A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

Two different stories and several lives tied to a scarf might sound odd but it fits. Each story resonated with me and the characters could indeed be real in the telling.

It's hard to express how attached I now feel to this book so just let me share some lines that spoke to me.:

"... the freedom to love or be loved,  though it shook you to your core,  made life exquisite."

"Everything beautiful has a story it wants to tell."

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg

What a delight of a book. It is written in the form of a diary beginning when Daisy Fay is 11 though about age 18 in the decade of 1950s in the southern state of Mississippi. 

So many situations for a young girl to experience and her optimism keeps her moving. I can appreciate how she handled her family dynamics, loss, variety of friendships, being a teenager, and the list goes on.

I laughed and smiled throughout the book. Her final words on a given day might seem at odds from what is happening but it is actually part of the charm of the book and so Fannie Flagg as an author.  

I admit to looking for more after the last page. After thinking about it I can accept the ending.  It is so Daisy Fay.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

I just finished this book that was highly recommended in another Facebook reading group. It's even better than "Salt in the Sea" by the same author  and again I was unaware to this extent of the subject matter.  Twenty million lives lost!! When one thinks of genocide the Holocaust comes immediately to mind and Hitler.  Well Stalin wasn't far behind! 

 It will forever hold a place in my memories and as a favored reading experience. 

It's a work of fiction but based on facts and real stories from actual survivors. Imagine being targeted and sent to labor camps in Siberia because you are educated,  a doctor,  a teacher, stand up for what is right or your freedom, voice your opinion, and to dumb down and control a nation by fear and force tactics! 

It happened.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

This is fiction but based on a real event where 9k+ lives were lost when the Wilhelm Gustloff passenger cruise ship was deliberately torpedoed during WW2. It reads so true and each character is a reminder of the types of people who could have been on the ship.  People who loved and were loved and had plans for a future. People who were victims and victimized,  people who lost people precious to them all because they didn't fit the desired pattern for humanity by Hitler, Stalin, etc.

I feel emotionally exhausted after finishing this book. I barely recall learning about this sinking of this ship and the others that faced the same fate during WW2. This book is a reminder that thousands on board were trying to escape their respective war torn country with their families or the remainder of families. Hoping to be delivered to safety elsewhere but instead their loss of life was considered a victory for the country from which its military had created so much death, torture, and defilement.

To think that the commander of the submarine is considered a wartime hero dragged at my emotions. Then I sat back and understood that wars bring tragedy and the commander was supposedly carrying out his duty but at a later time the decision of that commander came into question. 

I was drawn into each character which was well written by the author.  I am not generally a fan of this style of writing but now I am pleased that it was not written as a one narrator.  The authors notes at the end plus comments from survivors and the divers that actually explored the ship really added to the overall appreciation of this book.

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

Beauty, brains, intelligence, and resilience. Hedy Lamarr had it all. 

Hedy Lamarr was not only beautiful but intelligent, extremely intelligent. She escaped an abusive marriage in another country and she managed to make it all of the way to our beloved USA,  Adolf Hitler was entertained in her home during her marriage to do business with her husband, Speaking of her husband he concealed her being Jewish for his business convenience and she knew that he could change is mind at any time. As a result of her intelligence she has greatly enhanced our everyday day life through her patent.

One of the inventions that she held a patent on could have saved  many lives during WW2. Through great persistence she finally was granted an audience with certain military staff to introduce her invention. The military agreed that it could be useful but because she was a woman they did not know how to introduce it for approval simply because of her gender. Our military should feel shame for the additional lives lost for their ignorance. Talk about gender bias!

I now think of Hedy Lamarr often when using my cell phone since its design and functionality is directed tied to her invention so many years ago..

The real story behind the book The Shack by William Paul Young

After watching the TV documentary I now realize that there was and actually is a real story behind the book and movie, The Shack by William Paul Young. 

How it came to exist pulled at my heart in several ways. There is a powerful message about hiding and carrying with you your  own "shack" built by your experiences and relationships, forgiveness, OUR sins against those that we love, the facades that we build and hide behind, who we really are, expectations and lies that we hide behind, secrets and how they destroy us and interfere with God's plan for our life, and how we might lose everything by the world's standard to "reach" the bottom and that God carries, walks and leads us if and when allowed. 

Life is a journey and God's invitation is ever present. It was two hours well spent and thankfully with supportive Scripture. I included prayer before and then again after watching this exceptional documentary.  Bottom line is that God can use any one person and in or from any situation(s).

