"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah is Amazing! We Both Loved it!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a heartbreaking story of two sisters, Vianna and Isabelle, living in France during World War II. It is action packed with well-developed characters who the reader comes to care about. Both sisters are very brave in different ways. The sisters both find themselves in difficult situations and have to make some hard choices. What both sisters endured was horrible, but love prevailed.

I didn’t realize the Nazis actually occupied France until I read this book. This novel gives insight into what it was like for civilians during World War II in France and also what great lengths parents would go to in order to protect their children. I was eager to get back to this book to see what was going to happen next. There is a lot of adventure, some romance, sadness and touching moments along the way. This is a fascinating historical fiction novel I highly recommend.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review, 5++ stars:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is set in France during World War II.  Two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, now live in a country that is run by the Nazis.  Isabelle wants to fight for her country while Vianne does what she has to do to keep her family alive.  

This is a fantastic read!  It is fiction, but the events in the book really happened.  The pages went by quickly as I became totally engrossed in this story.  Books to do get much better than this!  I LOVED it and am naming it my "book of the month."  This is a must read!  You won't be sorry!


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J. K. Rowling is a Great Ending to a Fantastic Series!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J, K. Rowling is the last book of the series and is phenomenal! It is very exciting, suspenseful, emotional, touching and is full of unexpected twists and turns. It’s hard to review it without giving away major things, so I’m just going to say that if you started this series, you really need to finish it! In this book, Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione are out of Hogwarts and on the mission that Dumbledore gave to Harry. The plot is complex and full of adventure. Loved the Epilogue! Great ending to a fantastic series!  WOW!

This series is a must read with lots of twists and turns! I thoroughly enjoyed it and was sorry to see it end, even though there were seven books in the series! I fell in love with the main characters and the action scenes were so well written that I felt I was right there.  This one even made me cry, parts were so sad. J.K. Rowling is the best story teller I ever read and certainly entertained me with this amusing and interesting series.   Harry is such a cool character who shows that love is the strongest power and that we can learn much about leadership from Harry Potter.  This series is amazing! 

No wonder these books were such a hit and well-loved worldwide. I had to give every book in this series 5 stars but here is the way I would rank them:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner from Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this series? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Boy Who Drew Monsters" by Keith Donohue is a Spooky Story

The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue is about Jack Peter Keenan, a boy with Aspergers who is afraid of going outside so does not, ever.  Jack draws pictures of monsters and then people begin to see them, or do they?  He has one friend, a boy about his age.   This is a really good spooky story!  I LOVED it a lot!  The ending is one of the best I have read in a while.  Give it a chance.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands" by Chris Bohjalian is Fantastic!

Close Your eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian is told by Emily Shepard who is a homeless teen who lives in an igloo made of ice and trash bags!  Half a year earlier, her parents caused a nuclear disaster.  Emily does not want anyone to know who she really is because she fears people will blame her too.  This is a fantastic page turner that I enjoyed.  Emily is a great character.  SPOILER ALERT, STOP NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING! I loved the ending when she reunites with her dog!  
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Tease" by Amanda Maciel: Two Opposite Opinions Here

Tease by Amanda Maciel is based on a true story and deals with bullying.  Two girls bullied another girl who killed herself.  The twist in this book is that it is told by one of the girls who did the bullying.  I thought that was a novel concept.  I really loved this book a lot!  I got into it from the first page and was always anxious to get back to it.  The characters are very believable and true to life.  The writing was very good as well.  So far, this is my book of the month for May.  
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

I started reading Tease but didn't like it enough to finish it.  To me, the main character wasn't very likeable and I didn't care for all the swearing in it either.  It also kept jumping from the present to the past, back and forth which I found distracting and annoying.  Maybe it would appeal to a teen, but it didn't appeal to me. 
(Karen's thoughts)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Timepiece" by Richard Paul Evans

Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans is about a couple in the early 1900's--their love, grief, forgiveness and loyalty.  It is an emotional romance between Mary Anne (David's secretary) and David  (wealthy business man) who find great happiness together but also experience tragedy, losing a child.  This is an interesting and enjoyable read including some excerpts from David's diary, but it took me a little time to get used to the writing style.     
(Karen's review, 4 stars) 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Promise of Stardust" by Priscille Sibley (UPDATED)

A Thought Provoking Love Story--Must Read!

