Peter Pan ★★★ by J. M. Barrie

How wonderful it was to see for once that a book has been translated to film so beautifully!  As a child, I saw Peter Pan the animated film, the TV version as well and I was delighted to see that when I finally read the book that no one was left out and that the plot and stories were fully there.

We all as we grow older wish that we could at times return to our childhood, and in way, with Peter Pan we can.

DATE READ: June 30 - June 30
NO. OF PAGES: 147
Type of Book audiobook
SOURCE: Public Library

All the Light We Cannot See ★★★ by Anthony Doerr

Pulitzer Prize Winner, check.  Audiobook, check, check.

Two things that should have pushed this book over and yet they didn't.  IMHO, the story was too ordinary, and the writing style drove me bonkers.  We were constantly been thrown back and forth in time and place so that the story seem very choppy and that was not helped by very, very short chapters (which normally I like).  I tried it on audio and then switched to a regular book, hoping that seeing the written word would help, but nada.

So many people raved about this book, I had a hard time  finishing and only did so because it was for my book club. Big disappointment.

DATE READ: June 23 - June 29
NO. OF PAGES: 771
Type of Book audiobook, ARD
SOURCE: Public Library

Rosalia's Bittersweet Pastry Shop ★★★★½ by Rosanna Chiofalo

First of all I loved this story.  It was rich and full of the flavor of the love of baking and nuns life complete with the love of God as well as their fellow man.  It could have been dark and depressing and instead it was filled with light and love and hope.

The story transports the reader back in time to a period when rape victims were faced with blame and their families had to live with shame.  Rosalia is a young woman who becomes the object of an obsession by a creepy youth who eventually kidnaps her, rapes her and forces her to send a letter to her family saying that she ran away willingly.  When she is found  by the nuns abandoned in a cave, bruised and naked, she is unable to remember her name and where she is from. The nuns nurse her back to living and teach her to bake in their pastry shop.  Eventually her memory returns but when she is taken back to her village, her family have moved on because the shame related to her disappearance.

Rosalia returns to the convent but continues to search for her family believing that one day she will be reunited with them.

The depth of emotion that is related in this story was  overwhelming at times but the reader is rewarded throughout by the beautiful story telling and characters.


DATE READ: June 5 - June 11
NO. OF PAGES: 304
Type of Book e-book
SOURCE: NetGalley

This Too Shall Pass ★½ by Milena Busquets

Very disappointing...that said I will try to explain.  First of all, you never know who the first person narrator is  directly, just by inference - a daughter who has lost her mother due to a debilitating illness.  You would think a very sympathetic character, not so.  This woman is whiny and sex crazy.  Throughout we only hear of her sexual exploits going from man to man "trying to ease her pain".

It got to be a pain all right.

Series/ Progress:
DATE READ: May 7 - May 14
NO. OF PAGES: 176
Type of Book e-book
SOURCE: NetGalley

Our Souls at Night ★★★★ by Kent Haruf

What a quiet gentle book.

Addie was a widow and Louis a widower.  When Addie comes to his house to ask him to spend the night, Louis and this reader are a bit startled by the bluntness of the request.  But as Addie explains how her loneliness  affects her especially at night, this reader totally understood where she was coming from and why just having that warm body and voice in the dark was a comfort.

As the story progressed we see the friendship deepen to where they are sharing more than just a bed and feel the heartbreak as the situation is taken out of their control by outsiders.

I had never read anything by Kent Haruf before and heard that this book was his last.  If all his books are as beautifully written, the literary world has lost a star IMHO.

I will be looking for his earlier books.


DATE READ: February 7 - February 7
NO. OF PAGES: 192
Type of Book audiobook
SOURCE: Audio Stockpile

The Husband's Secret ★★★ by Liane Moriarty

What would you do if you found a letter addressed to you from your spouse with the instructions "to be opened only on the event of my Death"?

Ethically, you need to put it aside but curiosity of what the letter contains can drive a person crazy.  This the premise of the Husband's Secret.

The novel is filled with the concept of guilt - Rachel feels guilty because of Janie's death, Jon Paul feels the weight of culpability for his actions which have driven him for years while others, Felicity and Will don't seem to feel any guilt at all for their behavior.

I read this book for my ladies' book club and our discussion really centered around the first question - would you open the letter?  I found it extremely interesting that those who had been married for a lengthy period of time said no but that the younger and shorter married members said yes.  I guess it's a matter of trust.  Overall, I felt that the book was predictable as to the involvement among the characters.


DATE READ: January 22 - January 31
NO. OF PAGES: 573
Type of Book audiobook
SOURCE: Audio Stockpile

Mary's Christmas★★★ by Laurie R. King

This was a short story which showed our heroine when she was still a child and revealed some of the background we were unaware from other books in the series.  It was lighht, it was fun, a great way to start 2016!

