May, 2023

"In This Moment" by Gabrielle Meyer

Maggie lives in three timelines, 1861, 1941, and 2001.  When she reaches 21, she must decide which life to remain in.  In 2001, Maggie is a hard  working medical student.  In 1941, Maggie is a nurse. Maggie and her sister join the navy, and are sent to a hospital ship in Pearl Harbor.  In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a northern senator at the beginning of the Civil War.  She loves each life that she leads and struggles to make a decision.

I really enjoyed this book.  Each timeline was well flushed out and detailed.  Maggie was a fascinating character.  She was well developed and easy to love.  I think I've found a new favorite author, I can't wait to read more!

"California Golden" by Melanie Benjamin

The book opens in the 1960's in Southern California.  Mindy and Ginger, the Donnelly sisters, live under the shadow of their mother, a surfer.  As children, Mindy and Ginger take up surfing, trying desperately to keep their Mom from leaving.  As adults, when Mindy has the opportunity to join the ranks of Hollywood stars, she jumps at it, leaving her sister behind.  Ginger takes up with another surfer, obsessing over their relationship, doing drugs use, and giving up herself to keep him. 

Although this was an interesting story, it had an overall nostalgic and sad feeling.  The characters were well developed, but it was hard to penetrate their sadness and really get a sense of who they were.  The book covered a large time period, and did a good job of transitioning through the girls lives.  Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

"Cassiel's Servant" by Jacqueline Carey

This is the long anticipated book retelling Kushiel's Dart from Joscelin's point of view.  Trained as a warrior from the age of 10, Joscelin is taught discipline, celibacy and self  control.  When he completes his training, and takes his vows as a warrior-priest, he is astonished to be posted to Phedre, a courtesan in the city of Elua.  He quickly realizes there is more to Phedre and her household, and he slowly starts falling in love. 

Although I enjoyed this book, it lacked the tension between Joscelin and Phedre that made Kushiel's Dart so intriguing and special.  I enjoyed getting to know Joscelin's history and back-story, but that could have been done in a novella or stand alone book.  As always, Carey's writing is artful and beautifully done.  Overall 4 out of 5 stars.

"The Madwoman of Paris" by Jennifer Cody Epstein

Women at the Salpetriere asylum, are hypnotized and labeled with hysteria.  Dr. Charcot, the hospital's famous director, exhibits his hysteria patients on stage as he hypnotizes them and performs a variety of experiments.  Laure, a former patient, is now working in the wards.  When new patient Josephine arrives, they develop a relationship and grow close to one another.

Wow!  This book was just fascinating.  The author created interesting characters with compelling and heartbreaking back stories. I didn't know about the Dr. Charcot hysteria phenomena before picking up this novel.  Once I put it down, I found myself researching the time period.  Overall, well worth picking up!

"Good Town" by Mary Louise Wells"

During WWII, Josef, a famer with a large family, is forced to work for the German Reich.  Ashamed of his new position, he turns away from his Jewish neighbors as they are humiliated and removed from town.  His eldest daughter Margarete is forced to grow up fast as one by one her brothers are conscripted into the military.  As the war draws to a close, the family is stuck in Soviet occupied Germany, where they are chased from their home, beaten, raped, and left destitute.

The book alternated between Josef and Margarete's points of view.  At the beginning of the book, Margerete was a young child and her point of view did not contribute much to the book.  I wish one of her brother's was featured instead of, or in addition to her.  The plot moved a bit slowly.  Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

"The Quiet Tenant" by Clemence Michallon

Aidan is well liked in his small town.  When his wife dies and he is left to raise his daughter Cecilia, the town rallies around him.  However, locked in a shed on his property is "Rachel" a girl he kidnapped four years ago.  When he loses the property, he decides to take Rachel with him and she is introduced to Cecilia as a friend down on her luck.  Emily, a local restaurant owner, is beginning to fall for Aidan, and decides to make her move.

This was a fascinating story.  The writing style isn't one I generally love, but the characters and plot kept me reading.  The story was well paced and dynamic and unraveled nicely.  When I read the author's bio at the end, I was shocked that English was not her first language.  Overall, 4 out of 5 stars!

"The Weaver and the Witch Queen" by Genevieve Gornichec

Set in 10th century Norway, this is the tale of Oddny, Gunnhild, and Signy.  Gunnhild runs away with a visiting sorceress and commits herself to learning magic.  Years later, when raiders take Signy, Gunnhild vows to find her sister and seek revenge.  Oddny travels back to their village to help Gunnhild, meeting and joining forces with King Eirik.

The relationship between the three girls was well developed, and twined throughout the novel.  I enjoyed reading from Oddny and Gunnhild's points of view an wish Signy's point of view had also been explored.  The story was well paced, the world well developed.  I look forward to reading more from this author!

"The All-American" by Susie Finkbeiner

16 year old Bertha dreams of playing ball with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.  When her writer father is accused of being a communist, her family begins to spiral out of control.  Moving to a different town, the family lives with Uncle Matthew, a shy and reclusive relative. 

The book alternates between Bertha's point of view and her younger sister Flossie's point of view.  I did not enjoy Flossie's point of view.  She was presented as a naive child, which took away from Bertha's journey.  I also wanted to read about the baseball team, instead the book focused on their family life.  Overall, not a story for me.

"Witness to the Dark" by Wolf Holles 

As WWII drew to a close, Wolf, his mother, and two older brothers were put on a transport train out of Bergen-Belsen.  The train bounced from place to place, zig- zagging among broken tracks and dodging invading forces.  Sick and close to starvation, Wolf's survival was often in doubt.  But throughout his ordeal, his mother stood by his side, nursing him to life.

This was an amazing story.  It seems miraculous that Wolf and his family survived both the concentration camp and then the transport train towards the end of the war.  The book did not shy away from the horror of the holocaust, providing gruesome and horrifying details.  Overall, well worth reading!

"The Bookbinder of Jericho" by Pip Williams

Brilliant, ambitious Peggy takes care of her twin sister Maude, who is a bit slow.  In modern days, she would probably be diagnosed with autism.  The twins work in a bindery, folding, gathering, and sewing books.  Peggy collects the remnants, torn pieces, and scraps of books.  As the men leave for the war, refugees arrive from war town Belgium.  Peggy slowly allows herself to dream, envisioning herself at the nearby university studying. 

I was amazed by the character development throughout the book.  The characters really changed and grew with the war.  I was particularly touched by Peggy and Maude's relationship, and the care they took for one another.  The plot revolved around day-to-day matters, but moved quickly.  I would love to read more from this author.  5 out of 5 stars.