Code Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem ~ Book Review

 

As a single parent, Liesl Weiss is the only financial supporter in her household which includes herself, her 2 children, her mother and her unhelpful brother.  When she loses her secretarial job at MGM studios she desperately searches for another.  When she sees a job opening for a secretary for a local lawyer, Liesel grabs the info going straight over to Leon Lewis' office.  Unfortunately Leon Lewis doesn't want to offer her the secretarial job in his office but instead, going with his instincts, offers Liesel as job to spy on a organization called Friends of New Germany and her own neighborhood of Germantown for his spy network.  With her blonde Aryan looks Liesel would fit right in.  As a Jewish lawyer, Lewis has watched Adolf Hitler rise to power and now sees an increasing amount of anti-semitism right in his city of Los Angeles.  He believes there are plans in the works to take over Hollywood for the use of the Nazi's propoganda in America.  Of German descent, Liesel can't quite believe any of the rumors she has heard concerning Germany's new chancellor and especially does not believe what Leon Lewis is suggesting and that this New Friends of Germany would have anything to do with the Nazis.  But desperate to provide for her family she takes the job which sets her into the offices of the organization.  As Liesl starts to spend her days listening and observing, in horror she starts to realize what Leon Lewis feared most is not a rumor at all but a well executed plan already under way.  Now realizing the danger she is in, Liesl must decide whether she is up for being a part of stopping this dangerous group.

This was a great read.  Based on true events, it is the story of the work of Leon Lewis, a lone Jewish lawyer, and a handful of amatuer spies which he set in place that discovered the plans of the Nazi Germany to take over the control of Hollywood and rid Los Angeles of the Jewish community.  I've never read this aspect of pre-WWII and it was very interesting.  The characters were well written and the book was a page turner as events are rushing towards the de Angriff (the attack).   I loved the character development of Liesl, who at the start of the book was a confused and hurt woman just trying to make it through each day, one who was trying to fit into her German neighborhood and do right by her children, who at first took the job because she had to provide for her family  but who became a courageous woman of conviction who moved beyond her fears to do what she had to do to stop the hatred she finally saw.  In asking herself "If not me, then who?  And if not now, when?"  she took on a role that she never imagined herself to be in.  The story challenges us to do the same, if maybe not in quite the same way as Liesl, then in whatever way we can.  

I rated this a 9.5/10

2023 Reading Challenge Goal Met:  At least one library book a month from my library list

December Reading Possibilities

November wasn't too bad of a reading month for me.  Though I did set aside one of my choices, The Boys in the Boat, just because I wasn't getting into it.  Maybe it's just wrong timing, I'll give it another go next year.  I did finish 4 books for the month and I liked all that I read.   Decembers choices are going to be significantly less in number.  It's such a busy month so not sure how much time I'll have but I have the week after Christmas off so I am planning some good reading time then.  I'm most looking forward to my favorite author's new release.  I don't usually read Christmas themed books but I love the movie Christmas with the Kranks, watch it every year, and that is based on the book Skipping Christmas.  I found it in a Little Library earlier this year along with The Quality Street Girls (who doesn't love Quality Street Chocolates??)  so I've saved it for December.  If a small miracle occurs and I finish them all I'll just choose another from my purchased or library books.  Hopefully I finish out the year knocking a couple more of my purchased books off my TBR.

OLDEST & NEWEST PURCHASED UNREAD BOOKS ON MY SHELF

          ~ The Last Exchange by Charles Martin (newest)

          ~ A Silken Thread by Kim Vogel Sawyer (oldest)

FICTION

          ~ Skipping Christmas by John Grisham  (finished)

          ~ The Quality Street Girls by Penny Thorpe

LIBRARY HOLDS

          ~ Code Name Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem  (finished)

          ~ He Should Have Told The Bees by Amanda Cox

AUDIOBOOK

          ~ I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb

What are you guys reading this month?  Did you have goals for this year and does it look like you'll make them?

The Complicated Heart: Loving Even When It Hurts by Sarah Mae ~ Book Review

"People always ask me how I forgave my mother.  

How do you forgive someone who wounded you so deeply, who carelessly brushed aside your pain, who caused such destruction?  And even more specifically, how do you forgive them when your wounds are still  open, when they show no remorse, when you are so dang tangled up with them you're not sure how on earth to get untangled?"

