The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars "She gave herself over to the sensations of the kiss, let it become the whole of her universe, and knew finally how it felt to be enough for someone." I wish I had read this book sooner! The Nightingale is one of the best books I've read set in the WWII time period. It follows the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, during WWII in France. Vianne and Isabelle are foils of each other. Isabelle is a rash, bold girl not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. During the war, she decides to resist the Nazis, wanting to do something brave. Vianne, on the other hand, is more reserved. Her wartime goal is to survive, so she is much more cautious. Through the story, both women face impossible choices and tragedy. Throughout the book, they come to realize that there is no correct answer to how to survive a war. I love the many facets of this book. There is a love story interwoven in the tale. There is a focus on the sisterly bond and how that changes through life. There is also the focus on how war doesn't leave anyone unscathed. Finally, the book focuses on the concept of courage and how it takes so many forms. The writing was gorgeous. Hannah weaves emotional imagery into her story, leaving every scene painted in the reader's mind. I also felt like the plot was expertly crafted. There was never a point where I lost interest. Every passage had a purpose in the story. The ending was satisfying and poignant. This is a must read for really anyone. It reminds you that life is fragile and family is what matters most. It also reminds you that behind every person is a story. View all my reviews
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
My rating: 5 of 5 stars "Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That's part of the risk." Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a young adult read, but it is so well-written that it can resonate with any age. Han writes with such detail and quirkiness that it's impossible not to fall in love with the characters. Lara Jean lives in a family with two sisters, Margot and Kitty, and her single father. The family dynamic is excellently crafted. Margot is going away to college, so a big part of this book is about how the family dynamic changes with her gone. Lara Jean is witty, quirky, and just so lovable. You will be rooting for her and you'll be wishing you had a family like her. The other element of this book is, of course, love. Lara Jean has a habit of writing letters to boys once she doesn't love them anymore. These letters are for her own benefit; she doesn't mail them. When someone mails the letters, though, a whole set of problems ensues. The biggest problem is that one of the letters was addressed to her next door neighbor--and sister's ex-boyfriend. As Lara Jean tries to recover from this "PR" nightmare, she ends up fake dating a boy she wrote a letter with. When the fake relationship takes on a life of its own, however, Lara Jean learns love is uncontrollable. This book will make you laugh. There are so many great modern references and quirky family traditions that you'll never forget these characters. This a wonderful read for any teenage girl, anyone who has felt the bond of sisterhood, and really any woman. Han is a talented storyteller who writes characters you want to be friends with. An excellent summer read to add to your TBR list! View all my reviews Summer is HERE! This means I've got extra time for reading, reviewing, and being the ultimate #bookworm I am! Here's what's first up on my TBR pile. I plan on revisiting my Youtube channel this summer now that I have extra time, so be watching for reviews coming soon. Subscribe to my newsletter if you haven't already for regular updates, and feel free to comment with suggestions below :) 1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah2. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children3. Gen Ryan's Beautiful Masterpiece4. Jeannine Colette's Wild Abandon5. MJ Greenway Sarah Starting Over6. Uncle Tom's Cabin7. OutlanderWhat will two wolf shifters do when their mate turns out to be so much more than they could ever have expected? One things for certain, they won't let her get away without a good chase. ;-)
Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/chasing-faete-by-elena-kincaid-maia-dylan-and-sarah-marsh/ Amazon.com https://www.amzn.com/B01G7X95Q8 Bookstrand http://www.bookstrand.com/chasing-faete-mfm All Romance E-books https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-chasingfaete-2048025-340.html
The Selection by Kiera Cass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars "I might be a Five, but I wasn't worthless." Let me start by saying I adore the entire concept for this book. It is sort of like The Bachelor meets The Princess Diaries meets The Giver. In this dystopian world, each person's life is strictly dictated by their "rank." Each rank (1-8) is tied to specific jobs, social status, opportunities, and even food rations. Everything is dictated by your number. When a prince comes of age, though, in the royal family, every girl of age can be entered into the lottery. This is really the only way your family can climb the social ladder. America is in love with a boy in a class lower than hers. She decides to enter the lottery to appease her family and Aspen, however. She is surprised when she is picked to be part of the selection. As she enters a world completely foreign to her, she tries to resist the prince and the process. However, she quickly finds Maxon is far from the snobby, stuck up man she imagined. I liked, as I said, the overall idea. The writing is great and builds the characters well. My biggest let down with this novel was that not a lot happened. There was a whole lot of setup for the characters, the palace, and the process. A love triangle ensued. But nothing was decided on. No major action happened. By the end of the book I was shocked that it was, in fact, the end. I felt like there wasn't enough tension or plot happening. I think the series would be great to continue with. I just think for the first book in the series, there should have been a lot more exciting, tense moments. View all my reviews
