Down Came the Rain : My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields

WARNING! Depression hurts and those who do suffer depression may not enjoy this because the main content is her struggle downward. The majority of this book is on the downward trending patterns. This is not happy reading. Do not read this if you just had a baby; do not gift this book to a person who you think has post partum depression and you just want them to “see” that depression is treatable. This is definitely NON-pregnancy reading.

If you have never been able to explain the magnitude and self loathing of depression, Brooke has done it for you. She spends a lot of time describing the slippery slope of feeling out of sorts and not very excited into feeling your absolute and unexplainable worst. In the audio version she reads the story herself and it really does get across the stymied feelings of those around her who could not understand what was going on. She should be on top of the world. Instead she felt it was on top of her.

She documents her way through the maze of depression and page after page you keep saying to yourself “And the Doctor was not on to this???”. I think that is part of the point of her writing this, normal healthy people can get very serious depression and the people around them do not know how to react and they do not put depression into the mix. They just work around the equation hoping that this will pass. In her case it was never going to pass on its own.

She covers the awful trip back to herself and how as a person she was as perplexed at how to “feel better” as those around her were to have her be better. This is at times a story you want to speed up and skip over more and more of the exhaustive recounting. Again that is the point of the story- depression is an exhaustive journey.

We recommend the audio more that the written word because it has Brook telling her own story and you can feel her emotions as she tells her story. We also recommend that you buy this discounted because it is not a body work that you keep in your collection unless this topic is related to your field. For the average reader: this is a read and pass it along to another book or an ah-ha! reading to explain something that you may have already have gone through. RICH CHICKS specializes in independent reviews to help you invest in the right product for your dollar. We have left many reviews all over this site.

Redbook September 2007 - Brook Shields (Vol 209 No 3) by Stacy Morrison

TV Guide Back Issue 1984 Brook Shields Cover (October 27-November 2, 32) by Staff of TV Guide

Words from the Stars: Quips and Quotes from Mae West to the Backstreer Boys by Trevor Hunt

From poignant to silly, brilliant to ridiculous, here are hundreds of quips and quotes from movie stars, musicians, singers,stage actors, comedians then and now arranged by subject matter including Fame, Success, Family, Sex, Aging, and more.

“… us could have made it -Buddy Holly The Russians love Brook Shields because her eyebrows remind them of Leonid Brezhnev. …”

Biography Magazine (Biography Magazine Brooke Shields, Spring 2005) by various

Playboy December 1986 Brooke Shields Gala Christmas Issue

Rolling Stone Issue #744/ Brooke Shields Cover (Rolling Stone Magazine, 744) by Jann S Wenner

Brooke Shields - Rolling Stone #262 April 1978 by ROLLING STONE

PLAYBOY Magazine March 1978 BOB DYLAN interview, Brooke Shields by Hugh Hefner

Shape Magazine October 2008 Issue Features Brooke Shields Cover by Editors of SHAPE Magazine

Fitness Magazine - October 2007 - Brooke Shields Cover! by Denise Brodey

Reading Brooke Shields: the garden of failure (Native Agents) by Eldon Garnet

Reading the back of this book alone, I would have never purchased it- But in the bookstore I read the first page and the writing style was the thing that sucked me in- A self depricating first person narrative of a very neurotic man– very intriguing- almost page turning– ending a bit disappointing but besides that, i recommend it wholeheartedly– Its an honest narrative with a narrator who makes no apologies for his many shortcomings…

On Your Own by Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields and I are the same age. I read this book when it came out, when Brooke and I were both twenty, but unlike Brooke, I was not studying at Princeton. I was graduating from a secretarial school and getting my first job. Therefore, a lot of the advice about the horrors of dorm life went right over my working-class head.

She does have some good things to say and some good advice to give. It’s just that the idea of a twenty-year-old gracing us with the wisdom of her accumulated years is a bit of a scream.

