I'm back - at least for one post. You can tell that I am usually much better at reading than writing. So after a long break, I've decided to record my thoughts on books I have read. Last year I didn't have many books to report on as I only read 7 all year. This year I'm back reading - at least for a month. :)
In January I read 9 1/2 books. I'll explain the 1/2 later. So here we go -
I read "The Paris Wife" by the same author in 2013 and thought it was a good book. Nothing spectacular, but good. I felt the same way about this book. It was an interesting story about Beryl Markham. It tells in historical fiction fashion, her life story from a young child in Kenya to an accomplished woman who is not only a horse trainer but a pilot. While her story is interesting, it's not spell binding and of course I didn't always agree with her choices in life. Overall an interesting read, but not at the top of my recommended list.
Elizabeth Berg is another author who I have read other works. In fact this is the 5th book of hers that I have read. Her books have been a mixed bag for me so far - about half I've really liked and the other half were just so-so. This is one that I really liked. A beautiful story of a man that truly loved and knew how to show love, a girl who needed that love and a neighbor who was a little of both. Arthur went to see his wife in the cemetery daily and that was were he met Maddy who was there for the peace and solitude she found there. Maddy's home life was very dysfunctional and in Arthur she found the unconditional love and encouragement that she needed. In the mix is Lucille, the nosy neighbor who wants to be loved and to show love. This is a beautiful story with people I would love to know. If you read "A Man Called Ove" and liked it, you will enjoy this book too.
This is a book that drew me in and one that I thought was going to hit my favorite list this month - but by the end it had become an average book in my eyes. It is the story of a husband killed in a plane crash - but the plane that crashed was not the one he had told his wife he was going to be on. She thought he was going to Orlando with work when actually the plane that crashed was headed to Seattle. The story peels the onion as far as why would he be on that plane - what was he hiding - who is telling the truth and who is lying - and how could a man so in love with his wife do this? I don't want to spoil the story so I'm trying to be careful with my words - one of my main issues was reconciling the truth about the husband. I wanted to know how he got from point A to point B as in the story, he kind of just seemed to go from one to the other. And the points are very different from each other. I didn't like where the ending was headed until the very end when Ms Belle surprised me just a little.
This was one of my favorite books of the month. Mr. Vischer tells of how Veggie Tales came to be but it is much more than that. It is also the story of how the dream he had for a ministry that he thought he was being called to went wrong. He doesn't make excuses or blame God - instead he recognizes his weaknesses and how sometimes God's answer - and even His calling - is not what we think it should be, but that it is so much better. He discusses the importance of relationship with God and how maybe a big lofty goal isn't what God wants of us, but rather our day to day obedience. A great true life story of faith told only as Mr. Veggie Tales can.
Ms Hannah is another author who I have read multiple books - this being the 6th. Another solid read, that was one of my favorites until the last few chapters. It is the story of the Allbright family - Ernt, his wife Cora and daughter Lena - who move to Alaska to be off the grid. Ernt has a serious case of PTSD from the Viet Nam war and is often abusive and paranoid. Cora loves him deeply and remembers who he was pre-war, which does nothing to really help him the way he needs to be. Lena is a teenager growing, maturing and finding her way in a fairly desolate area. The interactions in the family and with friends, the story of how they learned to survive Alaska, the people of the community - all of that was very interesting. Where the ball was dropped for me was at the end. I sometimes feel as if an author is limited in the number of pages and so when they get to the end, there is not that much story development. It's more of a "time to wrap this up" feel. There is nothing wrong with the ending itself - I liked the idea, just not how it was written. Having said that - the story will draw you in and it is worth reading even with what to me was an unsatisfactory last section.
This one was just OK in my eyes. It was well written, I just wanted something more. I never felt that connected to any of the characters - even though I tried and really wanted to. The story is about a man who is arrested for a crime he didn't commit and what happens to him and his young marriage while he is incarcerated. It is told in voices of 3 main characters. There were not any real surprises in the story and no real moral that I found.
I guess a good way to get out of a reading slump is to go to authors you know. This was the 7th Anne Tyler book I've read and once again it did not disappoint. This is a story of family - both the good and the bad. Willa has had some ups and downs with family - a mom that had at the least emotional if not mental issues - who left the family when she was 11. A wonderful father though, who in her eyes was the kindest, sweetest man alive. She married a man she loved dearly - who was killed in a car accident so she was left to raise their sons alone. As they all aged, she remarried and her relationship with her sons was not what she desired. Then the phone call came mistaking her for the grandmother of one of her son's ex-girlfriends. The ex had been shot and someone needed to watch after the 9 year old daughter. Willa ends up flying to Baltimore and assuming the role of grandmother. It is a beautiful story of relationship, love and caring and about choices we make in life. One of my favorites of the month.
Oh my - what a story! This book took some turns that I didn't expect and wasn't the story I expected but it was one that I enjoyed immensely. Eleanor is a smart, socially inept young lady. The story is told from her point of view (really more like being in her mind.) At first I was unsure of the reasons she interacted with people and had the view of life that she did, but it became apparent as the story evolved. Eleanor is a loner and is happy that way - or so she says. There are hints that she desires more, but she doesn't feel as if she deserves more. Enter Raymond - a co-worker who I dearly love. He is in IT and they meet when he comes to help her with an issue she has with her computer. The friendship he offers her is just what Eleanor needs. This is the main story yet it is not necessarily framed that way as Eleanor is focused on meeting a singer that she fell in love with at a concert - a concert she only attended out of a feeling of obligation. There is also the ever tantalizing story of her mother and their relationship,. Once again in the interest of avoiding spoilers, I am not going to expand any farther. I'll just say that there are a lot of good people in the world, and a lot of people who just need that right person to help them find their way. If you read this book, let me know. I'd love to discuss it with someone! My favorite of the month.
A nice story of a unlikely pairing of an older woman and an 11 year old trying to survive. Ms Schroff tells the story of her relationship with Maurice, how it came to be and how it grew, interspersed with stories of both of their upbringing and personal lives. It does make you think about what if's....What if I was more aware of the people around me? What if I took the time to help one person? What if I opened myself up? What if I listened to that inner voice? It is an inspiring story.
This is the half book I read. Bottom line - don't bother. It is historical fiction based on John Kennedy and a Polish immigrant he met and fell in love with. The writing is sophmoric at best. I kept reading thinking that just maybe it would improve but never saw that happening. I put it on my Did Not Finish list and moved on. Lesson learned here - if it's only available in pdf and not Kindle form then beware.
You can see my list of books I read at
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