"Bear Town" by Fredrik Backman - Loved This One! (Updated)

Bear Town by Fredrik Backman is about how a small town got so wrapped up with their boys’ hockey team having a shot at the championship that it became the town’s priority. This book deals with rape and how people always assume the girl brought it on herself, or deserved it, or wanted it, especially when the accused rapist is a popular, well-liked boy who is captain of their beloved hockey team.

I liked this book because of all the different characters and their interactions with each other. I liked how parenting played a big part in this book as well as the hockey team. It is well written and was never confusing. I got into this right from the start and my views about some of the characters changed for me along the way. My favorite characters were Amat, Peter (the GM), Benji and his sisters, the teacher (“Sweet Cheeks”), and Ramona. I liked the surprise ending too! (Karen's review 5/24/17, 5 stars)

Gerard's review, 5/19/17:
Welcome to Bear Town by Fredrick Backman, author of A Man Called Ove.  Bear Town is a small town that is excited because its junior boys hockey team has a chance to win a championship, but this book is so much more than just hockey!  The writing is fantastic!  The characters in this book are so real that I got sucked in early.  You need to read every page because the author includes so much that you might miss a game changer if you skip parts.  The ending is perfect!  This book will be high on my top book list for 2017--that I know!
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Loved "The One" (Book 3 of The Selection Series) by Kiera Cass

The One by Kiera Cass is the third book in The Selection series and my favorite so far!  In this the action really picks up, Maxon and Aspen form a bond, America's father dies, Maxon finally chooses his princess and it has some surprises and several die.  This is like a roller coaster with happy moments and very sad moments.  My emotions were all over the place.  The relationship developments, the danger at the palace, the plot with the rebels and Maxon's father continuing to knock America out of the competition made this book hard for me to put down.

I am loving this series and so glad I gave it a chance despite the boring covers.  I like both Maxon and America and loved the ending of this one even though it was not what I expected!  I am flying through these books because I am enjoying the characters so much.   What a great book, loving this series!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Elite" by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass is the second book in The Selection series and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first one. This book has some heartbreaking moments surrounding Marlee and the competition gets a bit more interesting with only six girls left. America questions if she actually could be a good princess if she let her feelings for Maxon blossom into love or if she should just pull out and look to a future with Aspen. She really shocks the royal family with her philanthropic presentation on TV and the king really hates her now! Maxon stands up to his father for the first time to protect America and he and America finally have a heart-to-heart talk while hiding together during an attack. Will she trust Maxon? Will she learn when to keep her mouth shut and control her emotions?  As she learns more what is involved in being a princess, she has more doubts but is greatly encouraged when she receives a very sweet letter from her father.

I look forward to reading book 3 and am excited to read all the rest of the books in this series (3 more to go). I really admire America’s courage but hope she can learn to control her emotions better. I love how her maids all adore her and are so eager to make her look good and help her any way they can. This book has lots of good moments but also very sad things with some surprises along the way. I really liked how sweet Maxon when he surprised America at how he handled the Marlee situation.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)
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"Harmony" by Carolyn Parkhurst is About Living in Harmony With Special Needs Kids

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst is about the Hammond family, Josh, Alexandria and their two daughters, Iris and Tilly. Tilly is a 13-yr-old somewhere on the autism spectrum whose “special interest” is statues and who has a quick temper, no filter and is fairly smart with a good imagination. When the mother is near wits end from daily episodes with Tilly, she attends a workshop by Scott Bean for help. She starts listening to his tapes and even arranges a personal consultation. When Tilly gets kicked out of the school for special needs children, the mother suggests to Josh that they consider helping Scott Bean run Camp Harmony – a new endeavor for families with a special needs child. Scott is an educator who gives parents advice and through the summer, different families can attend the camp for a week. Three families agreed to help Scott run it and help with all the chores that need to be done.

This is an interesting and sometimes funny read. I liked it overall and was able to overlook the foul language which was part of Tilly’s problem. Most of the book is told from Iris’s perspective with some chapters interspersed showing Tilly’s thoughts and some that give the background on their family, particularly the mother’s dealings with Tilly, before leaving DC for the camp in New Hampshire. This gives insight into some struggles families with special needs kids may have, but also shows the tender moments too. The ending was sad and quite a shock—not what I expected. My favorite part was the interaction among the kids at the camp and between Tilly and Iris.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Inside the O'Briens" by Lisa Genova (Effects of Huntington's Disease)

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova is about a Catholic Irish family living in Boston.  Joe, a cop, loves his wife, Rosie and his four grown children but starts acting strange.  He is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease (HD) but still tries to do his job without telling anyone.  When he is told it is a genetic disease, he is afraid for his children. 

