"Before and After" by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate

Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate is the sequel to Before We Were Yours.  From 1920 to 1950 Georgia Tann ran a black market baby business at the Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis.  This book tells the true stories of some of those people who want to have a reunion of sorts and get connected to their real birth parents and siblings.  The stories these people tell are heart breaking and very interesting.  If you read Before We Were Yours, you have to read this one as well!  It is so good and full of hope!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Winners" by Fredrik Backman

The Winners by Fredrik Backman is the last of the three books about Beartown and its hockey team.  Beartown and their rival, Hed, still hate each other.  Beartown is really good and plans to shut down Hed from playing hockey again.  There is so much stuff that goes on in this that it would take too long to explain it all.  I will just say I got to know the characters very well.  I think this is a great series and this book is as good as the first two--Beartown and Us Against You.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

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"Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance" by Alison Espach

Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach deals with two teen sisters--Sally and Kathy.  They both like Billy, a well-known boy at the local high school.  One day all three are in the same car when an accident happens.  One of the sisters is killed and Billy will never be what he wants to be.  Can the other sister pick up the pieces?  

When this book was clean, it was very good, but for some reason, the author had to put smut into it which ruined it for me.  (Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)  

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"The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah is One We Both Liked a Lot!

You can count on Kristin Hannah books being good and The Four Winds is one of them!  In this one, she highlights the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era.  Elsa is kicked out by her family after she got knocked up by a farmer boy.  They got married and lived with his parents on their farm.  Elsa learned farming and loved her husband, but when the drought came with the dust storms, he couldn't handle it and left her and their two young children to try to find work in California.  

This book is really good!  I loved the character interaction all the way through.  Elsa was a great character who carried the book.  She had low self-esteem but turned out to be very brave for her children.  I would have liked a different ending, but still loved the book.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 7/7/21:

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is historical fiction about the struggle of farmers in America during the Great Depression and the big dust storms in the plains.  Many farmers left their land to try to find jobs in California where they thought they could find work.  Elsa, Rafe and her two kids Loreida and Anthony work on a farm in Texas with Rafe's parents.  When a long drought comes causing the crops and animals to die, Rafe leaves on his own for California.  When circumstances get even worse, Elsa has no choice but to leave with her kids as well.  Will Elsa find work?  Will she and her kids make it to California?  Will she find Rafe one day?  Will Rafe's parents be able to save the farm?  

This is a good book that made me appreciate all I have and how easy my life is compared to what people had to deal with during the Great depression.  I felt the characters were real people and cared about them.  This is a sad story about what love is and its importance.  I couldn't help but wonder how this book would end and was satisfied with the ending.  This book certainly opened my eyes and heart to the poor people who live in poverty.  I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction dealing with survival. 

This book reminded me of The Children's Blizzard because both dealt with children trying to survive the elements, but I liked this one better because of the writing and because there is more action in it.  (5 stars)

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Loved "Keeping Lucy" by T. Greenwood

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood is based on a true story.  Ginny gives birth to a baby girl and names her Lucy.  At birth, the doctor tells her that her daughter is going to be a special needs child.  Her husband's father is a very rich and influential person.  He finds a way to keep Lucy out of sight and hopefully out of mind for Ginny.  But, things get out of control and Ginny goes to get her child back--this time for keeps! 

I was into this book from page 1.  This book rang true to me.  The story flowed along well and I enjoyed Ginny very much!  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 9:  "This is all a terrible mistake," she said, yanking her hand from his and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed to get up.  Her head felt swimmy and she could still taste the acrid vomit at the back of her throat.

Happy Reading!

"Hearts of Fire" by the voice of the martyrs--8 co-authors

Hearts of Fire is a compilation of the stories of the faith and persecution of eight women in the Underground Church. This is non-fiction and eye-opening, thought provoking and inspirational. I didn’t realize before I read this book the persecution of Christians is so prevalent around the world. The stories were heartbreaking but al showed how costly it is to be a Christian in some places and how we take so much for granted here in the USA. I would recommend this to any Christian.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 21: Once more Adel realized she was the only hostage in sight. She didn’t dare imagine how many of the others had been killed. At that moment she didn’t know which was worse—to be dead or to be held captive by these vicious madmen.


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"A Dog's Way Home" by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron is about Bella, a very good dog who is taken from her home in Denver until her owner, Lucas, can find a new place to live that allows pit bulls.  Unfortunately, Bella sees her opportunity to break out of that yard and head on home to her Lucas the day before he was coming to get her!  It takes her two years to find her way home!  Along the way, she runs into lots of adventures and has several different people who she lives with including doggie foster parents, two gay men, an alcoholic woman, a homeless vet, and a cougar!