Vogue Magazine April 2003 - Pregnant Brooke Shields Cover by Anna Wintour

Seventeen Magazine - October 1978: 13 Year-Old Brooke Shields Cover and Photo-Feature! (Single Issue Magazine) by Editors of Seventeen Magazine

Vanity Fair Magazine - November 1984: Brooke Shields Cover, Prince, Nancy Reagan, Diane Sawyer & More! by Tina Brown

The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker

This book starts out with a really interesting example of a woman who is accosted by a “kindly” stranger in her apartment complex, who talks his way into her apartment and then rapes her. After he’s done raping her, he leaves her in the bedroom and tells her to stay put, that he won’t hurt her. She realizes that he’s going to kill her (he closes the window and assures her he’s going to get a drink - but why would he close the window if he doesn’t intend to kill her? he has a gun, but he probably doesn’t want to make noise, so he’s going to the kitchen to get a knife). She sneaks out behind him instead of staying put, so even though she’s been raped, she doesn’t get killed. It turns out that they catch the guy and find out that he has raped and killed other women.

The “Gift of Fear” in the title refers to the intuitive ability of human beings that allows them to detect danger quickly, without conscious, logical thought. There’s some good stuff in the book about how to recognize intuition, and also (in the very last chapter) how to distinguish real fear of real dangers from worry about hypothetical dangers.

The rest of the book, the swollen middle, would probably be useful if you are a wealthy, famous person or a large corporation that is in a position to enlist Mr. de Becker’s security firm’s services. There’s a lot of stuff about how a business can detect problem employees, and some other stuff about how movie stars can recognize dangerous fans.

There are a few good tips on how to get a stalker to leave you alone, and how restraining orders might cause more trouble than they solve. But there’s precious little else in the realm of practical measures. In other words, let’s say my intuitive Gift of Fear has told me that the guy following me on the trail I’m hiking is bad news. Now what? What do I do next? This book doesn’t answer that.

“… ACKNOWLEDGMENTS m 331 Brad Cole, Brooke Shields, Dr. Harry Glassman, Jennifer Grey, Michael Fox and Tracy Pollan, …”

How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better by Charla Krupp

I am very happy with this book. There are so many useful, smart and once you consider it, obvious ways to improve and most importantly, update your look. I’m a 39-year old brunette and as much as I am determined to age gracefully and above all with dignity, I would also like to continue to possess some style and a certain current hipness. I have read the reviews for this book and was a little surprised by some of the comments. Krupps’s recommendation to lighten-up your hair shade after a certain ago is actually good advice. I have seen the results on my sister and it was quite dramatic. I believe the choice to lighten your entire hair base shade should be made based on the condition of your skin. My sister has fair skin, blue eyes and far more wrinkles than I so the lighter hair very definitely softened her look. Her dark hair shade looked too harsh next to her aging skin. She didn’t go blond mind you, only lightened her base shade 2 shades to a copper brown and had a few highlights added around her face. For me, as a dark brunette with a pale olive complexion and brown eyes, I can wait a few more years. Once I’m ready, I’ll try some highlighting around the face for softening. Krupp does not advocate everyone going blond as one reviewer remarked.

Off the top of my head, immediately useful tips: getting rid of frumpy shaped tops and blouses, anything not tailored. Some I merely tossed while others I tailored myself or had tailored like one of my suits (I took up the skirt hem to just above the knee and had the suit jacket fitted. I tossed all my long ankle skirts which, although easy to wear, do look frumpy even though I’m barely 15 pounds overweight. I tossed out all apparel with any shoulder pads. I tossed all my dark and medium lipsticks (best choice ever). Once I was able to look at them (on me) objectively, it was obvious they were unflattering and worse, very dated. Changing to the moisture laden pinks she recommended instantly made my lips look plump and ripe and young. It seems so obvious once you do it. It seems as though I had gotten stuck in a rut of clothing, make-up, hair that was no longer current, fashionable and worst yet, flattering. I knew my style wasn’t working but I didn’t know how to fix it and since I tend to be pretty conservative, was a bit tentative about making any changes. After a while, when you put on all the old make-up, hair, clothing, et cetera, you look in the mirror and think you look ok but what’s really going on is that you’ve done it the same way so many times, you just look familiar and you are unable to really discern what looks good and and what does not. Krupp really pushed me to make specific changes that had quite a WOW effect. And then I felt silly because I hadn’t thought of it myself. Switching from a powder to a creme blush and stopping the overuse of my powder compact made an immediate impact, making my skin look dewey and fresh versus matte.

