Fiction

The Sound of Freedom by Kathy Kacer

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the sound of freedom.jpg

Pages: 256

Publisher: Annick Press Ltd.

Published: March 27, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

It is 1936 in Krakow, Poland and Hitler is making his move on the Jewish families. Anna has always led an idyllic and mostly happy childhood going to school and listening to her father play his clarinet in the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra. As Hitler starts enforcing his reign outside of Germany her family understands it is time to move. Bronislaw Huberman is taking auditions for his new orchestra in Palestine, a city that is safer for Jewish families. Will Anna’s father get a spot and the family get their travel visas before it is too late?

I am a big reader of World War 2 fiction at it doesn’t matter if it is an adult book or a children book I want to read it. The Sound of Freedom was extremely interesting as it was a story from a different country than Germany. I was also interested as it based loosely on a true story as Bronsilaw Huberman really did start an orchestra in Palestine and go to Poland auditioning people for spots and provided thousands of travel visas for families. I would like to read more about him.

The view point from Anna is very relatable for children in grades 4-7 as she talks about the things that are important to her at that age and those things are important to every child no matter the year or surroundings. She thinks about leaving her friends and how she will feel. She thinks about what to leave and what to take. She thinks about making new friends in a country that she does not know the language. Anna also shows how to gather courage and lets the reader know that each one of us is stronger than we think.

I hope to see this book in school libraries very soon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Annick Press Ltd. through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Plain Confession (An Amish Mystery #5) by Emma Miller

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plain confession

Pages: 304 (eBook)

Publisher: Kensington

Published: March 27, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

As Rachel is finalizing her wedding plans to State Trooper Evan she learns that a local man’s death may not have been an accident. Daniel was an Amish man that the town had nothing bad to say until his death then stories started circulating that he was not whom he seemed. Will Rachel focus on her wedding plans so this time the wedding will go off without a hiccup or will she find herself in the middle of the investigation and losing sight of her future?

I have been wanting to read this series for several years as my mom has read a few of them and raves how good the stories are in her opinion. I have to agree, after reading the 5th book in the series it is now on my summer TBR list. I instantly liked Rachel. She is ex-Amish but still tries to follow her life as she was raised. She runs a local inn with the help of her cousin who is in her rumpsringa (a time when Amish youth get to live in both worlds). Since moving back to her hometown she has found herself in the middle of several murder investigations. This time it is two weeks before her wedding. Her wedding has been postponed once already.

On the surface Daniel appeared to be everything an Amish man should be but as Rachel starts questioning his death at the request of his mother-in-law she learns he was quite the opposite. Moses, Daniel’s brother-in-law, has confessed to killing Daniel but no one except for the English law system believes he really did it. Rachel is almost certain he is autistic and had he been diagnosed properly years ago he would be better understood. The more she investigates the more dead ends she runs into.

Two of the side characters are really amazing characters that I hope I see more of as I catch up on this series. There is Chuck, a doomsday prepper, who has seen more death and tragedy serving in the war than one should ever experience and Salome, the elderly midwife and herbalist, who knows everyone’s stories and secrets. Both turned out to be true friends to Rachel.

If you are interested the series in order is:
1. Plain Murder
2. Plain Killing
3. Plain Dead
4. Plain Missing
5. Plain Confession

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Promise by Susan Lantz Simpson

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promise

Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: Kensington

Published: March 27, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Nineteen year old Phoebe wants to raise alpacas and takes every opportunity to learn about their sweet tender nature. Her mom, sisters and her attend a Saturday market in town and while learning about the alpacas her baby sister, Naomi, is kidnapped. Both her and her younger sister, Martha, feel responsible. Phoebe has struck a deal with God that if her sister is returned she will marry Micah Graber even if she doesn’t love him and he does not share her dream of owning alpacas.

Ben has moved to the area to help his aging grandparents run their farm and is excited to learn about the alpacas at a neighboring farm. He hopes to be able to convince his grandfather to add the sweet animals to his menagerie of animals. Ben meets Phoebe at the alpaca exhibit at the market and falls in love. Can he help Phoebe during this difficult time and save her from making a lifelong mistake?