On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts

This is the cutest book. I do tend to switch books in a given month depending on my mood. Special thanks to Mary Berwick for suggesting On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts.

One could substitute any holiday or repeat get together to appreciate the effort it takes to cook, clean, shop, etc. to make the event perfect and consistent each year. This book created many laughs for me and reminded me of what is done each year to make things special.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FUN AND A BREAK FROM WHATEVER REQUIRED READING IS PART OF YOUR LIFE.

The Family Letter by Debi Ronca

I have known for years that words carry power and weight.  This book opened their significance in a way that shares them in a lasting way that moves through the life of those you love, family love, acknowledges ones appreciation in love, and love that grows over time.

Words are bonding and this book reeks of love. Saying "I love you" verbally is extremely important but writing a letter can be enjoyed at a different level over and over again. Share your life and love in words, especially the written word.

Educated by Tara Westover

For much of this book I was overwhelmed emotionally. The words endurance, dysfunctional, enabling,brain washing, and survival from one's family share my thoughts equally about this book. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a memoir and not a made for TV movie. Thankfully there were people in her life that saw her value and it allowed her to move and push hard from what was her normal. She definitely labored in many senses of that word.

The book title is perfect as the last page affords the real definition of her life. Well that might be true for many us really.

Once I started reading it I just couldn't stop reading it. I'd put it down then within minutes I just had to start reading more. Memorable is not a strong enough word to describe this book.

Special thanks to my niece Nicole Church for recommending this book to me.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

I really enjoyed this book. It shows her as an adult, her views and realities as an adult, and how naive she realized she was as a child.

It was somewhat sad for her to learn that those she thought loved her really did not. She learned that those she loved and adored were indeed flawed and had faults. However the relationship and full understanding of her uncle brought tears to my eyes as well. As an adult she must finally take on the responsibility of making decisions, her own decisions at last. 

Please do not be put off by all the varied comments and opinions about this book.  Do yourself a favor and read it for yourself and make up your own mind about what you read.  

I now feel that I have a full or at least better picture of events and definitely in the life of Scout. 

This Life I Lead by Rory Feek

I listened to this book while traveling. Learning about their life before, during, and after was quite moving but certainly not a tearjerker. If you enjoy love stories please read this book.

Their backgrounds were quite different and the open, honest sharing of Rory's early years and life before he met Joey was surprising. He is totally relatable. He shared his married life with Joey honestly. He didn't play the blame game at all during the book and each stage of his life was discussed in a manner that will bring clarity to those who have made similar choices.

Here are two good lines from the book. "Hurt people, hurt people. " "Great moments aren't great moments until they are shared."

Rory did not have it easy growing up and relationships were difficult for him.  Then came Joey…

“This Life I Lead” by Rory Feek is a love story worth reading. 

The Mysterious Mr. Whistler (The Ragamuffin Sisters) by Anita Higman and Hillary McMullen

I enjoyed the read and could personally relate to the young female characters. Throughout the book I was reminded of the importance of friendship and how sometimes we derive courage, discover truths about ourselves, and the things we do to get even or more importantly make things right.

The boys were equally entertaining and it was nice to discover the truth behind their behavior.
The story line was interesting and brought some real life situations and current events with it. Poor Mr. Whistler. However his demise opened the door to some much needed community information and the joint efforts of what were two rival group of kiddos.

The opposites were not really opposites as they soon discover together

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Interesting reading with a compelling storyline that definitely held my attention to the end. The characters and their flaws just kept coming but not in a way that detracted but instead pulled me into the story tighter and tighter.

The main character seemed weak which irritated me on a few levels until I started to understand her need to help, become involved in or part of something and her secrets.  Over a period time she created a story about a couple she watched each day from a train window and developed an attachment to them.  One of them goes missing and her already upside world becomes even more of a challenge.  Every character had secrets that drove them and she was someone that they all had in common.

She was also an alcoholic who experienced blackouts.  As she starts to remember things from her “blackout” periods, she sincerely wants to connect not just with people again but the truth, however deadly.

 I must admit to feeling exhausted by the time the book came to an end but not from disappointment. Since the books is full of liars, cheaters, beaters and a murder it is a small wonder why Hollywood would find the appeal for possible movie viewing.  My surprise is that it was not a TV movie until I actually finished reading the book.

