Grab a Book & Play Booktivity! discussion

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Read any good books lately that fit our monthly theme? Here's the place to share your opinions / reactions / recommendations.

This month's theme is in honor of Valentine's Day - SHARE THE LOVE - Reader's Choice - Read any book and share the love.

Happy reading!
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Theft: A Love Story by Peter Carey – 3***
The novel is told by the two brothers in alternating chapters. The plot is convoluted and intricate, as befits a psychological thriller, but I didn’t find it a grippingly fast read. I was interested but puzzled about where this was going for a good third of the novel. Simon Vance is superb as the narrator of the audio version. He gives each brother a unique voice, which makes it easy to tell who is narrating.
Full Review HERE

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee – 3***
The subtitle is: A Memoir, a History. That pretty much describes this book. What I liked most about the book were his stories about bookshops from his personal experience, i.e. the memoir sections. But Buzbee also gives the reader a history of books – from clay tablets to scrolls to paper – and book-selling. And those sections I found less engaging.
Full Review HERE

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel – 3***
The wives of the original U.S. Astronauts had just as much of the “right stuff” as their hero-husbands. Koppel reveals their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears and joys, their stumbles and triumphs. These were some STRONG women, and it’s about time they were recognized. Orlagh Cassidy does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. Her pace is good, and she has enough skill as a voice artist to give the women sufficiently distinct voices (most of the time), so there is little confusion.
Full Review HERE

3 stars
Good book about the dysfunctional, yet functional life of David Sedaris. Some stories are a little long winded and dry but overall a interesting read with a few of laugh out loud parts.

I guess at first I misunderstood this category--I thought it was supposed to be for books we read that were love stories but I guess it's for any book we read this month that we enjoyed. So here are the reviews for what I've read so far--sorry for such a long post. And if I'm incorrect in my posting, please let me know!!


If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy O by Sharyn McCrumb.
4 stars

Another winner for Sharyn McCrumb. This is the first book in her Ballad series. Having already read the 3rd book, it was fun to see some of the same characters prior to what I'd learned about them by reading out of order. In this story, a folk singer from the 60's has moved to Hamelin, Tennessee trying to regroup and come up with some new music to possibly revive her career. Meanwhile, a few of the series regulars from this small Appalachian town are discussing the possibility of having a 20th high school reunion. All in all, there are many memories recalled and not all of them are pleasant. Sheriff Arrowood's older brother Cal died in Viet Nam and neither he nor his parents have entirely worked through their loss. Joe LeDonne, a police officer, has horrible dreams relating to his time spent in Viet Nam and his less than approachable personality is a way to protect himself from getting too close to others. As the party planning continues, bringing more aging classmates to town, the new neighbor in town. the previously mentioned folk singer, starts getting postcards with ominous warnings--all written in the lyrics of her songs and they appear to be from her previous singing partner who died in Viet Nam. I thought this was another well written mystery that did a great job of keeping me intrigued and throwing a surprise ending at me.


Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott
4 stars

Fascinating story about 4 women, a socialite, a farm girl, an abolitionist, and a widow, who all took a great part--whether as spies or actual combatants--in the Civil War. My favorite of the 4 women was Emma Edmonds, who cut her hair and took on the guise of "Frank Thompson" so that she could enlist as a private in the Union army and fight alongside the men. She ended up fighting in the deadliest battles of the Civil War. There was also Belle Boyd who was a spy for the Confederate army and tempted lovers from both sides of the battle. Rose Greenhow was a widow with a young daughter, Rosie, who gathered intelligence for the Confederacy by sleeping with Northern politicians and learning vital information through "pillow talk". At one point, she is imprisoned, along with her daughter and she is still able to pass information along by handing Rosie (through a loose floorboard) down to the cell below with messages that were then passed along by prisoners that were not being watched as closely as she was. Elizabeth Van Lew, was an extremely wealthy southern lady and abolitionist, who managed to keep a busy espionage ring running in spite of the Rebel sympathizers who kept a close eye on her. The book alternately follows the lives and exploits of these 4 woman throughout the war, including much additional information about the war itself and the important personages from that time (i.e. Stonewall Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and Edgar Allen Poe to name a few) There is also an extended epilogue that carefully details the remaining life of these women after the war ended. I thought the book was well researched and very well written. Additionally, the reader, Karen White, did an excellent job of narration.