Series/ Progress: Mary Russell 16/17
DATE READ: January 4
NO. OF PAGES: 23
Type of Book e-book
SOURCE: Nook

Bedford Falls: The Story Continues by Anne Morse

238 pages on Kindle Tablet

This book is the story of It's A Wonderful Life's George Bailey's grandson and how Bedford Falls was affected by George after the end of It's a Wonderful Life and his family members.  We see Mary his wife still alive in her 90s and his children and grandchildren.  We again see the cruelty of greed and welcome the angel Clarence with open arms.

My Ladies group read this for a December gathering and it charmed us all.  My favorite read of the year!

For Your Love by Beverly Jenkins

I love this series!  No matter what nasty things happen to the residents of Henry Adams, KS they are still loving and supportive to each other, helping when others have hard times and the head do-gooder is Ms. Bernadine Brown.  But don't think that Ms. Brown is a push over, no siree.

Bernadine Brown may have millions and has worked tirelessly to help the residents in the town she bought but she makes them earn every blessing by working together.

This time we see a young couple who are friends of Bernadine's adopted daughter who because of a disadvantaged upbringing are battling to stay afloat with their young offspring.  They come to town at the invitation of the friend and find not only a well-paying job but a home to live in and a truck to get them around.

In the meantime, Mayor Trent July is informed that his birth mother has come to see him.  Ms. Brown has to deal with the mayor of Franklin, the next town over, who is jealous of the success and revitalization of Henry Adams and whose mean spirit has the HA residents welcoming refugees.

I look forward to the next visit to Henry Adams, Kansas.

★★★★

GENRE: Fiction
CHARACTERS:
Series/ Progress: Blessings 6/6
DATE READ: September 14 - September 14
NO. OF PAGES: 295
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , 
SOURCE: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I won't even begin to try to tell the tale of this depressing, dragged out tale of murder and alcoholism.

I would have abandoned the entire book 60 pages in but since it was my book club selection I had to persevere.  I had it figured out very quickly and it really didn't hold my interest.

Can't figure out what the big hoopla was all about but I can tell you that I won't be going to see the movie when it's made.

★½

GENRE: Thriller
CHARACTERS: Rachel, Tom, Anna, Megan, Scott, Det. Gaskill
DATE READ: September 10 - September 11
NO. OF PAGES: 336
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: audio book  Library


SO SAD THAT BOOK #100 WAS SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT.

An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor

This book is the second installment set in the village of Ballybucklebo, County Down, Northern Ireland and continues the tale of Dr. Barry Laverty and his adapting to life in a small village while working to be accepted by the villagers.

Light and amusing.

★★★

GENRE: FICTION
CHARACTERS: Dr. Barry Laverty, Dr. Fingal O'Reilly, Florence Bishop, Patricia Spence
Series/ Progress: Irish Country 2/10
DATE READ: August 8 - August 11
NO. OF PAGES: 432
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Audio stockpile

The Recipe Box by Sandra Lee

Grace Holm-D'Angelo's world is unravelling - she is having trouble at work, her teenage daughter is in a rebellious mood, and her best friend has died of cancer.  Flying home for the funeral,  Grace is confronted by her mother.  They have been estranged ever since Grace found a startling fact about her mother inside the Recipe box.

Trying to improve her daughter's behavior, Grace leaves her daughter with her mother and heads back to her job in LA  but when she hears that Emma has disappeared she heads back to found her.

The story goes on with a new romance for Grace  and a decision to return to her hometown and try a change in her future.

The story seemed very predictable and the characters very two-dimensional.

★★½

GENRE: Fiction
CHARACTERS: Grace, Emma, Ken, Brian, Leeza, Lorraine
Series/ Progress:
DATE READ: July 24 - July 25
NO. OF PAGES: 197
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, LILIES
SOURCE: Nook

Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson

The Cahills - Amy and Dan - continue their quest to collect all the clues to the inheritance that their grandmother left them.  In this installment, their other relatives (Kabras, Holts, Madrigals) don't play as large a role, and we are introduced to Grandmother Grace's friend who is also looking for the treasure.

★★★

GENRE: Young Adult
CHARACTERS: Amy Cahill, Dan Cahill, Nellie Gomez, Theo Cotter, Hilary Vale, Alistar Oh
Series/ Progress: 39 Clues  4/39
DATE READ: July 4 - July 4
NO. OF PAGES: 190
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: Audio stockpile

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

After 20 years with no contact, Harold receives a note from a former co-worker, Queenie, telling him that she's dying.  Guilt immediately  attacks Harold's conscience, so he sets out to save her by walking the length of England unprepared for the journey - physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.  The tale of journey and the enlightenment he receives along the way point the reader to soul searching of their own.