I had a hard time getting through this book because it was just so heartbreaking.  I felt so bad for this poor dog and very angry at the animal control guy who was just part of a plot to harass Lucas and Bella.  The only reason I finished it was because the title implies that she does make it home. I liked how there were lots of cats in this story and some parts were pretty funny, such as when Bella discovered what a great place a grocery store is.  I also liked how the VA hospital patients enjoyed Bella which reminded me of how those in the nursing home enjoyed our dog, Abby's, visits when we used to take her every week.  The unfairness of the breed discriminatory law was very upsetting to me.  Anyone could see by her behavior that Bella was not a dangerous dog, nor was she a pure pit bull, but was viewed as one by one guy in animal control.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron is told by Bella, who is a very good dog!  She is pronounced a pit bull by three animal control officers (in spite of being a mix and many others saying she is not a pit bull) and the state she lives in has laws that will not allow her to be a house pet.  She gets separated from her owner and makes it her goal to get back to her person somehow.  I enjoyed this book very much.  Bella tells the story quite well and it has a great ending!
(Gerard's review 8/6/17, 5 stars)

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"Beyond the High Blue Air" by Lu Spnney (Heartbreaking)

In Beyond the High Blue Air by Lu Spnney, Miles is a young man with a bright future ahead of him.  His snowboarding accident changes all that and now his future is bleak to say the least.  This book is written by his mother who details what she and her family went through to see that Miles got the best care he could.

What a gut-wrenching story this is!  I give so much credit to Lu for writing this to share her nightmare with others.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)   

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"Pretending to Dance" by Diane Chamberlain

Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain is the story of Molly, a woman who after a miscarriage, cannot have children and seeks to adopt with her husband, Aiden. They live in San Diego and are looking into an open adoption so the birth mother can still be involved with the child. Molly, having been adopted herself in an open adoption, keeps that from her husband. Molly grew up in North Carolina on a family mountain. Her birth mother lives on the mountain with the rest of Molly’s family and gives Molly dance lessons. Nora, Molly’s adoptive mother, actually has a civil relationship with her husband’s former lover and Molly’s birth mother. Talk about a dysfunctional family, this was it. Molly’s father had MS and Molly was only 14 when he died. Molly is haunted by her past and needs to forgive so she can move on with her life. This book is filled with emotion and is all about relationships and family secrets.

I enjoyed this book very much because it felt so real. The story line about Molly’s childhood is heartbreaking as her father’s illness gets worse and Molly begins rebelling against her parents, going through a coming of age period. There are funny parts that balance out the sad things and touching moments throughout the book. This was a bit of a tear-jerker for me. I think this would make a good book club read and highly recommend it. The part with the father and Molly reminded me a bit of The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I would love to see a sequel to this with Molly’s own family and how that would play out. (Karen's review, 5 stars)


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"Endure" by Sara B. Larson is Heart Wrenching! (Updated)

Endure by Sara B. Larson is the third and final book in the Defy Series which we both highly recommend.   Alexa again has her hands full trying to hold off the enemy and make sure King Damian is safe!  This book is probably the best of the series.  It has tons of action from the outset and the pacing of the book is very good!  I just had to see what was going to happen next!  This is one of the top series that I have ever read!  I LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review 3/19/16:
Endure by Sara B. Larson is not only the third book of the Defy trilogy, but also the best! Good characters are motivated by love and loyalty while evil characters are motivated by greed and power in a struggle to survive. Alexa and Damian’s love story continues on throughout this book and is heartbreaking. Alexa’s fight against Armando and his black sorcerers is amazing! There is lots of action in this book as well as the tender moments of friendship and love.

I loved this last book of the series which is captivating and even made me cry near the end. When Alexa left King Damian after his proposal to rescue her friend, Rylan, I thought she was nuts and was proved to be right! I actually felt she made a very bad decision there and didn’t have as much sympathy for her during her captivity as I otherwise would have. I felt it was her own fault for being so stupid to go back to Dansii with Eljin to save Rylan.

At any rate, this is a very entertaining and adventurous fantasy/clean romance series I highly recommend, especially for anyone new to fantasy. I was never bored and it moved along well. 
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
This series reminded me a lot of THE THRONE OF GLASS series by Sarah J. Mass.  I discuss some differences and similarities in this video:
  



See my reviews of Defy-Book 1 and Ignite-Book #2

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"Under Rose-Tainted Skies" by Louise Gornall

In Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall, Norah is 17 and has accepted that the four walls of her house will be her life.  She cannot possibly go outside and heaven forbid she should come in contact with a stranger.  However, when a new family moves in and a young teen boy notices her, will Norah do something that she could not have imagined she would do or is she just headed for heartache?
This book is based on the author's own experiences.  I enjoyed it because Norah was a fun character and thought the ending was good too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is simply all about a 59-yr-old man called Ove who is brokenhearted because his wife died and he feels useless since he retired.  He is quite a character and is actually a lovable, crotchety old man who lives in a little community that he sort of takes responsibility for.  He desperately wants to join his wife so tries committing suicide, but it seems something always comes up that spoils his plans--life happens in spite of himself.  The more I read, the better I liked Ove.

