AlzAuthors 3rd Annual Caregiver Appreciation Month Book Sale & Giveaway is November 21-25

AlzAuthors is built by caregivers for caregivers. Our mission is to provide carefully vetted books and blogs to help you find the answers and guidance you need. The majority of our authors have “walked the walk” with a parent, spouse, or other loved one, and have chosen to write their stories as balm for the soul, and to share with others the information they wished they’d had on their own dementia journeys.

November is National Caregiver Appreciation Month, which makes it the perfect time to recognize the long hours, sacrifice, and love caregivers bring to caring for a loved one with dementia or any long-term illness. In honor of their efforts, we are hosting a book sale and giveaway. It’s a terrific way for caregivers who are looking for knowledge, guidance, and support to build a library of carefully vetted books to help guide and inspire them every day.

Starting today through November 25th, you can take advantage of this excellent opportunity to check out some of our books for free and reduced prices. We offer a variety of genres, including fiction, memoir, non-fiction, and children’s and teens literature. All are available in Kindle, and many are available in other digital formats, paperback, and audio.

Our books are written from a deep place of understanding, experience, knowledge, and love. May you find one – or two, or more! – to help guide you on your own dementia journey.

Click on the book covers to visit each book’s Amazon.com page.

Please check all prices before purchasing. AlzAuthors is not responsible for ensuring price reductions. Please contact the individual authors with questions (contact information is provided in each author’s AlzAuthors blog post). All prices are in U.S. dollars.

Note: AlzAuthors is an Amazon Associate and may receive a small commission from book sales.

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Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiving Stories: 47 Authors Share Their Inspiring Personal Experiences (An AlzAuthors Anthology, Book 2) by AlzAuthors, KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL!  Starts at $0.99 then rises each day to $4.99 (reg. $4.99)

Within these pages you will be immersed in a world of writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia gathered by the acquisitions team at AlzAuthors. This team has worked tirelessly to find and vet resources – memoir, novels, nonfiction, poetry, children’s books, and blogs – to provide those living with dementia a friendly place to find the support and knowledge they need. All entries come from the blog’s second year. Includes books for those caring for parents, a spouse, or living with the disease themselves, and features books for children and teens.  May one of their stories speak to you.

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Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiving Stories: 58 Authors Share Their Inspiring Personal Experiences (An AlzAuthors Anthology Book 1) by AlzAuthors, $1.99 (reg. $4.99); paperback $12.99 (reg. 14.99)

This poignant anthology grew out of the first year’s blog posts on AlzAuthors.com. Fifty-eight authors reveal the backstory of their books about Alzheimer’s and other dementias. It is a heartfelt compilation from those who have been deeply touched – whether they live with the disease, are caregivers, or simply care. They join together to offer compassionate support and courage for anyone traveling a similar path.

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Flying Fossils by Lynn Gentry, fiction; FREE (reg. $4.99)

The Slocum women never discuss the family secrets they buried in the Frio River. For twenty-five years, they’ve gone their separate ways and lived separate lives. But when Sara’s fall breaks her hip and leaves her unable to care for herself, her daughter is forced to return to Texas. Charlotte’s short-term care-giving plan is dashed when she realizes her difficult mother needs long-term care. While Sara struggles to regain her independence, Charlotte grapples with the impossible task of juggling a high-pressure job, a rebellious teenage daughter, and a slightly demented mother.

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Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story by Marianne Sciucco, fiction; KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL! Starts at $0.99 then rises each day to $4.99 (re. $4.99); paperback $9.99 (reg. $14.99)

What if the person who knew you best and loved you most forgot your face, and couldn’t remember your name? A care facility is everyone’s solution for what to do about Sara, but her husband, Jack, can’t bear to live without her. He is committed to saving his marriage, his wife, and their life together from the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. He and Sara retired years ago to the house of their dreams, and operated it as a Cape Cod bed and breakfast named Blue Hydrangeas. Jack has made an impossible promise: He and Sara will stay together in their beautiful home no matter what the disease brings. However, after nine years of selfless caregiving, complicated by her progressing Alzheimer’s and his own failing heart, he finally admits he can no longer care for her at home. With reluctance, he arranges to admit her to an assisted living facility. But, on the day of admission, Sara is having one of her few good days, and he is unable to follow through. Instead, he takes them on an impulsive journey to confront their past and reclaim their future. In the end, he realizes that staying together at any cost is what truly matters.

