August, 2016

“Baby Doll” by Hollie Overton         

Held captive for eight years, Lily and her daughter Sky escape, only to discover that they have been held less than five miles from Lily’s hometown. Lily runs to her mother’s house, shocking everyone with her reappearance. Her twin sister Abby rushes over, determined to hide that she is pregnant with Lily’s childhood sweetheart.         

I thought the characters were very realistic. They were not stereotypical and the relationships were powerful. I did think that the interactions with the police were a little unbelievable. I don’t think the investigation and interactions would have played out how they did in the book. Overall, this was a dynamic book that took a new spin on the captive/escape scenario. Well worth picking up.

“The Butterfly Garden” by Dot Hutchison         

Inara, rescued from a serial kidnapper, rapist and murderer, has a very unique story. Alternating between her present day interactions with the police, and her story, Inara unravels how she was kidnapped and ended up in a garden of horrors.         

Wow. This was an amazing book. I was immediately captivated and couldn’t put it down. The back and forth between the cops and Inara’s story was a great way to break up the horrors of the garden. I would love to read more from this writer!

“This Adventure Ends” by Emma Mills

When Sloane moves from New York to Florida, she falls in with an intense, dynamic group of friends. Although I thought the characters themselves were interesting, I was never sure where the plot was going. After a while I grew kinda bored. I do think that the book will hold more interest for teenagers or young adults.

“The Tea Planter’s Wife” by Dinah Jefferies         

Gwen leaves her life behind in England to join her husband in Ceylon, a tea plantation. Mystery and intrigue seems to come between Gwen and Laurence, leaving them both wondering about the others faithfulness and love.         

Although I thought the plot was a bit predictable and the characters stereotypical, the setting was fascinating. I enjoyed reading about the culture, climate and life in Ceylon. Despite my criticisms, I would be interested in reading more from this author.

“Cooking for Picasso” by Camille Aubray         

Ondine, a seventeen year old, works for her family’s café in the French Riviera. When her family is hired to provide meals to Picasso, Ondine realizes that she doesn’t have to be trapped by her family and societies limitations. In the present day, Celine, Ondine’s granddaughter, travels to France to uncover the mysteries surrounding Ondine’s life.         

I thought this was a well written and interesting book. Ondine was a fascinating character. I did think the plot was a bit predictable, but the characters were compelling enough to keep me reading. I would like to read more from this author. Overall, well worth picking up and reading.

“The Perfect Horse” by Elizabeth Letts

This book chronicles the history of the Lipizzaner horse and how the breed was nearly destroyed during WWII. I was pretty interested in this book, however, every chapter the author repeated the history of the horses, the people involved, and the sports involved with horses, classical dressage. I found this very tedious and repetitious. Due to this, I eventually lost interest in the book. This book is definitely in need of some heavily editing. Overall, a bust.

“Valley of the Moon” by Melanie Gideon         

Lux lives with her son in California. A single mother with a mixed race child, she struggles to find acceptance with both her family and society. One day, while camping in the Sonoma Valley, Lux stumbles across Greengage, a community stuck in the past. Lux finds that she can travel to Greengage only when there is a full moon and a heavy fog descends around her campsite. However, while only a month passes in Greengage, years may pass in her world.         

This book took a while for me to get into it. Lux didn’t initially resonate with me, but she did grow on me by the end. The Greengage community was pretty fascinating, as well as Lux’s determination to straddle two worlds. I would be interested in reading another book set in Greengage, or perhaps a sequel. Overall well worth picking up.

“The One Man” by Andrew Gross         

Alfred Mendl is one of a few people who has researched how to separate chemical components, more specifically the compounds needed to build the atomic bomb. When he is sent to Auschwitz, the American intelligent community decides that it must do whatever it takes to extract him. They send Nathan Blum, a young man who escaped the Polish ghetto, moved to the states and enlisted in the army. Nathan is told very little about his mission or the importance of Alfred. In the camp, Alfred befriends Leo, a teenager with a photographic memory. Painstakingly, Alfred teaches Leo, going over and over the information he has spent a lifetime learning.

     I thought this was a riveting book. The characters were fascinating, and the plot was spun out neatly, piece-by-piece. My only criticism is that the constant jumping back and forth in time quickly grew old. Although the book became a bit predictable once Leo was introduced into the plot, the book still held surprises. Overall, highly recommended.