                                           Sarah Mae:  The Complicated Heart  

pg xiii

Sarah grew up with a very complicated childhood.  Her parents divorced when she was young and she went to live with her father.  But when she was 14 she decided she wanted to be with her mother.  But her relationship with her mom was very toxic.  Her mother was an alcoholic, drinking from sun up to sun down, going from husband to husband, and was verbally and emotionally very abusive.  I thought this was more of a non-fiction 'teaching" type of book when I first got it but it actually is more memoir with wisdom inserted throughout.   This is Sarah's story of not just sorrow and hardship brought about by not only her mother but also of all her wrong choices made out her desperate attempts at trying find acceptance in any way through her skewed understanding of love even as she worked trying to win her mother's love, but it is also a story of redemption that only God can bring about in a person's life.  It is not an easy read and Sarah does give trigger warnings in the beginning for many areas of trauma and cautions the reader to use discernment when reading, listing a few actions to take as you work your way through her book.  Her journey was not an easy one, very heartbreaking in every respect,  but such a very powerful story of redemption that it needs to be heard.  I found the book very insightful not just from her perspective but because she inserts entries from her mother's journal at the end of each chapter,  you also hear her mother's voice.  You get a glimpse of the mindset of an alcoholic and what got her mother there and the internal struggles she had while Sarah was growing up.  The reader gains understanding into so many areas of how addiction works and why grace is so important.  This book is for those who feel they and their situation are beyond hope, it extends hope to those buried in their toxic mother/daughter relationships, buried in pain and trauma, buried in the results of wrong decisions made from rejection and addiction. It's for all the hurt daughters who don't think their hearts will ever heal.  The last chapters deal with steps the reader can take on their own journey to find light and hope in the deepest darkness.

"Dysfunction does not have to be your legacy.  You may have been born into it, married into it, or created it yourself, but it does not have to be your destiny or your identity.  Victory is always on the table!"

Sarah Mae:  The Complicated Heart

pg  xv

Thank you to Sarah Mae for sending me this book.  It opened my heart and mind in so many ways.  If you want to check it out her blog it is here.  She sent me the book no strings attached a while ago and I think I read it in perfect timing.  She did not ask for a review or a link to her sight but I'm doing it because I think her story is important to a hurting women..  

Rating:  9.5/10

2023 Reading Goals Met:  Non-fiction November,  Read Your Shelf challenge

November 2023 Reading Possibilities

November always brings a sense of anticipation to my reading.  It's a month where I really focus on my pile of non-fiction books.  There is something about getting that pile knocked down a bit.  I have such great hopes that I'll read more non-fiction throughout the year but they always take me so much longer, unless it's a biography/autobiography.  Since I discovered audiobooks, it has helped my non-fiction reading quite a bit but I'm always stuck in what Libby or Hoopla offers.  Yes I know I can get subscriptions but I don't want to spend the money for it.  Anyway in Non-Fiction November I do like to get to the hard copies that are stacked in my closet.  I realize "The Boys in the Boat"  has made my list several times this year but I'm determined to get to it before the movie comes out.  I've also added a couple of fictions:  the one I am finishing up from October and my favorite author's new release.  

NON-FICTION

          ~ The Complicated Heart: loving even when it hurts by Sarah Mae (finished)

          ~ The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

          ~ I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (young reader's edition) 

          ~ An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

          ~ Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder   (finished)

FICTION

          ~ Falling by T.J. Newman (finishing from October)  (finished)

OLDEST & NEWEST UNREAD PURCHASE ON MY SHELF

          ~ When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor (Oldest)

          ~ The Last Exchange by Charles Martin (Newest)

AUDIOBOOK

          ~ A Piece of the Moon by Chris Fabry

          ~ No Greater Love by A. W. Tozer (finished)

How is your reading going this year and what are you reading in November?

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson ~ Book Review

In the sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek Honey Lovett, the daughter of Cussy Mary, the famed blue skinned pack horse librarian of Troublesome Creek, has lived her life in hiding with her mother and father.  Because her father was white and her mother blue skinned, their marriage was considered against the law.  But when the law catches up with them and her mom and dad are imprisoned for miscegenation, Honey flees to avoid being sent to children's labor camp.  Fleeing back to where her mother grew up, Honey gets a library pack horse job herself and delivers books deep into the Appalachian mountains to the poorest of poor.  Hoping to prove that she can survive on her own at 16 and look out for herself, she is planning on applying to become emancipated from her beloved family in order to avoid child services and the labor camp.  On arriving, Honey is befriended by a young woman who is the first woman to work in the fire towers in the area.  But being friends can also mean danger as there are those who resent a woman taking that job from the men of the area.  Honey will have to be strong in her determination to make it work.

I enjoyed this continuation of the story.  Honey also has the blue skinned gene from her mother though it is not as obvious as it was with Mary.  She can hide it quite well.   Even though the library pack horse program has been running for awhile now, Honey still finds resistance to the program.  She faces challenge after challenge both in delivering the books that she knows will bring freedom and learning to the poor of the area, but also in her daily survival.  Her friendship with Pearl was endearing as they supported one another.  A few more layers of  different kinds of prejudices that women of the time faced were added in Pearl's character with her fire tower look out job and that of Bonnie who had to take a mining job for her family to survive after her husband died were very interesting.  Loved the exploration of what these courageous women all faced in their time.  