THE REVENANT by MICHAEL PUNKE
4 stars

After my husband and I went to see The Revenant a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to read the book that inspired the movie: 1. To see if the book was better than, which is so often the case and 2. To try and determine how historically accurate the information seemed. The movie, to me, was difficult to watch because of the extraordinarily harsh conditions and the violence, but I expected that knowing the difficulty that the intrepid settlers of our country had in their moving westward. But my husband and I both enjoyed it, feeling like the acting was believable and the settings certainly matched what we believed would belong to that era. After reading the book, my feelings about the movie changed a bit because although the basic story of a wilderness man being attacked by a grizzly and left to die and then his undertaking of an arduous journey to seek revenge are the main threads of both the movie and the book, there is a great deal of difference in the book's content. I don't want to go into any detail because I don't want to ruin the read for anyone else, but Hollywood certainly took it's liberties. The author of the book added a historical note at the end stating what parts of the book he "made up" but states that he tried to remain as true to the actual history as possible and lists a number of sources that the reader can use to continue their interest in this particular story and it's cast of characters. I would say, see the movie and enjoy it for what it is, but don't believe that's it's historically accurate.


THE SWEETGUM KNIT LIT SOCIETY by BETH PATTILLO
4 stars

The book club that I attended all of the last year while we read the entire set of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels has become a knitting book group. This is quite a change since I loved the series set in Three Pines; loved the characters, loved the mysteries and loved the setting. But, in spite of my reservations, so far (2 books in) I have enjoyed the first two offerings. I expected some saccharine prattling with undeveloped characters and little to no plot other than a lot of talk about yarn and patterns. Instead I have found some very flawed but interesting characters who come together, not only to share their love of creativity, but also to bolster one another in spite of their widely varied personalities. I'm not saying this month's book was entirely unpredictable, but there were certainly some unusual life events and personality quirks thrown in to keep the book from being just a cookie cutter story of a bunch of women coming together to knit and discuss books. Eugenie is the librarian for the Sweetgum Library and also the leader of the Knit Lit Society. She selects one book a month for her group to read and also asks them to knit an item that would be helpful or appropriate for one of the characters in the book. One afternoon she sees a young girl in the library who is poorly dressed, poorly groomed and has torn some pages containing a knitting pattern out of one of her library books. Eugenie tells Hannah that she must pay to have the book replaced. When Hannah says that she has no money Eugenie insists that she begin working in the library every afternoon to pay off the debt. Sensing that this youngster could use some attention and guidance (although Hannah would disagree), she also insists that she join the Knit Lit Club. Also, discovering that Hannah has never read any classic children's literature, she changes the reading schedule so that the group reads Little Women, Heidi, The Wizard of Oz and other books that she thinks may draw Hannah in. What Eugenie doesn't realize is that the discussion of these books will ultimately end up being beneficial for all of the group members since they lead to discussions of more basic morals and beliefs. There is a neatly "wrapped with a bow" ending and some life changes come a little more quickly than I think is believable but I really became interested in the lives of these disparate women and enjoyed their journey. Maybe I have more need for sweet, happy endings than I think.


SATURDAY by IAN McEWAN
4 stars

An especially well written "slice of life" story. Saturday follows the life of neurosurgeon, Henry Perowne, through one extraordinary day and shows the reader just how quickly the flow of your life can change in a matter of moments. Henry is married with 2 grown children and a wife that he loves. This particular Saturday begins very early with Henry feeling unsettled due to the state of the world after the 9/11 attacks and the threat of war in Iraq. He heads to the hospital for his morning rounds and we are there as he undertakes his surgeries for the morning. His next item for the day is attending a game of squash with a friend. His journey to the court is hampered by thousands of anti-war protestors in the streets and he becomes involved in a minor accident with a young man, Baxter, and his two associates who all appear to be high-strung and bordering on the edge of some very aggressive behavior. Ever the doctor, Henry believes that Baxter shows symptoms of some type of brain dysfunction. When Henry mentions this to Baxter, he is rewarded with a terrific punch to his chest. They part ways and Henry continues with the rest of his day and the reader goes along for the ride. The squash game seemed to go on forever but after that he visits with his grandmother who is suffering from Alzheimer's, goes to see his son's band practice, has a political argument with his daughter and decides to make fish stew for dinner. All in all, a fairly normal but busy day, until the backlash from the earlier car accident turns the day on its ear. Perceptions and beliefs of how safe we are at our most intimate times suddenly seem much more important to Henry than the vague unease of the world's future.

