The Warsaw Orphan

 “The Warsaw Orphan” by Kelly Rimmer

Published by Graydon House

Finished 3/21/23 – 5/5 stars

 

This book grabbed me with the opening lines – “The human spirit is a miraculous thing.  It is the strongest part of us – crushed under pressure, but rarely broken.  Trapped within our weak and fallible bodies, but never contained.”  That statement couldn’t be more true for the two main characters of this story.  Afterall, they are living in Poland during World War II, one within the confines of the Warsaw Ghetto and one with a new identity using false papers right outside it.  Neither willing to just let Poland itself or those that call Poland home die.  It is truly both heart wrenching and heart warming all at the same time.  I absolutely loved it. 

 

Side note – I found out via the authors notes at the back that one of the main characters in this book was a character in her other book – “The Things We Cannot Say” (which has been on my TBR for awhile).  “The Warsaw Orphan” is not a sequel, just a branched off storyline continuation.  Guess I’ll be reading them out of order but it shouldn’t matter.

 

#TheWarsawOrphan

#KellyRimmer

#GraydonHouse

#5StarReads

#2023Reads

#LynnsBookReviews

The Woman in Cabin 10

 

“The Woman in Cabin 10” by Ruth Ware

Published by Scout Press

Finished 3/15/23 – 5/5 stars

 

Wow!  Just wow!  This is a definite page turner!!  And I loved every page of it!  The story is essentially a mystery at sea and with the way it’s written, you have no idea exactly what happens until the end.  You can try to guess, but you’ll probably be wrong.  Ruth Ware does a fabulous job of giving you just enough information to keep you unsure of the outcome the entire time.  It’s a book you definitely won’t want to put down, especially the last 50 pages so make sure you have enough time at the end to finish it properly.

 

#TheWomanInCabin10

#RuthWare

#ScoutPress

#LynnsBookReviews

#5StarRead

#2023Reads

Loyalty

 

“Loyalty” by Lisa Scottoline

Published by G P Putnum’s Sons

Finished 3/13/23 – 4/5 stars

I’ve only read one of book in her series but have read about a dozen of Lisa Scottoline’s stand alone books and they’ve all been 4 or 5 star reads for me.  This is her 2^nd attempt at historical fiction, based on the beginning of the mafia in Sicily.  Some historical fiction can occasionally feel like a text book has been thrown in while the author inundates you with facts – that’s not the case here.  You truly aren’t sure which parts are fact and which parts are fiction because you’re too immersed in the storylines to care.  She does spell it all out for you afterwards though.

For those planning to read it (and I truly hope you do), please know there are multiple related storylines going at the same time in alternating chapters.  This is one of those books where I honestly think you need a dedicated 30 minutes of reading time to start the book to get a solid “foundation” to keep it all straight.  After that, you can easily pick it up and put it down for shorter reading periods.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnum Books for gifting me with an advanced copy to read and review.

#Loyalty

#LisaScottoline

#PutnamBooks

#NetGalley

#LynnsBookReviews

#2023Reads

"Billy Summers"

 

“Billy Summers” by Stephen King

Published by Scribner

Finished 2/28/23 – 3.5/5 stars

I’m afraid to read Stephen King’s horror books but this is my 2^nd novel of his and I definitely enjoyed it.  It’s a little slow at times, but the story itself is really good and the ending is perfect.  Billy Summers may be a paid assassin, but he’s a character you’ll fall in love with anyway.  Give it a read and you’ll see what I mean.

Bonus - Whereas there is a nod to Stephen King’s The Shinning in the 2^nd half of the book, there are also mentions of other books within the book.  It always makes me happy to see an author give a shout out to another author.

#BillySummers

#StephenKing

#Scribner

#2023Reads

#LynnsBookReviews

Mercy

 

“Mercy” by Jodi Picoult

Published by Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster)

Finished 2/15 – 2/5 stars

 

In all honesty, I only finished this book because it was written by Jodi Picoult.  I normally really enjoy her books so I kept reading, thinking it would get better, and then it was just too late to quit.  I felt like it just dragged too much.  It probably could have been a much shorter book or even 2 separate books.  And the pieces thrown in about Ireland didn’t need to be there at all.  Plus, I was expecting a thought provoking book about mercy killings but instead it was just 2 love stories – one with strong characters, deeply in love and one broken relationship with weak, irritating characters.  Although I normally love Picoult, I can’t recommend this one.

 

#Mercy

#JodiPicoult

#PocketBooks

#2023Reads

#LynnsBookReviews

Take My Hand

 

“Take My Hand” by Dolan Perkins-Valdez

Published by Berkley

Finished 2/7/23 – 3/4 stars

This is a very sad piece of historical fiction that I’m glad I read because it is a part of history I was unaware of.  I knew that some poor black communities had essentially been used as lab rats in the past, but I didn’t know that woman and young girls were being sterilized.  That is just horrific!  Not only does the US government need to stop interfering with women’s reproductive rights in general, no human should ever be subjected to medical practices of any kind against their will and/or without being given complete details of the situation to be able to provide knowledgeable consent. 

Politics aside, it was a good story.  I don’t think it needed the dual timelines of 1973 and 2016 though.  I think it would have been better to simply have one story in the 70s and then an update at the end to let us know what happened to everyone.  I felt like throwing a little bit about 2016 every once in a while just distracted from the main story.

 #TakeMyHand

#DolanPerkinsValdez

#Berkley

#BookoftheMonth

#2023Reads

#LynnsBookReviews

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story

“Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” by Bono

Published by Knopf Publishing Group

Finished 2/4/23 – 4/5 stars

I fell in love with U2 when my brother went to college in ’84 and forgot the cassette tape of “U2 Live Under a Blood Red Sky” in the family “kid car” I took over.  I loved it the first time I listened to it and proceeded to buy more tapes and CDs over the years.  There were a few albums I didn’t enjoy as much, but I always remained a fan.  When I saw Bono put out a memoir, I knew I just had to read it.

One of the things I enjoyed while reading this book was that when song lyrics were included, I would sing along (in my head, of course) and my own personal memories related to the song would come to mind.  I got to revisit some of my past while learning some meaning and background into the making of the songs (and the band).  I also liked that he admitted to some of his personal flaws like his anger issues, making him not always the best bandmate.  The only thing I didn’t enjoy was in the middle of the book it got a little too political.  Bono is a huge activist so it was expected and needed to be included because it’s such a big piece of who he is as a person, I just didn’t enjoy it as much.  Overall, a great read though.  I definitely recommend it to any Bono and/or U2 fans.

#Surrender40SongsOneStory

#Bono

#U2

KnopfPublishingGroup

#2023Reads

#LynnsBookReviews