Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom

My rating: 4.8

I enjoyed Grissom's first book The Kitchen House  a lot, so when a friend said that she had enjoyed her second book, I eagerly picked it up. 

This book is set in the 1800's and starts off with a black man, Henry, approaching Jamie to help him find his son who is also Jaime's beloved servant Pan. As the story unfolds, it also flashes back in time to explain how Jaime and Henry met when Jamie had to flee his Virginia Plantation home and, as a white man, soon gets employment as a silversmith. 

This is a stand alone novel but, if you have read The Kitchen House, you will realize that Jamie is a continuation of a character from that book.  This was a gripping story with vivid characters. I loved the alternating voices in each chapter. Just like Grissom's first book I found myself looking forward to squirreling away time to be able to find out what had happened to the characters that I had come to know and care about.

The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton

My rating: 5.0

Wow.  After his 3 year old brother's death, 14 year old Kevin and his grieving mother go to live with his grandfather in the Appalachian mountains for the summer.  Kevin is introduced to new friends, good books, being an assistant veterinarian to his Grandpop and immersion in the slow life of this Kentucky town.

This is all set against the backdrop of mountain top removal for mining that is blowing up the hills of the mountain heritage. 

Almost from the very beginning, this was a book that I couldn't wait to return to and very soon, I found myself thinking of it during the day. This is well written, with marvelous character development.  I am still stunned by this amazing story and cannot believe that this is this author's first book. I hope it isn't his last.  

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

My Rating: 5.0

I have had girlfriends recommending this book to me for years. I knew two things about it, neither of which were selling points: 1) It is a Western 2) It is long.  When I started it, it seemed very slow and rambling and I thought "I don't think this book is for me". My girlfriend made me promise to read 100 pages before I gave up on it.  By about page 50 I was hooked.

Wow.  I loved it.  I loved all the characters but especially Gus (my gf is going to call her next dog Gus!). This is about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.  I 'felt' what it was like to live in those times.  This is amongst my all time favorite books. Did I say 'wow' already?  Amazing! Read it.  You won't be sorry.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

Rating: 4.9

Completely deranged psychopaths with murder on their minds. This one is twisted and unpredictable with characters you can lovingly loathe. The chapters shift in point of view as the narrative unfolds -- teasing the reader to stick glued to the pages. 

Ted Severson, married man, meets Lily Kintner late one night in an airport bar. That's when the trouble begins... Alcohol consumed, secrets spilled, plans made. But all of the players in this complicated scheme have not been entirely truthful, and things fall apart for them in completely unexpected ways.  I devoured this book in two days.  It was so good and kept me on the edge of my seat.  Such a guilty pleasure beach read.

Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin

Rating: 4.9

Sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving “Black-Eyed Susan,” the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row.

IMO, this is better than Gone Girl, Girl on a Train, The Good Girl and all similar types of books. This beautifully well written book is intense, suspenseful and flows. I love the moving back in forth in time and having to piece it all together. I didn't have it figured out at all. If you like psychological thrillers, this is a definite recommend.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Rating: 4.8

I had to noodle on this one for a few days to decide how I felt. It was beautiful writing that flowed so easily. It was sparse and yet captured so much.  

The conflict was that I didn't realize how much I cared about the characters until some of the twists and turns unfolded that I really didn't like. I found myself reading in a frenzy to find out how it unfolds and getting very upset at some of their choices. Haruf seamlessly weaves together three stories:

• Two little boys whose mother leaves them to be raised by their father
• Two old crusty bachelor brothers who are farmers
• A young girl finds herself pregnant 

This book is about these storylines and yet more than that, it is about a place, life and choices.

Easy to read in the writing style but not easy from an emotional perspective. This one will stay with me for a while. What an amazing author.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4.9

I don't read a lot of Jodi Picoult but, when I saw the rave reviews, I put this in my queue and I am so glad that I did. A woman who works at a bakery befriends a 94 year old German man who is very beloved in the community.  One day, he asker to kill him.  She is shocked and refuses.  He confesses his darkest secret—he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter, Sage's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.

