The Book of Two Ways

"The Book of Two Ways" by Jodi Picoult

4/5 stars             

 

Jodi Picoult has delivered another good read.  In a nutshell, this is the story of a woman torn between two loves, two lives.  The one she left behind and the one she is currently living.  The storyline bounces between the two in alternating chapters.  While in Boston we learn of her life as a death doula, a wife, and a mother.  While in Egypt we learn of her life unearthing coffins and transcribing their hieroglyphics along side the man stole her heart years ago.  Personally, I prefer the Boston storyline – to me it is more personal, emotional, and reflective whereas the Egypt storyline has more facts and history mixed in that at times I felt was just too much.  Overall, I think the two storylines come together nicely but the ending does leave you wanting a little more.  But truly, it was probably the best way to end it.

 

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

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sold on a monday

“sold on a monday” by Kristina McMorris

Fiction – 332 pages

3.5/5 stars

 

The book isn’t quite what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. Whereas I thought it would be more about the children’s story, it was actually centered around the adults and their role in the situation.  Still quite haunting though to think of people being so desperate as to give away or sell their children.  I can’t imagine ever being in that predicament, having to make such a desperate decision.  Granted, nowadays there is more help to get families through tough times than there were during the Great Depression so this type of situation doesn’t happen anymore, thank goodness.

 

At the end of the book, the author tells how she came about for the idea of the story.  There actually was a picture published in the papers about a family that were selling their children for practically nothing.  Although it is thought that the picture might have been staged, the children pictured were in fact sold.  It is a picture that will stay with me.

All Woman and Springtime

"All Woman and Springtime" by Brandon W Jones 

4/5 stars

Finished 8/5/20

The subject matter is a tough one – human trafficking into sex slaves. The author even included a note in the front of the book stating that the content and descriptions may not be suitable for young readers. He’s probably right to include the warning as a few scenes are pretty graphic. If you can get past that though, it is a great book.

The story begins in North Korea where two young, innocent girls live in an orphanage and work in a clothing factory. They are about to age out of the orphanage when their lives take a horrible turn in the wrong direction. They are taken to South Korea and sold into the sex trade. Their innocence and freedoms are stripped from them and they must find ways to adapt to survive. Or at least try to. It is a heart wrenching story that makes you count your blessings multiple times throughout. And even though it is hard to read, you don’t want to stop reading because you need to know how it ends. You don’t want to give up on them. You don’t want to give up hope.

Circling the Sun

"Circling the Sun" by Paula McLain

5/5 stars

Finished 7/28/20

I loved this book! Everything about it. I especially loved the main character, Beryl. She didn’t care how young girls or ladies were supposed to act or dress in the early 1900s. She stayed true to herself and did what she loved doing. The only time she wasn’t was when she would allow herself to be taken care of by a man, whether via marriage or other arrangement. But those decisions were essentially made for her survival at the time. She would always eventually gain her independence back and return to wearing those pants, doing a “man’s job” of horse training, living how she wanted to live, and even fly. She didn’t have the best of luck with men….well, not at all really. But there was one man who her heart always truly belonged to. The one you always hoped she would end up marrying for the right reasons. But sometimes you just fall in love with the one you can never fully have to yourself.

My favorite quote from the book is something a friend once told her – “We’re all of us afraid of many things, but if you make yourself smaller or let your fear confine you, then you really aren’t your own person at all – are you? The real question is whether or not you will risk what it takes to be happy.”

One thing I noticed that I have to give kudos to the author for is that although she is American, she used the English spelling of various words throughout the book to match the setting and characters – English citizens living in what would become Kenya. Such a small little thing, but I feel like it actually made a big difference. Afterall, it is written in Beryl’s point of view so why not embrace her 100%.