This book is really good!  I liked Ove so much, partly because he reminded me of my dad and husband in some ways.  The chapters are short and give pictures of different moments in Ove's life jumping back and forth from the present to the past.   There are many tender moments and some funny things as well which makes this book very real to life.  I loved how gradually Ove formed relationships with those around him, even the stray cat who was practically starving and almost died.  This was a tear jerker for me because the ending was so sweet.  I'm sure this is one that I will not soon forget!  I highly recommend it!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Girl In Pieces" by Kathleen Glasgow

In Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow, Charlotte has seen a lot of loss in her 17 years.  She has a way to deal with it but to find out what that is, you will have to read the book!  Now her mom has given up on her, but she gets a chance to start fresh.  How does she do?

I really enjoyed watching Charlotte grow as this book went along to a real nice ending.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

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"The One Man" by Andrew Gross is FANTASTIC!

In The One Man by Andrew Gross, a man has escaped after the Nazis have killed his family.  He is safe and is working to help the war effort to defeat the Germans, but would love to do more.  One day he is offered the chance to do just that, but this mission is next to impossible to pull off.

WOW!  You talk about a page turner--this book is FANTASTIC!  I flew through it!  The story is that good and the writing is outstanding!  This would make a very good movie.  LOVED IT!  A must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

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"November 9" by Colleen Hoover--a WOW Romance (We Both Liked This One!)

November 9 by Colleen Hoover I really a captivating romance novel.  From the beginning, I figured Fallon and Ben would get together but what a journey they have!  They meet when they are 18 on November 9 at a restaurant when Ben pretends to be her boyfriend, slides in next to her and joins in the conversation she is having with her father about her going to New York.  Her father is trying to discourage her from going back to acting and Ben defends her and encourages her to go for it in spite of the scars she has from being in a fire.  Ben and Fallon agree to meet again on November 9, same time, same place for the next 5 years and see where things go.  However, they also do not exchange phone numbers and block each other on all the social media sites so they cannot have any contact except on November 9. 

The witty dialogue and the alternate points of view allowing the reader to know what each of the main characters is thinking makes November 9 a very fun read!  I enjoyed the book very much and liked both Fallon and Ben, but I liked Ben better (Fallon seemed kind of slutty and mean to me).  I thought Fallon had a tendency to over react and was a bit mean at times by not giving Ben a chance to explain himself.  As I read, something seemed off with Ben which provided some mystery and the surprise twist in the book!   I was so glad that this book moved along to all their November 9 meetings rather than showed us what they were both up to all year long.  I also liked their book discussions and how the author developed and organized this novel in such a cool way.  For me, the swearing throughout was a big turn off to me and I also did not care for the premarital sex scenes and how quickly Fallon allowed Ben to paw her up.  Because of that, I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

November 9 starts off with Fallon Having an argument with her father in a restaurant. Ben over hears and takes it upon himself to enter and sit with Fallon and aid her in the discussion.  If I say anything else, it would spoil it for you.  What I can say is that this book is FANTASTIC!  In my opinion, it is Colleen Hoover's best book!  The characters of Ben and Fallon are so good!  The writing is easy to follow and flows along nicely leading to the twists and turns near the end.  WOW!  I felt a lot of emotion in this book for both Ben and Fallon.  This is absolutely a "Must Read" I highly recommend!  There is so much to discuss about this one too!
(Gerard's review 8/3/16, 5++ stars)

We also liked SLAMMED and CONFESS by Colleen Hoover.

Here is my favorite Booktuber's review of this that really got me interested in it:

So, if you read this book, who did you like better and why--Fallon or Ben?

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"The Memory Book" by Lara Avery is Heartbreaking

In The Memory Book by Lara Avery, you meet Sammie McCoy.  She is a young girl with big plans and has worked really hard to graduate at the top of her class.  Now she wants to go to college in New York and make something of her life.  Unfortunately, she has a health problem involving her brain.  She writes everything down because soon she won't remember things and doesn't want to forget.

WOW!  What a fantastic book!  I really enjoyed Sammie right from page 1!  She is far from perfect, but then, none of us are.  With great writing, this is the kind of book you will long remember. 
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Second Chance Summer" by Morgan Matson is a Touching Story we Both Loved!