The Dark Child by Camara Laye
5 stars

I really enjoyed this lovely quick read. Being autobiographical just made all the emotions of this young man's journey to adulthood that much more poignant. As a reader I could just feel Camara's terror as he and the other boys heard the lions roaring at them during the ceremony for the society of the uninitiated and the frenzied exhaustion of the long days of dancing prior to their entrance into manhood. I felt as if his coming of age story really occurred in two very distinct ways--both within the confines of his family and village--where so much tradition was honored--and in a much more worldly fashion as he started experiencing the world by following his dream to a higher education. One of my favorites, so far, on the 1001 list.

Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy – 3***
The second in a series of cozy mysteries featuring White House Executive Chef Ollie Paras begins at Thanksgiving and takes the reader through preparations to decorate the White House for Christmas. This was fairly entertaining, but I guessed what was going on FAR ahead of Ollie, and even, apparently, the Secret Service Agent in Charge! Oh well … I read this genre for the escape from reality. And this certainly fills that bill.
Full Review HERE

The Race for Paris - Meg Waite Clayton

3 stars

This book is the story of two women, one a photojournalist and one a journalist, covering World War II. The women covered the war despite the fact that they could not get permission to do so. They were helped by a British military photographer. The three of them were trying to be among the journalists covering the liberation of Paris. All of the journalists were racing to be able to say they were the first ones there to report. The story is told from the point of view of Jane, the photojournalist as she reminisces about the past fifty years later. I thought the book was OK. I enjoyed learning about what it was like being a woman trying to report on the war. I felt like the format made it hard for me to really get to know the characters. You were seeing things through Jane's eyes and Livvie, the photojournalist, seemed so hard to get to know that I would have liked to know what she was thinking more. I really liked the quotes from real journalists and photographers at the beginning of each chapter. I wish that it would have included some of the photographs taken as well since so much of the story focuses on photography. Although I wanted more from this story, I did like reading it and it has peaked my interest in the real women in history covering the war. I will probably look up some of the non-fiction works mentioned in the author's note.

THE CROSS COUNTRY QUILTERS by JENNIFER CHIAVERINI
4 stars

I've challenged myself to go back and fill in the gaps in the Elm Creek Quilts series. I have finished #3 today and found it to be just as cozy and emotional as the others I've read. I guess I'm just going to have to admit that I have a weak side for groups of women coming together to do needlework sorts of things. I've always wanted to quilt, have tried and failed miserably but every time I read one of these novels I think...maybe I could try again. Anyway--in this particular adventure, an aging actress, Julia, has been offered a part in a new movie based on the life of a pioneer woman, who turns quilting into a money making venture after her husband dies and leaves her and their children alone. Julia has never quilted in her life and her agent gets her a spot in one of the week long quilting camps at Elm Creek Manor. Hoping to remain low profile lasts a little longer than a day but soon she is accepting help from some of the more experienced women at the camp and, against all odds, making friends. Each of the 5 women are battling some type of problem back at home that is causing them concern. At the end of this week, Julia and the 4 women she has befriended, vow to go home and as soon as they can come up with some plan to correct what is going wrong in their lives, start a quilt block that represents the problem and its solution. When they all meet at camp the next year, they will put their blocks together to form a beautiful new quilt--the Cross Country Quilt. Just a quick, cozy read that was so enjoyable and if you know how to quilt, it would be even better. My favorite part is when they met at the Quilt Show in Paducah, Kentucky because I've been there several times and I could picture it all so clearly.

The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
Book on CD narrated by Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher.
4****

Rachel rides the same train each day from her flat in a suburb of London into the city for her job, and back again. As she passes one particular suburban neighborhood she becomes fixated on a couple she sees having breakfast on their deck. She gives them names – Jason and Jess – and invents perfectly happy lives for them. One day she sees the couple kissing … but it’s not Jason, it’s another man with Jess. A few days later Rachel reads a news report about a missing woman; the picture of Megan Hipwell is “Jess.”

