"Grave Mercy" by Robin Lafevers

Wow, oh wow!!!  Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers is just awesome!  I loved it and had a hard time putting it down; finished it in two days.  There are lots of plots and Ismae is a great character.  This is just the first book of three so can't wait for the next one. 

Ismae is able to escape from a planned marriage.  Her next stop is the sanctuary at the convent of St. Mortain, the saint of death.  She learns well and then is given a big assignment!

I think this will be my favorite read of this month--it does not get much better than this.
(Gerard's review)

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 are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"Every Secret Thing" by Ann Tatlock

Every Secret Thing by Ann Tatlcok is about how God sees all of us and calls to us if we listen.  The author makes this point through the characters in this story.  Beth Gunnar is a lonely English teacher who now teaches at the prep school she used to attend herself, where she was inspired by her English teacher, Mr. Dutton.  Unfortunately, she felt betrayed by him and couldn’t stop thinking about it.  She takes an unhappy student, Satchel Queen, under her wing and they develop a close friendship through their love of books and poetry. 

I didn’t care for this book much because it is slow moving and the teacher-student relationship just seemed very strange to me.  I thought it odd that Beth only seemed to care and be interested in one of her students.  I liked Ann’s other book, Promises to Keep, so much more and was disappointed in this one.

 (Karen's review)

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 are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

Tuesday Teasers: 3 This week

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
• 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:

The beliefs she had cherished for a lifetime would be vindicated. But now she couldn't deny what was staring her plainly in the face: dogs in China ate better than doctors in North Korea.

From pate 220 of Nothing to Envy--Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. (Non-fiction)

I wanted to shout, "Of course we're going to die! The sisters are the lucky ones--for them it is over!"

From page 152 of The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan.

Karen's:

I wanted to do for Satchel Queen what Theodore Dutton did for me. At least what he did for me before the tragedy happened.

From page 87 of Every Secret Thing by Ann Tatlock.

Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during April to Paralyzed Veterans of America.

"The Dog Who Danced" by Susan Wilson

The Dog Who Danced by Susan Wilson has several story lines that are all good.  Justine, who while getting a ride to go see her dying father, who she has a strained relationship with, loses her dog when the trucker she is getting a ride from takes off without her and kicks out the dog!  An older couple finds and takes in the dog, but they really don't get along.  Although the dog misses Justine and keeps looking for her, it tries to fit in with the couple who rescued it.  On top of this, Justine and her step mom constantly go at each other.  Enough plot lines for you? 

I recommend you read this one because it is very, very good and so is the ending!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 are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during April to Paralyzed Veterans of America.

"Nothing to Envy--Ordinary Lives in North Korea" by Barbara Demick

Nothing to Envy--Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick tells the true story of six people who lived in North Korea in the late 90s  (if you call this living).  What an eye-opening account to me of what life is like there.  For example, ". . . dogs in China ate better than doctors in North Korea." (p. 220)  I can't say enough good things about this book!  I really got a sense of what these people went through day to day and will never forget it!  If you read this, it will certainly make you glad you live in the USA!  It's fantastic!
(Gerard's review:  100 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!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during April to Paralyzed Veterans of America.