Heading Out to Wonderful

"Heading Out to Wonderful" by Robert Goolrick

4/5 stars

Finished 7/23/20 (catching up)

Forbidden love of a man and woman is at the center of the story but there is also the innocent love between a man and boy that is both endearing and at times bothersome. I greatly enjoyed the book but at the same time I am bothered by the fact that this is the 2nd Goolrick book I’ve read in which marriage is portrayed as more of a contract. In “A Reliable Wife” a man found his wife through a classified ad and in this book a man literally purchases his wife. And this was in the late 40s. I guess I just prefer the romantic way of finding a spouse.

The Sun Down Motel

"The Sun Down Motel" by Simone St. James

4/5 stars

Finished 7/20/20 (catching up)

I really enjoyed reading this one. It’s the story of a young lady named Viv that disappears from her night shift job at a motel in 1982. The books switches chapter to chapter from Viv’s story to that of her niece who goes looking for answers to her disappearance in 2017. There were a couple occasions where I got mixed up as to whose story I was reading but it was brief and I’m sure my own fault because the author makes a point of labeling each chapter as to whose it is. There is mystery, a little suspense, and even a ghost story included in this book. I definitely recommend it.

The Turn of the Key

"The Turn of the Key" by Ruth Ware

3/5 stars

Finished 7/14/20 (catching up)

This is the story of a live-in nanny accused of killing one of the children she is caring for. The story is told through letters but the majority of the time you forget you are reading letters as you are told what happened. Initially, I found it quite intriguing but then it seemed to draw on a little too much. In the end, I liked the twists to bring it to a close, but feel it could have been done better. It felt like in the end of a movie or TV show when the guilty party blurts out all their reasoning for doing what they did right before being arrested. I’m not saying the nanny did or didn’t do it – not all the letters are written by her so I’m not giving anything away, but that’s how the writing felt when trying to finish the book and tie up any loose ends. The last few letters just felt too forced.

The Vacationers

"The Vacationers" by Emma Straub

2/5 Stars

Finished 7/1/20 (catching up)

Sorry, I can’t really recommend this one. I found it boring and predictable and am honestly not sure why I didn’t just give up on it. Most likely it’s because I normally make myself give a book at least 100 pages before I quit and by that time I was 1/3 done. I kept holding out hope that something would grab me and pull me in. Nope. There are 7 characters on vacation together with 4 stories lines – each one a little messed up in its own way but all are fairly predictable. The parents – dealing with an affair. The adult son – in a long term relationship with a girl the family doesn’t like. The teenage daughter – dealing with teenage girl stuff. The gay married couple – recharging their relationship. And of course at the end of the book everything is all tied up nicely with happy endings for all (or at least implied an eventual happy ending)

The Wife Between Us

"The Wife Between Us" by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

4/5 Stars

Finished 6/25/20 (catching up)

I really enjoyed this book but with all its twists and turns I sometimes felt a little lost. In fact, after the first twist, I felt like I needed to go back and reread the entire first part of the book. I didn’t because obviously it was the authors’ intent to throw the reader off a little so I continued on. There continued to be little “holes” in the story to keep you rethinking what you thought you knew, but by the end of the book it all becomes more clear. I really can’t say more because I don’t want to give anything away.

A Lesson Before Dying

"A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J Gaines

5/5 stars

Finished 6/21/20 (catching up)

One of my daughters read this for her AP Lit class in high school a few years ago and loved it. I have been wanting to read it but have been in a terrible reading slump so hadn’t picked it up yet. That slump is definitely over seeing as how I read this book in a day. It took all day with life getting in the way, but I just kept picking it back up to read a little more and finally finished it. I absolutely LOVED it! The only thing negative for me was trying to read 9 pages of a diary written in Ebonics. That is hard for me to read so the book lost its flow for me as I struggled through those pages. All the other pages are absolutely fabulous so I can’t lower my rating simply based on that. Granted, maybe my rating is a little skewed due to emotions related to the current Black Lives Matter movement, but I’m OK with that too. Now is probably a good time for everyone to read it while emotions are high.