This is not just another book about the Holocaust but, caused me to see so many things from different angles. An excellent read.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Rating: 4.9

Two sisters in WWII France.  One sister complies with the Nazi's thinking the war will be over soon. The other sister joins the Resistance.

This is about women, the role of women in the WWII, sisters, family and more.  I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke

My rating: 4.9

Where to start. This is about the life of Weldon Holland.  Yes, he happens to meet Bonnie & Clyde when he is a teenager but that was only a very small portion of this book.  This richly told tale is about Weldon surviving the Battle of the Bulge, saving the lives of his Sergeant Hershel Pine and his future wife Rosita and how their lives unfold from there.

This epic novel is about American history, love and a thriller all wrapped up in to one.  For me, it also had a feel of a Western.  Brilliant writer.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

My rating: 4.8

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. Popular girl, Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape Indiana and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries. Witty dialogue, solid characters and wonderful writing made me fall in love with this book.  I will be reading more by this author.

CAUTION: This book deals with mental illness & suicide.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

My rating: 4.8

Carrie McLelland is writing about 1708 when an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers are after claiming the exiled James Stewart's crown.

Carrie settles into Slain Castle and creates a heroin to center her story around...only to find that her novel is more fact than fiction.

This story that flashes between modern day and 1708 is a lot of history, a little bit of romance and thoroughly enjoyable.

Freeman by Leonard Jr. Pitts

My rating: 4.8

This story of three people, Sam Freeman, Tilda and Prudence, takes place right after the Civil War and shows how the fighting doesn't end when the war is over. This book was about prejudice, slavery, civil rights, love and so much more. 

This Pulitzer Prize winning author captured so much pain, beauty, love and despair. This is a heavy emotional book that will stay with me for a long time. An amazing piece of historical fiction.

Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian

My rating: 4.9

This is the story of Orhan, whose Dede/grandfather Kemal has just died, and Seda, an 87 year old woman in a Los Angeles Armenian retirement community.  The story moves back and forth in time between the last years of the Ottoman Empire and the 1990's.  

I loved this book on so many levels - the wonderful writing, the characters, the plot and for the education on a piece of history that I was mainly unaware of.  This is definitely going to be featured in my May Favorites.

Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

My rating: 4.7

Julia and Michael met in high school, flee West Virginia and in their 30's are living a rarified life in their multi-million-dollar,Washington D.C. home. At the head of his boardroom table, Michael collapses and is dead for 4 minutes that forever change him.  Then the author flashes back to their childhoods and builds their characters and their relationship with such skill that I was rooting for them and their marriage.

On the first page of this book I thought I knew the general premise and that it would be so fluffy I wouldn't like it.  I am so glad to use up one of my times of being wrong on this book! :-) A light easy read that got me so engrossed in the characters that I was staying up late to read 'just a few more pages' and even had me crying.  I will definitely be reading more by Miss Pekkanen.

Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

My rating: 5.0

I read this book back in 2012 and gave it 5 stars and it made my Best Of List for 2012.  When this was picked for my bookclub, I knew I wanted to read it again. Not only is it amazing writing but thanks to my poor memory, the 'twist' got me again this time as well.

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This is one of those books where, the less you know about it the better so, I won’t reveal too much here. This book is told by Tony, one of a group of three friend in high school. Their group is joined by a fourth, Adrian. The telling varies between their high school years and a middle aged Tony. This is not a light read but, if you listen to it on audio, it flows effortlessly. Both kindle and audio are available through my Overdrive library system (and hopefully are at yours as well). I am in awe of Julian Barnes' writing.  Amazing!  Thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait for the bookclub discussion.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

My rating: 5.0

Marie-Laure is 6 years old and lives with her father in Paris when she goes blind.  He constructs a miniature replica of their neighborhood so she can learn to navigate her way around.

Werner grows up with his sister in a foster home in Germany and becomes an expert at fixing radios.

With the war six years later, their lives intersect.

This is told in various pieces of time from either Werner or Marie-Laure's perspective.  Stunning detail and gorgeous metaphors with a pitch perfect story made this absolutely beautiful.

This took Doerr 10 years to write and I can see why.  I just pray that his next book doesn't take that long but, in the meantime, I will be putting his other 4 books into my queue.  What a stellar read to start the year.