"Inventions of the Heart" by Mary Connealy

Inventions of the Heart by Mary Connealy is the second in the Lumber Baron's Daughters series and is full of excitement and fighting.  This book focuses on the eldest daughter, Michelle who majors in machines and inventions.  She finds herself a husband and no just Jilly is single.  I am enjoying this series very much and pretty much flying through it.  I recommend it to those who enjoy historical Christian romance. (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Element of Love" by Mary Connealy

It's been quite a while since I read a book.  Since my last cat crossed the bridge, reading just isn't as pleasurable for me.  I loved having my cat sit next to me or lay on my lap as a read and I really miss that.  Last week though, with the icy weather and cold temperatures, I picked up The Element of Love by Mary Connealy that had been sitting on my "to read" shelf for over a year now.  I enjoyed it very much and am glad I started reading again.  This is a Christian historical fiction story about three sisters--Laura, Jilly and Michelle who are carrying out a plan to oust their cruel evil stepfather from their home and protect their mother from further abuse.  It is set in California during 1972.  I liked it because I was intrigued by the three sisters right off the bat and the book begins with adventure and action from the start.  Their father owned a logging company and taught each of the girls skills to run it someday so they can take over the business.  They become owners when either they reach age 25 or when they get married.  They don't want to wait until 25 so they go off to find themselves husbands.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Whale Fall" by Elizabeth O'Connor

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor is a short story about a young girl who lives on a remote isle.  One day visitors come and she is given a chance to leave her home and everything that she knows.  This was okay, a short story with a good ending.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is based on the true story of the life of Martha Ballard who was a midwife that helped women deliver their babies.  Martha is called when a man accused of rape is found dead in a river.  Someone says otherwise and Martha must decide if she got it right so investigates the murder on her own.  This book is pretty good but could use more action.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Shelterwood" by Lisa Wingate

1.    

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is based on a true story about little children and women who protected them from lord barons who tried to exploit them for their own sake.  This book has a good storyline and plenty of action.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Women" by Kristin Hannah

The Women by Kristin Hannah is about a Frances, a young girl, who has a special bond with her brother.  When he went to fight in Vietnam, she saw how proud her father was of him.  She wanted to make her dad proud too, so she joined the Army as a nurse.  That is when her whole life changed.  

This is a fantastic book!  The author paints a picture of how the war looked and the people who were there.  Frances was a great character.  You owe it to yourself to read this book.  I ordered it through the library and it was worth the wait!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Winter Orphans" by Kristin Beck

The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck is based on a true story.  These type of books are always special to me.  This one tells the story of brave women who were able to keep children away from the Germans who wanted to take them to work camps.  The kids in the book were very brave also.  I enjoyed this book very much!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"We Must Not Think of Ourselves" by Lauren Grodstein

We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein is historical fiction.  When Hitler took over, he locked a number of Jews in what became known as the Warsaw Ghetto.  Adam is offered the chance to join people who are writing about this so that people will know what is happening.  This was a hard book to read because of the terrible things these people went through.  I liked the interviews the best.  It's an amazing story!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Nature of Fragile Things" by Susan Meissner is Thrilling Historical Fiction

In The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner, an Irish woman comes to America to marry a man she has never met and knows nothing about.  That is just one of the multiple storylines in this book, all of which were interesting.  You will be engaged and get lost in this wonderful book.  There is lots of action and plenty of twists and turns.  Do not miss this one, it's a must read!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review Jan. 23, 2022:

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner is the story of a mail order bride from Ireland coming to San Francisco to marry a widower and become a mother to his 7-yr.-old daughter shortly before the great earthquake of 1906.  The full story unfolds slowly, but there is enough action along the way to keep the reader interested.  Sophie answers Martin Hocking's ad for a wife and mother because she is not happy living in bad conditions in New York and wants a home and a child to love.  Martin wants a wife to keep up appearances and to care for his daughter when he's away on business.  It is a loveless marriage purely of convenience.  This book is very good!  It is about family secrets, fraud, friendship and love.  (5 stars)

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"The Sky Over Rebecca" by Matthew Fox

The Sky Over Rebecca by Matthew Fox is a light, enjoyable middle grade novel.  Kara sees a snow angel by the lake but no footprints.  She decides to investigate and there starts the adventure of her life.  This book has a good storyline, good action and good characters with a good ending.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Small Mercies" by Dennis Lehane

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane takes place the summer in Boston before black and white kids are bussed so they can go to school together.  A white girl goes missing and a black teen boy is killed by a train under mysterious circumstances.  This is a good book.  The main characters were developed very well!  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"West With Giraffes" by Lynda Rutledge

West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge is based on true story how two giraffes went on a 12-day road trip to the San Diego zoo just as World War II was about to start.  An old man tells the story, and what a story it is!  I enjoyed this because it has a good storyline and some good fiction with a good ending.  This was recommended to me by a friend from pickleball.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Arctic Fury" by Greer Macallister is Outstanding!

