"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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Beware of "The Perfect Child" by Lucinda Berry which is WILD and Extremely Sad!

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry is a very sad and depressing read.  If I had known that before, I would not have read this one, but once I started it I got invested in the Hannah, the mother.  This is the story of the family who adopted an abused 6-yr.-old child and the struggles that they encountered.  This book got me riled up and even angry at times.  It's an emotional read with a child far from perfect.  I really don't understand the title.  I would not recommend this one.  (Karen's review, 2 stars)

Gerard's review 11/30/22:
In The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry, a young girl is found who has been mistreated and needs help in the worst way.  Christopher, a surgeon, fixes her up.  He wants to adopt her since the girl has no relatives.  His wife, Hannah, agrees and they take her in.  Is it happy ever after? or the worst decision they ever made?  This book is wild!  The storyline kept my interest.  (4 stars)

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"Dread Locks" by Neal Shusterman is Dreadful

Dread Locks by Neal Shusterman was a dreadful for me.  I enjoyed many of his other books, but this one was too stupid.  The beginning was intriguing but that didn't last for long.  It's about Tara, a lonely teenage girl who turns people to stone and gives Parker her "gift."  I did not care for any of the main characters and really disliked Parker.  The best thing about this book is that it is short so didn't waste too much of my time.  Teens may enjoy it much more than I did though, as that is his primary audience.  Still, I would suggest you read other books by Shusterman instead of this one.  (Karen's review, 2 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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"The Children's Blizzard" by Melanie Benjamin--A Very Sad Story

The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin tells the story of two young prairie school teachers who have to find an answer not found in their school books.  How are they going to get the children left in their care home safe and sound when the weather turns from a warm day into a blizzard?  The author does a very good job of making the reader feel how it was on that day.

This historical fiction book is much more than just that one day.  You really get to know the characters!  I had high hopes for this book going in and it certainly delivered.  It was better than I expected!  I LOVED this book and even read the author's notes, which I normally do not do.  (Gerard's review, 1/31/21, 5++ stars)

Karen's review: 

The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin is based on a true event but with fictional characters.  This is a very sad story with lots of death and guilt.  Just reading it made me feel cold!  Knowing this actually happened made it interesting and even sadder.  It revolves around two sisters who both were school teachers and one of their students.  Both teachers were only 16 and 17 or 18, Raina and Gerda.  Raina made a right decision and Gerda, a terrible one.  This is a story about immigrants and homesteading in the 1800s and survival.  It has adventure and much heartbreak.  Reading this for me was like plowing through a blizzard myself.  (4 stars)

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"The Unwinding of the Miracle" by Julie Yip-Williams

The Unwinding of the Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams is the true story of how Julie overcame so much. She was born blind in Vietnam.  Her grandmother wanted her killed just two days after she was born. With 300 other people in a boat, she made it to Hong Kong and then America where she attended Harvard and became a very good lawyer. She married and had two daughters.  But unfortunately, she could not overcome colon Cancer.  She wrote this book for her daughters to remember her.

Julie tells her story and pulls no punches.  There is some humor also.  Rest in peace, Julie.  Job well done!  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars) 

Teaser from page 8:  But also as your mother, I want you to feel the pain, to live it, embrace it, and then learn from it.  Be stronger people because of it, for you will know that you carry my strength within you.

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"Love You Hard--A memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury and Reinventing Love" by Abby Maslin

In Love You Hard--A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love by Abby Maslin, Abby is a young woman who is married to a fireman she calls T.C.  They also have a son named Jack, age 2.  Life is good.  One night T.C. heads out to a ballgame but is not back in the morning.  Something is very wrong.  Abby's life as she knows it is over, and she will have to deal with a new reality.  Abby tells the story in this book and pulls no punches. 

I felt a lot of emotions as I read this and am sure you will too.  On Amazon, this book got a 94% 5 star rating and that is what I am giving it as well.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 134:  Decades more of in sickness and in health:  the three of us, growing old together, learning how to navigate the real world again and trying not to crash and burn.
    I park the car at the end of the gravel driveway outside Ruth and Don's familiar yellow house and burst into tears. 