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Alzheimer’s Daughter by Jean Lee, memoir; $0.99 (reg. $4.99)

What would you do if both parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? At the time of their diagnosis, Ed Church struggles to his feet, yelling, “How dare you use the A. word with me,” while Ibby wags her finger at the doctor scolding, “Shame on you.” They protect each other, Ibby by asserting, “We’re not leaving our home,” and Ed reassuring, “We’re just fine.” About his driving Ed defends, “I’m an excellent driver, I’ve never had an accident.” When their daughter, Rosie, finds dings in Ed’s car, he dismisses, “Someone must have bumped into me.” After Rosie moves them to assisted living, convinced they are on a second honeymoon, they break the news, “We’ve decided not to have more children.” In the late stages, they politely shake Rosie’s hand, inquiring, “Now, who are you?” In Alzheimer’s Daughter readers journey with Rosie Church from her first suspicions that something is awry to nearly a decade later as she is honored to hold Ed and Ibby’s hands when they draw their final breaths.

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Requiem for the Status Quo by Irene Frances Olson, fiction; $0.99 (reg. $4.99)

Family caregivers are oftentimes ruthlessly challenged by uninvolved family members who are quick to condemn, but reticent to offer assistance. Such is the case for Colleen Strand, a widow who recently found her own footing and takes on the task of caring for her father, Patrick Quinn, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Her older brother, Jonathan, criticizes Colleen at every turn and verbally abuses the father when he has the gall to exhibit symptoms of his disease. In short, Jonathan travels down the road of denial, leaving Colleen to deal with all matters regarding their father’s care. Connected tenuously to a father who barely remembers her and a brother who has become an enigma, Colleen faces the moving target that is Alzheimer’s disease, determined to clothe her father with the dignity he deserves, while capturing the far too fleeting moments of time with him.

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Competing with the Star by Krysten Lindsay Hager, Young Adult Fiction, $0.99 (reg. $3.99)

Hadley Daniels’s life seems perfect… Before the beginning of sophomore year of high school, Hadley and her family move to a beautiful beach town, where she makes amazing new friends and lands the boyfriend of her dreams–Nick Jenkins. He’s the kind of guy every girl swoons over, and it isn’t long until Hadley discovers some are still swooning. A famous ex-girlfriend makes matters more complicated… After some time dating, Hadley and Nick form a deep bond. But insecurity sets in when Hadley discovers her boyfriend once had a huge crush on her friend–who just happens to be the beautiful former teen TV star, Simone Hendrickson. Hadley confronts Nick, who confesses about his history with Simone. Though he claims to only have eyes for Hadley now, it’s hard to believe–especially when she’s blindsided with the news that Nick and Simone kissed after school. Now Hadley must determine who is telling the truth. Love, betrayal, friendship…who needs soap opera drama when you’re busy competing with a star? This book has a sub-theme of Lewy Body Dementia.

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Finding Ruth: A Daughter’s Quest to Discover Her Mother’s Past by Cynthia Hamilton, memoir; FREE (reg. $3.99)

A writer turns detective to learn what her mother’s life had been like before Alzheimer’s stole her memories. A true story of forgiveness and healing. As fiercely independent Ruth struggles to stay self-reliant at the age of 86, each day brings her closer to an event that will alter her life forever. While her author daughter shifts through Ruth’s possessions prior to her move into a skilled nursing facility, she discovers a previously unseen photo from 1949 and realizes how little she knows of her mother’s life. As Alzheimer’s continues to warp Ruth’s once sharp mind, she can no longer shed any light on the past. Yearning to know who her mother was as a person in her own right, the author painstakingly reconstructs Ruth’s life from photos, letters, public records and firsthand memories. What emerges is a portrait of a bright, beautiful woman who is propelled through decades of broken promises and heartache, bouncing from one ill-fated relationship to the next, but always staying strong, always surviving. Through a timeline going back sixty years, the author gleans a much better understanding of the woman she had known only as Mom.

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I’m Your Daughter, Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia by Julie A. Gorges, memoir; FREE (reg. $2.99)

“I’m Your Daughter, Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia” is written by award-winning journalist and author, Julie A. Gorges, who was the primary caregiver for her mother suffering from Lewy Body dementia. Sharing her intimate story, Gorges provides a compassionate and supportive guidebook to help caregivers cope with the many difficult challenges they will face while caring for their own needs at the same time. With gut-wrenching honesty, Gorges shares her own roller coaster ride of emotions, mistakes she made along the way, and all the ups and downs of this life-changing experience that is fulfilling as well as difficult and painful. This book walks caregivers through the entire process to the end of the journey to help them cope and move forward after a loved one dies. Gorges wholeheartedly believes there are many things people can do to make life more dignified and enjoyable during this challenging time. I’m Your Daughter Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia is a must-read for those embarking on this difficult, but in the end worthwhile journey of caregiving.