The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister is historical fiction at its best!  It is about 12 women who come together to go on a secret rescue mission to the Arctic and the trial when not all 12 return.  I thought this book was outstanding!  I was into it from page 1.  The writing is good and the characters were very believable.  It switches between the mission and the trial with a very good ending!  Do not miss this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)    

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My Weird School FAST FACTS Series by Dan Gutman

Explorers, Presidents, and Toilets by Dan Gutman is a FAST FACTS series book that I found extremely interesting and filled with fun facts about U.S. history.  I learned new things in an enjoyable way and highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about U.S. history, including the history of toilets!  (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Dogs, Cats, and Dung Beetles by Dan Gutman is a FAST FACTS series book I found to be informative and funny!  It is filled with interesting fun facts about all sorts of animals as well as some jokes throughout the book.  I especially enjoyed the chapter on presidents’ pets.  Arlo and Amanda both alternate sharing facts in a fun way.  I highly recommend this book to any animal lover.  (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Sports by Dan Gutman if a FAST FACTS series book I found to be interesting and funny.  Arlo and Amanda both alternate sharing facts as in the other books in this series.  Most sports are covered, but I noticed pickleball was not included. I especially liked the baseball and basketball facts, but enjoyed the whole book.  I liked that at the end it encourages kids to search the internet for their own weird facts about a subject that interest them.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Dinosaurs, Dodos, and Woolly Mammoths by Dan Gutman is a FAST FACTS series book that I skipped because I just am not interesting in reading about dinosaurs and other extinct animals.  I included it here because it is part of this series.

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"The Diamond Eye" by Kate Quinn

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn is based on a true story.  Mila Pavlichenko lives a quiet life.  She works at the library and looks after her son.  The war changes that and she turns into a deadly sniper!  This is good stuff!!  I enjoyed the story line and Mila is a great character!  This has good action and and exciting ending.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Lady's Mine" by Francine Rivers is a Great Read!

The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers is an excellent read about a Boston woman being sent to a little mining town out west to claim her uncle's inheritance.  She causes quite the stir when she restarts publishing the newspaper her uncle wrote in spite of being old she was a woman and shouldn't do it.  Just like she pursued starting up a mining operation at the mine she inherited.  Although she is determined never to marry, several men would like to change her mind about that!  

I enjoyed this book very much!  It is well written and moves along with a good mix of action, interesting characters, humor, mystery and romance.  Some lines made me laugh out loud!  It addresses the issue of women's rights and shows how people can bring about change to a community.  I had a hard time putting it down and always looked forward to getting back to it.  This has clean language and no raunchy love scenes.  It even has questions at the end for book club discussions.  I highly recommend this one! (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Last House on the Street" by Diane Chamberlain

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is about Ellie, a teenager during the 60s when civil rights was a very hot topic and the KKK was very active.  Ellie joins SCOPE against her parents' will which is an organization the canvasses Blacks to encourage them to register to vote.  In 2010, Ellie returns home from moving to California to take care of her sick brother and mother.  She meets Kayla, Ellie's ex-boyfriend's daughter and old memories come back.  The truth of what really happened to a Black guy named Win that Ellie fell in love with while working with SCOPE comes out.

This is a heartbreaking story about racial tension in the 60s.  It starts out pretty slow and goes back in forth in time alternately focusing on Ellie and Kayla.  It certainly has some surprising turn of events and shows a very dark part of U.S. history.  I was deeply engrossed in this book, but liked others by this author better.  This is a sad read, but interesting nonetheless.  (Karen's review, 4 stars) 

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"Irena's War" by James D. Shipman

Irena's War by James D. Shipman is based on a true story, and what a story it is!  Irena works as a social worker in Warsaw, Poland.  When the Germans take over, she works out a deal that she will be the head of a food bank.  When she finds out that the Jews are being rounded up, she joins a resistance group to save as many people from the Germans as she can.  

I thought this book was really good.  I could feel the tension as Irena was trying to get people out of Poland to safety.  It has good action and the writing and the ending were well done!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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We Both Liked "This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger takes place in 1932.  Four young children, brothers Albert and Odie, their Indian friend Mose and Emmy, escape from Lincoln Indian Training School in Montana where they were treated badly.  There has to be a better life for them!

I thought this book was really good.  I loved all four kids!  This book kept my attention throughout.  I never knew what was coming next and it has a great ending!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger is historical fiction during the depression.  Four orphans escape from the Lincoln Indian Training School in Montana and head down the river in a canoe to get to the two brothers' aunt who lives in St. Louis.  Odie is Albert's younger brother, almost 13, who narrates the story.  In the book, Odie is a storyteller who plays a harmonica--his most prize possession that his dad gave him.  Albert's purpose in life is to keep Odie safe, but also is a skillful mechanic.  Their best friend is Mose, a Soux Indian who is very big, strong and easy going.  Emmy, the daughter of one of the teachers at the school who loved Odie's stories and whose mother died in a tornado goes with them because the head of the school who took her in is mean.  

This was a great adventure story.  It reminded me sort of Huckleberry Finn since much of it involved traveling in a canoe down a river.  Along the way they encountered many different people and each grew in their own way.  I liked all the kids.  The author did a good job keeping me guessing how this would end.  (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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