The Ruby Locket by Anita Higman

A widow with a teenage daughter that might be financially challenged but they are rich in love and devotion to each other.  Enter a wealthy suitor who seems a dream come true for the mother, Dauphine.  Anne is the daughter who is ever watchful which proves to be life saving.

This is an engaging book by a favored author.  It has some interesting characters, a mystery that held my attention, and an ending that I did not fully expect.  While I am not generally a fan of serial reads I really want to know what happens in the next chapters in the life of Dauphine and Anne plus how they can turn the gothic mansion and their tumultuous, near death experiences into a positive situation. The mansion is quite the inheritance considering it was to come with their respective deaths. 

The writing of this author keeps getting better and better so far as I am concerned.  

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

Prologue was of a death as was the ending of the book with several neurotics thrown into the middle. The characters existed in their life differently but really lived it similarly and gave it the same value. They did not really value life enough to make decisions to protect the quality of life they could possibly have had. Lots of mental weakness exists and I honestly could not find a character to like.

They are loved temporarily and they love in a temporary way as well. The word “temporary” best describes the book and thankfully the time needed to read it was just a temporary moment of my overall reading time. I can't even recall the characters. They truly are forgettable and yet I kept picking up the book to read. A great line in the book defines the characters as well as what the overall theme might be: “Better, really, to face the fin in the water than to live in hiding...”

The last two pages are the best part of the book, not because they were the last, but because what was written had the greater meaning and understanding than the entire book. 

Three of our BPW readers rated it an eight on a scale of one to ten with the ten being the highest praise.  For me that is a little high.  However, I liked the author’s writing style and it held my interest but I still cannot figure out why.   Good…no. Bad…not totally. Will I recommend it? Probably not.

Oh well, onto other reading options.  

Summer's List by Anita Higman

Three separate stories and each interwoven in the life of a young woman. Love of family is and was paramount to Summer Snow, the lead character in this sweet book. In fact, her grandmother saw it all and created a bucket list for her beloved granddaughter who cared for both of her parents until they passed. Then she purchased the bookstore from her grandmother because she thought it was what her grandmother wanted. Through it all Summer was happy but it may not have been as full or complete as it could have been or could be.

The first thing listed is for Summer to reconnect with her best friend Martin who had moved away in Summer’s youth.  He had been adopted but certainly not loved by the two biological brothers and the parents had left them to their own devices while living abroad with minimal contact.  Were it not for the sporadic contact from the mother or father, I would have thought that the unexplained, hasty departure was tied to the witness protection program. Alas, it was tied to a betrayal and still more untruths.  

The bucket list and the loss of her precious grandmother did allow for truth to be acknowledged and others truths to be discovered during the journey.

I would be remiss not to include some of my favorite lines.  There are many but I will include my top four favorites, with my favorite being the one on page 205:

Page 56   “Sometimes I think curiosity comes first. Then purpose might show up later.”

Page 173   “…it is better to err on the side of humility and be chastised for it than to be stingy with one’s confessions and risk wounding someone.”

Page 199   “Apparently there’s pain in the healing process.”

Page 205   “Summer gazed down at her grandmother’s frail hand.  …the veins were marks of wisdom and her hands, instruments of love.”

Thank you Anita Higman for another enjoyable read and please continue.  It seemed real and I could share in the lives of most of the characters. Even the brothers redeemed themselves. 

Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Saying this is a memorable book is an understatement beyond measure. Learning of happenings from the perspective of the French was something I had not read in the same vein as in this great book.  Two sisters, quite different but yet the same, both in their endurance and completely separate accomplishments to something vitally important, that being the French resistance and saving Jewish children during WWII. It has adventure, danger, war related violence, redemption, and held my attention from the first page. This work of fiction is based on factual events and people.  This review may not do it true justice but of the 25+ books I have read this year, this is my favorite. 

The youngest daughter wanted to do something important in the war effort, had the heart of a warrior patriot, and minimized the thought of taking risks. She certainly did make a difference, experienced the rush of excitement, saved lives and was tortured in the process. The oldest daughter had a gentle soul and personally experienced a horror but to save her children and to live until her husband might return from the war, she endured. She may have killed one man and should have killed another. In times of war one cannot say what one would do or not do or what one may be capable of doing. 

They had the same father but could not understand the distant man he had become after the death of their mother. The choices that each of the sisters made is directly tied to the neglect of a man who did what he thought best at the time. He gave them up and placed them in a home to be cared for by strangers until they “aged out”, were kicked out of school (many times), or married which left the younger sister truly alone.  Please do not think too ill of him since he was participating in the war effort as well and needed to protect his daughters in the process. He loved his daughters in the best way he could and literally sacrificed himself in the process. 