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Almost There by Laurel Garver, Young Adult fiction, $2.99 (reg. $ 3.99)

Paris, the City of Lights. To seventeen-year-old Dani Deane, it’s the Promised Land. There, her widowed mother’s depression will vanish and she will no longer fear losing her only parent, her arty New York life, or her devoted boyfriend. But shortly before their Paris getaway, Dani’s tyrannical grandfather falls ill, pulling them to rural Pennsylvania to deal with his hoarder horror of a house. Among the piles, Dani finds disturbing truths that could make Mum completely unravel. Desperate to protect her from pain and escape to Paris, Dani hatches a plan with the flirtatious neighbor boy that only threatens the relationships she most wants to save. Why would God block all paths to Paris? Could real hope for healing be as close as a box tucked in the rafters?

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Trading Places: Becoming My Mother’s Mother by Sandra Bullock Smith, memoir; FREE (reg. $2.99)

Caring for an elderly parent can be extremely challenging. The role reversal involved is emotionally and intellectually demanding, and many caregivers find themselves unprepared to undertake such a difficult task. In Trading Places: Becoming My Mother’s Mother, Sandra Bullock Smith shares her personal experiences spending ten years caring for her ailing mother. This heartfelt look at the trials and tribulations of that decade offers powerful insight and encouragement for anyone entering into a similar period of life. Smith’s touching stories share the heartbreaking, and sometimes comical, moments she experienced while providing assistance to her aging parent—and how they mirrored similar events from her own childhood. In a very real sense, the two women traded places. Smith found herself uttering phrases she heard all too often as a child, such as, “Don’t give your food to the dog,” and “You’ve had enough sugar today.” Smith began jotting down the things she said, and thus this charming book was born. Filled with respect, compassion, and love, this uplifting and amusing memoir is for anyone involved in elder care or who may face the role in the future.

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A Long and Winding Road: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos by Linda Brendle, memoir; $0.99 (reg. $3.99)

A Long And Winding Road: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos is the story of the chaos that happens when four people, two of whom have Alzheimer’s, spend seven weeks touring the southeastern U.S. in a 40-foot motor home. Alzheimer’s is a family disease, and A Long and Winding Road is a love story–not a boy-meets-girl love story, but a family love story: The story of the love of a daughter for her parents and her willingness to take them into her home when they could no longer care for themselves; The story of a mother and father who loved their daughter but no longer remembered exactly where they were or why; The story of a husband who loved his wife so much that he stood beside her as they fought to survive the ravages of the brain-wasting disease that was stealing her loved ones away a piece at a time. It’s also the story of a seven-week trip for four across sixteen U.S. states in a forty-foot motor home–a trip that involved stopped up toilets, wet jeans, laughter, and headaches that were far from the easygoing retirement the Brendles had imagined for themselves. Linda Brendle takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotional and spiritual challenges that many families are facing right now. Co-dependency, mental breakdowns, and finding love after divorce are just a few of the issues weaved into this journey of caregiving.

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Mom’s Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale of Alzheimer’s, Grief, and Comfort by Linda Brendle, memoir; $0.99 (reg. $5.99)

“Mom’s goodbye began with a red photo album and ended fifteen years later in a hospital bed in the Alzheimer’s wing of Southridge Village. This is her story and mine.” Linda Brendle’s first memoir, A Long and Winding Road, told of the chaos that happens when four people, two of whom have Alzheimer’s, spend fifty-three days in a forty-foot motor home. It also told of the years and the life experiences that brought these four people together. After finishing it, many readers asked what happened next. Mom’s Long Goodbye is the rest of the story. Based on blog posts written as the events happened, this memoir takes the reader through grieving a continuous loss, some of the initial changes Alzheimer’s causes, the transition from caregiving to assisted living, Dad’s death, Mom’s last year, and the grief and closure of her final goodbye. Mom’s Long Goodbye strips away the façade of being the perfect caregiver and gives the reader a look at the denial, the anger, and the fear that come as a loved one loses herself a piece at a time to an insidious disease. Through sharing her own struggles, Brendle tries to assure other caregivers that they are not alone, that perfection is not required, and that comfort is real.

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Somebody Stole My Iron: a Family Memoir of Dementia by Vicki Tapia, $0.99 (reg. $3.99)

Navigating the waters of dementia can be frightening, unleashing a myriad of emotions for everyone involved. After Vicki Tapia’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, followed closely by her father with Parkinson’s disease-related dementia, she struggled to find practical, helpful information to light her way. Somebody Stole My Iron began as a diary to help her cope, but emerged as a road map for others. It offers a glimpse into her family’s  life as they rode the waves of dementia, sometimes sailing, other times capsizing. This engaging memoir offers useful information from experts within the field of Alzheimer’s research, personal lessons the author learned along the way, and ideas and tips for managing the day-to-day ups and downs of dementia.