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars "In the fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don't know if I'll ever smile again." Red Queen follows the story of Mare Borrow in a world where discrimination runs high. In this world, the reds and the silvers are at war, the silvers being in power. People are grouped by the color of their blood. The silvers have special, supernatural powers, while the reds are more like the traditional "humans." Mare is a red, living in difficult conditions. Her life changes when she unknowingly meets a silver who "saves" her by getting her a job at the palace. When Mare learns she is not like the reds and has qualities of the silvers, her life forever changes. She ends up in a royal war, like many queens do. However, she also finds herself in a war between two brothers who are lined up for the throne. Overall, the idea for this book was interesting. I liked the whole "rags to princess" story with a twist. I liked the post-apocalyptic feel and the premise of the red and silver bloods. However, this book never really grabbed me. I had trouble finding an emotional connection to Mare, even though the story was told in first person. For this type of narration, I just felt very distant from the protagonist. I also was not super involved in the love story the author weaved. There wasn't really a deep connection built either way, and I had a hard time buying into the love triangle. The last one hundred pages of the book definitely picked up. The plot was exciting and there were a lot of twists, which I did really like. I still was never fully invested in the main character. I hope that the sequel to this book picks up with the same pace as the ending of this book because then I think the series would get a higher rating from me. Overall, this is an okay young adult read, but it is lacking the emotion and connection I look for in this type of work. View all my reviews Three generations of women, Three second loves, All with a dose of chaos mixed in.
Sometimes in life, changes can be good… After losing her husband, her five cats, and her home, Charlotte Noel hates feeling dependent. As Charlotte tries to find her identity in this new stage of life, she comes to realize that drama never ends, dance aerobics can be a war zone, and love is always a possibility. You never know when a midlife crisis is going to strike… Charlotte’s daughter, Annie, is going through struggles of her own. Recently divorced, she is feeling frumpy and worn-out. Run ragged, Annie mourns her youth and wonders where her life is headed, all while hoping she can help her daughter Amelia get it together. Settling down can be overrated, especially when you’re falling for a rock star look-alike… Amelia is the wild child of the family. Working three jobs, because she just hasn’t figured out what she wants in life, she realizes happiness isn’t always settling down with a steady, dependable man; sometimes it’s about following your true passion and living on the edge. No matter what age you are, life and love can be crazy… Pick Then Comes Love as your weekend read and find yourself in the story. My coffee is cold. My coffee spilled. I can’t find my favorite shoes. I’m tired. I don’t want to get out of bed. The cat barfed on my shoe. The water in the shower was too cold. I’m tired of eating this cereal. How many times do you complain before you’re even out the door in the morning? For me, if I’m being honest… it’s a heck of a lot. Our lives become constant races toward unforeseeable finish lines. We get swamped by day to day life, by the push and pull of our desires with social expectations. We become walking balls of stress, trying to figure out how to manage life… and usually failing at finding all the answers. I think it is my penchant for complaining that has drawn me to Martin Pistorius’s story, in an odd way. Because when I hear this man’s story, when I see what he endured and the fact he is still able to smile, I remember that my complaints are literally nothing. Nothing at all. Martin Pistorius fell into what the doctors called a vegetative state after a fluke illness at the age of twelve. He could no longer talk, walk, or even move. His parents believed he was completely gone. But he wasn’t. For twelve years, he was literally trapped in his body, mentally functioning but physically unable to communicate this. In his own words, he was left to the mercy of everyone to make every single choice for him. Thanks to a nurse, those around him eventually realized the unthinkable—Martin had been trapped in his body for over a decade. Today, he is married and has a web design company. Today, he shares his story—and he does it without anger or pity for himself. This is what truly amazes me about this man. Martin Pistorius reminds us that we take so much for granted. My coffee might be cold… but at least I can make the decision to drink it or not. I can walk to the microwave and heat it up or make a new cup. I might be tired, but at least I can get out of bed and go to my job. In the first five minutes of my day, I have more freedom and blessings than some have in years. Martin Pistorius has reminded me to be thankful for what I have and to be grateful for every breath, for every word, for every step I take. Having a bad day? Feel like life is too tough? Check out Martin’s TED talk. Trust me, it will motivate you, inspire you, and make you feel unstoppable. .