Rated this book 9/10

Reading Goal Met:  Reading off my own shelves

Not By Sight by Kathy Herman ~ Book Review

Five years ago Abby Cummings family was devastated when her father and 2 year old sister went missing.  No clue was found as to what happened to them and the family struggles to move on.  Each handles it in their own way.  Abby, with her grandfather's support, has drawn closer in relationship to the Lord.  She holds out in faith that her father and sister are still alive somewhere.  This has led to a couple of instances where Abby thinks she has seen a little girl that could be Riley Jo.  Neither time proved correct so when she once again sees a young girl she's never seen before in her town that she thinks might look exactly as Riley Jo would look at age 7 she snaps a picture.  No one takes her seriously because of the former false alarms except her best friend Jay.  When Abby starts asking questions downtown, it worries her mother who through the ordeal has lost her faith, but she relents to Abby's determination to pursue finding out who the girl is if Abby agrees to back to counseling.  But when Abby receives some disturbing phone call warnings to let it go from a stranger, she knows she is on the right track pursuing this whether the girl is Riley Jo or not.  As Abby and Jay pursue finding out who this man and young girl is some horrible secrets will come to light that they might not be prepared to face.

I have read several of this author's series in the past and loved them.  This is the 1st installment of her latest series, Ozark Mountain Trilogy.  It was a good mystery filled with tension and I loved the exploration of what such devastating circumstances can do to a family's faith and how they approach life afterwards.  How each family member coped and worked out their grief was very true to life.  And because Abby and her mom were on opposite ends of the spectrum in how they coped there was also the tension between the two added to the story.   However, I did find some of the conversations throughout the story a bit unrealistic and maybe forced I think is the way I would describe it? The tension and suspense were carried throughout the story and there were some good twists and turns right until the end.

I rated this an 8 out of 10

Reading Goals Met:  Read what I own:  older purchase

All My Knotted Up LIfe: A memoir by Beth Moore ~ Audiobook Review

I am so behind on my book reviews so there's going to be a few in the coming weeks.  Don't know how I let myself get so behind but here I am.  I understand if it's not your thing, but I still want it reviewed for my own record of what I've read and thought about the books.  

I think most of us in the Christian circles have at least heard of Beth Moore, if not taken at least one of her many courses or book studies for women on spiritual growth in Christ, or read one of her books or watched her teach on tv.  She is an author, speaker and founder of Living Proof Ministries.  Many know the public side of her but not many know her history or her private life.  In her memoir she vulnerably opens up about her not easy childhood with her father's abuse and  her mother's battle with mental illness.  She shares about how God led her to ministry and the beginnings of Living Proof Ministries and her very public break with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2018.  She with great respect for her husband discusses living with a spouse who suffers from PTSD and bipolar disorder.  And through it all she reminds us of the thread of God's faithfulness throughout.

I really enjoyed listening to Beth's memoir and I have to say I have greater respect for her knowing that her life has not necessarily been an easy one.  But in the hardness she has drawn closer to Christ and it makes her sharing of God's faithfulness and power even more relatable knowing she has been through hard things and God has seen her through.  She is honest and raw about the situations and about her own flaws, but also is God honoring offering hope to the reader.   I liked that she narrated her own story so you really got her emotions through the telling.  The only thing that took slightly away from the audiobook for me was the childhood part was narrated with her childhood Arkansas accent which I found at times hard to understand.  But when she switched to her Texas accent which she speaks with now, I found it easier listening. 

I rated this a 9.5/10  (the .5 taken for the enjoyment of listening being hard with the thicker accent)

Reading Challenge 2023 Goal Met:  A book a month from my library want to read list

The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall ~ Book Review

Beth lives with her straight-laced, quiet British father and her adventurous Hungarian mother in England.  Her Mom, Marika, has always wanted to return for a visit to her beloved Hungary so when Beth turns 9 they set off on a road trip for a much anticipated vacation.  But memories of beautiful Balaton Lake turn sour when her mom and dad separate while there and Beth and her Dad return to England leaving her Mom behind in Hungary.  Beth's young life changes drastically without her vivacious mother there to contrast her father's now very somber disposition.  When Marika, requests to have Beth visit for the summer it is with much trepidation that her father agrees.  So begins the first of 7 summers Beth spends in the idyllic countryside of Hungary with Marika (which is what her mother wants to be called).  The year Beth turns 16, when she is pushing her boundaries, something happens that causes an estrangement with her mother and she never again returns to Hungary to visit.  Years later, her Dad shows up at her door, nervously bringing a package from Hungary.  Though angry that her Dad would even bring it over, Beth eventually succumbs to the curiosity and opens it.  Inside she finds a letter that her Marika has passed away and a scrapbook entitled the Book of Summers.  As she turns through the pages, in spite of herself, Beth is taken back to her good memories of her childhood summers spent in the rural countryside of Hungary.

