"Where The Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens -- WOW!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is the coming of age story of Kya, a lonely, abandoned, abused girl who lived in a Marsh in North Carolina. It is a murder mystery and a love story as well. This is an amazing emotional read that starts out slow but picks up as it goes along. It has much sadness but some high points are mixed in. In a way, it is a rags to riches story. There were a lot of heartbreaking events and yet Kya proved to be very strong, overcoming great obstacles with very little help from others. She was definitely a “lone wolf” until as a teenager, the loneliness caused her to make some poor choices.

All I can say is WOW, what a book! This is well written and reminded me of To Kill a Mocking Bird. It includes lots of information about nature and is a remarkable story about how a girl who only attended school one day in her whole life, became a well-recognized author. I especially liked the courthouse cat, Sunday Justice, who befriended Kya. I would recommend this as a book club read because of the many issues it raises.
(Karen’s review 2/15/19, 5 stars)

Gerard's review, 2/18/19:
In Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Kya is the last one left of her family.  First her mom left, then her brother and sisters left.  Her pa was the last to leave, but she found a way to survive in their shack in the marsh.  Two young men came into her life during her teen years.  When an incident happens though, Kya is once again all alone and her fate is in other people's hands.

This is a pretty good book!  Kya is a great character and I enjoyed how she got along so well by herself.  More action though would have been nice, but the pacing of this book made up for that.  (5 stars)

Teaser from page 16: “If anybody comes, don’t go in the house. They can get ya there. Run deep in the marsh, hide in the bushes. Always cover yo’ tracks; I learned ya how. And ya can hide from Pa, too.”

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"Will's Red Coat--The Story of One Old Dog Who Chose to Live Again" by Tom Ryan (UPDATED)

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story about Tom who lives a simple life in the mountains of New Hampshire with his two Schnauzers, Atticus and Will.  It is the story of how his dogs helped him become a better person and how he helped his dogs, especially Will who was an older rescue dog in bad shape with biting and incontinence issues that no one else wanted.  

This book has a wonderful theme:  old age is not a disease and it's never too late to love or receive love.  I enjoyed the parts about his dogs and the wildlife, especially the bear who became their friend.  I really liked the nature parts of this book where he included the reader on his hikes through the forests and mountains.  Sometimes though, he went off on tangents about his beliefs and philosophy which I found boring and thought distracted from the story.  Of course, I cried when one of his dogs had to be put down.  It just brought back the feelings I felt when I had to put down several cats.  That is why I gave this book only 3 stars.
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review 11/13/17, 5 stars:

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story which makes it that much better!  Will is an old dog.  Most people think it does not have much time left, but Tom decides to take him in.  His friends did not think this was a wise choice.

This book is a story of love!  If you are a dog lover, this book is one you will love reading.  I give credit to Tom for writing this book about his dog!

Teaser from page 17:  "No.  I meant what would you have me do if you were the one who was old, in pain, alone, and had no place to call home?"

This is the second book I read by this author.  The first one was Following Atticus, which I also loved.

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!

"H Is for Hawk" by Helen MacDonald"

H Is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald tells a true story and what a story it is!  Helen is trying to deal with the unexpected passing of her father.  She has always had an interest in hawks and falcons that she picked up from her dad.  She decides to try to tame a Goshawk--a pretty hard if not next to impossible task!  She named it Mabel.

My favorite parts of this book is when she trains and connects with the hawk, not that other parts were bad though, far from it!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Rascal" by Sterling North (Updated)

Image from Amazon

Rascal by Sterling North is about a young boy who after his dog digs up a raccoon’s nest, takes a baby raccoon for a pet and names it Rascal.  This is a fun read for young readers and older people who are young at heart.  Rascal and his young owner, Sterling, get into all kinds of mischief.  I enjoyed it very much!  
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review, 3 stars:
Rascal by Sterling North is a cute read about a 12-yr.-old boy and his pet raccoon during World War II.  It has some very funny parts and when he goes camping for two weeks, I felt I was right there with him.  This isn't by any means a page turner though and parts of it seemed to drag a bit, but it's short and I enjoyed the connection the boy had with the raccoon.  I enjoyed the illustrations as well.  

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"The Eagle Christian" by Kenneth Price

The Eagle Christian by Kenneth Price is a short read all about Eagles and how Christians are like them.  I enjoyed the photographs of eagles the most.  It contains many interesting facts about eagles as well, the king of birds.  There are 16 chapters each talking about one characteristic. 

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!