What a wild ride – gripping and fascinating. The novel is told in alternating points of view, and moving back and forth in time. We have three distinct narrators: Rachel, Megan and Anna whose lives converge around the two men: Tom (Rachel’s ex, and Anna’s current husband), and Scot (Megan’s husband).

We learn early about Rachel’s alcoholic fugues and black-outs, her inability to remember, her warped thought processes. Clearly she is an unreliable narrator. But as we hear from Megan and Anna, and their secrets, we begin to doubt whether any of the characters can be trusted to tell the truth.

I was guessing right up to the reveal, and the ending is nothing short of chilling.

The audio is capably narrated by three voice artists: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher. But I have no way of knowing who voices which character. Frankly, they sound very much alike to me and if Hawkins hadn’t started each chapter with the narrating character’s name, and the voice artists hadn’t read those chapter titles, I think I would have been completely lost. Still the pace of the narration was good.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
4 stars

Although this was not as Lemony Snickettish as I was hoping, it certainly held its own charm and I enjoyed reading it. The overall atmosphere for this first book in the series is generally more sweetness and light than the Series of Unfortunate Events with much credit going to the children's governess, Penelope Lumley, who is only 15 and loves ponies. She has just graduated from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and certainly wants to make a good impression. But suddenly becoming responsible for 3 young children who were recently found living in the forest and who behave much more like wolves than humans may be too much for her. A great quick read that I think preteen girls would really enjoy.

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival
2 stars
Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates, reached the top of a 21,000-foot peck in the Andes. While trying to lower Simpson during a blizzard, Yates had to cut the rope holding Simpson so he will not be pulled to his own death. Simpson is hurt badly and Yates thinks Simpson is dead.
Lots of unnecessary details. Could not find myself sympathetic with their plight.

SouthWestZippy wrote: "Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival
2 stars
Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates, reached the top of a 21,000-foot peck in the Andes. While t..."

Absolutely hated this ... definitely did not find myself sympathizing with their plight. They struck me as risk-takers without preparation.

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie – 2**
This is an intricately plotted mystery, but Miss Marple doesn’t appear until page 153. Most of the detective work is done by Jerry Burton and the local investigator. it seems that almost everyone in town is a potential culprit, including the vicar’s wife! But of course, after hearing a few casual remarks Miss Marple solves the case.
Full Review HERE

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
4 stars

This is a book that I read for one of my F2F groups. The audio book was read by the author and I really think that made a world of difference in my interest in the material because you could hear the emotion in the author's voice. Even though I found the material presented interesting, falconry is not something that I've ever wanted to know more about. Because of the author's tone, which I thought was wonderful, I could tell how committed to the art she is and so it made me more curious to understand that commitment. It's always surprising to see what activities different people are attracted to and then become immersed in.

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
3 stars

I read this for my Page Turners book discussion group this month. These reads, and this book is no exception, are usually from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. Although I can't say that I enjoyed reading this book, there were certainly aspects of it that at least held my attention most of the time. As the main protagonist, Chichikov, roams around the countryside attempting to purchase the souls of dead farm workers, the reader meets an assortment of quirky characters who each have a different take on what Chichikov is doing and so a different response. He is convinced that he will be able to make an easy profit off these purchases and throughout the book I just kept thinking...if he could just use his intellect for something good rather than profiting from the "easy" way. Then at some point (I wish I had bookmarked the spot and could quote it), someone in the book actually makes that same reference. I really enjoyed the sections when Gogol described the countryside, or the foods or the interiors of some of the homes that he visited. His descriptions were so wonderfully done that it was easy to picture these settings. I thought it was interesting that there were so many sections, towards the end of the book that had been lost or were illegible. The truth of the matter is that I really didn't miss those sections nor did they seem to interfere with the reading, which just emphasizes the fact that I really didn't follow the entire story line very well.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
5 stars

My Page Turners book group read and discussed this book in December but I was unable to attend and just now got around to reading it. I have seen so many movies based on this book but never actually read the book. Interestingly enough, although we all know the story along with a lot of the dialogue, I still really enjoyed hearing it exactly as written. The reader of this audio on Lit2Go was Rick Kisner and I thought his reading was exactly the way I wanted to hear it and the story of the grumpy and miserly Scrooge meeting the 3 spirits who were then able to turn his attitude around was really brought to life.

