The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Steadman

My Rating:  4.7

Tom Sherbourne has miraculously survived World War I and finds himself in a small town in western Australia seeking work as a lighthouse keeper. He meets Isabel, who becomes the love of his life. They begin a romance, marry and move to the isolated lighthouse, Janus, where they hope to start a family.

After Isabel's two miscarriages and one stillbirth, a canoe washes ashore at Janus and in it is a dead man and a live baby girl. Tom wants to report the dead man and return the baby but Isabel begs him to keep the child. He gives in to her and this starts a cycle of misery for everyone.

This is not a happy story.  I have ranked it as a 'beach read' as it flows so effortlessly but, be warned that it is not fluffy or light.  The author does an amazing job of bringing the characters with all of their flaws to life and making your heart wrench for everyone.  Stedman's beautiful prose will haunt you and make you ponder choices and their consequences and how complex every decision is.

All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

My Rating: 3.2

This was an enjoyable read but, it definitely went on far too long and was very predictable.  This felt like a pretentious Western in a made for tv movie.  While I do enjoy McCarthy’s writing style and love his eloquence, I didn’t care for the love interest.  It probably didn’t help to know that the female role was cast in the movie as fluffy Penelope Cruz.  I did like Lacey Rawlins and John Grady Cole’s characters and they had some very entertaining dialogue but, for me, the story went downhill a short while after they got to Mexico.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

My rating: 4.2

This book is written from a naive 9 yo boy's perspective. He comes home from school and is upset to find the maid packing his things. They move from Berlin to a new house far away as his father got a promotion. A tall fence separates thin people that live on the other side of the fence from his house. The boy ends up befriending a boy on the other side of the fence.

The author intentionally makes it so the boy is one of the few (including the reader) who doesn't know what is going on. You have to go with the premise that a 9 yo boy wouldn't understand all of the things in this new environment when he is living in WWII and his father is a Commandant in the Gestapo (this apparently was a stumbling block for a lot of people). I enjoyed this book a lot and have gotten it for my young niece to read.

Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge

My rating: 3.7 

The reason this book took so long to "finish" is that it is not a "read cover-to-cover" type of book.  Also, I wanted to be sure that the changes I got from it were lasting before I posted my thoughts.  It has now been almost 5 months and I think it is safe to say that this book has changed my life, or at the very least, my awareness and perspective on aging.  I <u><b>NEVER</u></b> used to exercise.  Since I read this book, I have started exercising at least 5 days a week and sometimes more.

While this book was life changing for me, it is also hard to recommend.  In a nutshell, it drives the same message over and over again.  You will probably live into your 80's and, it is up to you what that quality of life is like.  If you want to be like you are 50 then you need 3 things:  1) a good social support 2) the eat well 3) exercise in the zone for 1 hour x 6 days a week.  Repeating this message in different ways is effective, but also dry.  Still, with so many of us having sedentary lifestyles, I think this message does need repeating.  I am glad that I read it and will stick with my exercise program.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

My rating: 4.8

This book is a series of very direct letters written by the mother of Kevin, a teenage boy who open fired on his classmates,to her husband and Kevin’s father. These letters deal candidly with her career, marriage, motherhood and family.

I had heard about this book for many years. I postponed reading it as I thought that since I knew Kevin had killed his classmates, that I knew what the book would be about.  I had no idea.  I enjoyed the unfolding and the way the author really got you to understand the relationship of Eva and Kevin, and also with Franklin. So many layers in all of their relationships and they wrapped me up in every one and pulled me in. This book was extremely well written and will haunt me for quite a while.

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

My rating: 3.6

In 70 CE, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on a mountain in the Judean desert, Masada. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. This book traces four women, their path to the Masada massacre. It is a very well told story, although it felt a little long.

The Absolutist by John Boyne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is about the destructive powers of a painful secret, standing up for what you believe in, love, betrayal, the horrors of war and so much more. Tristan Sadler goes to visit the sister of Will Bancroft, a man who he fought alongside with in WWI and was killed. In the very beginning of the book, I felt I “knew” what the secret was and it irritated me how Boyne kept hinting at it. Once that secret was revealed, I had gotten to the point where I was absorbed – in the stories and the characters. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a powerful story, told by a powerful story-teller. I sat back and let it wash over me, and absorbed it all in. This is an extraordinary book that I highly recommend.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very well written novel about Julia, an 11 yo girl’s coming of age story, that coincides with a global phenomenon called "The Slowing". Not only does Walker capture Julia’s experiences with wonderful insight but, she also described the phenomenon of the earth’s slowing in its rotation with wonderful descriptions and unexpected impacts. She uses some delightful prose, that moves ahead with good pacing. This would be a fabulous book for a young girl to read.