  

The changes that death, all manors of death, created was paramount to the three of them.  It created and fed what was needed to allow them to endure the horrors and ravages that come with war and the necessary risk of life to save many, many lives of military airmen (British, USA, etc.) and then there were the innocent children.

Yes, bad things do happen to good people, some by the choices that needed to be made and some by circumstances over which one has little or no control.  Through it all I found the strongest thread of love, not the mushy kind, but that being the sacrifice of self for the life of others. That is “the” ultimate love which is extremely well written by an accomplished, much favored author.

The movie rights have been sold, thankfully for the non-readers and those of us who will make a point to see it. I will be breaking my own rule since it will bear the dreaded “R” rating which is appropriate for the violence, etc. and to maintain the integrity of this book based on actual events and real people.  I will for sure be making every effort to see this film. 

"A Question of Destiny" by Anita Higman

I just finished reading "A Question of Destiny" by Anita Higman. I believe it's her best book by far and I've read almost every one of her reading opportunities.

What would you do if you received $10 million from someone you never knew beforehand? Would you question accepting it or question the motive? How would you "allow" it to change you, your values and your relationships? Who would it bring into your life and new “available” lifestyle?  The good news is that in this book, unlike in real life, there are a couple of people who provide guidance and words of advice during this extreme learning curve. 

I must admit to appreciating every character in this book and their respective roles played in the difficult and for the most part fatherless youth through the financially enriched life of Lucy, the benefactor of the money. Lucy's bodyguard of sorts, Andy, has his own story which rings a truth similar to the media exploits of today. His story touched my heart even more than Lucy's. 

There is more than one story line in this book and each adds overall value. In fact, I am hoping for a follow-up on one of the characters in particular who on occasion shows more heart and tenderness within her earthly wealthy lifestyle and what appears to be a lost love and has/had volunteered in a worthy cause.

I am not generally a fan of romance novels but I do enjoy hers and make a point of reading them. No vulgar language or body stripping EVER. Yes, that's the way to my reading pleasure when it comes to any reading genre.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It is a story about a young girl who is taken in by a foster family.  It takes place in Germany during the Nazi occupation and “Heil Hitler”.   Liesel, the main character, earns this nickname” The Book Thief” clearly from her heartfelt and sometimes desperate need to steal books for various reasons you discover throughout this incredible and memory making book.  It clearly shows what it may have been like to be a child or a German citizen, particularly when you choose not to become a member of the Nazi party by choice or chance.  Family members make their choices but the whole family suffers the consequences of any one choice. 

The first book stolen is at the gravesite of her younger brother which is shortly before she sees her mother for the last time.  She doesn’t even know how to read or what the book is about, just that she had to have it.  It turns out to be a book about how to dig a proper grave and is ultimately used as a tool by her foster-father to teach her to read.  Each book stolen is tied to a specific period of time in her life such as stealing from the library of the mayor’s wife for firing her foster- mother or just for when she and her best friend Rudy just needed to win at something since life was more than difficult with food shortages, little work, living in the poorest city on one of the poorest streets in their town.  She is a thief but an extremely particular book thief when making a selection of the perfect read at any point in time. 

Her love of words and reading also brought comfort to others like during an air raid in a bomb shelter where she started reading aloud from one of her beloved books.  She reads to the Jewish man hidden in the basement of the home where she is staying while he is extremely ill.  His name is Max and is the son of the man who saved her foster-fathers life in a previous war time situation. 

She experienced great hardship as a young girl in Germany and physical pain as well when she was beaten by a soldier using a whip for her talking to a young Jewish man among the hundreds being paraded through town on the way to Dachau.  The young man was Max, the one that lived in their basement for over two years who became a dear friend.  They shared books and he wrote one for her birthday called “The Standover Man”. 

At a particular point in time, she realizes the power in words and of words and decides that she hates words.  But a “word shaker” cannot escape them for long.  It is suggested that she stop reading and start writing.  She does. 

She loses everyone she loves and who loves her, except for one that I will not name here, in one night while she alone was spared.  How was she spared? She was writing a book of her own in the basement that was supposedly not secure enough to be a bomb shelter and was pulled from the rubble.  Her story does not end here even though the book that she wrote which chronicles her life through the various books that she owns is lost to her forever until returned to her in her old age by the narrator of this book who is “haunted by humans”.

