The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan ~ Book Review

The Curiosity tells the story of Dr. Kate Philo, a brilliant scientist who has been hired to the team of a ground breaking project run by Erastus Carthage, a well known scientist in the study of cell reanimation and cryogenics.  The team has been successful in bringing small creatures such as shrimp and krill that have been flash frozen back to life for short periods of time and is now in the arctic looking for something larger frozen into "hard ice" within an iceberg.  When they come across a larger form which they think might be a seal, they are shocked to discover that it is actually a man, frozen deep inside the iceberg.  Never having attempted reanimation on any kind of larger specimen, Carthage nevertheless has the body brought back to the lab in Boston where attempts are made to bring him back to life, some of which Dr. Kate is not comfortable with, and the project is named the Lazarus Project.  As the man begins to live longer than anyone would have estimated and starts to regain some memories, Carthage continues to keep him as a specimen in order to push for more funding but Dr. Kate starts to "see" the man not as a specimen of science but as a living human being that has been literally ripped from his fate and woken up a hundred years later into a very different world.  Now she must decide whether to side with scientific discovery or with her conscience and her heart.

When I finished this story, I found it hard to pick up another story for awhile as I contemplated everything this story explored.  It was science fiction, mixed with a touch of romance but one that definitely left the reader thinking when it was all done. This story posed so many questions about science and discovery and ethics and humanity and life. The story is told in 4 viewpoints:  Dr. Kate Philo, Erastus Carthage, Daniel Dixon: a journalist that Carthage has given exclusive coverage to, and Jeremiah Rice:  the frozen man brought back to life.  The first 98 pages were sort of ones I slogged through as the ground work for the story's science of reanimation  was laid out as the team was searching in the Arctic.  Once the frozen man was found the story really picked up as all the ethical questions of cell reanimation and cryogenics started to enfold.   The part ego plays amongst the scientific community and academia was also explored as Carthage would stop at nothing to have the accolades.  Never viewing the man as a human but as a specimen, all his decisions and actions reflected his belief..  The significant role of media and it's part in reporting what they want you to know or what the powers that are above them want you to know as opposed to whole truth was also delved into as was how sometimes protest groups might actually be used to fuel controversy and keep something before the public eye, something I had never thought of before.

I especially liked the exploration of what a man who is frozen and presumably dead and brought back 100 years later might feel and think and experience.  Jeremiah's confusion in the situation and fear are felt in the fact that he only will talk with Dr. Kate, the one person he senses can be trusted.  His reactions to the culture we live in today made for some interesting moments and thoughts.  As he starts to regain his memories and what led up to him being frozen in the Arctic, my heart really went out to his character as he struggled with his own decisions and regrets from his former life.  Dr. Kate's concern and compassion for him as a person, not just as a discovery and project, was a refreshing juxtaposition against the hard character of Erastus Carthage.

Even though I did really like the story, there were a few things from the book that were of concern to me and may be to others.  It is a secular story written from a secular scientific point of view and that was reflected in various ways.  The aspect of Jeremiah remembering anything after "dying" was approached from that viewpoint.  There is some swearing and a few touches of vulgarity that I had to skip and in my opinion were unnecessary even though the author explains at the end where it came from.  The journalist in the story wasn't my favorite character as he couldn't control where his eyes and thoughts wandered.  But removing those things this was an incredibly thought provoking story that touched a whole array of emotions and  I couldn't put it down.  The film rights have been bought so it should be interesting to see if it actually becomes a movie.

I gave it a 9/10 losing a point basically for language and the vulgar moments.

Taken by Dee Henderson ~ Book Review

Matthew Dane, a former cop, is now a private investigator.  When he attends a conference, he finds a young woman outside his hotel door looking for help.  Shannon Bliss has purposely sought out Matthew's aid.  Shannon was kidnapped at age 16, and now 11 years later, after carefully planning for years she has found a way to escape the life forced upon her but she needs Matthew's experience.  Matthew's daughter was also kidnapped, at age 8 and was found years later, so he knows the ins and outs of helping a victim to ease back into a normal life and to regain a sense of themselves.  But Shannon is determined to do it at her own pace and will only release information as she is ready which means her life could once again be in danger.  She has enough information that could put away some people for a very long time but the information also requires that they find hidden evidence.  Matthew needs to hold back his natural inclinations to solve the kidnapping at a fast a pace as possible and let Shannon feel comfortable in revealing everything that has happened to her.  But her re-entry into society is made more complicated because her brother, who has never stopped looking for her, is also running for governor and is only a few months from election.  Could her reappearance ruin his chances at his dream?  And could all the information that gets revealed also implicate people she thought loved her?

Dee Henderson is always an author I know I can go to for a very good story with flawed characters who never the less try to walk out their faith even in the midst of the criminal circumstances surrounding them.  Taken was a bit different for me.  Rather than an edge of your seat crime drama where one wonders whodunit, it more explored the victim trying to bring their life back to normal and all that would involve.  But because of the description on the back cover I was expecting the fast paced crime drama where I kept waiting for something big to happen and it never materialized.   Instead it was a very honest look at what crimes like this might leave the victim to deal with even when they are "rescued". It didn't make the read bad, just not what I was expecting.  I really liked the strength of Shannon's character in hanging on to her faith even in the midst of years of disappearance and how determined she was not to lose that in her life no matter what was happening.  There is a very good discussion between her and Matthew in the story concerning evil and free will that felt woven in very well and not at all just stuck in there.  It would make a great discussion point if the book was read in a book club.  

