"The Book of Dreams" by Nina George

In The Book of Dreams by Nina George, Henri has not been too much of a dad to Sam.  That will change today since Sam him to a father-son event at his school!  Henri is on his way but is involved in an accident and is in a coma at the hospital.  While Sam is visiting him he takes an interest in a young girl his age, Madelyn.  She is also in a coma.  Also at the hospital visiting Henri is Eddie, who has to confront her love for Henri. 

Who is Madelyn?  What is her story and why the interest from Sam?  Does Eddie really love Henri?  Do Madelyn and Henri come out of their coma?  I thought this was a wonderful book!  I was into it early and the author really made me care about the characters!  Put this on your TBR list!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Teaser from page 7:  All of a sudden I feel very weak and lose my balance.  Incapable of standing upright, I stagger out into the road.  The little girl screams.

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"Stolen Marriage" by Diane Chamberlain

In Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain, during 1943-1955, Tess is engaged to her childhood friend, Vincent.  Tess and Vincent are both devout Catholics in Maryland, and look forward to working together, he as doctor and she as nurse.  However, when a polio epidemic breaks out in Chicago, Vincent, a fine doctor goes to help.  A couple weeks turns into many and although they write, Tess gets impatient for his return.  Her girlfriend, Gina, whose husband is off at war talks Tess into taking a short fun trip to Washington, D.C. and staying at her aunt's little tourist hotel.  Then something happens that changes everything and throws a monkey wrench into her life!  She gets drunk and a total stranger takes her virginity!  She feels so ashamed and then a couple months later discovers she is pregnant!  Will she and Vincent still get married?  What will she do about the baby?  Will she even get her nursing license?  You'll have to read the book to find out, I'm not telling.

I liked this book and felt bad for Tess.  There are a lot of well-developed characters that become a part of Tess' life and there are a lot issues happening in this book including inter-racial marriage, family secrets, grief, relationships, acceptance, love and the amazing story of how Hickory, North Carolina volunteers got a Polio hospital built and functioning in just 54 hours that is based on true events. This is a good story that I think would be a good read for a book club.  I am giving it 4 stars just because I enjoyed other books by Diane Chamberlain more.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 33:  The night before came back to me in a rush and I kept my eyes squeezed tightly closed in regret.  What had I done?  I'd made love--no, I'd had sex--with a stranger.  Oh, to be able to take it all back!

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"Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult is Thought Provoking--A Must Read! (UPDATED)

 Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult is a contemporary fiction about racism that is absolutely very thought provoking and educational.  It is about Ruth, a black nurse, who is charged with murder and negligence because the newborn, the son of white supremacist parents, that she was watching over dies.  Ruth is a widow with a son who is a high school honor-student.  

There are so many good scenes in this book!  It started a little slow for me with all the baby deliveries at the beginning, but that just was a small part and soon moved along.  That was just to show what a good nurse Ruth was and that she really loved her job.

This is such a remarkable story that helped me look at blacks in a whole different light.  I never realized before reading this how it really is to be black.  I would love to hear a black person's views about this book!  I really did not enjoy the chapters about Turk and Brit, the parents of the baby who died because they were horrible people!  I really liked the chapters about Ruth's public defender, Kennedy and the chapters about Ruth.  In typical Picoult style, chapters are written from different characters' points of view.  I felt the characters were well developed and the plot had an unexpected twist that shocked me!  I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone--must read.  It has lots of great lines and the author used the experiences of some real people that she interviewed to get a feel for what it's really like to be black in the United States.  I loved the surprise ending!  Must Read! 
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

My husband and I both loved this one, here's his review:

In Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, Ruth Jefferson is a delivery nurse in a small hospital.  She has been one for 20 years and is very good at it.  One night a newborn baby is having serious problems and Ruth is left alone with the baby.  The baby is white, and Ruth is black, with orders not to touch this baby.  When the baby dies, the parents blame Ruth!  Did she do something to the baby or did she try to save it?

WOW!  This book is GOOD!  This story is true to life and the characters are well developed.  The trial part alone is worth reading for sure but I enjoyed the whole book!  A must Read!!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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Shared this with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop - the prompt was share a book review.  I was pleased to see she is reading many of the books we have recommended and loved!

"Stay Where You Are and Then Leave" by John Boyne

In Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne, as the first World War rages on, Alfie thinks that his father died to the war. As the war continues, Alfie learns something that changes everything. Even though Alfie is a very young boy, he must take on a man's job.

I thought this book was very good!  I enjoyed the character of Alfie very much and the story moved along well. 

(Gerard's review 6/25/16, 5 stars)

Karen's review, 4 stars:
This is a sweet story about a boy's love for his dad during World War I.  The boy, Alfie, lives in London and is only five years old, wanting to join his dad on the milk run.  The father volunteers to fight in the war but writes regularly.   The mother keeps telling the boy his dad is on a secret mission and can't write home which makes Alfie think his father may be dead.  One day when Alfie is making money shining shoes, he discovers that his father is actually in a hospital.  Alfie takes on a secret mission of his own for love.

This is a good read and I enjoyed it.  It goes very fast because it is a children's book, but Alfie is a very brave and loving, caring boy who I liked very much.  Although this book takes place during the war, the focus is on those who are not fighting and so there is hardly any violence at all. 

We have enjoyed two other books by this author too and recommend them all:  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain. 

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"Seven Patients" by Atul Kumar

Seven Patients by Atul Kumar is a third-year medical thriller narrated by Raj Mok, a medical student who is learning at a hospital.  This is a work of fiction, kind of like a hospital TV show with a lot of drama and extreme cases.  Basically, it's a collection of hospital horror stories.  I found it to be entertaining and thought provoking.  Doctors have a lot of power!  I read this on on my Kindle and it had a lot of medical terms that I was unfamiliar with which became a bit annoying; however, the terms were usually explained.  This book explores some ethical issues that doctors probably face. 

I was surprised this book got so many really negative reviews.  If you are looking for great writing or good literature, this one is not it.  However, if you love medical drama and want to get a feel what medical students go through, then I think you might enjoy this book if you can overlook poor editing.   
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"Five Days at Memorial" by Sheri Fink (non-fiction about Hurricane Katrina)

Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink tells the true story of Memorial Hospital in New Orleans five days during Hurricane Katrina.  It is an outstanding read!  This book is in two parts:  (1) the first part deals with the hospital and the action the doctors and nurses took; (2) the second part deals with the aftermath of their decisions.  Both parts are excellent!  I enjoyed this book very much!  If you want a good non-fiction read, this is a must!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

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