Of note

It took me awhile to figure out who the narrator actually was which proves to really be the perfect “source” of the information imparted as needed.  I have such affection for certain characters on Himmel Street plus one other, all of whom may have loved Liesel even more than me:

·         Lemon haired Rudy whose athletic abilities won him three medals and the unwanted attention of those building a super race of “his kind”, whose idol was the Olympian Jesse Owens, and the one thing he wanted most was a kiss from Liesel but when he finally received it he was not aware,

·         Hans, the silver eyed,  caring, protective, anti-Nazi, accordion playing papa,

·         Rosa, the outwardly stern,  name calling, terrible cooking mama who really did have a well disguised caring heart for people,

·         Max, the Jewish fist fighter with hair like feathers  who had a dream of boxing Hitler but that dream also included the war of words from Hitler that invited those not in the ring to join him in the destruction of all Jews beginning with this one, a survivor thanks in part to Liesel along with her foster parents, and

·         Ilsa, the mayor’s wife who had a personal library of perhaps a thousand books,  who had lost her only child, who received a verbal bashing and  “the”  letter from her book thief Liesel which fueled the spark that brought her back to the living.

Please read this endearing book that is being made into a movie for all the right reasons.

 My favorite passages include but are in no way limited to the following: 

·         …the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain.

·         Three languages interwove. The Russians, the bullets and the Germans.

·         The words.  Why did they have to exist? …Without the words, the  Fuhrer was nothing.

·         I was so angry and afraid and I wanted to kill the words. …I love this place and hate it, because it is full of words.

·         The accordion breathes. There are lines on his cheeks….I just like the way they move and change. Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.

·         I have hated the words and I have loved them and I hope I have made them right.

·         For some reason, dying men always ask questions they know the answer to.  Perhaps it’s so they can die being right. 

The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

The story is a true to life chronicle reflecting the saga of hundreds of thousands of homeless or neglected children who were placed on orphan trains from 1854 to 1929. The orphan train movement led to numerous reforms having to do with welfare and child labor laws. Many people believe it is the origin of modern foster care.

What a time to exist for these two women who could not be more different, or are they?

Vivian is a 90 year who came here as an Irish immigrant, whose parents and siblings were lost to her in a fire where they lived in New York City and became twice widowed.  With one exception the foster home placements including nothing more than child labor, taking care of children younger than your ten years in a filthy, inhumane environment and a sexual experience forced on her then thrown out in the winter snow with just the clothes on your back after furious accusations of being the guilty party rather than the victim that she was.   Imagine the social worker taking the side of the parents without question.

Now comes Molly, a Penobscot Indian, who is also in foster care with the most recent family including a “mom” who berates her at every turn but sure likes the monthly foster care system check and the “father” who seems to care about her but who will not stand up to his wife to defend her.  Molly is about to “age out” of the foster care system but gets into trouble with her probation having a provision requiring community service.  She seems to have only real friend, that being her “boyfriend” who seems to be a similar society “misfit”.  There are kindred spirits so to speak.  Molly is also thrown out of the house.  By the way, her crime was stealing a torn, tattered book from the school library.

The community service project is helping an elderly woman clean out her attic, hence their meeting.  Over time they become friends, each recognizing something in the other that satisfies and provides a long lost comfort in the form of friendship and even trust.  Vivian is reliving and sharing her life with Molly. Molly is gathering information to write an article for the school but learns so much more in this process.  Nothing much gets discarded but does get organized and gaps in each of their respective lives gets filled. 

With Molly’s help, Vivian moves into the 21^st century with technology and a new world of information is found at her fingertips.  Vivian’s heart begins to heal with her discoveries and new hope arises when she finds someone who she thought was lost to her forever.

Each of these characters found delight and comfort in books. Each had a teacher who saw something in them and nurtured their development.  Vivian’s teacher was instrumental in saving her life and her landlord came to love her as well resulting in finding loving couple to adopt her. The light went on the eyes of a teacher as Molly finally asserted herself in the classroom clearly claiming her Indian heritage and namesake. 

I have always acknowledged the role a teacher played in my life and for two teachers in this book care and protection was conveyed to a child so lost in the world.  It is also interesting to me that the same book was shared twice.  No, I am not telling you the name of that book. 

The ending was as it should be even though I wanted more. Here is my final thought about the ending. There was love and forgiveness in the eyes that clearly conveyed that all was right in “their” world of new beginnings.