I gave the book an 8/10

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows ~ Book Review

Not sure how this happened but I finished this book way back at the beginning of October and have just not got around to writing a review.  So this will be a less indepth look at the story as well as I can remember my thoughts on it but I like to remember the gist of how I felt about a book on record for myself.

This book is written by Annie Barrows who co-authored The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which I enjoyed.  The story is set in 1938, a time period which has drawn me as of late, and in small town West Virginia.  Layla Beck is the daughter of a senator who refuses to bend to her father's wishes in choice of marriage partner so her father forces her to take a job that her uncle finds for her.  She is given the job of writing the history of small town Macedonia for the Federal Writer's Project, which incidentally was a real government project of the 1930's that employed writers and attempted to preserve the stories of small town America.  Room and board is set up for her in one of the prominent families in town, the Romney's, who's father used to own and run the sock factory in town which was a major employer.

Jottie Romney is the strong female head of the family and in her 30's and unmarried is considered a spinster in town.  Under her charge is Willa, a precocious 12 year old who belongs to Felix, Jottie's divorced brother.  Since Felix is almost always out of town on business it falls to Jottie to raise Willa and they enjoy a close relationship with Felix moving in and out of their lives at intervals.  But the arrival of Layla, whom Willa doesn't trust or like, throws the family into chaos and both start to uncover some startling secrets that certain members of the family have long tried to hide.

I enjoyed this story and it's exploration of how personal and historical truths are sometimes changed so that they are more palatable to remember.  The Romney family had a strong history in the town and they identified strongly with that history but the history  was a bit fluid depending on who told it so was it considered accurate depending on who was doing the  telling?  As Layla starts to dig into the town's history which is also wrapped up in the history of the family she begins developing a relationship with Felix who is not exactly known for his loyalty.  But as the truths start slowly revealing themselves she finds more than she bargained for as Felix will do anything to keep certain things hidden.  The mystery of that kept the pages turning for me as did Willa's part in the whole thing.  She also is doing some digging of her own.  One had to feel for a little girl who's Mother was not around and her father was basically missing in action.  There were, however, lots of characters and stories to wrap one's head around and so the story definitely was not fast paced but more of a slow burn to get to the end.

I gave this story a 8.5/10

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan ~ Book Review

Grace Winter is 22 and on trial for her life.  A young newlywed who has just become a widow, Grace never thought she would be in this place in her life.   In 1914, a couple years after the sinking of the Titanic, Grace and her new husband are on another beautiful ocean liner headed to America so that Grace can meet Henry's family.  But then the unthinkable happens and there is a huge explosion.  As the boat sinks Henry is able to get Grace onto one of the lifeboats but in the process he is lost.  It soon becomes apparent that the lifeboat is filled to over capacity.  Now their survival is dependent upon whom to trust with the hard decisions.  As the days drag on and hopes for rescue start to dwindle, starvation starts setting in and clear minded thinking becomes harder, some must lose their lives in order for some to live.  But who will it be and who will decide?

Wow, this is one of those books that left me thinking for days afterward.  It is a page turner, for sure, and grabbed me from the very beginning.  A psychological horror story, it is about the very nature of survival and explores how we would make tough, life altering decisions when all is on the line, who we trust and why, and what we would sacrifice.  It is deep and complex and yet I seemed to fly through it.   Grace is an interesting character and the story is told in her voice.  The story is nerve wracking, suspenseful and challenges the reader to examine their moral standing when their very survival depends upon those decisions.  It is at times not an easy story to read and yet I kept plowing through because I had to know what happened.  Throughout the story, I couldn't help but think "what would I do?".  I could say I would take the moral high road as I sit comfortably on my couch, but if I really placed myself into the lifeboat what would I really do as things become more and more desperate?  A very good read and one I'll be reading again as there are so many layers to peel away with this story.

Rated this a 9.5/10.

Another Night, Another Day by Sarah Rayner ~ Book Review

Karen, Abby and Michael all find themselves as inpatients at Moreland's Place, a private clinic.  They all come from different backgrounds but they have one thing in common:  the debilitating depression that had taken over their lives and effected the way they and their loved ones lived.   None of them really wants to be there but they must all get over their personal resistance.  Going to their one on ones  and  participating in  group sessions with their therapist, Johnnie, is their ticket home.  But as they start to open themselves up to each other, and admit their secrets not just to the group but to themselves personally, a bond starts to form in their little band and a real sense of caring for one another starts to happen.  As each comes to the close of their stay and are allowed to go home, will they be able to take the coping skills they've learned in the clinic and make them work outside of their group in "real life"?  It isn't too far along that life throws them crisis' and they soon find out if they can make it on "the outside".

I will confess that this was a total cover buy.  I really thought the cover was pretty.  It wasn't until well into the book that I put two and two together and realized that this was like a part II to another book which I actually had on my "want to read list".  Coincidentally, that book also had teacups.  So I actually had a moment of being ticked that I had read a sequel before I read the first book.  That being said, not reading the first did not make this  book at all confusing or hard to understand.  It read like a stand alone.  The author did a great job of telling this story without having to have the knowledge of the first.