I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, first because the cover is gorgeous and second, being of Hungarian background, I have never come across a book set in Hungary.  The author's lovely descriptions brought back my own memories of lovely Hungary from the one summer I spent there visiting relatives.  The lifestyle, foods, scenery and Hungarian personalities described were wonderfully spot on.  The story is a coming of age story of a young girl finding herself dealing with not only the break up of her family but also of the tension of being shuffled back and forth between homes set in different countries.  It is not a fast paced book by any means and the author takes her time laying out the intricacies of the relationships.  The story starts when Beth is grown and receives the visit from her father and then backtracks as she is thrown into the memories of her childhood summers with her mother as she looks through the book culminating in her decision to never return.  The characters and their emotions and actions are realistic.  The tension was there through the whole story as I wondered what led to the estrangement of mother and daughter.  I was drawn into the story though at times it was a tad slow.  But worth the push to get past those parts.  

I rated it an 8.5/10

Reading Goals accomplished:  Read a book a month from my library want to reads

October Reading Possibilites

I don't know what's happening with my reading but I started the year off with a bang but it's somehow slowed down.  September I finished one book and one audiobook and I'm almost done with another book and another audiobook from that list.  I was so hopeful I'd just breeze through a whole bunch, there were so many good titles that I really wanted to get to.  Oh well.  Onwards and upwards to October.  

So for October instead of picking a cover color I decided to get to some of my mystery/thriller type books.  I don't really read horror.  Ok, let's be real, I don't read horror at all, so a good mystery/thriller will have to do for October.  Probably the scariest one on this list might be Illusion but I'm only guessing at that because of who the author is.   I'm just finishing up with both a hard copy book ("The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox) and an audiobook ("The Love Stories of the Bible Speak" by Shannon Bream) left from September's list and then hopefully I can get to a couple of these this month to add to my reading goals for the year. 

READ WHAT I OWN - MYSTERY/THRILLER

          ~ An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

          ~ Alway Watching by Chevy Stevens

          ~ Illusion by Frank Perretti

          

READ WHAT I OWN - NEWEST AND OLDEST PURCHASE

          ~ Falling by T. J. Newman (newest, came highly recommended)

          ~ The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield (newest,famous Canadian Astronaut)

          ~ Not by Sight by Kathy Herman   (finished)

   

READ WHAT I OWN - NON FICTION

          ~ You'll Get Through This by Max Lucado   (finished)

          ~ The Complicated Heart by Sarah Mae

LIBRARY HOLDS

          ~ Code Name Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem

          ~Jaqueline in Paris by Ann Mah

AUDIOBOOKS

          ~ Breakthrough by Joyce Smith

          ~ The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

September Reading Possibilites

Well life happened and I did not get a reading possibilities post made for August so just kept with my July list.  As it turned out I only managed to get one book read, and it was a library hold that came in, and one audiobook.  Not a great reading month but things were just overwhelming.  And over the summer I noticed when reviewing what I've read that I failed in my goal to read the books I owned.  It seems all the books I had on hold at the library kept flooding in at the same time.  I might just have to stop putting things on hold at the library  for a couple months and catch up on getting my own pile of books.  I'm hoping September will be back to normal and some great reads I have piled up can get read and I can accomplish my 2023 reading goals! Unfortunately all the summer themed books I had on the list that I was hoping to get out of my closet will just have to be put away for next year.  Because I'm ready to move on to a fresh new list of possibilities.  My color choice for "Read What I Own" for September is going to be orange in any form.  And surprisingly a lot of books in my most recent purchases bag fit that prompt so hopefully I can get lots of those read!  But first I need to finish my book that carried over from August:  In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer

READ WHAT I OWN - COLOR ORANGE

          ~ Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick

          ~ The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

          ~ The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox

          ~This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

          ~ Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

          ~ This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

          ~ The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

          

READ WHAT I OWN - NON-FICTION

          ~ The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

READ WHAT I OWN - NEWEST AND OLDEST PURCHASE

          ~ A Piece of the Moon by Chris Fabry

LIBRARY HOLDS

          ~ The Winners by Fredrik Backman

          ~ Jaqueline in Paris by Ann Mah

          ~ In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer  (finished)

AUDIOBOOKS

          ~ So Help Me God by Mike Pence  (finished)

          ~ The Love Stories of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream

What are you reading in September?  