 ★★★

GENRE: Fiction
CHARACTERS: Harold Fry, Maureen Fry, Queenie Hennessy
Series/ Progress: 1/2
DATE READ: March 19 - March 23
NO. OF PAGES: 453
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: bookshelf Stockpile

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

 Normally, shifts in time in a book will drive me crazy, however, Kate Morton manages to always make this process work for me. 

The reader is introduced to Dr. Grace Bradley, an archaeologist, spending the remainder of her years in a nursing home. She has been contacted by movie producers who want her opinion of their sets for a movie they are making set at Riverton, a manor house where Grace had worked as a housemaid when she was very young. The sets bring memories flooding back to Grace telling the story of the Hampton sisters and the tragedies that befell the residents of Riverton. 

 As the story progresses we see Grace battling with her memories as well as trying to find a way to reveal the secrets of her life before her end. 

One of my favorite authors with a great story. 

★★★½ 
GENRE: fiction 
CHARACTERS: Grace Bradley, Hannah Hartford, Emmeline Hartford, Robbie Hunter, Teddy Luxton 
DATE READ: March 1 - March 18 
NO. OF PAGES: 473 
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit 
SOURCE: loaned from a friend

Heart of Gold by Beverly Jenkins

Returning to Henry Adams, KS will always pull at your heartstrings, especially when the children are at the center of the story.  In this installment, 10 year-old Zoey Garland is the major heroine as she makes efforts to befriend a hermit at the same time as she is concerned with the state of her parents' marriage.  The spirit of this your girl is struggling with her desire to help others as well as holding her family together. 

The gentleness of the stories from Henry Adams are truly a "Blessing" because the reader sees how goodness triumphs.

 ★★★★

GENRE: Fiction
CHARACTERS: Zoey Garland, Roni Garland, Reg Garland, Bernadine Brown, Diane Willis
Series/ Progress: Blessings/5
DATE READ: February 19- February 20
NO. OF PAGES: 320
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook Stockpile

Tim Cratchit's Christmas Carol by Jim Piecuch

Sequels of great books of the past rarely live up to the original, however, I truly believe that Charles Dickens would have been proud of the portrayal of Tim Cratchit in this book and the revival of the spirit of the redeemed Ebenezer Scrooge.

Tim Cratchit is a grown man, a doctor, who in the past had given his time and talents helping the poor but in the past few years he had gotten away from aiding the unfortunate and concentrated on his wealthier clientele.  Several weeks before Christmas, Dr Cratchit has a impoverished young woman appear at his Harley Street office needing help for her sick child.  We see again the small Tiny Tim and how generosity can cure not just the spirit but the body as well.

The story that continues is worthy of Dickens' character and the holiday season.
I loved the story and the characters and would happily recommend this book to everyone for the holidays!

★★★★★

GENRE: fiction
SUBJECT: generosity, compassion, Christmas
Setting: London, England
CHARACTERS: Dr. Tim Cratchit, Jane Crompton, Ginny Whitson, Jonathan Whitson, Dr. Eustace
DATE READ: December 8 - December 10
NO. OF PAGES: 272
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: NetGalley

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

I probably wouldn't have ever read this book it it hadn't been for the GEOCAT, but I'm glad I did.

Anders Eckman had been set to the Amazon to locate and check on the progress of a special drug development by Dr. Swenson, but when the Pharmaceutical company who employed him receives a letter telling of death, Dr. Marina Singh is coerced into following his steps and completing the assignment.

What results is a fascinating tale.

★★★½

GENRE: Fiction
SUBJECT: Drug development, Amazon Jungle
Setting: Amazon Jungle
CHARACTERS: Marina Singh, Anders Eckman, Annick Swenson, Easter, Lakashi tribe
DATE READ: October 2 - October 19
NO. OF PAGES: 526
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, GEOCAT
SOURCE: audio stockpile

A Wish and A Prayer by Beverly Jenkins

What I love about the Blessings books are the characters - they're funny and heartwarming with just a touch whimsy.

In this installment we have a pre-teen foster child adapting to his new family, a young woman who'd sworn off men taking a chance on love, and a giant hog on trial for murder. Add in the town's very own American Idol Show and you are set to be entertained.

The stories intertwine and keep the reader enthralled until the very end. Can't wait for the next one!

 ★★★★

GENRE: Fiction
SUBJECT: family life
Setting: Henry Adams, KS
CHARACTERS:
DATE READ: October 5 - October 6
NO. OF PAGES: 320
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: Nook stockpile

Island Girls by Nancy Thayer

Rory Randall decides to add a bit of manipulation to his final will and testament by making it a condition of their inheritance that his 3 daughters (by different mothers) spend the summer at the Nantucket house together.  What results are basic family issues revealed and nothing really special.

 ★★★

GENRE: Fiction
SUBJECT: Dysfunctional families
Setting: Nantucket
CHARACTERS: Arden Randall, Meg, Randall, Jenny Randall
DATE READ: October 3 - October 5
NO. OF PAGES: 302
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: LT ER