I also thought the author did a really good job of exploring mental health and issues of depression.  The characters were relatable as were they're situations.  I was really drawn into their stories and was cheering them on hoping they would all be ok in the end.  Karen is a widower who's husband died at a young age from a heart attack and still in the journey of grief for him now her father also passes away.  She always puts others first so her emotional health has been set on the back burner as she tries to also be there for her mom at this time.  Abby's seven year old son has autism and he can be emotionally and physically draining.  She feels that she has had to do it all when it concerns her son and has been resenting her husband's lack of involvement.  They haven't been connected emotionally in a long time and she's watching her marriage fall apart in front of her.   Michael has spent a life time building his flower shop business but it hasn't been good for the last few years and he has been juggling his debt owing money to different suppliers.  When he loses a major account, it is the last straw and he loses his business.  But he has a hard time admitting how bad it is to his wife and family and tries to should the load all by himself and instead has turned to drinking to forget about everything.  All this comes to a head in their lives and they find themselves at Moreland's Place.  

I finished this book with what I hope is a better understanding and more compassion for those with anxiety, depression and those suffering from mental health issues.  One small thing I had with the story was, for myself, because the book dealt with several story lines, I sometimes got lost with who was who amongst the secondary characters.

I rated it a 8.5/10

Where the River Ends by Charles Martin ~ Book Review

Doss was raised in a trailer park by the river by his loving mom who encouraged his artistic side to help him cope with his life threatening asthma.  Now an adult, and his beloved mom passed away years ago, Doss is a struggling artist and fishing guide on the river.  When he meets Abby, the beautiful international model who just happens to be the daughter of a very influential & powerful senator, he is smitten but out of his league.  But Abby is not like her parents in that respect and does not care where Doss has come from, only who he is as a person.  In spite of their objections, she continues to see him and also uses her connections to help his art to sell.  Now married 10 years against the wishes of her parents and still totally in love, Abby faces the fight of her life with an aggressive life threatening illness.  With Doss by her side supporting her through all the treatments and experimental programs, Abby fights with everything she has.  But as all avenues start be closed, Abby makes a list of ten things she wants to do before the illness ends her life.  Involving the trip that Doss promised her at the beginning their marriage, they sneak away to make the 130 mile canoe trip down the St. Mary River.  But chasing them down is her very angry father who has all resources to find them at his fingertips and a hurricane barreling down the coastline.

This story is a heartbreaking look into the devastating and emotional journey on one couple's fight against cancer.  The story goes back and forth between Doss and Abby's present and their past giving the reader a backseat ride to the the story of their lives.  It is emotional and heartbreaking from beginning to end as the story of their deep love and supportive relationship unfolds, to the stress of Abby's powerful father never really accepting Doss even after 10 years, to the decisions that they are faced with as their cancer journey progresses.  It is also an exploration in how a person's life should end when they have a long term, terminal illness.

As usual I loved the story put out by this author.  This is not a new release by him being published in 2008, but I'm working my way through all his older novels.  He really knows how to build character and how to get the reader to connect with each of the vieiwpoints of the main characters.  His story and character building is bar none.   As per his other novels there are varied characters from all sorts of backgrounds, good and bad, and their stories really draw you in.   That being said, I did find this particular story to be a bit wordy in respect to his descriptions of the river.  I found it a bit over done and it actually distracted me from the journey that Doss and Abby were taking.  So even though it was a heartbreaking story I was disconnected more than his other books and finally found myself skimming the parts where I was getting bogged down in river descriptions and metaphors and analogies.  But I loved how the story was resolved between a couple of the characters and thought that was worth any frustrations described above.  This was also still worth the read for me simply for the fact that it took an issue I thought I had a pretty strong stance on and made me at least ponder on it from a different angle.

  I gave it a 9/10.

Balance: A Story of Faith, Family, and Life on the Line by Nik Wallenda (with David Ritz)

Nik Wallenda hails from the lengendary famous high wire walking family, the Wallendas.  His family has been performing on the high wire for 7 generations.  He, himself, has been on the wire since he was 2 years old, granted only a couple feet off the ground when he was little, but you get the idea.  Performing and pushing himself to new heights and challenges is literally in his blood and he has broken many world records.

I had known of the Wallendas before.  Nik's grandfather infamously fell to his death while performing on the high wire as did other members of his family in separate incidents.  But Nik carries on his family's heritage believing he is called to not only do daring, thrilling feats on the high wire but to share Christ through his giftings that God has given him.

Nik Wallenda came across my radar when I first watched his famous walk across Niagra Falls and he had me hooked.  Miked not only to his dad, but into the network's boards, and not knowing his mike was "hot", I watched as he glorified Jesus and was so thankful for the opportunity to do what he was doing and let God know it.  It was mesmerizing.  Then I watched him do it again across the Grand Canyon and in Chicago between two buildings.  So when this book came up I was super interested to find out how he came to his strong faith and the story of his family.