Another immediate improvement for me was a sideswept bang which not only looked better but made my hair more versatile to style. I also made use of some of her many, many “Brilliant Buys” at the end of every chapter which in and of itself makes this book worth the money at twice the price. One reviewer complained that the book was geared toward rich women in large Metapolitan areas. I would disagree. There are many prices ranges among the products to choose from. Alot of the products can be found at mass retailers and mail order is accessible to all of us presumably. I just recently picked-up two of her “Brilliant Buys” at Long’s Drugs: Revlon ColorStay 12-Hour Eye Shadow Quad in Coffee Bean (the perfect neutral browns) and Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner. There were many more, more expensive recommendations as well which I may try in the future but the point is there are choices.

Realizations that struck home while reading this book: flesh toned stockings (pantyhose) are definitely old lady as are outfits that are very matchy-matchy (which I am guilty of often), hair that is too done, too perfect versus movement and flip. The concept is that make-up is softer and hair is looser.

The most amazing chapters are on jeans, make-up and shapewear. Fabulous and immediately useful. I can’t afford to make ‘all’ the changes she advocates in her book but what little I’ve done so far has made a huge positive impact in my appearance. It has also educated me for all future shopping forays so I don’t slip back into purchasing all the same things all over again and getting back into an outdated rut…
“… Brad has lightened up the locks of Natasha Richardson, Brooke Shields, and Christy Turlington, as well as women who don’t face …”

Young Brooke Shields:

Brooke Shields Nude:

“How I Found Livingstone” is the first person account of journalist Henry Stanley who was assigned to go find Livingstone, who had been missing for two years in Central Africa and was presumed by some to be dead. It’s an interesting read, not just for the story that Stanley thinks he is telling about Central Africa, but for the implicit story of Stanley himself, including his own attitudes. It’s enough to make you want to build a time machine so you can go back in time and smack him. And of course Stanley is telling tell tales for his audience too. Should be read in conjunction with a good work of history to put this self-absorbed cad in context.

The five stars are for the edition, which is hard cover with color illustrations and maps as well as more current photographs of the places that are discussed in Stanley’s book. You need a good reason to buy a book edition, because you can download Stanley’s entire book for free through Google Books. I started to do this but decided that I wanted a book form rather than 800 printer pages, and I think I got my money’s worth.

Get it from Librivox

Here is the first chapter.

Contrary to all silly 19th Century notions of linguistics and Saxon ethnicity, English and French are remarkably similar languages, with over 70% of their vocabularies cognate, and with essentially the same grammar except for the fading conjugations of French. YOU, whoever you are, can learn to read French in a matter of weeks. Note that I didn’t say SPEAK French, just read it. If you have Spanish or Italian under your collar, you can read French already but you just don’t know it.

These seven stories by Guy de Maupassant represent the author’s scope and skill. Maupassant is out of fashion, both in the USA and in France, but his Gallic non-judgemental humanism is still worth encountering. You won’t be able to follow the French without a few hours of basic grammar, which you can learn at the computer with the appropriate “Transparent Language” software. But once you can struggle through a single paragraph, you’ll be staring at a new world of pleasure in reading. Trust me, French literature is even better than you thought it was from translation.