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"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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"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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"DRY" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

DRY by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman is teen fiction about a drought, or Tap-Out in southern California and the story of how teens Kelton, Jacqui, Alyssa and her younger brother Garrett evacuated on their own in search of a place with water. They pick up another teen, Henry, on the way who decided he couldn’t stay where he was. The group dynamics was both interesting and fascinating. Kelton and Alyssa were neighbors. Kelton’s dad was one who was a firm believer in being prepared to protect his family. Kelton was a bit weird and had a crush on Alyssa. Jacqui was a tough chick who helped save Kelton’s life and he offered to help her by giving her some antibiotics for her cut. Henry was an opportunist.  Alyssa and Garret even have a pet dog which I liked.

This book shows how quickly people can lose their humanity when they get desperate. This is a modern-day horror book. I enjoyed this book because of the adventure the teens went through to just survive and also the interaction and vying for leadership among them. I liked how the story is told from the different perspectives of the main five characters. It was easy to follow because the name of the person telling each part was at the beginning of the section. This made me realize how valuable water is and how much we take it for granted.
 (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Here's my husband's thoughts, very different from mine:
Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman is about a group of teens who are dealing with a tap out, which means there is no water to be had!  This book fell flat for me.  There were some exciting parts that made me think, "Okay, here we go," but no!  The story line was okay.  I had no trouble with that, but I only enjoyed a few of the characters and others I found annoying.  I give this book 3.5 because I just really never got into it at all.

Teaser from page 12: As I look around the stacks of drinks, I find a single case of water that someone abandoned there maybe yesterday, when it wasn’t such a precious commodity. I reach for it, only to find it pulled away at the last second by a thin woman with a beak of a nose.

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"Another Good Dog" by Cara Sue Achterberg

Another Good Dog--One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs by Cara Sue Achterberg is heartwarming non-fiction. Cara really misses her companion of 17 years--her wonderful dog, Lucy!  Her husband got her a "back-up" dog, but it is not the same!  Cara needs something to ease the pain.  She decides to tackle a new adventure of fostering dogs.

If you are a dog lover, you will love this book!  She has her ups and downs in this new adventure, some funny, some sad.  She writes about her experiences very well.  I think maybe even a non-dog lover would enjoy this.  Keep up the good work, Cara!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 7:  I'd thought I would wait to adopt another dog, wait until I didn't miss Lucy so much and wouldn't compare every potential dog to her.  But months had passed, and I only missed Lucy more.

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"Oregon Discovery" (Trails of the Heart Book 4) by Rachel Wesson

In Oregon Discovery by Rachel Wesson, we meet Tilly and her friend, Fiona, who was her servant.  This book has highs and lows.  Lots of death, but also a reunion and a wedding.  This book jumps a few years with the children in the previous book now in their teens and centers on Almanzo.  Tilly is engaged to a much older man, Richard, that her father has chosen for her.  The man is despicable and Tilly is determined never to marry him!

I enjoyed this book and look forward to finishing this series.  Almanzo is a great character who has both sadness and happiness in his life in this book.  My favorite part was when Fiona and Tilly were held at the Indian camp where Red Wing took care of them and where Tilly was called "Fire Daughter" because of her hot temper.  This is an entertaining historical read I would recommend, but only after reading the previous books in this series.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from Kindle Loc. 84-86:  "He believes women should look decorative.  Our sole aim in life is to please our menfolk and produce an heir.  Anything else is against God's wishes."  Tilly's face screwed up as she repeated what her father had drummed into her for as long as she could remember.