This book was really good.  Nik is very upfront about his shortcomings.  How being in the business for all these years has required that he be very particular and in control, but how not leaving that at the door when he came home almost caused his marriage to fall apart even though he and his wife, also a performer, loved each other dearly.  I really appreciated his honesty in how he really had to seek God and still battles it today, with God's help.  He tells his story of how his great-grandfather has influenced his life, how his mom and dad instilled faith in the Lord in him from his youngest years and how it all leads his decisions and life today.   Just as he uses a balancing pole to keep from falling on the high wire Nik relates God to be his balancing pole in life to keep him from falling...to a keep a balance between ego and humbleness, drive and being led, control and faith to keep him from falling in life.

"Yes, I have a job to do.  Yes I was born to do that job.  And yes, the aim of that job is to thrill people by performing seemingly impossible feats.  But, in realizing those feats, if I fail to reflect the glory of God I have accomplished nothing."

Nik Wallenda

Balance:  A Story of Faith, Family and Life on the Line

pg. 164

A very interesting peek into the life and thoughts of a man who literally puts his life into God's hands in every way yet never expects that God "magically" keeps him falling.

If you've watched any of his walks, heard of his family, are interested in what makes daredevil performers tick or just like a good autobiography this is a great read.  I give it a 10/10.

Linked:  Semicolon Saturday Review of Books

Ocean Beach by Wendy Wax ~ Book Review

The premise of this story sounded so wonderful. Five women who have hit some hard times in their lives come together in Miami to redo a beautiful art deco home owned by a charming ex vaudeville performer who is in his '90's. Filming the reno, they are hoping to sell it to a lifetime tv network and make it a series making it a do over for their lives. But when they arrive the network has sent their own crew to film it with a much different vision for the show. They are wanting a reality show and they want the cameras on them at all times. Finding a private moment the women swear to not give the filming crew any drama amongst themselves for the channel to film, but can they live up to that promise when there is so much going on in their personal lives and amongst their own interactions and relationship.  Sounded like a great story of female friendships and getting second chances.

 What to say about this book? I started to really enjoy it. Seemed like a perfect beach kind of read that I took on holidays. It started off great although there were some parts that I did skim due to sexual content. I was interested in the dynamics of the group, their back stories and what got them together, what was still affecting their lives. I found Max, the owner of the home, charming and a fun addition to the story. It was his personal story that was the real hook for me in the book and is what kept me reading the book to the end when I just wanted to throw it in the nearest garbage can. In fact, I did put it down for a couple of days and wasn't going to continue but had to find out how his story wrapped up. I felt cheated by this book.

 One of the elements when reading a a secular book for me is being able to judge how deeply into the promiscuous side and the language side the story is going to be headed fairly early into the book. I'm just not interested in stories that are heavy into either one. This book started off fairly good. Had a bit of sexual stuff but nothing I couldn't skim over. Hard to find a secular book without sex outside of marriage portrayed in some way. I kind of expect that but draw the line when it is filled with explicit descriptions. The language was fine. That is up until 3/4 of the way through. And then it turned absolutely vulgar with one late introduced character. And a party scene overly described. And this is why I felt cheated. Don't hook me that way and then introduce the filth 3/4 of the way through! The sex scene at the party was totally unnecessary. And I get why the character was written that way, but to make me think the book was a fairly clean read only to get hit with it that far into the story just made me mad and I think has ruined me for picking up any more books by this author and has resulted in the low rating I give this book.

The Promise by Beth Wiseman ~ Book Review

As a teenager, Mallory Hammond made a promise to her dying cousin...that if she couldn't help save her life she would save someone else's.   Now an adult Mallory feels adrift in life as that promise hangs heavy on her.  When she starts working for her friend's fiance who is a doctor, she learns of a young girl who is from Pakistan that desperately needs help.  But in order to help her, Mallory needs to get her to the States for treatment and the only way to do that is risk everything and travel to a very dangerous part of the world and do something that will take all her courage.    Flying in the face of all reason and with dire warnings from her fiance, her friend and sister along with government warnings about the area, she decides to do it anyway so that she can fulfill her promise but what she finds waiting for her may cost her more than she ever bargained for.

I ordered this book because I have loved the other two contemporary books by this author that I have read.  Although the back description really didn't draw me at first, I went with the good reading experience I had already had.  And I'm glad I did.  I ended up really liking the book.  But to be totally honest the character of Mallory drove me nuts throughout the book.  Because of the promise she had made and her deep desire to fulfill it, she was totally blinded to what was common sense and warnings from those she should have trusted.  But the story really drew me in and I could feel her fiance's and friends tensions as she determined to make it happen.  At the end, what made the book even more interesting and relevant was reading the author's notes on why she wrote the book.  Based on a good friend's personal experiences, it made the story that much more real.  It brought to light & explained how people motivated by love and sacrifice can be betrayed and how shame or embarrassment keeps them from asking for help until sometimes it may be too late.  She explained which parts and experiences in the story her friend had actually lived through and that she wrote the story hoping to make a difference.   She also wrote the book hoping it would bring closure to their own situation and in an effort to understand her own friend's actions.  It certainly opened my eyes to how a person can get themselves into these kinds of situations beyond their control and moved me from being frustrated with the character to having empathy for the character.  The author's notes are a part of this book that shouldn't be left unread.