I was very excited to read an Amish book set in Maryland as I have visited the area and that makes books even more interesting to me. I can recall the smells and feel the weather like I am right there with the characters.

Phoebe – You have a sweet love story going on in the background while a terrible tragedy is unfolding. Phoebe is trying to come to terms with her part in the kidnapping of her baby sister. She keeps herself busy with chores around the house to the point of exhaustion. You really get a sense of how strong the Amish are physically and mentally. I admire Phoebe’s mental strength as I am not sure I could keep it together one little bit.

Micah – JERK. The nicest term I can use. I have never disliked an Amish character as much I do Micah. He is arrogant, cruel, and a bully. He treats others like the dirt on the bottom of his show. I cringed every time I read his name.

Martha – Phoebe’s 13 year old sister who Phoebe asked to watch the younger two sisters and decided being with her friends was more important. You make think 13 years old is too young to be in charge of the younger siblings in such a public place but we have to remember that the Amish teach their children to responsible from a very young age. Martha is a very spoiled brat and tends to be extra whiney when she should be helping around the house. At one point I wanted to have Micah court her just to teach her a lesson but he was way too old for her. I do think she learned from mistake by the end of the book.

Ben – He is the main every little girl dreams of marrying one day. Patient, kind, soft spoken and caring. He would do anything to make Phoebe happy.

I can’t wait for The Mending to be released in August of this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for a copy of the book to read in exchange for my honest review in my own words.

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

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Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: February 6, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

What do you get when you mix a little Desperate Housewives with Big Little Lies? You get The Family Next Door! This is a jaw-dropping, twisty tale that will have you gasping at every page.

Ange, Fran, Essie, and Essie’s mom, Barbara all live on Pleasant Court. The ladies are friendly but not too friendly so they know each other’s business. That is until Isabelle moves in the house across the street from Essie. Isabelle is single and gorgeous. The ladies are skeptical at first that she may try to steal their husbands but then they are convinced she is gay. Why else would a single, beautiful lady move onto a street full of families?

As Essie and Isabelle’s friendship deepen the secrets start to unravel and come out much to everyone’s surprise. Is the darkest secret of all the one most hidden or the one hidden in plain sight?

Come for a visit to Pleasant Court and find out for yourself.

I have this on my to-be-read shelf for months and am kicking myself for waiting so long. I found myself up way too late night and getting up extremely early just to finish this book. I’ve heard Sally Hepworth compared to Liane Moriaty and the critics are right. I can see this made into a mini-series for TV.

The story starts out with Essie leaving her newborn baby, Mia, in her pram in the local park. Essie comes home after having coffee at the local coffee shop and her mother Barbara asks where is the baby. Thankfully Mia is ok but Essie is not and spends some time in the hospital healing from post-partum depression. Essie fears this will return when she has her second baby, Polly. The story picks up from here and goes in a direction I never expected. My jaw flopped open at one point of the book and I am not sure I closed it until after I closed the book.

If you are looking for something to read until Big, Little Lies comes back on the air you need to pick up this book from you favorite bookseller or library. You will be happy you did.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for a review in my own honest words.

 

 

Phoebe’s Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher

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phoebes light

Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: Revel

Published: February 6, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Phoebe has been the one to take care of her fortune hunting scheme of a father since the death of her mother several years ago. Phoebe has come to the crude realization that her father will mortgage anything and everything, including the roof over their heads to fund his business inventions and the like. She has always had her eyes set on the handsome, older gentleman Captain Foulger and takes advantage of hooking her line to him and marrying him against everyone’s wishes. What she does not realize is that the Captain is only interested in an old journal that she has just became the owner. The journal is her great-grandmother’s, one of the first settlers of Nantucket. In it there is a secret that could change the life of whomever reads it.

As Phoebe sets sail on the Fortuna with her new husband, the Captain, she tries to avoid a childhood friend, Matthew. He has joined the crew as the cooper but really has joined as a favor to Phoebe’s father to watch over her. AS the days wear on and Phoebe comes to realize that her marriage is not everything she thought it to be, her friendship with Matthew grows deeper.

