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.