I gave this book a 9/10.

The Sign Painter by Davis Bunn

Amy Dowell lost her beloved husband to cancer and if that was not enough stress and grief now she has lost her home to debt and she finds herself and her 5 year old daughter homeless, living out of their old camper and truck. Struggling to find work and having to be constantly on the move, Amy fears losing her most precious thing in the world, her daughter. On one of her stops at a church that offers breakfast and daycare, Amy tries to "sneak" through the line unnoticed but the center director finds her. Thinking she will be kicked out Amy instead finds a compassionate heart in Lucy who discerns her desperation and offers her an apartment and childcare so she can find a job. When she lands a job with a car dealership who's owner goes to the church Amy thinks she has finally had a chance to turn things around, but then she comes upon a discovery at her job that will find her having to deal with the very people she was trying to avoid, the police.

 This was inspired by a true story. It's an easy read but yet brings out the plight of the homeless we sometimes don't think about. We so easily associate homelessness with those who are substance abusers or certain groups of people but don't always realize or think about the homeless who are in that situation simply because of hard circumstances that have hit and are struggling to get back to some sense of normalcy. It is a vicious cycle of sorts and this book really brings that to light. It also explores the church's place in the fight against poverty and homelessness.  It's got a bit of mystery, a bit of romanace. You really realize Amy's plight and desperation as she is yet again faced with decisions through no fault of her own that could very well land her in a worse off place than she was before.

 A takeaway thought or quote from the book that I really liked was found on page 127:

 "...Paul knew the real mark of courage did not come in being unafraid but in not allowing fear to dominate" 

 This was spoken in regards to his job as a police officer and live action in that job, but it can very well be related to anything in life in general, I think.

I rated this 7.5/10

Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt ~ Book Review

Baby Mia, aged 7 months, has gone missing from her parent's home without a trace. Gone are all her clothes, bottles, diapers, everything. But what makes it even stranger is mom, Estelle Paradise, was home at the time and all the doors were heavily locked. Then Estelle turns up miles from home in her car at the bottom of a ravine with life threatening injuries. And amnesia. She at first doesn't even remember that Mia is missing. But time is of the essence for her to regain her memory. Is it just convenient that she has lost her memory or is something else going on? Some of her injuries are questionable as are most of her actions as the story is revealed. What on earth is happening and where is Mia? When Estelle is checked into a hospital and under the care of a psychiatric doctor, she must dig deep and find courage to face some things so that she can remember. Did she hurt Mia and do something with her? As time is ticking and is of the essence, Estelle feels the pressure to remember and find answers not only to locate Mia but to vindicate herself as both police and the media put her under scrutiny and find her story severely lacking in believability.

 This was an emotional, twist filled psychological thriller that explored the depths of depression and guilt that post partum depression can bring. As Estelle delves more into her past few days we start to see an unreliable narrative and picture of a young mom who was facing severe depression and had no support. Though I never struggled with PPD the profound feelings of guilt she carried for not being a good mom were very emotional but there were also times of boredom in the reading too as descriptions of her mental state got a bit repetitive at times. In her state of not being able to rationally deal with things I found I grew frustrated at some of her lack of communication skills when it came to trying to tell various police officers what she knew and sometimes at her lack of inaction or seeming lack of concern. The book has lots of flashbacks as Estelle's story comes to light piece by piece which kept you guessing at to what could have really happened and changing your mind as to what you thought happened. Because of all the flashbacks and things happening in real time I did get confused at times as to how much time had actually passed in the story. I found interesting that smells played a part in Estelle remembering some things as scent is a big trigger for me too. There was one section that dealt with small town police that had me wondering if they really would be that negligent to thoroughly check something out. A few f-bombs scattered throughout seems to be the thing with this genre.

 This was a page turning read in that I just had to find out what happened but slogged along at points to get there. I gave it 7/10.

Review is linked at Semicolon Saturday Review of Books.

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg ~ Book Review

Sookie Poole finally has a moment to herself after planning four weddings for  3 daughters in under 2 years.  She is exhausted and weddinged out.  Having nothing to do except take something out for supper is making her very happy indeed.  Married to a successful dentist, she dreams of maybe travelling with her husband.  But she has Lenore, her mother, to consider.  Lenore is well known in their hometown of Point Clear, Alabama by everyone, and being on or president of several committees she is adored and looked up to by most people but having her for a mother Sookie has other thoughts.  She has found her quite overbearing and bossy and has spent her life trying to please Lenore and feeling like she can never live up to the expectations put upon her by Lenore.  Now with Lenore in her 80's, Sookie must deal with all the details of taking care of her mom though Lenore bucks her every step of the way.  One day while handling her mom's mail, Sookie makes a shocking discovery that puts her in a tailspin and makes her wonder who she really is.  Sookie finds herself compelled to seek answers but will she like what finds.  Her search takes her back to the Midwest and to Texas to a free-spirited lady named Fritzi, who was a wing walker and flew planes for the U.S. and ran an all-girl's filling station while the men were away at war.  As Sookie learns Fritzi's story she finds inspiration for her own life.