Things I Wish I Told My Mother by Susan Patterson and Susan Dilallo with James Patterson ~ Book Review

Laurie is an advertising executive who has just landed a career changing account when her mother, the very professional, very put together perfectionist Doctor Liz, calls her from the ER saying she has admitted herself.  Upon learning that Dr. Liz may have suffered a mild heart attack, Laurie decides to take her mother on a dream vacation to try to mend the rifts between them.  Laurie has always felt her mother wasn't there for her and that she could never live up to her mother's expectations but is hopeful that this vacation is what they both need.  But right from the get go the same old tensions arise.  Laurie wants to take her mother to Norway, the country from which Dr. Liz is from but Laurie has never been to, but Dr. Liz wants Paris.  Trouble is Paris is where Laurie and her ex-husband spent their honeymoon and there is too many memories there.  So they compromise and the itinerary is set for both countries.  Both ladies have memories and secrets from their lives in the perspective countries that they have never shared with each other.  It will take a lot to step out and get past their own discomforts and the memories they bring and share them in order to draw closer as mother and daughter.

I, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyed this mother/daughter dysfunctional relationship story.  I felt it had heart, some humor, some emotional parts that really drew me in to their relationship and that made it relatable and a twist that I was not expecting at all.  It's an easy and quick read and I finished it just over a day, it was hard to put down for me.  There was one relationship in the story that I wondered if it was necessary to move the story along,  but other than that I thought it was a fun summer read with some depth.

9.5/10

Reading Goal Met:  One book a month off my library list

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister ~ Book Review

Alice has always wanted to be a writer from the time she was little.  In college her stories, though good, are safe.  Her professor and mentor, Professor Roberts, recognizes her talent and encourages her to step out of her comfort zone and write the gripping story he knows she has within her.  When a devastating event happens in her life, Alice is finally able to step beyond the safety and comfort of her former writings and writes right out of her heart.   But after sending it to lists of publishers and after rejection after rejection, Alice gives it one more shot and sends it to the publisher whom her professor recommends.  As her story finds its way into the hands of readers, no one can predict how her words can change the course of the lives of those who read them.

I loved this book.  Though I must admit it took a little to get into, the first chapter was 32 pages long and I'm a short chapter kind of gal, but once it got rolling I couldn't put it down.  It starts with the quote:

"No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture"

The Writings of Madame Swetchine 1860

The story then goes on to show just how a good story can do that.  Each chapter is like a story unto itself about a person who the book makes itself to and how the story affects them and changes the way they look at their lives.  I was drawn into each character who were as different from each other as they could be and how Alice's story touched each of them in a totally different way.  The book is definitely character driven and the author was able to take nine very different characters and their stories and weave them together into a lovely story that comes full circle and that any book lover would understand and relate to.   The premise is original and it totally drew in my emotions.  And bonus,  parts were set in Canada which as a Canadian reader I loved.  

"I think each story has it's own life.  In the beginning, it lives in the writer's mind, and it grows and changes while it's there.  Changes the writer, too, I'd bet....At some point it's written down and that's the book the readers hold in their hands.  But the story isn't done, because it goes on to live in the readers' minds, in a way that's particular to each of them.  We're all caretakers of the stories, Alice.  Writers are just the lucky ones that get to know them first".

"Professor Roberts" in

No Two Persons

by Erica Bauermeister

pg 31

I rated this book a 10/10

Reading Challenge Goal Met:  A book a month from my library list

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult ~ Book Review

Dianne O'Toole is an associate specialist with Sotheby's auction house specializing in art.  She is moving up in her career and if she can land a prestigious sale with a high profile client she is looking at a huge promotion.  Her personal life is also looking good.  Her boyfriend, Finn, is a surgical resident at a New York city hospital, and they have booked a dream trip to Galapagos Islands.  Dianne is pretty sure Finn will propose at some point during the trip.  Life couldn't be better.  But when a virus that was ripping through other parts of the world appears in New York city days before their departure, Finn is told he has to stay to work and help.  He encourages Dianne to go on the trip anyway in order to not waste the non-refundable adventure.  Against her better judgement, Dianne relents and goes.  When Dianne arrives in Galapagos, she finds the island emptying of people frantically trying to get off the island and get home due to rumors of the spreading virus.  Against against her better judgement and going out of character, she decides to stay for the adventure.  But then the island literally shuts down and the option to leave is no more and she is stuck not knowing the language, running out of money, and with little to no cell service.  Completely isolated, she makes a connection with a troubled teenager and her grandmother.  Meanwhile back home, Finn is in a battle he never imagined he would face as a doctor.