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

It is hard to explain why this missed that mark for me. It was good writing but, there was so much detail it just droned on, and on, and on, and on. It was boring but, don’t let that dissuade you. If you like dull tedious minutia, with depression (dead/missing sister, raped girls hanging themselves or falling to their deaths, lengthy incarcerations), this could be the book for you.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a cute book that a young girl would really enjoy. This is a young girl’s coming of age story in dealing with her Uncle’s death from aids, her sister and her having a rift and typical growing pains. Although it was well written, it felt very long. Despite some nice portrayals my overall impression of this book was that it was just ‘ok’. I think a young teenage girl would be totally enthralled with this book.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Finally, a book that had me lying in bed, thinking of getting a book light so I could read just a few more pages. When I woke up and in those first few moments of thinking of my day, I am instantly thinking of when I can get back to this book. I chuckled, I laughed, I cried. I want more. Yes, it is reminiscent of The Road by Cormac McCarthy in that it is in a post apocalyptic world and has beautiful sparse prose that takes a bit to get used to but, for me, The Dog Stars is so much more. It is sad but it was also funny. The characters have wonderfully complex layers (yes, I even loved Bangley). Hig with his heart and compassion (don’t even get me started on Jasper!). It made me feel the deprivation and want to go out and hug a tree and breathe it in deep. I loved that the ending didn’t have a neat bow on it. The only fault I have with this book is that it is over. I didn’t want it to end…..ever.

Peter Heller, where have you been all my life. I am so happy to have discovered you and that you have other novels waiting for me to lose myself in. Although I don’t generally like to reread books, I suspect that I will come back to this novel again one day to lose myself and fall in love all over again.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

My rating: 3.6 of 5 stars

This book was a strange mix of very intense and yet dragged. I do understand the necessity of having to repeat a lot of things in the book to help us get a good understanding of how it would feel to be Chrissy. The author did a fabulous job of making you wonder and doubt everyone and everything….walking the line between being paranoid and trying not to be paranoid. You feel tension all the way through. I wasn’t sure if the sense of foreboding I felt was going to come through or if it was simply from Chrissy’s perspective. I wasn’t sure where the author was going (psycho thriller or just a plain drama/story unfolding). The ending was thrilling but wrapped up a little too neatly and maybe should have left a bit more wondering to the reader regarding how Chrissy’s life ended up.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

My rating: 4.7 of 5 stars

This is the story at the turn of the century 1800’s, of a little seven year old white Irish girl, Lavinia, who is brought to a plantation house to work with the slaves in the kitchen house. It captures so many layers in the plantation life – well developed characters that, white or black, you can empathize with their plight; Laudanum/Opium addiction; Rape; Discrimination; and obviously, slavery. This book enthralled me. Every night, I would go to sleep and, as I drifted off, I found myself thinking of “Abinia”, “Belle” and their families.

The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald

My rating: 2 out of 5

I really wanted to like this book and, for the first couple of chapters, I did.  In the 50’s, there were Practice Houses with Practice Babies.  This story is about one particular baby – Henry – and follows his life as he grows up.  This was a very intriguing plot that didn't deliver.  It had many plot lines went nowhere.  Although the writing was good, I didn't find any of the characters likable which meant that I didn't feel a burning desire to pick up the book again.  This same reason is why it felt the book was way too long and meandering.  It is too bad as it had so much potential but simply didn't come through.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

My rating:  4.7 of 5 stars

Wow. Talk about a myriad of emotions. I absolutely LOVED the portions of the story in 1962 Italy with the sweet Italian owner of the Villa Pasquel and the young class. Then it would flash forward and introduce new characters and have such a different feel to the writing that I wasn’t sure if I should stick with it. Then it would flash back again and I would fall in love with Pasquel and the actress Dee Moray all over again.

I quickly realized that I was reading something amazing that I needed to stick with it. That is was stories within stories and would all come together. The same way when you watch a really different but great movie – you just have to stick with it and at the end, you are in total awe of the writer and the story line. This book is not for everyone as it is so unique but, I think I loved it.