Will Phoebe be able to save everything near and dear to her or will life play a cruel joke on her instead?

I am a fan of Suzanne Woods Fisher and have enjoyed the fresh eyes she gives to Christian fiction. Normally I am not a big reader of Quaker fiction but I opted to try this novel due to her being the author. I almost gave up after reading at it for two days because of the Old English language of “thee” and “thy”. I’ll be the first to tell you that I do not like reading books written in that style. I am so glad I stuck this one out though. The story of Phoebe and her great-grandmother are exciting. You not only get to learn about the Indians that lived on Nantucket in the late 1600s but you also get to learn how Nantucket was settled by the Americans. As you are reading you get to leave the island and sail to the tropical islands and experience life at sea all the while going back to the 1600s.

I was pleased to learn that we do not get to finish reading the journal and that it will make appearances in the other books of this series. I am fascinated to see how it transforms others lives in the family.

I suggest you pick up this book with an open mind to the Old English language and give yourself plenty of time to get into the book during your first read. You might be like me and find that you cannot put it down because you have become so invested in everyone’s story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell for a copy to read in exchange for my honest review written in my own words.

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

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surprise me

Pages: 448 (eBook)

Publisher: Random House Publishing

Published: February 13, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Sylvie and Dan have married for ten years and are the couple who finish each others sentences and know what the other is thinking before they speak. They are the quintessential couple. After a trip to the doctor they panic and their lives as they know it start to unravel. Dan becomes more and more angry as Sylvie and starts closing himself off to Sylvia. Sylvie thinks more about her deceased dad which angers Dan more. Fights happen more and jealousy starts. Their plan to surprise each other to spice things up brings more surprises than either anticipates. Will the biggest surprise tear Sylvie’s world apart or can she and her marriage come back stronger and better than ever?

My rating was almost a 3 star rating but the last quarter of the book saved it. Even though the book is about Sylvie and Dan, Sylvie is the main character and she starts off as a whiney brat that I just wanted to smack. I don’t condone smacking someone but she needed it. Heaven forbid things did not go as planned as she was hell on wheels. Her husband had a lot more patience than I would have as even her friend.

I was not too keen on how they looked at “long-term” marriage. They almost viewed it as a death sentence. Are you telling me they seriously did not think about this before saying I do. Did they not think about their age and how long they could possibly live and do the math and think wow, we could be married for 68 years? Personally my goal is to be married as long as my grandparents will be in April of this year which is 70 years (impossible for us unless we live to be in our 120s).

As I mentioned above the last quarter of the book saved it for me. There is a moment that Sylvie has with her neighbor John that changes everything…” Love is finding one person infinitely fascinating. […] And so…not an achievement, my dear […] Rather, a privilege.” I find this one moment in the book the most romantic moment in the book. I hope it moves you as much as it did me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy to read and review using my own honest thoughts and opinions.

 

Still Me (Me Before You #3) by JoJo Moyes

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still me

Pages: 388 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Viking, An Imprint of Penguin Random House

Published: January 30, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Louisa Clark has taken the job as a personal assistant to a NYC rich housewife and she is in for a fast paced learning experience of what it is like to live in NYC. As she starts making friends with everyone from the grouchy next door neighbor in the building to the owners of a local retro clothing shop she starts learning who she really is and starts moving on from the depression that overtook her after Will’s death. When her year is up what will Lou decide: go back home across the pond or stay in NYC?

I was hesitant to start the third book in the series since I was so disappointed in the second but I really wanted to know what happened when she moved to America. Am I ever so glad that I did read this book. It was wonderfully funny and heart wrenching at times as I followed Louisa through her time as a personal assistant. She has a lot more class than I would have had at one point (you will see what I am talking about when you read the book). I got to watch her grow into herself as she started coming out of the depression fog from Will’s death and started making friends and going out on dates. It was great to see her start taking an interest in her quirky clothing again as that is when you really see her come alive. The stripy tights make a great comeback! How can you not love her stripy tights?

My suggestion: only start this book when you have time to read it in one sitting as it was so hard to put down and not think about while working. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. If you read Still Me and are hesitant like I was to start Still Me take the plunge I don’t think you will be disappointed.

