Go As A River by Shelley Read

My Rating: 4.7

Set in 1960's Colorado. Victoria Nash is only 17 years old and runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado. She is the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land and determined to live as he chooses. Victoria encounters Wil by chance on a street corner, a meeting that profoundly alters both of their young lives, unknowingly igniting as much passion as danger. When tragedy strikes, Victoria leaves the only life she has ever known. She flees into the surrounding mountains where she struggles to survive in the wilderness with no clear notion of what her future will bring. As the seasons change, she also charts the changes in herself, finding in the beautiful but harsh landscape the meaning and strength to move forward and rebuild all that she has lost, even as the Gunnison River threatens to submerge her homeland―its ranches, farms, and the beloved peach orchard that has been in her family for generations.

This is beautifully written and captures a lot of emotion on a wide variety of topics: racism, family strife, and the town of Iola being submerged. This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last.

The Book Spy by Alan Hlad

 

 My Rating: 4.2

1942: With the war’s outcome hanging in the balance, President Roosevelt sends librarians and microfilm specialists to neutral cities throughout Europe. By acquiring and scouring Axis newspapers, books, technical manuals, and periodicals, the librarians can gather information about troop location, weaponry, and military plans.

Maria Alves, a microfilm expert working at the New York Public Library, is dispatched to Lisbon, where she meticulously photographs publications and sends the film to London to be analyzed. Working in tandem with Tiago Soares, a Portuguese bookstore owner on a precarious mission of his own—providing Jewish refugees with forged passports and visas—Maria acquires vital information, including a directory of arms factories in Germany.

I learned a lot about Portugal during the war and the library program was interesting. I do enjoy Hlad's writing but don't feel this was his best book but will definitely continue to read more by him.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

My Rating: 1.0

Nora finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Not only was this depressing but it was boring. I am so disappointed with myself that I continued with this till the end as it was as complete waste of time. With her different lives I at least expected something entertaining but it went from bad to worse. The message of don't live with regrets and that life is worth living and your outlook changes everything...so profound....NOT! Also, to say that clinical depression is a result of someone's life choices is very misinformed. I know I am in the minority with this review but, I felt this was horrible and mundane. My only 'regret' is that I don't get the time wasted on this book back in my life!

Hitler's Last Days by Bill O'Reilly

 My Rating: 4.4

This is an account of the death of one of the most reviled villains of the 20th century—a man whose regime of murder and terror haunts the world even today. Adapted from Bill O'Reilly's historical thriller Killing Patton, this book will have young readers—and grown-ups too—hooked on history. This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.

We enjoyed this despite a lot of the material from O'Reilly's book "Killing Patton" being reused. So much was covered including Russia having a free reign in Berlin. A horrific time in history that we all need to remember.

The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon

My Rating: 4.7

Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.

This is told primarily from three different women's perspectives: Rachel, Aidan's daughter Cecilia, and Emily a local woman who has a crush on Aidan. There are very mixed reviews on this one but I liked it (not loved it but a solid like). I thought the author did a fabulous job of pulling off the three different viewpoints but also communicating Aidan - with the different personas that he had around different people in the town as well as with the women. WARNING: abuse, sexual abuse and captivity.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

My Rating: 4.9

England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on. A young Latin tutor—penniless and bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman. Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is just taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.

I thought I loved plot driven books but again, O'Farrell is pulling me in with another character driven book that I couldn't put down. The writing was so vivid that I literally had dreams about this book. It pulled me  in and made me want more. The scenes of grief shredded me. The writing was gorgeous and brought the characters, particularly Agnes, to life. It made me feel like I was walking through 1580 England. I loved that they never named Shakespeare but referred to him as Agnes' husband or the children's father. Knowing this piece of Shakespeare's history has me rethinking many of Shakespeare's plays and their inspiration. I loved the Marriage Portrait and I think that O'Farrell hit it out of the park again. I absolutely love her writing style.

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

My rating: 3.0

Two women separated by centuries. Ester is a scribe for a blind rabbi. Helen is a historian with a love for Jewish history. 

I may be in the minority but I found this long and laborious. It needed a good editor. 

Light It Up by Nick Petrie

My Rating: 3.4

Peter Nash helps his good friend Henry, whose daughter runs a Denver security company that protects cash-rich cannabis entrepreneurs from modern-day highwaymen. When Peter is riding shotgun, the cargo he’s guarding comes under attack and he narrowly escapes with his life. As the assaults escalate, Peter has to wonder: for criminals this sophisticated, is it really just about the cash?

This book was not enjoyable for me as the prior books in this series. Like the prior books, Peter Ash is the main character and he has a mission but, this book has some VERY unlikable characters that detracted from the book. I understand having bad men/unlikable characters but, I felt that Petrie went to extreme with this book and the explicit fantasies were very off-putting. Hopefully future books return to the great story lines and leave a lot of the graphic repulsive traits out of the characters.

