Kirjahaku

In this poignant memoir, the author takes the reader through the last few years of being the sole caretaker for her mother. Filled with anecdotes and remembrances of the milestones such as the last Thanksgiving, Christmas and Mother's Day, she also weaves in childhood memories and humorous stories that give the picture of a full life. Additionally, this book goes beyond that because the writer was then the subject of an unbearable probate litigation brought by her brothers. She takes us through the devastation of being attacked by one's own family and the steps one should take to avoid such an eventuality, along with some helpful tips for those caring for a loved one with a terminal disease.

Paranoia, creepiness and just the right amount of weird best describes this psychological thriller, neo-noir. Glenn has taken his little family of four on a cross-country road trip on Highway 40 (paralleling Route 66) in an old motorhome in an effort to bond his kids with his new wife, Sasha. In the process, they are stopping at all the sights: the Big Ball of Twine, a "Winchester-Mystery-type ghost house" and the Cadillac Ranch, to name just a few, even though his teenage daughter, Megan, thinks it's all decidedly uncool and is less than friendly to Sasha. Devon, just two years younger than Megan, thinks his sister is being a pill and hopes she isn't disappointing their dad too much. Weary and cranky after being cooped up in the confines of the small motorhome after several weeks on the road, they decide to stop at a sprawling motel in Tucumcari so they can get 'real' showers and sleep in 'real' beds. However, upon further inspection, Glenn finds that the motel is deserted -- they're the only guests. Spooked by the creepy proprietors and weirded out by his own paranoia run amuck, Glenn makes a rash decision to flee in the middle of the night down a dark and lonely Old Route 66 which sends them into the abyss of real danger from which none of them may return.