Zip file of the entire book (122 MB)

This story is an absorbing sequel to the recently published TRUE BELIEVER; if published together as one story and with some editing of the repeated and/or overly detailed descriptions which at times slow the pace of both books, they would have become what might well have been a five star novel and perhaps Sparks’ best book. However, this does not rise to that level as a standalone story due to the factors detailed in my criticisms later in this review. Despite the fact that I afforded this book a higher rating, I strongly suggest that you read them both in the order in which they were published. If you only plan to read one, they are so different in tone and content (as described in this review) that even though they together form a unified whole, your choice should depend on your reading tastes rather than the ratings which they received.

The easiest way to provide the appropriate context and background for my review of AT FIRST SIGHT is to provide the following excerpts from my review of TRUE BELIEVER(6/9/2005):

“It is indeed unfortunate that after Nicholas Sparks spent so much time constructing a really interesting and nuanced storyline, he utilized it simply as the setup for the conclusion of a true “feel good” romance, with the final chapter best characterized as five-star schmaltz. Thus, while I realize that some of Sparks’ readers will be delighted with a simple love story that eschews the bittersweet nature of much of his work, and I certainly enjoy a well written story examining the mystery of romance, my rating of only three stars reflects my reaction to a plot that had so much unrealized potential. If the author had put a little more effort into providing a conclusion consistent with the earlier complexity of the story and had also provided more closure regarding all the wonderful secondary characters who he made the effort to infuse with life for the reader, he would have made me into a TRUE BELIEVER that his story deserved a full five stars.” (Aside - as this review will make clear, in effect that is what this sequel accomplishes.)

“The universal question explored by this novel has been asked innumerable times before in story, play and verse - can a young man and woman of very different backgrounds and who have made very different lifestyle choices find enough common ground to experience more than a temporary attraction to each other? In this case specifically -what happens when Jeremy Marsh (a sophisticated and successful young scientific investigative reporter who enjoys life on the Upper West Side of New York City) travels to rural Boone Creek, North Carolina to debunk the supernatural explanation of ghostly lights that recurrently appear in a local cemetery and meets the charming and aloof Lexie Darnell? The setup is leisurely, interesting and complex, and Jeremy is soon drawn into the complex history of the town and finds himself increasingly as intrigued by Lexie as by the mystery which he professionally wants to explain. The inhabitants and their relationships are drawn well enough to make the town come alive, especially Doris McClellan, the aunt who had raised Lexie and whose letter had piqued Jeremy’s interest and drawn him to Boone Creek. And while most of the humor is low key, there are a few real laugh-out-loud moments, mostly with regard to Jed, the local taxidermist and proprietor of Greenleaf Cottages, “the Museum of Natural history transformed into a horror movie and squeezed into a closet”. As the novel proceeds, while the threads of the mystery are gradually being unraveled, the background details of Lexie’s and Jeremy’s previous romantic entanglements and their emotional baggage which remains add depth to the story.

“So, what’s not to like? There are interesting characters, some humor and a little mystery, to add color to a romantic backdrop. Unfortunately, it is the promise of all these elements which made the abrupt conclusion such a letdown for me. The table was set, a delicious meal served, and then the final course was an overly sweet confection with no substance. In addition, a further minor complaint involved was one major flaw in the rush to conclusion which should have been spotted and corrected by the editors, who were apparently in as much of a hurry to keep to the publishing schedule as was the author. I can’t provide details without including a spoiler, but it was disappointing given the attention to detail throughout the rest of the book.

“I also acknowledge that TRUE BELIEVER would make a wonderful movie with the right director and actors. My criticism would be less valid given the visual storytelling nature of that medium; such a goal may well explain Spark’s rather summary conclusion. However, I in fact am disappointed by the increasing tendency of authors to shortchange their readers with books which are actually screenplays in disguise and hope that my suspicion is wrong in this case.”

