Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was an effortless read with likeable characters. I don't typically care for mysteries but, really loved Troy and how things unfolded. I was so glad that the author didn't take it to the romantic level. It ended exactly how it should have. A very enjoyable read to lose yourself in.

View all my reviews

22 Britannia Road: A Novel by Amanda Hodgkinson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This had wonderful potential but, it never delivered. The writing style felt choppy, the characters weren't fully formed and felt like strangers and it strained in credibility. It was hard to feel empathy for a man who goes awol and spends him wandering around Europe and having an affair. As for Silvana, she had a much more difficult time during the war but the inconsistencies (she suddenly forgot how to hunt for food or what?) and false claims (she is strong but acts very weak) left the reader feeling little sympathy for either character. I really wanted to like this book but am surprised that I stuck it out to the end.

View all my reviews

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

My rating: 3.6 of 5 stars

 A wife who's husband has gone off to war and is left in their home on Guernsey Island to take care of their two daughters and his mother-in-law while the Germans occupy the Island. So many beautiful descriptions that make you feel the conflicting emotions and what it would have been like to have lived in that time.

View all my reviews

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This novel was better than I anticipated. The ending was very disappointing (Dracula kidnaps someone to catalog his library - really??) The history was fascinating but, this book still dragged at many points. All of this being true, it still was an entertaining read in a DaVinci Code type of way.

View all my reviews

Border Songs by Jim Lynch
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed “The Highest Tide”. I wanted to like Border Songs. It has the same quirky character with similar idiosyncrasies. I loved the setting of my old stomping grounds of the border towns of Lynden, Blaine, White Rock and Abbotsford. Still, something missed the mark where the wry humor and the dysfunction were just a bit too ‘off’. The character development felt more like tangents that didn’t go anywhere. Instead of this book, I would recommend The Highest Tide.

View all my reviews