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….