AT FIRST SIGHT begins with a very brief prologue which occurs five years in the future and immediately foreshadows that the syrupy sweet romantic conclusion of TRUE BELIEVER has surprisingly set the stage for a much more emotionally nuanced sequel. We then return to where we left Lexie and Jeremy and follow their lives forward from that point. Lexie meets Jeremy’s friend and best man Alvin and his large family; Jeremy does indeed move to Boone Creek and the local cast of characters (including Doris, Jed, Lexie’s lifelong friend Rachel, Rodney, and the wonderful Mayor Gherkin) all play their part; and finally, the normal travails of all new couples and prospective parents are presented in both wonderful perspective and maddening detail. Several incidents gradually coalesce into a climatic emotional crisis between Jeremy and Lexie; while Sparks does a great job of capturing individual moments which undoubtedly will be familiar to all his readers, the pace is even slower than the small town world of the South in which the action occurs. Furthermore, Jeremy’s insecurities eventually cause his actions to become so potentially self-destructive they also caused me to become very frustrated as a reader and also combined with the slow pace to make it difficult to continue reading the story at certain points in contrast with my usual complete immersion in and non-stop completion of most novels which I read.

Then suddenly with eighty pages remaining, everything comes together, the tone and focus changes, the petty and usual concerns of Jeremy’s and Lexie’s daily routine are replaced by events which put both them and the reader on an emotional roller coater of wonderful highs and depressing lows. Then even more abruptly, the startling and unforgettable climax! This is followed by a perfect and moving epilogue which returns us to the present following the narration those events of five years ago.

In summary, while some of the material is repetitive, I strongly suggest that you read both of these books as one story. (Despite my irritation at having to purchase two books to get one complete story.) Just remember that the early courses of this meal are much sweeter than the dessert (and also much less satisfying). So, if you like romances which end happily, read only TRUE BELIEVER. If you like stories which leave you emotionally drained and don’t want to spend the time to read both books in light of their overlapping nature, then you should read only AT FIRST SIGHT. Their combined storylines form a compelling tale; together they would form the basis for a film at least as moving as THE NOTEBOOK.

One final cautionary note, I agree with some other reviewers that this is a book that will probably cause undue distress to many pregnant women and most prospective parents.

I have read about 6 other Nicholas Sparks books. I liked this book and sort of did not like this book. I thought that the characters took awhile to get together. I wish that they had a better way of meeting each other. I did not like the female character in this book. She drove me crazy! She liked him, then did not like him. I should should tell you about the book. Jeremy is a journalist for the magazine Scientiic advocate. He has an assignment to do a story of a haunted cememtery. When he gets to this city, he falls in love with the librian Lexie.
Funny thing about this the author’s book, even though, you might not crazt about the story, you still can not put this book down and that is what happened to me.

In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life.

Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks’s new novel believes he’s found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he’s never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.

Swifts “A Modest Proposal” was a well written glimpse of what the future would be like. It was written in the 1700s and presents disturbing views of what to do about homeless individuals and people in general. It is surprising that a lot of what the book predicted, as a means to prevent those horrific circumstances came true. In the “Modest Proposal” It presented a terrible vision of what may happen in the future if humans in general would not refrain from treating each other like animals. A lot of it’s predicitons came true.

It presents disturbing views because it’s sole purpose is to disturb us, so we do not repeat these terrible acts of torture in real life. It is hard to acknowlege the fact that a lot of these acts of human torture are practiced in the world today. I recommend this book be read in order to understand and prevent future torture in society today.

Source: LibriVox
Length: 27 min
Reader: John Gonzales

The reader: This piece could be read aloud in two very different ways. One would be to play it straight, earnestly arguing that babies should be roasted and allow the listener to figure out that the reader is not, in fact, serious. The other would be to adopt Swift’s tone of sarcasm, letting the listeners know that the reader is in on the joke. Gonzales chooses the second, but doesn’t allow his sarcasm to become so thick that it ruins impact of what is being proposed. He has a snooty British accent that gives a overtone of reality, while at certain points his voice overemphasizes the deliciousness of baby flesh to play up the humor. The balance of straight man and joker is hard to achieve, but Gonzales hits it just right.

