Flower of Darkness

 

“Flowers of Darkness” by Tatiana De Rosnay

Finished 10/11/20

3.5/5 stars

 

I feel bad giving this novel just 3.5 stars because I truly enjoyed the characters and their relationships but there’s just a little too much “big brother” and robotic pieces for me to fully enjoy it.  In other novels by Tatiana De Rosnay like “Sarah’s Key” and “A Secret Kept”, she created characters and storylines I greatly enjoyed.  This time the storyline fell short due to some of the AI aspects – without giving anything away, there are two robots in the story that make it more of a sci-fi book than a mystery or suspense novel in my opinion.  I did enjoy the characters though.  Most are likable and relatable in some sense.  There could have been more relationship development between some of the characters but overall I still enjoyed their interactions.  I really enjoyed the main character’s relationship with her granddaughter, but again, I think there could have been more done around it.  Overall, I found it to be a good read, just not a great read.

Thank you to both Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an early eGalley in return for an honest review.

A Spool of Blue Thread

 

“A Spool of Blue Thread” by Anne Tyler

3/5 stars

 I honestly don’t know what to say about this book other than it was just OK.  None of the characters were great but I can say Denny was my favorite.  The storylines weren’t anything special, although at times a little odd.  There just wasn’t anything pulling me in and drawing me back to pick it back up to read.  I think that’s why it took so long to finish.

 On to the next 😊

The Turtle Warrior

 

“The Turtle Warrior” by Mary Relindes Ellis

 4/5 stars

 I’m at a loss to understand how this wonderful book published 15 years ago has less than 800 ratings on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble combined.  How did word not get out about this book?  It has great characters all struggling with their own issues, a beautiful setting in Wisconsin, and a story line that will have you feeling all the emotions.  It should have thousands of ratings and reviews.  The author needs a better marketing team.

This is the story of 2 families that live in neighboring farms with nothing in common.  In one farmhouse you have the Morriseau family - a sweet, childless couple and their dog that they rescued from a ditch.  In the other, you have the Lucas family - an alcoholic and abusive husband, a very timid and soft spoken wife, and their 2 sons that are about 10 years apart.  After enduring as much as he could, the oldest enlists and is sent to Vietnam, leaving his younger brother to try to survive their father’s drunken episodes while their mother loses herself in worry over her son off at war.  During the 33 years this story spans, there are lots of ups and downs that the characters go through.  Mainly downs, but yet it’s not a depressing story.  The overall feel is one of struggling to survive, with the hope of a better life, and leaning on others to help you get there.    

Daisy Jones & The Six

 

“Daisy Jones & The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

3/5 Stars

 

Well that was different.  The way this book is written, you feel like you are reading an article in a magazine except there are no questions from the interviewer.  Just a story being told from different perspectives.  But not a full story, just little snip-its.  And those snip-its have just enough information to give you the bigger picture.  Truly, in that sense, it’s very well written.  Unfortunately, I still feel it’s just an OK book overall.  Yes, I was invested in some of the characters.  Yes, I enjoyed the storyline.  I just didn’t love it.

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.