I picked this book up in a Free Little Library after Faith (from Gold in the Clouds ) encouraged me to try one more book from this author after I really, really  disliked the only other one I had previously read.  And wow, this one really captured me.  Dealing with the Covid pandemic, the author, through myriads of interviews with doctors & nurses, covid survivors, and others that covid touched was able to weave a story that kept me glued from beginning to end.  She was able to not only capture the fear and craziness of the pandemic but also the effects of the isolation that it caused for many.  I was totally engrossed in Finn's side of the story showing the medical professionals point of view as they battled in the trenches trying to get a handle on what was going on.  I thought the author was very successful in bringing out their frustration and exhaustion and how it affected them as professionals in the medical field.   And then in exploring the effects of isolation that the world had to endure, the author was able to balance the story with the harmful effects of the severe isolation some felt by stranding the character on an island far from home and loved ones.   I found it hard to put the book down as my emotions were so engaged seeing all viewpoints of the pandemic story.  I also learned a lot about parts of surviving covid that you didn't hear a lot about then or now.  Some interesting details in the story.  And a twist that left me stunned.  The only parts I didn't engage with was some of the Darwinian theory parts.  We are left to ask ourselves how has this experience we have all lived through in one fashion or another changed us, personally and as a society?  Has it made us better?  The book is filled with numerous quotable insights but I loved this quote from the author's notes:

"When I try to make sense of the past year, it feels to me like the world pressed pause.  When we stopped moving, we noticed that the ways we have chosen to validate ourselves are lists of items or experiences we need to have, goals that are monetary or mercenary.  Now, I'm wondering why those were ever even goals.  We don't need those things to feel whole.  We need to wake up in the morning.  We need our bodies to function.  We need to enjoy a meal.  We need a roof over our head.  We need to surround ourselves with people we love.  We need to take the wins in a much smaller way."

pg. 317

May we always remember this. This book was written in 2021 and I read it in 2023.  So a year out of the pandemic, and human being humans, I'm afraid I'm already seeing generally, a reverting back to our old ways and attitudes in a lot of areas, chasing those same old goals.  And that makes me sad.  

So I ended up loving this story.  Will it make me pick up another book by this author?  Probably at some point.

I gave it a 9.5/10

Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Nicki Myron ~ Audiobook Review

How could I not pick up this audiobook with this charming little cat on the cover?  What is not appealing about a real life library cat?  Dewey is the story of a small kitten found stuffed into the return slot at the public library of Spencer, Iowa.  Cold and frostbitten, Dewey managed to survive and win the hearts of the library staff and patrons.  He lived at the library for 19 years and saw his "people" through the joys and heartache of small town living.

I really enjoyed this audiobook narrated by the author who was the one who found Dewey.  It is a charming narrative of not only this sweet cat but of the town itself and the people who live in it.  The author tells her own stories of joy, hardship and loss and how Dewey figures into it, but also tells of the gumption, determination and heart of small town Spencer when they are hit hard during economic troubles and how one small cat helps to bring healing and love to the many patrons of the library.  

I rated it a 9/10.

July Reading Possibilites

Well not sure what happened but June was tough for reading.  I only finished one actual physical book and two audiobooks.  I think the course I was taking had a lot to do with it.  I didn't even post a June reading possibilities post even though I did have books pulled for that.  Oh well.  July, I hope, will be better.  I'm on vacation next week so hopefully there will be more time to just enjoy reading.

I somehow ended up with a whole pile of library books on my stack with a couple of them having lots of holds on them so those two will be a priority right off the top.  Then out of my own piles, which is my goal to read the most from this year, I think I will forgo the color theme this month and choose anything with a summery theme or summery looking cover.  So here is what I ended up with for my July Reading Possibilites:

Read What I Own:  Summer Theme

          ~ Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb

          ~ The Summer Sisters by Sara Richardson

          ~ People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

          ~ Her Last Holiday by C.L. Taylor

          ~ My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan

          ~ The Sea Sisters by Lucy Clarke

          ~ Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand

          ~Flight Patterns by Karen White

       

Library Holds

          ~ No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (finished)

          ~ Things I Wish I Told My Mother by Susan Patterson & Susan Dilallo with James Patterson (fin)

          ~The Book of Summers by Emilya Hall (finished)

          ~ The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain

Non-Fiction

          ~ The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Audiobook

          ~ So Help Me God by Mike Pence

Reading anything captivating this month?

