Sunday, January 31, 2021
Review - Where the Lost Wander
AUTHOR: Amy Harmon
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): In this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss.
The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.
But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together.
When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save each other, and eventually…make peace with who they are.
REVIEW: What a wonderful story! Packed with everything you look for in a book that will keep you hooked - joy, heartbreak, love, loss, etc. Amy Harmon did a superb job detailing the hardships of the 1850’s wagon trains as they sought a better life in the west. You’ll find yourself smiling through your tears as you read about their admirable strength and determination. You also get Naomi and John Lowry’s beautiful love story within these pages. (*happy sigh*) So much to love in this book. READ IT!
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Review - The Midnight Library
AUTHOR: Matt Haig
RATING: ★★★★★
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Summary (from Goodreads): Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets? A novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
Nora Seed 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.
REVIEW: I honestly don’t know where to start. I could probably sum up this review just by saying I finished The Midnight Library in one day because I couldn’t put it down, but that doesn’t seem to do it justice. I won’t give away any spoilers, but I will say I saw myself through Nora Seed’s eyes within the pages of this book. If you’ve read it, then you understand what I mean. If your eyes filled with tears or you found yourself wiping them from your cheeks while reading this story then you get it. I don’t know what else to say other than The Midnight Library grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go. I commend Matt Haig for taking such a delicate topic as depression and weaving it into a beautiful and poignant story that stays with you long after the last page is turned. I look forward to reading more of his work in the near future.
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Review - One Day in December
AUTHOR: Josie Silver
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic... and then her bus drives away.
Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.
REVIEW: After reading several sad, heart-wrenching books back to back, I felt the overwhelming need to lose myself in a sappy romance story that would, hopefully, put a smile back on my face. Well, this one did. I'm glad I chose One Day in December because it's a very sweet love story. I have to admit, though, that Jack really got on my nerves at times. He did have a few redeeming qualities, but he wasn't the most likeable hero I've ever come across. But I loved Laurie (the heroine) and her best friend, Sarah. Reading about their close friendship was my favorite part of the book. If you're looking for a feel-good love story, then I encourage you to give this one a try.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Review - The Great Alone
AUTHOR: Kristin Hannah
RATING: ★★★★★
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Summary (from Goodreads): Alaska, 1974. Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed. For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown.
At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.
But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.
In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska―a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.
REVIEW: This is such an amazing book! I've never been to Alaska, but Kristin Hannah's beautifully descriptive writing made me feel like I've lived there my whole life. I've heard tales about how hard the winters are in Alaska, and reading this story made me feel like I was a part of the Allbright family's struggle to survive. I have to say the relationship between Cora and Ernt made my heart ache on many levels. Having been in an abusive relationship many years ago, I understood Cora's rollercoaster emotions on a deeply personal level. I loved cheering for Leni and Matthew, and I also enjoyed reading about Leni and Cora's strong bond. I believe I went through every emotion while reading this story, and the ending left me in tears. I would happily recommend The Great Alone to everyone, and I can't wait to read more of Kristin Hannah's work.
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Review - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
AUTHOR: V.E. Schwab
RATING: ★★★★★
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Summary (from Goodreads): France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
REVIEW: What a wonderful story! The plot intrigued me from the very beginning, and it’s honestly unlike anything I’ve ever read before. V.E. Schwab is an incredible writer. Her words flow so effortlessly - it was almost like reading poetry. There were many times a certain quote or line just stopped me in my tracks, and all I could think of was “Wow...she is really good!” Miss Schwab, I tip my hat to you. From one author to another, I just have to say you have truly inspired me. Thank you for that. For anyone reading this review who hasn’t read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue yet, I just have to ask...what are you waiting for?
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