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The Reluctant Caregiver, Missives from the Caregiving Minefield by Joy Johnston, memoir; $0.99 (reg. $1.99)

Not everyone is born a natural caregiver. One moment, digital journalist Joy Johnston is a cynical workaholic with an underwater mortgage. The next moment, she faces the responsibility of caring for her eccentric mother who’s battling colon cancer, just six months after her father’s death from Alzheimer’s. As an only child, she has no choice but to slap on the latex gloves, and get to know more about her mother — and herself — than she ever imagined possible. The road from reluctance to resilience is bumpy and splattered with bodily fluids, but it also offers unforgettable lessons. Who knew you could learn how to change a colostomy bag on YouTube, or that hospice nurses like telling dirty jokes? Peppered with snarky humor, vivid observations, and poignant honesty, this essay collection will resonate with anyone drafted into a family health crisis.

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To Helen With Love by Linda Jenkins, memoir; $0.99 (reg. $7.99), paperback $7.00 (reg. $15.49)

It was a role she never expected to fill, but Linda Jenkins was soon thrust into a life of unpredictable days, lonely nights, and searing grief. For eighteen years she watched her mother give more and more of herself to Alzheimer’s disease from the seat of primary caregiver. Nothing could prepare her for what this new path would entail: navigating insurance issues, the healthcare system, financial concerns, hospice, and a panel of doctors, nurses, and caregivers. To Helen with Love is written with humility, faith, and love in the face of a dark and ravaging disease. She candidly addresses her fears, her doubts, and her grief as time ushers her through one obstacle after another. A practical and helpful memoir, the book is filled with resources, advice, encouragement, and hope; she finds humor and joy where it shines brightly through the fog and captures it all in her recollections of her mother’s last years. With insight on advocacy, best practice, and the emotional spectrum common among caregivers, Linda Jenkins offers information, support, and inspiration in her mother’s memory. Her faith was challenged in ways she could never have dreamed of, but with the love of God and her mother, she rose to the challenge and learned about herself, her family, and her faith.

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Motherhood: Lost and Found by Ann Campanella, memoir; $0.99 (reg. $7.99)

Alzheimer’s disease, infertility and love of horses intersect in this memoir, which was named “One of the Best Alzheimer’s Books of All Time” by Book Authority. At age 33, author Ann Campanella returns to her home state of North Carolina ready to build a horse farm and start a family. Ann’s foundation is shaken when she experiences multiple miscarriages at the same time her mother spirals into Alzheimer’s. Ann’s connection to horses sustains her as she cares for her elderly parents and her window of motherhood begins to close. As her mother’s memory fades, Ann receives a final miracle. The voice in Ann’s memoir has been called constant and abiding, her imagery indelible. Her graceful, exacting language rises above the grief of infertility and the struggle to care for aging parents, connecting the reader ultimately to the heartbeat and resilience of the human experience.

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Dear Clueless: A Daughter’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s Caregiving by Sandra Savell, memoir; $1.99 (reg. $3.99)

At the time this book was written, the youngest person recorded with Alzheimer’s Disease was 28 years old. Since I learned about Alzheimer’s with my maternal grandmother suffering from and succumbing to the disease in the 1980s, the ages of Alzheimer’s patients have been steadily becoming younger and younger. In my mother’s memory care unit was an educator who died of early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 53. There is a new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s every 67 seconds and it is estimated that one in every three people in the United States will have Alzheimer’s by the age of 85. This disease lasts from 2 – 25 years. If this trend continues, every family in the United States will be visited by Alzheimer’s and the affects on caregivers will also affect this nation. This book is both a personal story of a decade-long journey of caregiving as well as a call to arms for funding and research of this terminal disease.

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Save the Bones by Shannon O’Donnell, memoir; paperback $8.50 (reg. $15.00)

Maddening. Crazy-making. Frustrating. The dance that is Alzheimer’s is never quite mastered. The music changes often and the steps are irregular. This way? That way? Nothing is ever straightforward in the telling. This mother and daughter navigate the capricious ways of Alzheimer’s and discover new things along the way, including laughter that surprises and bonds them to shared history and memory. Second edition. Includes new material, the final chapter in the story of a mother and a daughter and Alzheimer’s.