  

        

          

Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni ~ Book Review

Three sisters: Priya, Deepa and Jamini, live in 1940's Bengal, India.  Their father is a well respected doctor who has a clinic in Calcutta and he is known for helping the poor.  Sometimes the girl's mother resents the fact that they are not living the well to do life of a doctor who charges normal fees but Nabakumar has a heart for those who are suffering.  The sisters are as different as sisters can be.  Priya is smart and driven to become a doctor even though in her culture and time it is an uphill climb.  It is assumed that she will marry her childhood love, Amit. Deepa just want to be married and have a family.  But when she meets and falls in love with a Muslim man her life will take turns she never could have imagined.  Can her love of this man be enough for the losses of culture, family, community and way of life that will come if she chooses him? Jamini, is the youngest,  has a small handicap, but is dedicated to family and helps her mother make quilts to sell.  She longs to be loved but doesn't hold out a lot of hope to be married because of her physical limitations.  She holds a secret very close to her heart that she cannot let be known.   Life changes for everyone when India experiences violent uprisings as they try to gain independence.  The girls once peaceful home is no longer a refuge when the fighting starts to encroach.  And they must all make decisions they never thought they would face. When the partition of India happens where India went to the Hindus and Pakistan to the Muslims they become separated, not just in distance but in paths for their lives.

I am always drawn into stories set in India and this historical novel didn't disappoint.  It captured me from the beginning and was interesting right until the end.  Set in the time of India's fight for independence and the resulting dividing of the Hindus and Muslims, the story had me learning of something I knew not a lot about.  The sister's relationships was relatable and moving as they had to navigate their changing world which was at points exciting and filled with hope and other times scary and devastating.  Their love of family, their courage shown in different ways was wonderful to read but their characters were also very real in their flaws and family drama.  The only thing I didn't like had nothing to do with the story and more of a style of punctuation where the author (or editor?) chose not to put commas into lists of things.  For example from page 164:  "Tonight will bring the moment so many, including her father, had longed for fought for died for."  At first I thought it was editing error but it happened numerous times through out the story so I realized it was a chosen style in the book.  In spite of that, once I got used to it, the story wasn't hindered by it all.

I gave it a 10/10

2023 Reading Challenge Goal Met:  A book a month from my library TBR list.

Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero by Amanda Kloots ~ Audiobook Review

In the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, Nick Cordero, a star on Broadway and a Tony award nominee, was hospitalized with what they thought to be pneumonia.  Eventually Nick was diagnosed with Covid 19 and had to be put on a ventilator.  This was shocking news as Nick was healthy and young.  In an attempt to cope and being a Christian, his wife Amanda took to her social media accounts asking for prayers for Nick.  She made updates to the account and asked those who knew Nick to sing and dance to a song Nick had written called "Live Your Life" at a particular time of day in a effort to show him when he was better the support he had.  News media picked up on her efforts and soon millions were joining in from around the world when everyone was reeling from the hospitalizations, death and uncertainty at the beginning of the lockdowns.  After a harrowing 95 days where Nick went back and forth getting better and then digressing, when confusion reigned supreme and doctors could not agree, where Amanda had to fight the hospital to see Nick when they were changing the rules daily and where she had to make horrendous medical decisions for Nick without his input (such as amputating his leg), Nick finally succumbed and passed away.  

I picked up this audiobook because I had heard of Amanda's requests for prayer and remembered reading of Nick's passing.  But not on instagram or twitter myself, I didn't know the full story.  Amanda has written an emotional, truthful account of what they, as a family unit, went through during this horrendous time.  Because she narrates it herself the listener is really drawn into their story and all the emotions that went with it every step of the way.  But it is not just a story of how Covid 19 changed their lives and stole from them.  Amanda weaves their love story into it throughout.  So it's not just an account of tragedy but a love story, a picture of courage and faith in the most trying of times, of confusion and trust, of what community means in good times and in bad, of the meaning of family and loss.  I laughed with her and wept with her throughout the book.

I rated it a 9.5/10  

2023 Reading Goal Challenge:  A book a month off my library list

May Reading Possibilites

I can't believe it's the middle of May and I am just now getting this post written.  I've had the books picked out from the beginning of May but getting to the writing up of the post has just taken forever.  But here it is.  

For the Read What I Own part of the this year's reading challenge for the month of May I chose books with the color Beige or Brown on the cover.  

Read What I Own: Color of the Month for May:  Beige or Brown

          ~ The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson (finished in June)

          ~ Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

          ~ Universe of Two by Stephen P. Kiernan

          ~ The Pearl That Broke It's Shell by Nadia Hashimi

          ~The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

          ~ Family Law by Gin Phillips

Oldest and Newest Purchased Books

          ~ A Silken Thread by Kim Vogel Sawyer (oldest)

          ~ A Piece of the Moon by Chris Fabry

Library Holds

          ~ Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni  (finished)

          ~ The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon

Non-Fiction

          ~ Educated by Tara Westover

          ~ The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Audiobook

          ~ All My Knotted Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore  (finished)

          ~ So Help Me God by Mike Pence

Reading anything good this month?

