's Nightly News. Three of Steven's short stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul series and he is the produced playwright of Three Shoeboxes. When not spending time with his beautiful wife, Paula, or their four children, this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing. Visit: www.StevenManchester.com.

*Arlene was a dear friend (through our writing). She passed away two years ago and I wanted to honor her by putting her name in a book. 

I recognized Arlene's name as soon as I found it and many may also recognize Arlene's name as editor and author--she wrote on Fate and I reviewed her book many years ago...Kudos to Steven for his decision to honor her in this lovely way...

See also... My Reviews for Many of Manchester's books...

http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2010/05/have-we-traded-american-family-for.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2010/06/review-pressed-pennies-inspiration.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2012/08/steven-manchester-takes-us-where-all.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2013/03/steven-manchesters-goodnight-brian-is.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2015/01/guest-author-steven-manchester-sharing.html