All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
Book on CD narrated by Zach Appelman
4****

A blind French girl and a young German orphan find their lives intersect in the walled Brittany town of Saint-Malo in August 1944. Marie-Laure is 16, and has been blind since age six. Her father works at the Natural History Museum in Paris and she has learned much by exploring with her other senses – touch, smell, sound, taste. As the Germans occupy France, Marie-Laure and her father flee to Saint-Malo and the home of her great uncle Etienne (an agoraphobic since his return from fighting in WW I). Meanwhile Werner and his younger sister Jutta grow up in an orphanage in a mining town, where his genius for electronics comes to the attention of the Nazis and gains him entrance to an elite boys’ school.

The story is told in alternating chapters, and with alternating time frames. Each section begins with what is happening in Saint-Malo in August 1944, as the allies bomb the city, and the residents and occupying German forces seek shelter from the onslaught. But the story then separates as we follow these two different characters from 1934 onward, discovering how they come to both be in the town at that fateful time.

Doerr gives us wonderful descriptions, letting the reader experience the world as Marie-Laure or Werner does. The sections narrated by Marie-Laure are full of the use of her other senses as she tries to compensate for her lack of vision. We can smell the warm yeasty aroma of freshly baked bread, taste the salty air of a beach, feel the smooth yet textured shell of a whelk, or hear the soft strains of Clair de Lune or the screech and roar of incoming aircraft. Werner’s sections are much more internal, as he struggles with what is morally right in the face of his training (indoctrination) and obligation as a soldier of the Reich. He bears witness to horrors that Marie-Laure cannot see, or even imagine.

By the time their stories intersect I am as anxious as they are for relief from the war.

Doerr peoples the novel with a wide assortment of characters … from the competent housekeeper, to the single-minded sergeant major, they are all fully fleshed out, providing support on the one hand, or bringing cruel danger on the other.

The audio version is performed by Zach Appelman, who does a marvelous job. His gift as a voice artist makes it easy to believe he is speaking for a blind teenaged girl, a confused German boy, an elderly uncle, or a gruff soldier. As an added bonus the audio book begins and ends with the strains of Clair de Lune …. A haunting melody that is a perfect metaphor for this beautifully told story, and is still playing in my head.

2 stars
Interesting walk though the mind of a man trying to find out the truth of his existence and his birth family. Book has way to much speculation on peoples thinking and what happen. I am giving it two stars because it does make you stop and think about the evidence and that time line filled with coincidence.

A Brief History of Montmaray – Michelle Cooper
2 **

From the book jacket: Sophie FitzOsborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray, along with her tomboy younger sister Henry, her beautiful, intellectual cousin Veronica, and her uncle, the completely ma King John. When Sophie receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, she decides to write about her day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war.


My reactions
I was bored, and finished only because it satisfied a challenge. I found Sophie’s musings repetitious (How often do I need to hear about how cranky Rebecca is? How handsome Simon is? How stubborn Henry is?). At first I was reminded of We Have Always Lived in the Castle but that quickly subsided. I didn’t find the underlying intrigue about Sophie’s brother and who will inherit the throne from Uncle John terribly interesting. We’re to believe they are completely isolated, with little or no modern conveniences (no electricity, no phone, no motorized boat), yet when they need help they hoist a flag and miraculously a passing ship sees it and comes to their aid.

One of my pet peeves is cliffhanger endings that “force” the reader to get the next book to find out what happens. And that is exactly what this book gives us.

I know this is a YA novel and I do cut the genre a little slack, so I’m still giving it two stars. Some of the scenes were quite suspenseful, and some of the interactions between characters not only advanced the story, but were plausible. I also liked that the young women were portrayed as strong, intelligent, resourceful and determined.

