On that day, debut author Kathe Ambrose Goodwin, a lifelong denizen of 76107, celebrates the publication of Love Remembers: Holding on to Hope and Faith in the Face of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s with a book signing.

That Tuesday, she’ll be at the James L. West Center for Dementia Care, 1111 Summit Ave., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Books sold at the event are $15 (tax included), with a portion of sales donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. Beginning June 7, you can find it on Amazon for $16.95.

I’ve known Kathe for years but only in the most arm’s-length way. I had no idea her husband has dementia. Steve was only 61, a respected attorney at the top of his game, when he slipped into this progressive disease.

Kathe’s remembrance of life before and after her husband’s diagnosis is as brave as it is wise. Filled with personal stories of everyday challenges including those brought on by COVID, the book details her journey of faith and unshakable devotion to a man she vowed to love in sickness and in health.

Now, he is in the final stages of this terrifying disease, and she is still a student of the magical power of hope.

I never force myself to finish a book I start, but I followed Kathe willingly to the end of Love Remembers. When I closed the cover of this revealing and beautifully written tribute, I felt I’d found a cup-of-coffee-in-the-afternoon friend. If you don’t know Kathe or have ever had a chance to meet her, the book is the next best thing. This is Kathe’s first book, but I hope it won’t be her last.

What’s on my nightstand

I can’t wait to get to The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki. I know this dive into historical fiction will be like a beach read with big characters, big houses and big money.

Written in first-person narrative, I expect some of this story will unwind in Fort Worth, where Marjorie’s father, C.W. Post, purchased 300 acres of land on the eastern edge of town in the late 1880s. He had big plans for the neighborhood now known as Riverside, but they didn’t pan out. What did pay off was a gamble on the emerging cereal industry.

Marjorie was his only child. The heiress inherited not only money but also an excellent head for business in a day when women weren’t supposed to run anything but the household. She did make sure her homes were big enough to keep her interested. Marjorie and her second husband, E.F. Hutton, built Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the late 1920s. It’s now owned by former President Donald Trump.
They also owned the largest seagoing yacht of the era.

At one point, she was the richest woman in the world, with all the blessings and curses such wealth implies.

I’m also looking at The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian, billed as an “edge of your seat” read about a luxurious 1964 African safari that turns deadly for an A-list actress, her new husband and a pack of friends who have traveled to Tanzania to celebrate the wedding.

The Americans expect a civilized adventure with warm baths and cold cocktails at the end of each exciting day. They’re in search of stories to tell back home, but they get more than they bargained for when a kidnapping goes wrong.

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult calls it “the best possible combination of Hemingway and Agatha Christie.” Anyone else ready for a  whodunnit page turner?