I found this book quite enjoyable.  The story of Fritzi and Sookie are intertwined until it reaches a very satisfying ending.  The author is a wonderful story teller and I was drawn in from the beginning.  I especially liked all the history of the women flyers from the second world war who flew planes for the U.S. but who's story has not really been told.  In Fritzi's story we also read between the lines of stories and the challenges of countless women who had to pick up the pieces and take on jobs they never imagined as more and more of the men were shipped overseas.  It was a very interesting look into American life during the war.  The characters are real and honest, even Lenore, whom I sometimes wanted to shake.  I was also drawn to Sookie as her whole world is turned upside down with just one letter and everything she knows about herself is now called into question.  I gave this story a 9.5/10

The Titanic Enigma by Tom West ~ Book Review

375 miles off the coast of Newfoundland a ship comes across a strange phenomena of a massive amount of floating dead fish amongst "boiling" water and right before their eyes a dead whale surfaces. Of course, one of the sailors captures the whole thing with his phone camera and soon the whole thing is viral. With the Titanic wreck lying immediately below, Captain Jerry Durham of the U.S. Navy is put in charge of the investigation. He immediately get marine archeologists Lou Bates and Kate Wetherall on board to help the investigation as they are specialists in deep sea diving and scientific study of ship wrecks. With other countries screaming to get in on the action what they find at the bottom of the ocean puts all their lives in danger.

 I was really excited to read this book but it was just alright. It thought it would be a page turning, edge of your seat mystery involving one of my favourite topics: the Titanic. It didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting. It goes back and forth between the present day story of the investigation and the secret that was taken aboard the Titanic so many years ago and lay hidden until now. It was not really page turning at all and really dragged in a lot of places. The trouble was I loved the Titanic part of the story a lot but majorly disliked the present day part of the story. I loved the main characters of Dr. Egbert Fortescue and Billy and really was drawn into their part of the story aboard the Titanic. I didn't like any of the characters in the present day part of the story, wasn't drawn into their lives at all. I didn't like all the long descriptions and technical jargon of U.S. army submarine stuff and descriptions of the wreck under the sea. I found it hard to translate it into an actual picture in my head, probably because I was so bored with it. I hated the f-bombs in this part of the story and most of all hated the Lord's name taken in vain a few times. I didn't like the very graphic descriptions of the murders in the present day part of the story that took place. Too descriptive for my tastes. A bit of a surprise ending wrapped up the Titanic part nicely but not enough to save the book for me to give it a higher score.

 I gave it a 5/10 because I liked 50% of it.

This review is linked up to Semicolon Saturday Review of Books

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister ~ Book Review

Lillian was a young girl of 8 when she took over the cooking in their home.  After her father left them, her mother also disappeared.  Not in the physical sense, but she checked herself out emotionally and lost herself in books.  Lillian first started cooking to have something to eat but then as her skills improved and she was mentored by a couple of loving ladies she started to see the power of food to heal.  She determined to "cook her mother out" and set herself on a course to perfect her cooking until she saw that happen.  Now an adult, Lillian owns a very popular restaurant and still has a special relationship with food and it's emotional power to heal.  And she passes that on with a once a month cooking class.  Here her students come to learn not only her recipes, but her art of cooking and they leave with not only skills transformed but sometimes also lives transformed.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover.  Is that not an absolutely lovely cover?  And I found the story just as lovely.  The descriptions of food are almost poetic and the author's prose is wonderful.  I found myself savouring some of the descriptions and sentences and how food and cooking were related to life.  I reread many of the sentences and paragraphs because they were so nice.  The main character was a likeable woman who had great insight not only into food but also into her students as well and used her creativity to help them define what they were seeking beyond learning to cook.  The book's chapters are devoted to the different students and their personal stories and how they found themselves at the cooking school.  They were each interesting and real and heartbreaking.  Each had something that needed mending deep within their hearts and souls.

The one criticism I had of this book had to do with one of the stories and the baking of an apple cake.  I found it very distasteful and totally gross and not at all endearing or sweet.  In fact, I had to reread it a couple of times to make sure that is actually what it was saying.  It was one sentence but just took over the whole emotion of what I should have been feeling at that part of the story and focused me on the thing with the cake.  Some may not agree with me, but that is what I felt and thought.

I do want to do a reread of this book.  It's not a long or a hard read, but because I'm so busy right now, I feel like my head wasn't always totally there, but on my never ending to-do list of all things wedding.  And it is a book I'd like to read again if only for the lovely writing.

I gave this a 10/10 in spite of the one criticism I had.  I thought long and hard whether one idea and one sentence that I hated should cause me to rate it at a lesser score.  I finally decided that I had enjoyed the writing too much to have one sentence take away from the overall scoring of the book.

Linked up with Semicolon: Saturday Review of Books

The Lake House by Kate Morton ~ Book Review

The Edevane family is a wealthy family from the 1930's who seem to have it all.  Eleanor and Anthony have a love that others hope for, a family of 3 lovely daughters and now the long desired son, a gorgeous home on well hidden lake with extensive gardens.  They live a charmed life.  That is until tragedy strikes.  As they are hosting their yearly Midsummer party they're precious baby boy disappears seemingly into thin air.  After months of searching, with no real clues to go upon, it turns into a unsolved mystery.