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng ~ Book Review

Shaker Heights is an upper middle class suburb of Cleveland where the Richardson family live.  Elena is the Mom of the family, a journalist, who is very involved in the lives of her children.  She thrives in her rule driven world and wears her self righteousness with pride.  The only thing seemingly out of control thing in her perfect world is her youngest daughter, Izzy.     When Mia Warren, a spontaneous artist,  enters the picture with her daughter, Pearl, and rents an apartment from Elena, the sense of order and planning is upended.  All four of Elena's teenage kids are drawn to either Mia or Pearl for various reasons.  Izzy especially is taken with Mia's artistry and free spirit, everything her mother isn't and her son develops a crush on14 year old Pearl. When Elena's good friend wants to adopt a Chinese/American baby that was left at a fire station, Mia puts herself into the middle of it in defense of a co-worker and throws chaos into the ordered community where people feel they must take sides.  Thinking Mia has ulterior motives, Elena uses her journalist background, contacts and skills to start digging into Mia's past.  But in doing so, she stirs up a whole lot of unexpected results.  The more Elena tries to control her world, the more out of control it becomes and she starts to heap justification upon justification for her actions.  But in trying to expose someone else's secrets the secrets of her own family start to come to light.

I found parts of this book gripping and emotional yet in other parts the writing style was slow and seemed to wander.  There is much description and at times I would catch myself thinking "Let's just get back to the actual story".  I was hooked from the first scene of a fire burning down the Richardson's home with the supposition that Izzy started it by setting little fires throughout the house.  She is rebellious, after all, and is nowhere to be found.  It then goes back in time to see what led to fire. It's a story that leans a bit toward stereotypes to make it's points, but ultimately is a story of motherhood and family relationships, friendships, and the perceived notion of the perfect life. It also examines how our actions and decisions, even though done in the best of intentions,  can set in motion things we ultimately do not want.  I was really drawn into the moral dilemma of the adoption that started to split the family and the neighborhood into camps of for and against.  Trigger warnings for teen s*x and abortion.

Rating:  7.5/10

2023 Reading Challenge Goal Met:  Read What I Own:  cover color green

The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore ~ Book Review

It's 1880's New York city, a time when either you were part of the rich elite or part of the poorest of the poor in the slums.  Una Kelley has grown up in the slums, being mentored by a con-woman in charge of a ring of female grifters. She has survived by following a set of rules she has made for herself that she always follows.   Una has learned her "job" well over the years, but when an opportunity presents itself to make a little extra cash selling a pair of cufflinks to another "fence" (someone who purchases stolen goods to resell) she decides to take the risk.  But when her fence turns up dead at their meeting spot and her fellow thief pins her for the murder, Una is forced to be on the run.  Contemplating where to run to, Una comes across an ad for a program to train nurses at the Bellevue Hospital and decides that would be the perfect place to hide in plain sight and maybe after training it will get her into the homes of the rich where she can continue her grifting under cover.  But in order to get past the application process Una is going have to pass herself off as someone she is nowhere near being.  Unexpectedly she makes it through and is accepted as a nurse trainee in the first nurse's school of it's kind in the country modeled after Florence Nightingale's practices and school in London.  At first Una finds it hard to fit in, balking at being ordered around by the doctors and performing menial tasks.   When her talkative roommate befriends her and helps her to study, Una starts to find herself actually starting to fit in.  But then a person from her past shows up as a patient and Una is terrified of being exposed.  When the woman turns up dead Una must choose between protecting herself or trying to find and expose the killer who just might be linked to the murder she is wanted for.  Can her rules from the streets protect her here?

I really enjoyed this historical fiction/mystery.  It's a new to me author and I found her writing style to engage me right from the beginning.  The author did a great job of relaying how hard things were for those who lived in the slums and how some had to resort to means they never really wanted to just to survive.  It was interesting reading about the very first nurse's school and how different it was for potential nurses back then.  They were bound by the prejudices of the day where doctors did not want women in their field, believed them to be unable to handle the demands of the work and basically treated them as servants who were to obey without question their every order, right or wrong.  They were held to very high standards right from the application process to graduating.  They had to be well-educated, Christian and unmarried which made Una's character so interesting in how she navigated this foreign-to-her world in order to deceive everyone into thinking she was someone she was not.   I loved Una's growth as a character through the story.  Though I did find the portrayal of the some of the Christians in the story cringe worthy, I am not naive enough not to realize that back in Victorian days, and even today, those attitudes towards the poor do exist.  I found the story to be a good page turner keeping me engaged in a point in time about a subject I have not read about before.

I rated it a 9.5/10

2023 Reading Challenge Goal Met:  One book a month from my library list