April reads

Shelter Me by Juliette Fay 4.5* When Janie’s husband dies in an unexpected accident, she is just trying to keep it together for her 2 young children. Then she gets an unexpected surprise when a contractor comes to her house to build a porch her husband had commissioned as a surprise for her. I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. I felt such a connection with Janie. She is sad and bitter, but also funny and thoughtful.

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb 3* the story revolves around the Columbine shootings. He’s a teacher there and she is the school nurse. They suffer numerous problems due to post-traumatic stress. The story is good but it drags out too long and involves too many characters and delves back centuries into his family’s history. Should have been 2 different books IMO.

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese DNF I WANTED to like this book because everyone raved about it but it took me forever to even get 250 pages in and I just could NOT finish it…..

A Life of Her Own by Emilie Carles 3* her autobiography… parts were fascinating, parts boring. She tells of her life in France in the 1900’s

Defiance by Nechama Tec 3* the true story of the Beilski brothers. Jewish brothers who kept 1200 Jews safe in the woods during WWII. Parts dragged, and it was frustrating to have to constantly look at the footnotes to see who said what.

More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss 3* a woman brings her child into the emergency room twice under weird circumstances and ends up accused of harming her own child (Munchausen). The media ends up turning the allegations around and saying the African American doctor was pinpointing her because she (Dr. Stokes) was a reverse racist.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 5*

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer 3* I felt this should not have been a stand alone book. It could have been summed up much faster IMO and was basically a lead off for the next book.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer 4*

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer 5*

Prayers For Sale by Sandra Dallas 3* the story of the growing friendship between a young woman new to town and an older widow who has lived there longer than almost anyone else. Set in 1936 in a small mining town. Not my favorite by this author….I found the ending far fetched and sewn up too nicely.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford 4* the story of friendship in the 1940’s between a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl. Her family is rounded up and sent to a Japanese relocation camp.

The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne ARC 4* Alex Rucker returns home after a neighbor calls to tell her that her mother has committed suicide. After a 10 year absence, the past comes rushing back. The story flashes back to her childhood and the abuse she and her family received from her alcoholic father. Alex is now an alcoholic herself, trying to blur the painful memories. Though the book is dark and depressing, I couldn't put it down until I found out what happened to Alex. I ended up reading it in one evening.

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult 3* definitely not my favorite by her….for some reason as I was reading it, it felt so familiar like I had read it before. It’s the story of a family dealing with the youngest daughter’s illness which causes her to break bones easily. The mother decides to sue the obstetrician who missed the diagnosis during the ultrasound. I disliked the ending, felt very contrived, almost like an afterthought…“oh let’s add this”.

My Lover’s Lover by Maggie O’Farrell 2* big disappointment! I loved After You’d Gone, but this one STUNK. It’s the story of Lily who falls in love with Marcus (after less than a week!), moves into his apartment where there are signs of his ex everywhere. Then it goes into the ex’s relationship with Marcus. I didn’t like or understand any of the characters.