Seventy years later, Sadie Sparrow, a detective with the Met police is taking a leave of absence from work and visiting her father in Cornwall. An upsetting missing persons case of her own has yielded unsatisfactory results and though the police have closed the case there is something about it that keeps eating at her.  While out on a run, she stumbles upon the old Edevane estate, now abandoned and overgrown, and the unsolved mystery of the missing Theo naturally intrigues and draws her.  She can't help but look into it further.   Finding out that one of the daughters of the Edevanes is none other than the very famous mystery writer, Alice Edevane, and that she is still alive Sadie tries to make contact with her.  But Alice Edevane is not inclined to respond to the letters.  She has her own secrets to hide about that night and the last thing she wants is a detective poking around.

This was my first Kate Morton book and I have to say I really enjoyed it.  The way this author develops and builds plot is amazing and it made this a really enjoyable page turning read.  Her descriptions of the estate and gardens and the time period which the family lives through were rich and detailed. I really felt like I could see it in my mind's eye.  The story takes place over two time lines and two different missing persons stories are involved but it is never confusing.  As the author builds the plot and reveals clues I never guessed the reveal of the mystery.  Though on that note, the reveal where they put the clues together seemed rushed to me and the reactions of the characters seemed very subdued, somehow, considering the situation.  Without giving away the story, there is one theme in the book that I wasn't nuts about because it's not a favourite thing for me to read about with my Christian perspective  but I thought it was handled well and,after all, this is not a "Christian" story and therefore has no obligation to live up to my sensibilities and convictions.  Consequences of the character's actions were not brushed under the rug or glamorized and I appreciated that in the story.  I am looking forward to reading more of this author's novels.

I gave this one a 9.5/10

Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt ~ Book Review

This is book #2 in the A Dangerous Beauty Series by this author.  It focuses on 3 different women from the bible who's supreme beauty didn't necessarily benefit them but, if fact, betrayed them or put them in danger.  I reviewed the 1st book, Esther:  Royal Beauty here.

When King David looks out from his rooftop and sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing in her courtyard, he sends for her and forces himself upon her in spite of the fact that she is married and married to one of his most loyal soldiers at that.  To see this side of David who worshipped God with such great abandon, was a shock to Bathsheba and it threw her young life into great turmoil.  She loved her husband, Uriah, and hoped she would have a lifetime of loving him and bearing his children.  But when Uriah left for war, young Bathsheba still had not conceived a child.  Now with King David forcing himself upon her she finds herself pregnant.  With this news, David furthers his sin, by bringing Uriah home from the seige of a city and trying to get him to go be with his wife, but in his loyalty Uriah refuses so David has him killed.  He then takes Bathsheba into his palace as his wife.

The story of David and Bathsheba is not a happy, fluffy romance.  The consequences of David's sin reverberated throughout his life and caused much sorrow not just for him but for Bathsheba as well.  Modern movies and stories have always involved Bathsheba as a quite willing partner in the whole affair but this author has taken a different viewpoint.  Bathsheba lost her sense of self, her husband, her child, her home and everything she knew of her life.  And probably at a very young age in a very short space of time.  From the author's notes in the back, which are well worth taking the time to read, she once again states that she took great care to not purposely contradict anything in the bible.  The viewpoint of Bathsheba not being a willing participant in the affair and that her whole life was ruined and changed against her will was one I never thought of before and it took her story in another path with emotions for me.  The whole tale, even straight up from the bible is so sad. I love how this story explored the feelings of devastation Bathsheba would have been going through and how she had to learn to forgive and not turn bitter.   For the most part, I really enjoyed this look into Bathsheba's life and emotions and thoughts from this perspective.  And I appreciated how the author conveyed that through it all God remained faithful and the story is filled with Bathsheba trying to raise her sons to honor the Lord.   I also really liked the the exploration of how David's other wives would have reacted to Bathsheba and everything she had to overcome in trying to make friendships within the palace so that she didn't lead a totally isolated and lonely life.  The story is told in alternating chapters in Bathsheba's words and in Nathan, the prophet's words.  In all honesty, there were just a handful of paragraphs or sentences that made me uncomfortable from the perspective of this being Christian fiction, but it was not anything near what you would find in secular novel and can easily be skipped if you are sensitive to that.  I also was a tad uncomfortable with a storyline concerning Nathan's feelings for Bathsheba which I don't think added anything to make the story better.  

Reading this really made me pause and reflect on the story of David and Bathsheba and all there is to be learned from their lives and  I gave it a 8.5 out 10.

Anne of Avonlea ~ Book Review

So last year when I was shopping at Costco, low and behold they had the whole set of Anne books (all 8 of them) for a fairly decent price and seeing as I loved Anne of Green Gables so much after finally reading it instead of just watching the movie I took the plunge and bought the set. Which totally set me up to join in with Carrie at Reading to Know and her Lucy Maud Montgomery reading challenge. The challenge is to read as many titles as you can by this author in the month of January and I did all of one. But it did get me finally cracking open this set.