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars "Guilt is a hunter. Fate is a hunter. Shame is a hunter. Fear is a hunter." From the opening pages of Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, I was hooked. I am a huge fan of Between Shades of Gray, so I couldn't wait to dive into this book. It definitely did NOT disappoint. Salt to the Sea is set during WWII and follows the story of four very different youths: Emilia, Joana, Alfred, and Florian. All four have very different roles and circumstances in the book. The book is told from all four perspectives as they try to escape the war and survive. All four are tied to the Wilhelm Gustloff and, thus, a difficult fate. I loved the character development. I honestly felt connected to all characters. All but one character are characters you root for and want to survive. Sepetys poetic, gorgeous writing style really brings the characters to life. I also loved that the "chapters" were extremely short. This made me want to read even faster than I was. I loved the fast pace of the novel. I also loved the constant secrets that were revealed. It really created a realistic feel for a book set in wartime. Sepetys is an expert at crafting page-turners. I honestly get so wrapped up in her books that I cannot put them down for any reason. I adored the story line overall and felt the book had a solid ending. I do think certain characters' final chapters were a bit rushed. I also would have liked to see more of a divide when time passed. I turned the page and decades had gone by. These are hardly major faults, however, and the quality of the book, story, and writing in general far outweigh these minor issues. Salt to the Sea also does a great job at illuminating one of history's forgotten tragedies. I had never even heard of this tragedy before this book. I commend Ruta for shining light on history's victims and giving a voice, a meaningful voice at that, to those who lived through it. View all my reviews I don't trust a person who loves every book he or she reads. Seriously. We all bring our own experiences, backgrounds, beliefs, and views of the world into the reading. It's what makes teaching literature so magical. To see a single piece impact a room of people in completely different ways is what I live for. Students seem to think because I'm an English teacher, I adore everything we read. Heck no. I hate Great Expectations just as much as some of the kids, if not more. I loathe Heart of Darkness, could do without a bunch more classics. Even in my personal reading, there are books I love and books I don't. Below, one recent book I loved...and one I didn't. 1. The Book I LoveMy friend Kristin introduced me to Jojo Moyes last year. I was hooked on her style, on her ability to weave stories together from vastly different characters' points of view. I loved how she dealt with issues modern women face. I've read a lot of her works now, but Me Before You stands out as one of my favorite books of all time. I adore Louisa, this scatterbrained, quirky girl who loves bumblebee tights. I love how memorable she is but also how lost she is. She deals with an issue so many of us can relate to--not knowing where your life should go and not being quite brave enough to find out. Will Traynor also stole my heart as he stole Louisa's. Here's a man with every reason to be cold and gruff. However, through Louisa, we see glimmers of the amazing man he was and still is. Their love story is so unconventional. This book hits straight in the heart. It's painful, it's tragic, and it's moving. It really makes you ask yourself: What am I doing with my life, and should I be doing more? Read this book. Seriously. 2. The Book I Don't LoveSurprisingly, my least favorite book I've read as of late is actually the sequel to my favorite. After You just really let me down, as much as I hate to say it.
I was so excited for the sequel to this beloved story. I wanted more of the characters. But it just didn't strike me. The emotion of the first book was lost in the sequel. I didn't really care as much about it. I hated who Louisa had become. I didn't like the new characters. The chemistry, the magic was gone. Not that it was a terrible, terrible read. It just wasn't memorable. It wasn't powerful like Me Before You. So, if you do read Me Before You, stop with it. I wouldn't suggest reading the sequel. I would have preferred to leave Louisa in my mind where she was at the end of the book. How about you? Give me a book you love and a book you hate below. :) |
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