"From the Ashes" by Jesse Thistle - A memoir of a life surviving the streets

From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle is a true story, and what a story it is!  Jesse tells how he grew up and it was far from the ideal childhood.  In his teen years and beyond, he made some wrong choices and suffered the consequences.  It is inspirational because he turned his life around.  This was a very honest book and I enjoyed it.  He told his story very well and I think anyone would like this book!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Mrs. Grey" by Rachel Wesson (Book 12 in Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Series)

Mrs. Grey: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Book 12 by Rachel Wesson is about how the sheriff and Loreana Grey get together. There is some tension between the Irish workers and the former slaves who have set up camp just outside of town as well as some old grudges from the Civil War between those who fought for the north and those who fought for the south.

I was disappointed in this book because I really liked Mrs. Grey but her character seemed to be watered down in this book. It also wasn’t about a mail order bride so don’t know why it was included in this series. I liked other books in this series much better. This one lacked the humor and interest that others had.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)

Teaser at Kindle Loc. 66-67: The former slaves and their families had been having a hard time in Denver and welcomed the chance to come to Clover Springs. The two groups of men had set up camp just outside of town.

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!

"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.”

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!

"Christmas in Clover Springs" by Rachel Wesson (Book 8)

Christmas in Clover Springs by Rachel Wesson is Book 8 of the Clover Springs Mail Order Brides series. This one is about Alecia and how she realized what she had been taught to believe about people was not right. She came from Boston to Clover Springs by a chance meeting with Father Malloy on the train. One kind deed changed her life completely for the better.

I read this in one morning! I liked how Alecia and Father Malloy brought 30 more orphans to Clover Springs. This was predictable, but I still enjoyed it very much. I liked seeing how Alecia’s prejudice fell away once she got to know people and re-evaluated her beliefs. I also liked the surprise twist at the end.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from Kindle location 1001-2: She smiled slightly. Her mama would have swooned if she knew her only daughter stood in the middle of a school yard covered in mud from head to toe conversing with an Indian.


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 Sun Does Shine--How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row" by Anthony Ray Hinton

This book tells the true story of Ray Hinton, who found himself on death row for a crime he did not commit!  Most of this book is very depressing.  He even had evidence that he did not do it, but it was ignored.  No one paid any attention to that.  The last part of this book is uplifting!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review:
The Sun Does Shine—How I found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton is the sad true, but inspirational story of his life. He was wrongfully convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. This book shows his journey of appeals and his imprisonment. It made me more appreciative of my freedom and certainly made me more aware of the injustices that happen in our nation. It is an emotional read, making me feel both sadness and anger. I even cried at one point when he received news that his mother had died. He lost 30 years of his life because of prejudice and he’s not the only one! This is horrible! 

The afterward was especially sobering.  It listed the names of all those who are sitting on death row as of March 2017 by state so the reader can pray for them!  It said that "Statistically, one out of every ten sentenced to death is innocent. This was a shocking statistic to me and one that should put an end to the death penalty." 

This was hard to read because it is a true story of injustice but I’m glad I read it. It speaks to the issue of capital punishment and I think it’s good that people be made aware of how inhumane life on death row is. It was sort of funny how Ray kept his sanity and sense of humor while locked up wrongly all those years by using his imagination. I recommend adults and teens read this book.  (5 stars)


Teaser from first page of the forward:

He resisted mightily the notion that he was arrested, charged, and wrongly convicted because of his race, but he ultimately couldn’t accept any other explanation. He was a poor man in a criminal justice system that treats you better if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent.

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 WAITING" by Suzanne Woods Fisher--A Beautiful Amish Romance

The WAITING by Suzanne Woods Fisher topped The CHOICE!  In The Waiting, Jorie King, the main character who helps her grandparents on their Amish horse farm and agrees to teach school finally finds love.  This is a great story that focuses on one particular Amish family, the Zooks.  The oldest, Cal is left with his young daughter, Maggie and his three brothers--Ben, Matthew, and Ephraim when his beloved wife dies of Cancer.  Cal stepped up to run the family farm when their parents died.  Issues in this book include life struggles, family issues, faith, education, judging others, relationships and coming of age.

I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading more by this wonderful author.  The romance is clean, the Christian theme runs throughout without being preachy and it's thought provoking.  I cheered out loud at a couple parts--once when Cal through Ben's medications into the garbage and when the test results came back for Jorie's 8th graders.  Ephraim was my favorite character. 
(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!

"Night Train" by Clyde Edgerton

Night Train by Clyde Edgerton tells the story of two young boys in the south, one white, and one black, who are really into music and play in a band.  The story kind of hops around.  It is a quick read but not much substance.  I liked it all right, but can't recommend you read this one.
(Gerard'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!

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"Mudbound" by Hillary Jordan: LOVED IT! (UPDATED)

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is historical fiction that reminded me of The Help but is a much faster read. I LOVED this one even more than When She Woke, the first book I read by Hillary Jordan. Mudbound tells the story of a black family and a white family living in the deep south in the early 1940s. The black family are the sharecroppers on the white family's land. The characters are likable and well developed. It has a really good ending and would make a fantastic movie!

If you liked The Help by Kathryn Stockton, you will love this book too!  I highly recommend this one!
(Gerard's Review)

Karen's review:
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is a book that drew me into the characters.  It is historical fiction during 1946 about a black and a white man coming home from war to Mississippi to help their families on the farm.  I had no idea what this book was about from the title, but “Mudbound” is the name of the farm Henry bought out of the blue without even consulting his wife, Laura.  She is the one who named the farm because she felt trapped there.  Through great story telling by all the characters, the reader discovers the tragic story behind Pappy’s death.

Although I did not like the offensive language, it was a part of history and was used appropriately in conveying the unfairness the Blacks faced every day.  Mudbound is very well written and had lots of good passages in it.  I had a hard time choosing a teaser!  I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it if you like books with some depth that cause you to really take an interest in the characters.  I agree with Gerard that it would make a good movie.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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