 This book sets up Anne as a young 17 year old who has finished school and is now the school teacher in Avonlea. It continues her adventures finding "kindred spirits" in the continuation of her friendship with Dianna and in her new fledgling friendship with the eccentric Miss Lavender. Anne's personality as usual was all bubbly, fresh, and still doing things without thinking them through though not quite as often as when she was younger. I must admit I did miss the precocious young Anne next to the more mature Anne. It was nice to read of her and Diana's friendship blossoming and being strong. The eccentric characters of Mr. Harrison and Miss Lavender were fun and added a quirkiness to the story. I especially loved reading of how her and Marilla's relationship deepened and moved to an "adult" relationship, reminding me of how my own relationship had changed with my mom when I moved out of the teen years. I missed the character of Gilbert a bit as he was barely mentioned, but there was a good set up for him for the next stories.

 There were a few things, though, that I didn't enjoy so much about this second installment in the series. The first was a chapter in the story that had the school children writing letters to Anne about anything they pleased. After perusing letter after letter and Anne's reaction I grew quite bored and basically skipped most of that chapter. Have I mentioned I really dislike letter writing as a form of story telling? I also found some of the conversations of elementary age children, namely Paul Irving and Davy, so involved and long that it got me questioning whether little boys that age actually converse in looooong complicated paragraphs that way. Some of those were scanned by me too. And last but not least I really disliked how it was mentioned several times throughout the novel that of two siblings in their care, Anne and Marilla loved one well above the other. It wasn't "they liked the personality" of one more, it was they "loved" one more than the other. They had conversations about it. That really irked the mother and child care provider in me immensely. I kept asking the book aloud whether they had never read or heard the story of Joseph.

 As a whole, I enjoyed reading Anne of Avonlea. I don't know what has taken me so long because I love the movies starring Megan Follows, so thanks to Carrie for giving me the nudge to get reading.  I gave it an 8 out of 10 so not as high as Anne of Green Gables but still good.

2016 Reading Challenges

Yet another bookish post.  Sorry I will get them out of the road an be done real quick here.  I do like to have a record for myself so that is why I am posting all this and it just is coming all in this week.  So after a real challenging challenge (ha) in 2015, I am ready for one that is a bit more easy going.  I liked how last years challenge forced me to get out of some comfort zones, though I did find I left quite a few of the uneasier ones for last anyway and never did get to them because time ran out.  Categories such as "a book set in the future", "a book more than a hundred years old", "a book with magic", and"a graphic novel" were not anywhere near my interest radar so it was really hard to motivate myself to get to them.   I couldn't always find a book I wanted to read to fit a certain category and at the end I found I was cramming in a book not because I wanted to read it but because it fulfilled three categories.

With that in mind the challenge I have chosen to do  year is:

Perfectly simple.  Right? The time frame given is books purchased from June 2015 - December 2016.  I can't emphasize how perfect this is for me right now.  I have a huge back log of books to June of last year (and even farther back than that but those won't count) that I purchased which is around the time I discovered BookOutlet.ca.  And some of those orders did not fit into the categories of last year, so I'm looking forward to getting into these purchases!  I also got several book store gift cards for Christmas so this challenge will fit like a glove.  For this challenge, hosted by The Book Date, she wants us to choose one of the percentage goals from the list below that we want to accomplish reading out of the books purchased, list the books we purchase in a post and then cross them off as we read them.  There will be a couple link up posts in the year, I believe, where we can share how we are progressing.  You can read the full rules at her link.

20% or less      Money Sitting on the Shelf.

20 - 40%          Making Inroads.

40 - 60 %         Moderately Successful

60 - 80 %        Maximising  Returns

80 - 100%       Mission Accomplished

 I am going to choose the 60-80% category.  Hopefully I can get that many of the books purchased in the stated time frame of June 2015 - December 2016 read and enjoyed.  So here we go with my list so far:

Purchased June - December 2015

Bathseba:  Reluctant Beauty by Angela Hunt 

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

The Titanic Enigma by Tom West

The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

Man Alive by Mary Kay Zuravleff

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin

Where the River Ends by Charles Martin

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Chatharina Ingelman-Sundberg

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline

The Offering by Angela Hunt

The Truth Teller by Angela Hunt

The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

The Aloha Reef Series (4 Books) by Colleen Coble

One Good Thing by Kevin Alan Milne

Recipes for a Perfect Marriage by Morag Prunty

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

**new additions for 2016 will be added at the end of the post**

I know!!!!  Don't even talk to me!  And these are all just ones  that I've bought since June of 2015 and haven't yet read.  Addiction much?!    And those gift cards are seriously burning a hole in my pocket but I'm going to try really hard to not use them till the last half of the year.

But you know what else I love about being a part of a hosted challenge once again?  Going and reading the participant's reading lists! Although that can create a conundrum because I'll want to add a whole bunch more to my tbr list.  LOL.  Ahhh, the dilemma's of a book lover.

I'm also joining in on Carrie's (Reading to Know) Lucy Maud Montgomery Challenge.  The rule: Read as much Montgomery as you can during the month of January.  Another perfect one.  I had purchased the whole set of "Anne of Green Gables" from Costco, 8 books, after Christmas last year and still haven't got to them.  But Carrie does this as a yearly challenge so I'm going to try to knock a couple of those off this month.  

**new additions**

January 2016

-The Lake House by Kate Morton

-Remember Mia by Alexandra Burt

Are you doing any reading  challenges this year?