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood
2 stars

The best part of this book was the cover photo. The basic premise is, Purdy and Albert Bliss have a popular bakery in Calamity Falls. They have 4 children, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, who help out at the Follow Your Bliss bakery but none of them have any idea how special their little bakery is until the day Rose watches her mother fold a lightning bolt into a bowl of batter, bake a cake and then save the life of a child who was in the hospital. Now the mayor of a neighboring town comes to ask the Bliss bakers if they can come to his town and stop a flu epidemic. They decide to leave the children in charge of the bakery while they go on this special mission and give Rose a special "whisk" key that gives her access to all their special ingredients and the Bliss Cookery Booke, with the warning not to let anyone else near the book. Almost as soon as they leave, a woman claiming to be their Aunt Lilly shows up and let's them see the ladle birthmark she has. Since this is something that everyone in the family has, they take her at her word and allow her to stay to help them out. Rose is the only one who retains some reservations regarding this new relative. From here, true to the name of the town, calamity ensues and continues until just before the parents return to the bakery. At this point, Aunt Lilly takes off, leaving the kids with the fallout. I really wanted to like this. At first I thought it would be a cute, fun read but when all the problems started, it just lost its continuity and things started being nonsensical. I finished it hoping that maybe the chaos of everything going wrong may have just been too much for me and it would get better again but no. I would not recommend it and would not bother reading the next one in the series.

Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
4 stars

I read this for my Mystery Book Club this month and was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the character of Bruno--a very laid back, thoughtful kind of police officer who is certainly capable of carrying a firearm but does not. Instead, he lives in a small home, which he has mostly remodeled himself, and is an excellent cook. I was hungry throughout much of the book. But he does his job with an intelligent, thoughtful approach. With the sudden death of an elderly man in the village, the father and grandfather of people he interacts with on a regular basis, he is suddenly thrown into a situation that needs very special political handling. And the further the investigation goes, the more complex the situation becomes. Although there was quite a bit of information presented about troop activities in Europe during World War II and how some groups were sent into various French towns to terrorize, kill and plunder, the political and military aspects didn't bog me down too much, For the most part, this is a mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the end--at least it did me. And I really liked the way the story ended. It wrapped up just exactly the way I'd expect Bruno to handle it.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
3 stars

I read this (or rather listened) for my YA book discussion group this month. What I really enjoyed about the book was that our protagonist, Willowdean, is a teenager who although overweight is very comfortable in her own skin and perfectly willing to try just about anything--including enter a beauty competition that her mother won when she was young and now has organized for years. Along with attempting to prove to her mother that everyone should have a crack at the title, Willowdean is having her first dating experiences, dealing with just losing her aunt who she was really close to and trying to understand why she and her best friend are moving apart. I believe that I may have rated this higher overall if I had read it rather than listened. I did not like the voice of the reader, Eileen Stevens, particularly when she was doing the male voices. There were 2 males, Bo and Mitch, both love interests to Willowdean and to me they sounded exactly alike and unfortunately they both sounded like they were high school dropouts. Perhaps they were supposed to just sound like Texans but that's not the way it across to me. I think this would be a great book for young high school girls because of the great examples set by the main character.

4 stars
I had never heard of Barney until the cover caught my eye. Being a lover of animal stories the title made me want to read it. What an amazing dog and dog owner. Television reporter Dick Wolfsie opens his heart and soul, walking you through his life and adventures with Barney. Barney made such an impact with the TV views and a few non TV views. Highly recommend.

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
3 stars

I was really disappointed with this book. I had read True Sisters, The Persian Pickle Club and Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas and I really enjoyed all of them. This one just didn't live up to my expectations. Hennie Comfort, who is in her 80's and has lived in the Colorado mountains in a mining town for over 50 years is being pressured by her only daughter to come and live with her because they think she is at the point where she'll soon be unable to take care of herself. Hennie has decided that this will be her last year in Middle Swan. One day a young girl appears at her door in response to seeing the sign on Hennie's fence that states: prayers for sale. She has recently delivered a stillborn child and would like to purchase a prayer for her baby who lies in a grave far away. This is the beginning of a friendship between Nit Spindle and Hennie Comfort. The remainder of the book is basically about the growth of that friendship and Hennie's planning to move off the mountain at the end of the year. The reader was Maggi-Meg Reed and her voice certainly had a mountain twang which lent credibility to the characters but it was just too much for me and I got tired of listening to her. While I was listening I kept thinking that the story seemed so loose and disconnected because Hennie just told story after story. The majority of these stories were depressing because either a husband or a child (or both) would end up dead. The interim between each story was just never very compelling, it was just a casual link to get to the next story--at least that's how it seemed to me. At the end of the audio was a brief interview with the author and she said that originally this was a bundle of short stories and her publisher encouraged her to string them together so...now I know! I guess that's exactly why I reacted to the book the way I did. Not a bad book but certainly not her best.

Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
4 stars

Margaret Atwood continues to be a hit or miss author for me--mostly hit but I'm always leery. This book of nine tales (and she calls them tales because we can then assume that they are all fiction) was an overall hit for me. My favorite of the nine was the title tale, where long deserved justice is finally achieved. But "Torching the Dusties", although horrifying for a person of my age, was a close second, as was "The Freeze-Dried Groom" (which should be a favorite of those we love to watch Storage Wars). The first 3 stories in the book are interrelated and concern the loves/relationships among a group of artistically inclined friends--seen from a different perspective in each. If you're a fan of Atwood, I would recommend this collection.

Pure Dead Magic by Debi Gliori
3 stars

Many years ago, a librarian friend of mine recommended a couple of books written by Debi Gliori--2 more in the Pure Dead series). She knew I enjoyed children's books and thought these reminded her of "A Series of Unfortunate Events". At the time, I didn't realize these were actually in a series so I just read them, enjoyed them and forgot about them. In transferring my books over to GoodReads, I was reminded and decided to pick up the first one to see if I would still enjoy them. In this first adventure, Signor Luciano and Signora Baci Storega-Borgia, have had a little tiff and Luciano leaves the house to cool off. Before he knows it, he's lost his way in the countryside and then he's kidnapped by some men in a big black car. Meanwhile, back at home, Signora Baci and the children are interviewing nannies and have finally found one they think will do. But then the 13 baby rats are lost, Grandma is defrosting and Damp, the baby, stuffs bacon rinds into the open disc drawer of the CD-ROM on her brother's computer. To add to the confusion, Mafia gangsters are now attempting to enter their home. Pandemonium ensues. To me, they are only like the Snicket books in that there are 3 children and one is an extremely intelligent baby. I think these books are even darker than those and bring in many more fantastical elements, such as mythical dungeon beasts, magic and a frozen great-great-great.......grandmother who is being kept in a cryogenics slumber until a cure for old age is found. They feel like children's books written by Gregory Maguire mixed in with the Addams Family. Overall, still a fun read and I think I'll probably reread the next two and then finish out the series (there are now 6 books). Since I read this one in a day, I think they would be kind of a "brain cleaner".

Beverly wrote: "
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
3 stars

I was really disappointed with this book. I had read True Sisters, The Persian Pickle Club and Tallgrass by Sandra Da..."

Totally agree. I'm a fan of Sandra Dallas, but was not a fan of THIS book. I gave it 2.5 stars.

Those Who Save Us – Jenna Blum
4****

Dr Trudy Swenson is a professor of history at the Univ of Minnesota. After she goes home for her father’s funeral she begins to question her history, and her mother’s silence. She has always know that Jack wasn’t her real father – that he had married Anna and brought her and her daughter from Weimar Germany to the USA after WW2. But the questions about her past will not be silenced, and a research project to record interviews with German survivors of the war forces Trudy to confront her past.

The novel is told in dual timelines: the adult Trudy in 1990s Minnesota, and her mother, Anna, as a young woman in war-torn Germany (1941-1944). The reader is all too aware of Trudy’s past, while watching Trudy struggle to make sense of her dreams, her vague recollections, and the one clue she has found among her mother’s belongings.

I was not expecting much from this “book-club favorite;” I’ve been disappointed by so many books that were popular with book clubs. But I’m certainly glad I put my pre-conceived notions aside and read it. I found complex issues, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative.

Are we doomed to love “Those who save us,” despite their otherwise reprehensible behavior? I was nearly as frustrated by Anna’s obstinate silence as Trudy was. Learning her story, what she felt forced to do to save her child (and herself) gave me some understanding into her character, her motives, her fears, and her reluctance to examine the past. However, my sympathies lie more with Trudy, whose life and potential for happiness is so damaged by the secret Anna refuses to reveal. And I am left wondering whether Jack ever made peace with Anna’s past … and if so, how?

