Another good month for reading!!
The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers 3* a man murders his wife and tries to kill himself and one of his daughters. He serves a life sentence for these crimes. His daughters end up in an orphanage and are know as “the murderer’s daughters”. They never overcome this one moment in their lives. Depressing book.
A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein 3* the lengths a father will go to save his son. A successful doctor is devastated when his son drops out of college and takes up with a friend’s older daughter who he considers a bad influence.
Company of Liars by Karen Maitland 3* set during the 1300’s in England during the time of the plague. A group of people travel together, all with some secret they are hiding.
The Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek 4* 11 yr old Ellie is confused and then dismayed when her father brings the “tomato girl” home to help after her mother falls down the stairs. Her mother is mentally unstable and the relationship between the father and tomato girl makes things worse.
Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell 4* Ukrainian immigrants homesteading in Canada in the 1930’s. A man is arrested for harvesting his own wheat. His wife and children go to live with his sister while he is in jail. When he gets out he returns to them and starts to rebuild their lives…until his unhappy brother-in-law returns home and everything unravels.
The Hate List by Jennifer Brown YA 4* Valerie’s boyfriend kills a number of students at their school based on a list she made. She (and the school) come to terms with whether she is as guilty as he is or not. Very relevant in this day and age.
Rainwater by Sandra Brown 4.5* set during the Depression in a small TX town, Ella Barron accepts David Rainwater as a boarder at her boardinghouse. As the town deals with racial tensions and problems with a government program that kills local livestock, Ella and David grow closer.
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong YA 4* a teen who can see ghosts ends up in a group home for troubled youths. She ends up finding other special teens like herself there. First in the series, but I HATED the way it just ended!!
Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian 3* one of my favorite authors, but definitely not one of my favorite books! A small town pastor feels guilty for not saving one of his flock. She is murdered by her abusive husband and then the husband killed himself…or did he? The story revolves around the reverend, the couple’s daughter, the DA looking into the case, and a woman who writes books about angels.
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong YA second in the Darkest Powers series 4* this book explores the teens powers a little more. They are hunted by The Edison Group, a group of scientists who want to study them.
The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley 4* a flu starts killing off the population at an extremely fast rate. This is the story of one family’s survival.
The Cloud of Unknowing by Thomas H. Cook 3* David’s sister’s son drowns and he worries she’s becoming schizophrenic like their father.
Hunger Point by Jillian Medoff 4.5* Frannie and her parents try to understand her sister’s eating disorder. Made me laugh and cry.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
January 2010 reads
Lord, I am behind on my posts! I started working too much, but am caught up for January...better than nothing!!
The Maze Runner by James Dashner(YA) 3* a boy wakes up in a box with no memory of who he is or how he got there or really much else of his life. He ends up in a strange world with just other teenage boys. Reminds me of The Hunger Games somewhat, but not as good. Loved the ending though, will definitely read the next in the series!
The Wet Nurse’s Tale by Erica Eisdorfer 3* a girl becomes a wet nurse when she gets pregnant out of wedlock. Her child is taken from her and she tries to get him back. The story is okay, but the main character is so likable I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to see what happens to her!
Things That Meant The World To Me by Joshua Mohr 2.5* odd disjointed story of a man who was abused by his step-father and his mother was an alcoholic. It flashes back and forth between the present and his childhood.
In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke 4* set during a time with a flu epidemic similar to the swine flu. A woman quits her job when she marries a man with 3 children. She is home taking care of them when there is a flu outbreak and he is unable to get home. Loved the book, hated the ending.
The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann weisbarger3.5* the story of a woman who follows her husband out to the Montana plains to homestead in 1910. A very hard life back then and the added twist is they were black. I loved the book but hated the ending.
The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff 3.5* historical fiction set during WWII. Emma is a Jew who gets smuggled out of the Jewish ghetto and gets a fake I.D. as a gentile with her husband’s aunt. She ends up working for a Nazi kommandant and helping the resistance. A little too romance-y though.
The Diplomat’s Wife by Pam Jenoff 3* the continuing story of what happens to the resistance fighters after WWII. While I am fascinated by this period in history, this story has too many coincidences and the romance aspect drives me crazy.
Gone by Michael Grant YA 4* a small town is turned upside down when all people over the age of 14 disappear one day, leaving all the children to fend for themselves. Then some children start mutating and have strange powers.
The Bolter by Frances Osbourne 3* the biography of Idina Sackville, a woman who divorced 5 times, which was unheard of in the early 1900’s. she also gave up custody of her 2 boys. I found the story very readable, but I didn’t like her.
