"Beyond the Bear" by Dan Bigley and Debra McKinney

Beyond the Bear by Dan Bigley and Debra McKinney tells the true story of how Dan was mauled by a bear and survived. To his credit, he worked hard and was able to make something of his life again, even though he had lost his sight. I enjoyed the stories he told of his re-habilitation and of his help that he received from friends. God bless you, Dan, and your family!
(Gerard'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!

Tuesday Teasers: 2 Non-fiction and 1 Historical Fiction

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser.   

Gerard's:

Dressed in blue scrubs, hands scoured and snapped into Latex gloves, Kallman walked into the operating room and up to the stainless steel table where Bigley lay on his back, prepped and draped, his ravaged body covered by a warming blanket. He stared down at the chaos before him and froze.

From page IX (prologue) of Beyond The Bear--How I Learned To Live and Love Again After Being Blinded By A Bear by Dan Bigley and Debra McKinney. (non-fiction--review posted tomorrow)

Karen's:

Tom turned his horse and headed out of the gap. "Quit yapping and let's move out."
"You're going to die, Tom."

From Sharpshooter in Petticoats by Mary Connealy. (Historical fiction)

And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

From Acts 8:11-12 of the New American Standard Bible. (non-fiction)

Happy Reading!

"Love Water Memory" by Jennie Shortridge (UPDATED)

Love water memory by Jennie Shortridge is an interesting story about an engaged couple, Grady and Lucie.  When they have a huge fight, Lucie leaves and doesn’t return.  Grady looks all over for her and eventually finds her in a hospital with amnesia, learning she was found standing in San Francisco Bay.  The whole book is about Lucie learning secrets from her past and getting her memory back while her and Grady try to rebuild their relationship.  It’s a good read but did not like it as much as Gerard did--both the main characters were likable.
(Karen's review)

Love Water Memory is told by Grady and Lucie, a couple who was going to get married until a huge fight. Eight days later, Lucie is found but remembers no one and nothing of her former life. I loved this book! It had me from page one and all the way through. My feelings about Lucie and Grady went back and forth. The writing was very good too. The only downside was that I was hoping for a better ending, but it does leave an opening for a sequel which would be good!
(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!

"Reconstructing Amelia" Lives Up To The Hype

There is a lot of hype about Reconstructing Amelia and I am here to tell you that it is true! This book is very good! It is told by Amelia and her mother, Kate. Kate gets a call telling her that Amelia is dead. When Kate is notified that her daughter’s death may be the result of foul play, she sets out to find answers. The book leads up to the day Amelia died and is riveting! There are lots of “wow” moments in it so I enjoyed it!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen planned to read this too but only started it and quit on it because she didn't like Amelia at all. 

Blogging 'Bout Books says it is "Reconstructing Amelia: It's That Disturbing and That Compelling." She was ready to give up on it too but kept on going.

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!

We Loved "Orphan Train--a Novel" by Christina Baker Kline (UPDATED)

I really enjoyed Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline about the life journey of Vivian, a 91-yr.-old who was an Orphan Train rider at the age of 9 who becomes friends with Molly, a 17-yr.-old Goth girl who is in the foster care system.  This novel is written in such a way that is both contemporary and historical fiction, as Vivian shares her background with Molly.  It is a very interesting read because both Vivian and Molly have a lot in common, understand each other, and help each other.

This book has some very sad parts but also some very happy and heartwarming parts which makes it an enjoyable read.  It addresses the issues of the importance of kind people in our lives, what things we value, perseverance and how things happen for a reason.  The author does an outstanding job of smoothly transitioning from the past to the present and from the story of Vivian back to the present-day story of Molly and Vivian.  I was never confused at all.  Great novel that brings the early 1900’s to life in sharing that part of American history.  I highly recommend this to anyone!
(Karen's review)


Orphan Train--a Novel by Christina Baker Kline has two main stories: (1) A 91-yr.-old woman tells of her young life of being on an orphan train. Her story is fantastic! and (2) A young teen girl who is now an orphan, describes what she is going through. Her story is very good. These two women are brought together and find they have more in common than they thought. I loved this book!

Even when the story is finished, there is still an interview with the author, a story about orphan trains and questions for a book club . Make it a point to read Orphan Train; you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Related Reads:  Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren

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!