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson is a wonderful YA novel about tenderness, family relationships, love and dealing with Cancer.  When the husband and father of three is diagnosed with stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, he gets his family to spend the summer at their cottage again by the lake that they haven't been to in five years.  Taylor, the 17-yr.-old daughter is reluctant to go back because of her broken friendships.  It even has a dog in it!


This is a very good story about mending friendships, overcoming fears and being real with people.  The bond between Taylor and her dad is beautiful and reminded me so much of the special relationship I had with my parents.  The writing is conversational and told from Taylor's point of view.  It was interesting to see how she grows as a person through the book and gets to know her whole family better.  Her relationship with Henry is very sweet and this is a very touching story.  In some ways it is similar to The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.  If you liked that, I think you would also like Second Chance Summer.  It really touched me because I knew a couple sisters whose father died of Pancreatic Cancer in a very short time.  I also couldn't help reliving the deaths of my own parents, although I was fortunate to have had them much longer than Taylor had her dad in this book.  I loved this book too--a great emotional read!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson is about a family where the father receives medical news that is not good.  Consequently, the family decides to go to a summer cottage that they have but have not been to for a while.  Taylor, the oldest daughter, is not big on this.  The last time she spent there, she left on not so good terms with some friends she had there. 

I loved the character of Taylor.  She was so good but that is not to say the other characters were bad.  I enjoyed them all!  I was always happy to get back to this book.  It is a very emotional read, especially at the end.  The writing is excellent!  In short, I LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review on 5/16/16, 5++ stars)

If you still aren't sure you want to read this book, watch this video by Jesse the Reader which is what convinced us to read it:

 

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"When the Moon is Low" by Nadia Hashimi

When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi is a heartbreaking story about Fereiba and her family in Afghanistan.  Part 1 of the book is her childhood and her life in Afghanistan growing up and her marriage to Mahmoud, a good man who was an engineer, and their three children.  Part 2 focuses mostly on Saleem, her 15-yr.-old son and their journey to England after her husband was killed by the Taliban.  He felt the responsibility to be the man of the house and then got separated from his family in Greece on their way to England to live with Fereiba's sister.

This book kept my interest all the way through.  It shows how tough the life of a refugee is and my heart just goes out to them.  I liked Fereiba who always felt like an outsider and had a very hard life except for a short time.  I found myself pulling for Saleem in the second part of the book which showed how three different women helped him along the way and how encouraging that was for him.  I was a bit disappointed that the ending was sort of open, but I guess that was better than a sad ending.  I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in what it is like to be a refugee or Muslim.  It was an eye-opening story for me to understand how not all Muslims are extremists.  It even has some discussion questions in the back for book clubs to use.  It's very good!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)



Tweet by Karen:

Reaching the Unreached-MENA https://t.co/cbMY4fQUHp donated after reading WHEN THE MOON IS LOW 

— Karen Zemek (@kzemek) May 14, 2016

Here is a link to donate to help refugees in Greece through Samaritan's Purse
Here is a link to donate to help refugees through World Vision



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"Always Watching" by Chevy Stevens

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens is about a Psychiatrist, Nadine, whose bad childhood memories are stirred up when she gets a patient who left the same commune she was in, although it has a new name and advertises as a spiritual retreat place. Nadine feels the need to report what happened to her in the commune and hope the cops will arrest the leaders and get “The River of Life Spiritual Center” shut down to keep others from being hurt. Nadine also has a teenage daughter who ran away, got into drugs, and lives on the streets. All Nadine wants is for her daughter, Lisa, to be happy and longs for her to come back home. Her biggest fear is that the cult-like commune will get her daughter comes true.

I liked this book okay, but not as much as I liked this author’s other books. It just moved a little slow for my taste and was pretty predictable. Mostly was sad with what I thought was an unrealistic ending. It has a lot of flashbacks showing the memories Nadine had buried from her past. Nadine’s relationship with her daughter was heartbreaking. The last quarter of the book has the most action and suspense which I liked the most.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

See my reviews of her other books:
That Night - great, both liked!
Those Girls - both liked
Never Knowing - great! (In both of our top favorites for 2011)
Still Missing - both liked! (One of Gerard's top favorites in 2011)

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"In Wilderness" by Diane Thomas

In Wilderness by Diane Thomas, Katherine receives word from her doctor that her time is short, so decides to move to an isolated cabin to spend the time she has left. However, she is not alone. A Vietnam vet suffering from PTSD, Danny who is 20 years old, lives up there too. These two people that are pretty much lost to the rest of the world.

This book is told by both Katherine and Danny. Even though there is not a lot of action, I just had to see how this would all play out so kept me reading. I was riveted by both of them. It is well worth your time.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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