Abercrombie Trail by Candace Simar 5* historical fiction set during the 1862 Sioux uprising in Minnesota, the story revolves around Scandanavian immigrants that were settling in the area. There were times in this book tears were streaming down my face. I felt for the settlers and the Indians. Very well told story!
Suspicious River by Laura Kasischke 2.5* very depressing book about a young woman who works as a hotel receptionist. She starts prostituting herself…I just felt a complete disconnect from her as she was sooo damaged. Couldn’t wait for the book to end, only I couldn’t NOT finish it because I had to find out what happens to her.
Be Mine by Laura Kasischke 3* I find her books to be just too sexual for me (and no I don’t consider myself a prude). I just have a hard time connecting with her characters because they are so driven by sex….anyway, this story revolves around a community college teacher and the affair she begins, and the result of it of course.
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (reread) 5* I was in between books and the library was closed, so I picked this up as it’s one of my favorites. It tells of a German woman in the present day who has questions about her mother’s actions during WWII in Germany. It also tells the parallel story of her mother’s life during that time.
The World Ends in Hickory Hollow by Ardath Mayhar 2* I’m a huge fan of post-apocalyptic novels but this one was just too out-dated to be realistic (it was written in 1985). It revolves around a small town in TX and how they survive after bombs fall across the world. I had a hard time believing the worst criminals were a bunch of trashy backwoods women who were killers and so were their wild children. I wanted to like this novel but just couldn’t….
The Maze Runner by James Dashner(YA) 3* a boy wakes up in a box with no memory of who he is or how he got there or really much else of his life. He ends up in a strange world with just other teenage boys. Reminds me of The Hunger Games somewhat, but not as good. Loved the ending though, will definitely read the next in the series!
The Wet Nurse’s Tale by Erica Eisdorfer 3* a girl becomes a wet nurse when she gets pregnant out of wedlock. Her child is taken from her and she tries to get him back. The story is okay, but the main character is so likable I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to see what happens to her!
Things That Meant The World To Me by Joshua Mohr 2.5* odd disjointed story of a man who was abused by his step-father and his mother was an alcoholic. It flashes back and forth between the present and his childhood.
In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke 4* set during a time with a flu epidemic similar to the swine flu. A woman quits her job when she marries a man with 3 children. She is home taking care of them when there is a flu outbreak and he is unable to get home. Loved the book, hated the ending.
The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann weisbarger3.5* the story of a woman who follows her husband out to the Montana plains to homestead in 1910. A very hard life back then and the added twist is they were black. I loved the book but hated the ending.
The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff 3.5* historical fiction set during WWII. Emma is a Jew who gets smuggled out of the Jewish ghetto and gets a fake I.D. as a gentile with her husband’s aunt. She ends up working for a Nazi kommandant and helping the resistance. A little too romance-y though.
The Diplomat’s Wife by Pam Jenoff 3* the continuing story of what happens to the resistance fighters after WWII. While I am fascinated by this period in history, this story has too many coincidences and the romance aspect drives me crazy.
Gone by Michael Grant YA 4* a small town is turned upside down when all people over the age of 14 disappear one day, leaving all the children to fend for themselves. Then some children start mutating and have strange powers.
The Bolter by Frances Osbourne 3* the biography of Idina Sackville, a woman who divorced 5 times, which was unheard of in the early 1900’s. she also gave up custody of her 2 boys. I found the story very readable, but I didn’t like her.
Abercrombie Trail by Candace Simar 5* historical fiction set during the 1862 Sioux uprising in Minnesota, the story revolves around Scandanavian immigrants that were settling in the area. There were times in this book tears were streaming down my face. I felt for the settlers and the Indians. Very well told story!
Suspicious River by Laura Kasischke 2.5* very depressing book about a young woman who works as a hotel receptionist. She starts prostituting herself…I just felt a complete disconnect from her as she was sooo damaged. Couldn’t wait for the book to end, only I couldn’t NOT finish it because I had to find out what happens to her.
Be Mine by Laura Kasischke 3* I find her books to be just too sexual for me (and no I don’t consider myself a prude). I just have a hard time connecting with her characters because they are so driven by sex….anyway, this story revolves around a community college teacher and the affair she begins, and the result of it of course.
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (reread) 5* I was in between books and the library was closed, so I picked this up as it’s one of my favorites. It tells of a German woman in the present day who has questions about her mother’s actions during WWII in Germany. It also tells the parallel story of her mother’s life during that time.
The World Ends in Hickory Hollow by Ardath Mayhar 2* I’m a huge fan of post-apocalyptic novels but this one was just too out-dated to be realistic (it was written in 1985). It revolves around a small town in TX and how they survive after bombs fall across the world. I had a hard time believing the worst criminals were a bunch of trashy backwoods women who were killers and so were their wild children. I wanted to like this novel but just couldn’t….
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