Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

My rating: 4.8

Arn is a kid doing normal kid things like selling ice cream with his brother, enjoying music and playing games. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever.  He is separated from his family, sees so much death, works in a labor camp and is eventually recruited by the Khmer Rouge. 

I listened to this book on my iPod from the library and think that the voice really added to it's authenticity. This amazing true story tells of how Arn defies the odds to survive the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979 and the labor camps to now be a Human Rights Activist.

Thank you Jeana for recommending this book to me - thoroughly enjoyable!

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.  

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradel

My rating: 4.7

This book starts out with Eva as a baby and follows her, and the people in her life as she grows up. Each chapter feels like a short story.  I don't like short stories but this was such an enjoyable read. This is very original in how it is written and hits so many great notes - funny, touching and includes a lot of appreciation of food.

You learn about Eva from all different people's perspective. Sometimes you can tell the connection to Eva and sometimes you can't.  Hang in there and it all comes together.

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

My rating: 2.0

This is the story of two sisters in WWII England. It includes some flashbacks.  Typically, these are the ingredients for a book that I would enjoy but, unfortunately not with this book.

Not only was this supposedly British book written with American terms but, there was very little character development and at times, it felt very hokey/cheesey. If all of that wasn't bad enough, the pace was all wrong and that really made it fall apart for me. I read "A Fall of Marigolds" by this author which was mediocre.  I don't know that I will read any more by her as this one fell so far short of it's potential.

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

My rating: 3.7

Maddy has a rare disease where she can get sick from almost anything in the world.  She hasn't left her house in seventeen years and, the only people she sees are her mom and her nurse, Carla.  When a moving truck pulls up next door and she sees Olly, her whole world changes.

This was a cute young adult book.  I thought I had it figured out and was a bit annoyed at the bait and switch they did but, overall I thought it was very well done.  I could see my niece loving this book.

Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg

My rating: 4.3

On the eve of her daughter’s wedding, June Reid’s life is completely devastated when a shocking disaster takes the lives of her daughter, her daughter’s fiancé, her ex-husband, and her boyfriend, Luke—her entire family, all gone in a moment. And June is the only survivor. June flees on a road trip.

This is well written, and is told in a very compelling way in flashing back and forth in time and from different narrators perspectives. It has many moments where I gasped as things unfolded. All of these things I loved.  What I didn't care for was the myriad of characters and storylines. There were so many that I started to detach from the story which is sad as it was very worthwhile and I do understand why many have rated this book higher.

This is dark and deep but it isn't maudlin or wallowing.  It is almost matter of fact in the unfolding. This was both good and bad - good in that it didn't get too dark in the face of such tragic events but bad in that I didn't feel much for the characters.

Clegg is a fabulous story teller and I would read more by him.

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

My rating: 4.4

After reading "The Kind Worth Killing" and finding out it was based on this book, I moved it to the top of my queue. Guy Haines and Charles Bruno are passengers on the same train. Guy is a successful architect in the midst of a divorce and Bruno is a sadistic psychopath who manipulates Guy into swapping murders with him.

I wasn't sure if I liked this book as it felt very 'dated' to me. We recently got stuck for 3 hours on a tarmac with a delayed flight, so that got me more immersed in the story line.  It is well written for a first novel and like The Kind Worth Killing, none of the characters are particuarly likable. For me, I had to give it leeway for being written in 1950 and the dated feel to the characters but, I did enjoy it.

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

My rating: 4.8

I typically don't like biographies even when written as historical fiction so I am really surprised I loved this book so much.  I learned so much about the Lindberghs and a lot of it was not complimentary. This starts with Anne Morrow being courted by and then marrying Charles Lindbergh and covers their lives together.

I have heard people criticize how subservient Anne was to Charles and that she was constantly looking up to him even as she saw many traits she didn't care for. Since they met and married in the 1920's, this did not seem incongruous to me. I have also heard people criticize how they were portrayed and the accuracy of private conversations. Since this is historical fiction, I also didn't have a problem with that.

I thought that this was very well researched, written and informative. I had no idea of Anne's many accomplishments and thought the author did a fabulous job. Very enjoyable read.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskins

My rating: 3.9

College student Joe Talbert has a dysfunctional life with an alcoholic bipolar mother and an autistic brother. He has to complete a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, a dying Vietnam veteran--and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder. Joe rushes to get Carl's story amidst dealing with his own life.

The story line enthralled me more than the writing but even then, the story was very predictable. I definitely didn't like that it was all wrapped up with a neat little bow at the end. This was a good debut and I would hope for fabulous things in future novels.

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

My Rating: 4.8

Wow. I just finished this for my bookclub next week.  I thoroughly enjoyed this well researched piece of historical fiction. This is the story of Rachel growing up on the risland of St. Thomas along with her friend Jestine.  This is about friendships, love, prejudice and life in the Caribbean.

It is also about the painter Camille Pissarro, the father of Impressionism but, I found the story of his mother Rachel to be much more fascinating. For myself, the part about Camille seemed to drag a bit but it was all worthwhile in the end.

Bookmarks Magazine for Nov/Dec 2015

I just got my latest Bookmarks Magazine - WOOHOO! Here are the reads that are jumping out at me that I am going to put in my queue: Let me know what books you have in your queue (whether from Bookmarks or some other source)

        
       


I am almost finished reading this book for my book club and agree with their fabulous reviews:

I already have this on my kindle and iPod so I need to prioritize it.

This month's Bookmarks featured the 4th Ferrante novel.  It reminded me that I want to read this series and I have My Brilliant Friend, the first in this series on my kindle.

To get 11 Book recommendations at only first glance - I love this magazine! :-) BTW, my library had all of the above books available on kindle/overdrive...gotta love the library. Maybe that should be in my favorites next month!

I don't typically like short stories but there were a few in there that I may consider. This was definitely a great month. I would love to hear any books that are on your radar. 

When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi

My rating: 3.0

After a woman's husband is murdered in Kabul, she is forced to take her 3 children and flee the country.  While this was a well written book that captured the plight of refugees / immigrants, I didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

I felt the story was worthwhile but could have been much shorter.The first half of the book told in the mother's voice, worked better for me than the second half where the narrative switched between the mother and the son. Maybe it was my lack of connection to the characters that made this feel very long and drawn out.

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 Art of Communicating byThích Nhất Hạnh

I have been wanting to read more self-help books and so glad that I picked this gem to revisit. This is short, simple and powerful. Some of the way things are expressed sound 'clunky' or 'out dated', but the examples given flow smoother and all of the advice is applicable.

This is one for the night stand that is good to ponder and revisit in order to get the most out of it.  I will continue to re-read this book over time and glean additional thoughts from it every time.

Sweetness In The Belly by Camilla Gibb

Rating: 4.3

After her hippie British parents are murdered, Lilly is raised at a Sufi shrine in Morocco. As a young woman she goes on pilgrimage to Harar, Ethiopia, where she teaches Qur'an to children and falls in love with an idealistic doctor. But even swathed in a traditional headscarf, Lilly can't escape being marked as a foreigner. 

Forced to flee Ethiopia for England, she must once again confront the riddle of who she is and where she belongs. identity, life choices and travels (although I cringed at some of her choices), 

The juxtaposition of Lilly's life in the 70's in Ethiopia and her life in the 80's in London was beautifully done.

This is part education on Ethiopa, politics, Muslim, prejudice and love story. While this is not entirely an accurate portrayal of Muslimism, This was a quiet, well written book.