Fair warning – the n word is used throughout the book. It takes place in Louisiana in the 40s so it is historically correct to be there. Because of that it might be banned in some areas, which is very sad to me. They are missing out on a great book by not being able to see the significance of the word’s usage in this story.

This Tender Land

"This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger

5/5 stars

Finished 6/20/20 (catching up)

I GREATLY enjoyed this story and the stories within the story. The author has a writing style that flows wonderfully, with just the right amount of description for you to picture it and feel like you are there. But not too much to make you want to speed read over those parts (bad habit of mine).

Some of the historical background within this novel is not one I remembered learning about. I knew Native Americans were forced off their land and many killed for trying to hold on to it, but I was unaware of children being forced off their reservations to attend boarding schools that were formed to strip these children of their culture and language, punishing them if they spoke in their native tongue, and using them as free labor for the local farms. Unfortunately it's another part of American history that is an embarrassment that thankfully we put a stop to.

The story itself begins at one such school and then takes you on an adventure down the river as 4 young children/teens attempt to find freedom from the school and its horrific administration. Some might say it’s a “coming of age” story with adult size issues to overcome but I feel it’s much more than that. It’s a story of hope, family, friendship, and so much more. You are taken you on a journey you just don’t want to end. I highly recommend you give it a read.

Hillbilly Elegy

"Hillbilly Elegy" by J D Vance

4/5 Stars

Finished 6/16/20 (catching up)

This memoir made my heart ache but more importantly, it made me think. America may be one of the richest countries, but we also have an unfortunate number of poor families trying desperately to make ends meet. We can make donations of money, food, clothing, etc but that doesn’t fix the problem. That doesn’t give children a stable environment at home so that they can do well at school to better themselves. That doesn’t prevent family members from falling into the hell of addiction. It doesn’t give them stable jobs with benefits. I don’t have the answers of how to fix these issues, but I know we need to keep trying. We need to continue to be informed of the issues our poor face and try to help break the cycle. We need to continue to find ways to help children strive to better themselves and provide pathways to allow them to do so. And we need to continue to be compassionate. That is how we can make a difference.

If you haven’t guessed, I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s the story of a boy growing up in KY and OH to then become a marine and later graduate from Yale law school. He had many obstacles to overcome to get where he is today and without his grandmother, I don’t know that he ever could have. I credit her for a lot of what he has been able to accomplish. She gave him both love and stability when he needed it most.

Killers of the Flower Moon

"Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

4/5 stars

Finished 10/27/19 (catching up)

I highly recommend this book. It’s a non fiction that mostly reads like a novel. Yes, part of the story is the birth of the FBI, but the main focus is the murders of the Osage tribe members for headrights on their land because of all the oil money it brings. The investigations, cover-ups, and deception throughout the years of the Reign of Terror make for a very interesting yet heartbreaking story.

Turtles All the Way Down

"Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

3/5 Stars

Finished 10/4/19 (catching up)

I definitely don’t think this is one of John Green’s better books. I enjoyed it and found the mental struggles of the main character interesting, but it didn’t draw me completely in. I wasn’t attached to any of the main characters or the story line for that matter. It was just a light read that kept me entertained. I will recommend it to my teenager though because she might enjoy it more.

Once Upon a River

"Once Upon a River" by Bonnie Jo Campbell

5/5 Stars

Read 9/16/19 (catching up)

What a wonderful book! I loved the main character, the setting, the storyline, the writing.....I just plain loved it. I worry for the future of Margo, but I know that whatever challenges she will face, she will find a way to overcome them. And I know she'll be happy.

The Twilight Wife

"The Twilight Wife" by A J Banner

4/5 stars

Read - 9/6/19 (catching up)

I truly enjoy a good book with twists and turns and this one provides that. This is a story of a young woman who survives a diving accident but lost all memories of the last 4 years of her life. As sights and smells start to bring memories back, she learns more and more about her recent past but can’t always match it up to the current life she’s living. Is her mind playing tricks on her or is she being fed lies? Or could it be a little of both?