I finally decided to read this book because my husband kept saying how good it was.  Inside the O'Briens informs the reader about HD through the life of Joe and his family.  We see how it doesn't just affect the person who has the disease, but everyone around him.  I liked Joe and felt sorry for him and his wife, and his son JJ the firefighter and his family; however, I did not care for the other three children much at all.

There is a blood test that can be done to see if a person has HD even before the symptoms show up so the big question in the book for the children is if they want to know.  It is thought-provoking because the reader can't help but question what they would do in this situation.  Would you want to know if you were going to have this disease in your future?  I don't think I would want to know ahead unless I was thinking about having a baby.

I did not care for the rough language throughout the book, nor for the lifestyles of Patrick and Katie which caused me not to like these characters, two of his grown children.  My husband loved this book, but I found it to be sad, depressing and was very disappointed in the ending that left me hanging.  I liked this author's other books much better:  Still Alice and Left Neglected.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

See also my blog post inspired by this book:  Just sayin' We Should be Humane to Humans Too! 

Gerard's review 4/24/15, 5++ stars:
Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova is about Joe, a Boston policeman.  He has been having some health issues and his wife wants him to see a doctor.  He thinks it is nothing, but agrees to go.  It turns out he has Huntington Disease!  You find out all about it when you read this book--trust me, you do not want this disease!  Not only that, but his kids are at risk of getting it too.

Lisa Genova's books are always top notch and this is no exception.  I loved the interaction between Joe and his wife and kids.  This book had me from page 1.  Make sure you read the "Call to Action" part of this book as well.  The ending is perfect!  I LOVED this book and highly recommend it and her other book too:  Still Alice and Left Neglected.

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!

"Shelter" by Jung Yun

Shelter by Jung Yun centers on a man named Kung Cho.  He and his wife have been having money problems for years and with a young son to raise, it is not easy.  But now he has to have his mom and dad move in with him because of a terrible incident.  He never got love from them, but money was never an issue.  Will this new setup work or will a bad situation get even worse? 

I really enjoyed this book a lot!  The interaction between the characters was so good and I really never knew how it was all going to turn out!  The writing was excellent!
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Good Goodbye" by Carla Buckley

The Good Goodbye by Carla Buckley is about two young girls, Arden and Rory.  When they wind up in the same college, it looks like good times are to be had.  Then one day, their parents are told that both girls are in a coma.  When the facts and truth come out as to why they wound up this way, their families will be rocked to their core.

I enjoyed this book.  It moves along and the stories the two girls told was interesting.
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Forgetting Time" by Sharon Guskin is Unforgettable!

I liked The Forgetting Time a debut novel by Sharon Guskin.  Janie knows that nothing comes easy for her with her 4-yr.-old son, Noah, but when his preschool calls her again, she knows it's time to get him some professional help.  Enter Dr. Jerome Anderson, who just received some bad news and knows his time of normal functioning is fading.  When Noah's mom comes to him for help with her son, he sees a last chance to finish his life's work.

I thought this book was very well done.  It kept my interest throughout and had some twists I did not see coming.  Congrats to the author on a great first novel!
 Gerard's review (5 stars)
 
(Karen's review, 4 stars): 
The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin will probably prove to be unforgettable for me! When 4-yr.-old Noah screams his head off if his mother tries to bathe him, has nightmares, says he wants to go home and wants his other mama, and talks about things such as shooting a rifle, going to their beach house, Lord Voldemort and all kinds of lizards he has no way of knowing about, she is at her wits end. She and the psychologists she has taken him to don’t have a clue what is wrong with him or how he knows these things.

Finally, she discovers a psychiatrist who is looking for one more American case to complete his book about the possibility of living more than one life.  Noah becomes his last case before he loses speech altogether as he has just been diagnosed with Aphasia--a rare type of Dementia that affects the language center.  The story is told from different points of view.

This book was interesting but kind of like a contemporary science fiction story about boys and two mothers. It starts off pretty slow but builds along the way to a great ending. I initially thought Noah was just a bratty kid, but liked him as the story opened my understanding as to maybe why he acted as he did.