Book Concierge wrote: "

Those Who Save Us
– Jenna Blum
4****

Dr Trudy Swenson is a professor of history at the Univ of Minnesota. After she goes home for her father’s funeral she b..."
I love this book. I gave it a 5 star rating. I am from Minnesota , so it was interesting form me.

Patty wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "
..."

I was telling my husband about it and now HE's reading it. He's only about 15 pages into it and he's already saying "This is going to be GOOD"

Between Shades of Gray – Ruta Sepetys
Book on CD read by Emily Klein
2.5 **

In 1941 Stalin’s Soviet Army invaded Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; those countries ceased to exist, being absorbed into the Soviet Union. The residents of those nations were “deported” to Siberia, accused of crimes against the Union. Men, women and children were held in camps with little or no food, clothing or shelter from the harsh conditions. Millions died. Some survived and eventually their story became known.

Sepetys based this novel on the story of her own grandparents. Fifteen-year-old Lina is the narrator, a budding artist and daughter of a university professor. She records her experiences in a journal and in drawings depicting the people, conditions and events they endured.

There is an important historical story here, but Sepetys’s writing left me cold. Lina was in many ways a typical self-absorbed teenager, mooning over the cute boy, demanding to know “why,” complaining about how unfair it was, acting without thinking. But her circumstances were far from typical, and her rash behavior could easily have gotten her (and her family) killed – more than once. Her constant referral to other characters as “the grouchy woman” or “the bald man” without giving them names also irritated me. These should have been human beings rather than stereotypes.

Emily Klein didn’t help with her narration on the audio book. I found her performance overly dramatic to the point that I wanted to “boo” her. I rarely round-up with I give a half-star rating, but in this case I will, because I feel that the audio performance affected my rating more than the writing.

The audio version does include a final segment / interview with the author, where she explains the family history that brought these events to her consciousness and how she researched the book. That was a heartfelt and emotional tale, and I’m very glad I kept listening to hear the author talk about this very personal journey. The text version does include some of this information in an Author’s Note, but it is written as more historical information and lacks the emotional impact of hearing the author’s story in her own words.

Tricky Twenty-Two by Stephanie Plum
3.5 stars


This is like all Stephanie Plum the Bounty Hunter adventures: fun and fast. As usual, Stephanie meets crazy criminals, wrecks cars, gets in danger, gets out of danger, and has problems with Joe Morelli and Ranger. Her sidekick, Lula, and her grandmother add levity any time the criminals and Stephanie don't create it themselves. This particular episode involves an Animal-House-like sorority, rich deans, and other incidents and characters that would give the story away.

Anyway, I enjoyed the ride again; once a year is just right for an infusion of Stephanie Plum fun.

Beverly wrote: "
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
3 stars

I was really disappointed with this book. I had read True Sisters, The Persian Pickle Club and Tallgrass by Sandra Da..."

I find Sandra Dallas streaky. Every once in awhile she will write one that I don't find very interesting or not as well written.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – 3***
This was a pretty entertaining high-school romance, set in Paris. I’m way past the teen angst stage, but I was rather charmed by Anna and this teen drama. It was a fast read with characters right out of central casting, but it held my attention. I can certainly see the appeal for the YA crowd at which it is aimed.
Full Review HERE

Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley – 3***
This is book 2 in the Harmony Series, and I just love them. They are gentle stories with a good sprinkling of humor, and a few life lessons learned, but without being preachy.
Full Review HERE

Dream When You’re Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg – 2.5**
Berg takes us to Chicago at the time of World War II in this story about three sisters, their lively Irish family, and the men they love. It started out okay, got very interesting in the middle and then completely lost credulity in the last two chapters. What I most enjoyed about this novel was the look at everyday life on the domestic front during this very trying time in history. I especially liked the way Berg talked about the way that the roles of women in America were forever being changed by the requirements of war. Berg narrated the audio version herself. She does a credible job, but she should really let a professional voice artist read her books.
Full Review HERE

Book Concierge wrote: " Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley – 3***
This is book 2 in the Harmony Series, and I just love them. They are gentle stories with a good sprinkling of hum..."

He's a "local" author here in southern Indiana and has presented in our library system. He is just like his books, gentle and funny!!

Philip Gulley is one of the authors I just discovered and put on my to-read list. I put Lightning Bugs (#1) on hold from the library last weekend.