Remember Marley: A Dog Like No Other, a canine greatly loved by his master? Well, here is Dewey, an abandoned orange kitten not only beloved by his mistress but by the entire town of Spencer, Iowa.

Dewey’s origins were questionable as was his introduction to library director Vicki Myron. January 18, 1988 was a frigid Monday in Spencer. “It was a killing freeze, the kind that made it almost painful to breathe.” When Vicki arrived at the library that morning her assistant told her she had heard a noise coming from a metal slot, the library’s after-hours drop box behind the building. Soon, they both heard the noise and thought it was an animal. The opening of the box was only a few inches wide, so whatever it was had to be very small. Being metal the box was even colder than it was outside, and there in a corner of the box was a tiny kitten.

It was the most pitiful thing she had ever seen, so thin she could see every rib, and she could feel its heart beating, its lungs pumping. “The poor kitten was so weak it could barely hold up its head, and it was shaking uncontrollably. It opened its mouth, but the sound which came two seconds later, was weak and ragged.” But one look into his big eyes and she was Dewey’s and he was hers.

Dewey was not the only one who had endured hardship - Vicki was a single mom who had lost the family farm and survived an abusive husband. The people of Spencer were going through tough times during the farm crisis of that time. Depression, ennui seemed to be everywhere.

Nonetheless, Vicki was determined to capture the interest of those who came to the small library and hopefully make them a little happier. With the help of Dewey she did that and more. For 19 years he returned the affection of the townspeople twofold, amusing them, enchanting them, rubbing against many hands in gratitude for their caresses.

What difference can one small animal make? Dewey’s story spread across state lines and even around the world. In 2003 Japanese Public Television filmed Dewey, and his obituary ran in well over 200 newspapers. His story will warm your hearts, make you laugh and cry. Don’t miss it.

Highly recommended.

“When the lazy or dull-witted students fail in the examination,” said a wise schoolmaster, “I try to find out what is wrong with the boys; when the best in the class fail to pass, I try to find out what is wrong with myself.”

The Eighteenth Amendment is treated with contempt, the Volstead act for its enforcement is violated without compunction, by countless thousands of our best citizens. It is idle to try to find out what is the matter with these people; they are as good as we have, or can ever hope to have. The thing to do is to find out what is the matter not with the law-breakers but with the law.

How the Eighteenth Amendment is a crime against the Constitution of the United States; how it violates the principle which lies at the bottom of respect for law; how it makes for despotism, whether by a majority or a minority; these and other aspects of National Prohibition are briefly discussed in this book.

Of such discussion of the fundamental issues of Prohibition there has been a lamentable dearth. It is the author’s hope that this book will contribute in some degree toward the rescue of the country from the evils to which he directs attention - toward its return to a sound view of the relation of government to life. Unless it does so return, the injury already done to American institutions and to the temper of American life will prove but a foretaste of others perhaps even more destructive of the spirit of liberty and individuality.

Zip file of the entire book

I just started this book and have only done the first two dares so far, but I can tell you that it has already left a very positive impact on me and my marriage. It has changed the way I think about my husband and made me want to put him as a priority again. I would definitely recommend this book to every married couple no matter how long they have been married. I am looking forward to continuing on the journey and completing the rest of the Love Dares.

You won’t be disappointed.

Abner Doubleday presents a unique account from the Union side of the events leading up to and including the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, which ignited the American Civil War. His first-person details from inside the garrison are hard to find elsewhere. He was such a staunch Unionist that he recalls being the only officer of the garrison in favor of the election of Lincoln. He continually protests against what he saw as the inaction of his own commanders and higher echelons. He felt that the Rebellion could have been nipped in the bud, had proper action been taken. From the foregoing, it should be apparent that sympathizers of the Confederacy will disagree with Doubleday on many points. I should point out that there is only limited evidence that Abner Doubleday had anything to do with the invention of baseball. He did, however, earn a Congressional Medal of Honor at Gettysburg.

Zip file of the entire book 97MB