SPOILER ALERT--STOP IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET! 
I got a bit bored when the author inserted the “cases” for reincarnation from other countries that were not directly related to the main story line; however, when I did an online search for "life before life" I found it to be an actual book that several of the cases were quoted from by Jim B. Tucker.  I was just curious about that.  The Doctor's story runs along with the main story in this book.  I did not like the ending to his story line though.  Although I personally do not believe in reincarnation, I still enjoyed this book.



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!

"I Promised My Dad—An Intimate Portrait of Michael Landon"

I Promised My Dad—An Intimate Portrait of Michael Landon by His Eldest Daughter, Cheryl Landon Wilson with Jane Scovell is about the life of Michael Landon.  I was impressed by how much his daughter knew about his childhood.  By reading this book, I learned many things about Michael Landon that I never knew.  Since I watched him as “Little Joe” in Bonanza and then as Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, I was eager to learn about him as a person.  This book answers the question, What was Michael Landon really like?  It has a lot of interesting things in it but I especially liked his reason for letting his hair grow long—it gave him more confidence and made him feel like he could do anything, like Samson who had great strength when his hair was long.  He was a loving man with a great sense of humor.
(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 Long Way Home" by Lauraine Snelling (last of series)

The Long Way Home by Lauraine Snelling is the third book of “A Secret Refuge” series that kept my attention all the way with excitement and adventure including family drama, traveling with a wagon train, a bear attack, imprisonment, weddings, Indians and establishing a new home.  Although this is Christian fiction, it is not a predictable ending where all the loose ends get tied up.  It is a family saga that emphasizes all are created equal regardless of geographic location or skin color.  This takes place near the end of the Civil War and covers the effect the war had on both the lives of the south, the north and even the west.   

I enjoyed this entire series of light reading and was happy with the ending.  I liked that not all the slaves were mistreated.  My favorite characters in this series were Jesselynn, Thaddeus (her little brother), Meshack (a very smart, strong, Christian former slave) and Wolf (a half breed wagon master).   I highly recommend this series if you enjoy reading about the Civil War era or enjoy Christian fiction that has some depth to it..

 

This is the 8^th book I’ve read this year about the 1800’s during the Civil War era and I would rank it second to Michael Phillips’ Shenandoah Sisters series.
(Karen'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!

"Thank You For Your Service" by David Finkel

Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel is non-fiction focusing on the men and women who fight our country's wars and the toll it takes on them and their loved ones.  It contains very interesting stories and reads like a novel.  It kept my interest throughout.  I can't say it was an enjoyable read, but you should read it if you get a chance to get a glimpse of the sacrifices made and the tragic outcomes in some cases.  
(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!

"The Good Sister" by Wendy Corsi Staub (UPDATED)

The Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub certainly kept my interest.  This is a good story about revenge which incorporates the dangers of social media.  The murderer is so clever and so mean!  Although I figured out who it was, the twist at the end was shocking!  Carly is the older sister who tries so hard to do what is right and be nice but finds herself being bullied at her Catholic school.  Her mother is worried about her when Carly’s ex-best friend commits suicide and then another girl from her school also commits suicide.  This is a creepy mystery I won’t soon forget.  I look forward to reading more books by this author!  We highly recommend this one if you like a good murder mystery. 

(Karen's review posted 12/6/13)

Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub is about a young girl who goes to a private girls school and is bullied.  She finds a friend on the Internet and that is when this book really takes off.  I liked the plot but you will have to read it all the way to the end to figure out what's what!  I enjoyed it very much--kept me turning pages.
(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!

"The Returned" by Jason Mott Fell Flat

The Returned by Jason Mott has a very interesting concept:  dead people come back to life with loved ones being reunited, but how does the government handle this?  The book really fell flat for me.  It had some good parts, but I never really was into it.  I hear it is going to be a TV series so hoping it works better on TV. 
(Gerard's review, 3 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!

"Necessary Lies" by Diane Chamberlain--Good Book Club Read!

This is my favorite of hers yet!

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain is an interesting read about Jane, a good person, but not so good a social worker. Recently married to a pediatrician, Jane insists on becoming a social worker against her husband’s wishes and soon discovers they should not have gotten married. She constantly is at odds with her supervisor over the rules and procedures that conflict with what she believes is the right thing to do. Jane is so dedicated to helping her clients that she puts her marriage and her job at risk. This book addresses several issues: marriage, teenage pregnancy, poverty, sterilization, and can social work.