After You by Jo Jo Moyes

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after you.jpg

Pages: 352 (Paperback)

Publisher: Penguin Books

Published: September 29, 2015

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

After You picks up over a year later from where Me Before You ends. Louisa is living in a flat she bought with the money Will left her and working in an airport bar. She is just existing not living. One night after a round of solitary drinking she makes a misstep on her rooftop garden and finds herself looking into the beautiful eyes of a paramedic trying to save her life. This is what begins an awakening in Louisa. As she starts to live again she finds herself involved once again with Will’s family.

Hmmm…after praising Me Before You I have found myself disappointed with After You. The story is great but the telling of the story was s…l…o…w. At times I didn’t want to pick the book back up but I did because I was curious how it would end. The last quarter of the book was very good. I wish all of it could have read as easy as it did.

I’m very hesitant to start Still Me with my current disappointment but I will as I want to see what life has to offer Louisa. Maybe the best way to read this series is to read them back to back and let the emotions from Me Before You carry you along.

Even though I’m disappointed with After You I recommend it if you like dark, twisty emotional reads.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

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Pages: 448 (E-book)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: February 6, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

An emotional and gripping read that will keep you up all night.

The book opens with 13 year old Leni listening to her parents arguing. Leni reflects how this normal in her home especially since her dad came home from Viet Nam. Her dad is notified a comrade he served with in Viet Nam has left him his homestead in Alaska. Leni’s dad thinks the best thing for his family is to move to the homestead and learn how to live off the land and provide for themselves. He tells them it will help him emotionally. Off the family goes to Alaska in the VW van with nothing more than the clothes on their backs pretty much. We follow Leni and her family as the learn what it takes to be a true Alaskan and a family that is riddled with abuse with nowhere to go.

I cried happy and sad tears as I read late into the night each night. Last night I read until my eyes could not focus as I wanted to finish the book. Just like she did with The Nightingale, I questioned what I would do in similar circumstances and if I had to the guts and strength to survive what the female characters survive. How much are you willing to love someone whether it be blood or not? Is blood love the strongest of love? You will find yourselves wrapped up in the characters so much that you will take a moment to refocus and remember where you are in the real world.

The description of the wilds of Alaska is beautiful but at the same time Hannah is not afraid to show the ugliness of Alaska either. Alaska is not for the faint of heart. It takes a special person to survive.

Run to the nearest bookstore, library or e-reader and pick up your copy today and make the time to read it over the weekend. I think you will be glad you did.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review in my own words.

Amish Cooking Class – The Celebration by Wanda Brunstetter

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the celebration

Pages: 322 (eBook)

Publisher: Shiloh Run Press

Published: February 6, 2018

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Once again we join Heidi Troyer’s cooking class in Ohio. This time she is teaching kids how to make simple dishes such as fruit salad, egg salad and mini corn dogs. Heidi has just an interesting group with her kids and she has had with her adult students in the past. One student has lost his mom to cancer, one is a spoiled brat, and one is learning how to fit in the area after moving from Kentucky. That is just a few of the students. All the way Heidi and Lyle are navigating the channels to adopt their two foster children, Randy and Marsha. Pull up a chair and join Heidi and her class as yummy recipes teach more than just filling up bellies.

Anytime I need a warm hug from a book, I turn to Wanda Brunstetter. You will feel the love and warmth the minute you open the book. Wanda’s Amish Cooking Class series has been a true joy to read. I honestly cannot pick a favorite of the three as whatever one I am reading at the time is my favorite.

I have come to love Heidi and Lyle. I want to move and be their neighbors. I would be over at Heidi’s house as much as she allowed to soak up her recipes and friendship. Of all the Amish novels I have read she is the most comforting and friendly character. I hope to see more of her in future books of Wanda’s.

For those interested in reading the series, they are as follows in order:

1. The Amish Cooking Class: The Seekers
2. The Amish Cooking Class: The Blessing
3. The Amish Cooking Class: The Celebration

Thank you to NetGalley and Shiloh Run Press for a copy to read in exchange for my honest review in my own words.