Supergut by Dr William Davis

 My Rating: 4.8

Because of our highly processed diet, pesticides, and overuse of antibiotics and many other factors, our guts are now missing so many of the good bacteria that we require to be healthy. As a result, many of us have lost control over our health, weight, mood, and even behavior. Super Gut shows us how to eliminate bad bacteria and bring back the “good” bacteria with a four-week plan to reprogram your microbiome. This not only gets to the root of many diseases, but also improves levels of oxytocin (the bonding/happy hormone), brain health, anti-aging, weight loss, mental clarity, and restful sleep. Also included are more than forty recipes, a diet plan, and resources so you can pinpoint your gut issues, correct them, and maintain your long-term health and well-being.

I am a firm believer that disease is caused and cured in the gut. I am a testament to that with curing my 4 auto-immune diseases. I found this book very easy to read and yet packed with so much great information. I think it will be the rare individual that will incorporate all of the ideas but, I think there is something here for everyone. I found some things I used to do (more fiber, chia seeds, etc.) that I am focusing on incorporating back in and some new things (probiotics in my yogurt, green tea). I loved that for most of us, we eat our usual diet and just do a few small additions to have some powerful results. I think everything we can do to help build the good bacteria in our guts is beneficial.

Purposefooled by Kelly Needham

 My Rating: 4.7

Many of us are exhausted from dreaming big and chasing the extraordinary lives we long for, but when we try embracing the everyday and find meaning in the mundane, we fear we're settling for a boring life. Are we missing something? In Purposefooled she explains 

•  why we feel like we were made for more and shows us the freeing answer to our longings, 
• the ways modern technology affects our desires and dreams--and how to live free from its pressures and pitfalls, 
• how familiar Bible stories reveal that being a world-changer is more accessible and simpler than we think, 
• why we need to reclaim our imaginations from culture and steward them with eternity in mind, and 
• what it looks like to live a deeply meaningful life today instead of wearing ourselves out trying to reach the next big thing.

This was a great easy read that really resonated. I love Kelly's writing style. There is something I think every Christian can related to - what are we supposed to do with our lives. I found all of Kelly's examples very relatable and I finished this book with so much resonating and staying with me. Excellent read.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

 My Rating: 4.9

Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia is the third daughter of the grand duke. She is comfortable with her obscure place amongst her siblings in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf. 

Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble? As Lucrezia sits in constricting finery for a painting intended to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court’s eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferranese dynasty. .

The book opens with Lucrezia fearing for her life and then flashes back to how she came to be married to the Duke and so far from her family. This is a retelling of Lucrezia de Medici who had to marry her sister's fiance, had a short marriage before dying of TB but there were speculations that she had been poisoned by her husband. I love how it captures Renaissance Italy and the writing was full of beauty and emotion. This completely captured me and I will definitely be reading more of O'Farrell's books.

Operation Paper Clip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists To America by Anne Jacobsen

 My Rating: 4.6

In the chaos following World War II, the US government faced many difficult decisions, including what to do with the Third Reich's scientific minds. These were the brains behind the Nazis' once-indomitable war machine. So began Operation Paperclip, a decades-long, covert project to bring Hitler's scientists and their families to the United States. Many of these men were accused of war crimes, and others had stood trial at Nuremberg; one was convicted of mass murder and slavery. They were also directly responsible for major advances in rocketry, medical treatments, and the US Space Program. Was Operation Paperclip a moral outrage, or did it help America win the Cold War?

This was LONG and I think it could have been edited down a lot. I do appreciate that she wanted to show all of the background and research but I think it could have been edited down a LOT. Still, it was interesting to learn about this time in history. It is definitely a dilemma as to whether we made the right move or not to allow such horrific individuals to escape their crimes and to come to America to help our scientific endeavors. Thanks to Jenna on Instagram shoegaljeana for this recommendation.

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

 My Rating: 4.5

This story revolves around five children, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Masey who were all in a remote church run school. Released when they are 16 years old without any family, skills or support, they have to find their way to try to survive.

This was very gritty and uncomfortable. That being said, it was good and captured what happened to so many Native American Indian children. It also did a fabulous job of capturing the E. Hastings Street area of Vancouver. 

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

 My Rating: 4.5

1950s Philadelphia: Ruby is 15 years old and on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright. 

Eleanor arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his par­ents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.

This was an easy read and about half way in, you could see what was going to happen but it still kept me interested. The discrimination amongst blacks based on their skin lightness/darkness was very predominant in this story. The pregnant school was so sad as were the choices that women had to make. All in all, it was a good read.

Burning Bright by Nick Petrie (Peter Ash #2)

 My Rating: 4.7

War veteran Peter Ash is back. He is in the forests of the Redwood hoping to escape civilization for some peace and quiet - but it doesn't turn out like he planned. A grizzly chases him up a tree. As he is escaping and climbing he finds a rope. It leads up and up and up into the canopy of the trees where he meets a woman named June. Peter discovers that June is on the run from some men. June's mother was a prominent software developer exploring an AI app when she was killed in an accident. From below them, they hear men and gunshots and Peter and June are on the run...trying to avoid the bad men and figure out what is going on.

This was another fast-paced action packed thriller while still being light and including some romance. This one pushed the boundaries of plausibility more than the first book in the series but I really enjoy Petrie's writing style and it was a fun read. I will continue reading more in this series.