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Caring for aging parents is both a challenge and a blessing. In this engaging inspirational memoir, author Sue Anne W. Kirkham explores with honesty and humor every emotional and practical facet of the adult child’s experience when roles are reversed. Her father, Bill, a retired psychologist, and her stepmother, Zelda, had enjoyed absorbing hobbies and eagerly traveled the globe together for most of their 32-year marriage. Now Zelda–former organizer of Fourth of July kitchen-band marches–is fading away into the confusion of dementia. They need help. Through character studies and helpful insights, you will get to know this blended family intimately, and you’ll want to be there with them through every dramatic turn of events.

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Is There Any Ice Cream?: Surviving the Challenges of Caregiving for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s, Anxiety, and COPD (Accepting the Gift of Caregiving) by Judith Allen Shone, memoir; paperback $19.99 US ($22.99), $25.00 Canada ($29.99)

In 2018, the Alzheimer Society of Canada website showed over half a million people in Canada were living with dementia. That same year, the Alzheimer Association website reported that over 5.7 million in the US were living with a form of memory loss. Unsuspecting family members had to jump into the role of caregiver without warning or training. Often, the caregiver was a spouse. Many caregivers became confused, challenged and eventually overwhelmed from the stress of caring for their loved one. Judith Allen Shone fell into that category. It never occurred to her to ask “what if” her love became ill and she, alone, had to become the one to take care of him. She never dreamed she would have to become a solo caregiver. But that is exactly what happened. It is from her experiences that Shone came to believe no caregiver should be walking their path afraid or all alone. Written for all caregivers and those who support caregivers, Shone juggles humor with insight, as she chronicles the story of an untrained and desperate caregiver who, in her memoir-story style, relates her formidable experiences accompanied by the emotional chaos of caregiving for her loved one with COPD, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, cancer, and anxiety, with occasional mysteries arising. Includes one successful intervention….

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Alzheimer’s Trippin’ with George: Diagnosis to Discovery in 10,000 Miles by Susan Straley, memoir; $1.99 (reg. $5.99)

What would you do if you learned that your spouse of 40 years had progressive dementia?
At sixty-two, Susan Straley was in a panic. She felt their fun retirement life was now over. Not only that, as an independent woman who loved her freedom, she didn’t want to be strapped with the caregiver role! And she worried about their retirement savings… what if George needed long-term-care? What she really wanted to do was run away. George tearfully begged her to wait until their 40th wedding anniversary, only a few months away. So Susan took off on a last-hurrah road trip with George and their recumbent trikes in tow. Their story is told in open and honest letters to family and friends, sprinkled with warmth, humor, angst and incontinence. Readers will find themselves traveling along with Susan and George, delighting in their experiences, cheering them on. Alzheimer’s Trippin’ powerfully captures the resistance, the joys, and the adjustments of one strong woman on the journey from diagnosis to discovery.

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Weeds in Nana’s Garden by Kathryn Harrison, illustrated children’s fiction; KINDLE DEAL $1.99 (reg. $4.99)

A young girl and her Nana hold a special bond that blooms in the surroundings of Nana’s magical garden. Then one day, the girl finds many weeds in the garden. She soon discovers that her beloved Nana has Alzheimer’s Disease; an illness that affects an adult brain with tangles that get in the way of thoughts, kind of like how weeds get in the way of flowers. As time passes, the weeds grow thicker and her Nana declines, but the girl accepts the difficult changes with love, learning to take-over as the garden’s caregiver. Extending from the experience of caring for her mother, artist Kathryn Harrison has created this poignant children’s story with rich illustrations to candidly explore dementia diseases, while demonstrating the power of love. It is a journey that will cultivate understanding and touch your heart. After the story, a useful Question and Answer section is included. $1 from the purchase of this book will be donated to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. The Alzheimer Society is Canada’s leading health charity for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

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I Smile for Grandpa, by Jaclyn Guenette, author, and Kathryn Harrison, editor, illustrated children’s fiction; KINDLE DEAL at $1.99 (reg. $4.99)

Discover the heartwarming relationship between Grandpa and his Little Buddy in this touching book. When Grandpa is diagnosed with a dementia disease, Little Buddy realizes playing soccer together won’t quite be the same. But, while the activities that Grandpa can do are changing, there is still much fun to be had. In fact, spending time with each other is as special as ever! Using delightful and tender illustrations, dementia is compassionately explored through the innocent eyes of a child to create a greater understanding of the disease. Tips for speaking with your child as well as a useful Q&A are also included to enhance learning. Written by Registered Social Worker and Dementia Care Expert, Jaclyn Guenette / Edited and Illustrated by Award-winning Author & Illustrator, Kathryn Harrison. *A portion of profits from this book will be donated to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. The Alzheimer Society is Canada’s leading health charity for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. Thank you for making a difference.

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