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is an unusual love story of Elle, an astronaut, and Matt, a neurosurgeon, that splits a family apart when there is a life or death decision to make.  Matt and Elle want a child so bad, but there always seems to be complications and she loses the baby.    The author brings up some interesting legal issues related to making decisions about keeping someone on life support after they are brain dead in this captivating novel. 

My feelings towards the characters changed as the book progressed and I found myself pulling for Matt by the end.  I liked how Elle's dad changed along the way and how the doctors were so nice to Matt.  This is definitely a good read I recommend if you like thought provoking stories about family.
(Karen's review of 3/28/13)


Gerard's review of 3/16/13 (5++ stars):

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is a great love story you must read!  Matt and Ellie were childhood friends who now have a loving marriage.  What they want are children and a family.  Their first two attempts ended in tragedy. When Matt, who is a doctor, gets a call that Ellie is being rushed to the hospital, he hurries only to find her fall from a ladder has left her brain dead and that she is carrying his child!  He wants to keep her on life support hoping that the baby will live but his mom and Ellie's brother want the plug pulled.

This is an outstanding book that is a page turner.  I loved how the author went back in time to show how Matt and Ellie came to be married and the trials they faced.  Does the baby live?  Who wins the trial?  Speaking of the trial, that part of the book is gripping with suspense!  Have a tissue handy for the ending.  This book will tug at your heartstrings--it did mine!  Loved it!!  It doesn't get any better than this!  The Promise of Stardust is her first novel too, are you kidding me?  Well done!  ( visit her website at www.priscillesibley.com)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Visit Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop, one of her prompts this week is to share a book review.

"Fire in the Ashes" by Jonathan Kozol

Fire in the Ashes--25 Years Among The Poorest Children in America by Jonathan

Kozol tells the story of kids growing up homeless in New York City and the trials they and their families go through. Some of the stories are heartbreaking; however, some give you hope. Some have a "wow" factor but they are all interesting. This non-fiction book is well worth your time.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Never Fall Down" by Patricia McCormick (UPDATED 5/23/12)

Never Fall Down by Pat McCormick is a powerful novel about Arn Chorn-Pond’s survival against all odds based on his true story about what happened in Cambodia.  By following his aunt’s advice:  Do whatever they say.  Be like the grass, bend low, bend low, then bend lower.  The wind blow one way, you bow that way.  It blow the other way, you do too.  That’s the way to survive.  Arn was just a boy of 11 when he faced hard work in rice fields around the clock, near starvation, cruel killing day after day and even being forced to kill others and bury people alive!  By learning to play a musical instrument, he was received some better treatment and became a bit famous.  He gives music credit for saving his life.

This is such a sad and depressing novel but with a pretty good ending.  Still, it is an eye-opener to the plight of people in other countries.  The best part was when Arn first came to America and discovering he had a choice to live, not to just die or survive.  I felt so bad for him when he realized he become the monster and how much hate he had in his heart because of the four years of terror he went through. 
(Karen's review 5/23/12)

Gerard's review:
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick (a former journalist) is based on a true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, a young boy living in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took over his country and the killing started.  One day Arn was told he had to learn to play an instrument or die.  Does he learn?  What becomes of his family that he gets separated from and finally, how does it all turn out?

This story is told in gut-wrenching style.  I found it very hard to believe people actually live this way.  If you want a real page turner, this book is almost impossible to put down.  Arn Chorn-Pond has dedicated his life to humanitarian causes around the world.  He founded Children of War, an organization that aids children held hostage by war and violence.  If you want a book that you will remember like you never read before, this is it.  It's a fantastic story--a must read!


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

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