I loved this book! I felt bad for Robert, Jane’s husband. I enjoyed getting to know Jane’s clients and trying to figure out who the fathers were, and where and when “Ivy and Mary was here” was carved into a closet. This book tugged at my heart but I was relieved when it had a happy ending.  I thought it was really cool how the author included the epilogue as part of the story! This book is both thought provoking and gripping. I highly recommend this one and think it would be a great read for a book club.

Other books I liked by this author:
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes
The Midwife's Confession

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 Dinner" by Herman Koch

The Dinner by Herman Koch is about two married couples who get together to discuss a horrible crime their sons committed. In my opinion, it starts slow but once it focused on the main story, it took off. I loved the ending and thought it was a good read, not great so give it four stars.
(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!

"Revolution 19" by Gregg Rosenblum

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Robots have taken over in Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum. When a family gets separated, the children enter the city to rescue their parents. I enjoyed this book very much! There is lots of action and I found myself cheering on the kids. It goes fast and there is almost certain to be a sequel which I will definitely want to read.
(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!

"The Stonecutter" by Camilla Lackberg - Giveaway

The main story in The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg is about a killing of a 7-yr.-old girl who a fisherman brings up out of the water.  However, there are a ton of other subplots which are all good too!  There is a lot of deception in this book.  It is a 500+ page novel that doesn't feel that long because I got caught up in the story.  I loved the wild ending and that is why I give it 5 stars plus!  I enjoyed it a lot!  It also has discussion questions in the back if you wish to use it for a book club read.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

We will give this one away to whomever comments first saying they would like it with an email address so we can contact you for a mailing address.  

(We received a complimentary copy from the publicist, Simon and Shuster but this did not affect my thoughts about this book.)


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!

"Over The Edge" by Mary Connealy

This is about Seth, the crazy younger brother.  Loved it!

Over the Edge by Mary Connealy is a Christian historical western romance. It is about a romance between Seth and the wife he forgot he had after being hurt in the Civil War, and the son he knew nothing about. Callie is alone in the world with a baby boy so decides to try to track down Seth's brothers to see if they would take her in since she thinks Seth abandoned her and may be dead. When Seth finds her, it's not a happy reunion.

I liked Over the Edge by Mary Connealy because it has a lot of action in it with characters I liked. I loved how the author kept my interest once again with lots of action, adventure, humor and interesting characters. This is another clean historic romance involving cowboys, the third book in The Kincaid Brides series. Mary Connealy is fast becoming one of my favorite romance writers. It's a light, quick fun read but with a Christian flavor and lots of action!


Have you read this series?  Who was your favorite couple?  Rafe and Julia, Ethan and Audra, or Seth and Callie?  Mine was Ethan and Audra. Here are links to my other reviews in this series:  Out of Control and  In Too Deep.
(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!

"In Too Deep" by Mary Connealy

Loved the two main characters, Ethan and Audra

In Too Deep by Mary Conneally is the second book of the Kincaid Brides series. It is about Audra and Ethan who enter a marriage of convenience and both are fearful of caring too much and getting hurt. Audra finds out that her former husband stole a fortune and the guy who he stole it from is coming after her because he thinks she knows where it is. The story takes place during 1866 in Colorado territory. Audra and Ethan have some very humorous conversations and both find courage to face their fears.

I liked this book very much because it was a sweet romance without being racy and still had enough adventure and suspense to peak my interest. The first book of the Kincaid Brides series centered on Ethan’s bossy older brother, Rafe and his wife, Julia who is Audra’s step-daughter. I liked this book much better and give this this 5 stars for good Christian romance. I look forward to reading Over the Edge, the last in the series, about the youngest brother, Seth.

See my review of the first in this series, Out of Control.

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 Shadow Of Your Smile" by Mary Higgins Clark

Disappointing Compared to Some of her Other Ones I Read

The Shadow Of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark didn't appeal to me.  I didn't care for the three murders by three different people because it just made murder seem too easy.  I really liked some of her others, but this doesn't even come close.  I guess when my favorite character gets killed early on by her "long time friend," I lost interest.  The suspense just wasn't enough for me.  It's about a Dr. trying to find out who her father's biological parents were and the family she's related to trying to make sure she doesn't.  Her father was adopted at birth.  I really can't say anymore without giving things away.  It does have a good ending.
(Karen's review)

Others by this author that I recommend instead:  Two Little Girls In Blue & Just Take My Heart & Where Are You Now

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!