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"The Cabin at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay is one of the dumbest books I ever read! I should have known I wouldn’t like it when I saw Stephen King praising it. I just kept reading because I thought it must get better, but it never did. Two gay guys and their adopted Chinese daughter are at a cabin in New Hampshire on vacation when four strangers come to see them. Practically the entire book takes place inside the cabin. The only action in this book is killing people. The writing was annoying to me as well, very wordy. I was glad when it finally ended! It’s a stupid scenario and depressing. Maybe Stephen King fans would like it, but I really hated it. I give it zero stars if I can. It’s really the worst book I ever read and finished and feel like it was a big waste of my time. I should have quit on it from the start when I thought about it. I would not recommend this one to anybody.
(Karen's review)

Teaser from page 25: “We are not here to hurt you. We need your help to save the world.”


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"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.

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"Last Man Out" by Mike Lupica

Last Man Out by Mike Lupica is about a brother and sister whose father was a Boston fireman who died rescuing a family from their burning house. Tommy played football and his dad would always sit in the top corner of the bleachers to watch his games. His sister, Em, was the star on her soccer team and her dad also attended all her games. This story is how the father’s death affected Tommy and Em and how they were able to help each other.

This book is sad, but with a good ending—well sort of. It does show how important it is to enjoy every chance you get to play and how things can change very quickly. Both Tommy and Em felt angry at losing their dad and dealt with the pain differently. I liked this book and would recommend it.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 23:  Tommy wished this was all a dream and he could wake himself up.  A nightmare that would end as soon as his eyes opened.

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"Close to the Bone" by Lisa Black

Close to the Bone by Lisa Black is a murder mystery that mostly takes place at the Cleveland medical examiner’s office! Theresa, acting supervisor for Trace Evidence, finds one deskman dead and the other missing when she heads into the office around 3 a.m. Upon investigation, it comes to light there is a serial killer on the loose targeting people who work at the medical examiner’s office who were connected to a murder of one of their employees ten years ago.

This is a pretty sad, gruesome book. It has several murders and an abduction in it. It is pretty good, but why Theresa is the one to solve the mystery instead of the cops was a bit puzzling to me. I liked the suspense and that it kept me guessing for most of the book.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 1:  The corpse under the sheet left her to it.  The dead are courteous that way.

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"My Brother's Keeper" by Donna Malana - Mystery

In My Brother's Keeper by Donna Malana, Karen hires Diane, a missing person expert, to track down her 14-yr-old daughter, Sonny, who she lost contact with while serving seven years in prison for killing her son and attempting to kill her daughter.  Karen wants to make sure Sonny is all right.  Diane tracks down Sonny and even sets up a meeting for her to meet her mother, but her mother doesn't show!

This is a dark, twisted mystery that I finished in one day.  It takes place in New Zealand and moved along quickly.  I thought this was a good mystery and felt bad for Sonny and the mother.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page10:  'That's what I went away for.  I tried to kill my daughter.'

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"Her Last Breath" by Linda Castillo (Updated)

Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo is gripping from the start, beginning with an Amish buggy hit-and- run accident that is fatal for the father and two of his three small children. Kate Burkholder, Chief of police, discovers that the hit-and-run “accident” was not an accident after all, but intentional! The widow was her best childhood friend. This is such a sad story with a surprise ending.

This book had my attention right from the start and held it all the way through. Kate Burkholder really needs to work on her hand-to-hand combat though! Anyhow, this is a good mystery and also had a bit of romance as well as some suspense. It had three storylines: the main murder mystery, Kate’s past catching up to her and the romance between Kate and Tomasetti with action near the end with a surprise twist.
(Karen's review 1/13/18, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 4:  Around him, the buggy exploded into a hundred pieces.  Paul thought he heard a child's cry and then the ground rushed up and slammed into him.

Gerard's review 1/23/18:
Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo starts off with a hit and run buggy accident in Amish country.  However, when the police investigate, there is more to it than it looks.  There is good stuff here.  I never knew how this was going to turn out!  The pace of the book is quick and the characters true to life.  (5 stars)


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"Being Fishkill" by Ruth Lehrer (Updated)

Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer is about a young girl who makes her first name Fishkill because it sounds tough.  She feels she has to be tough because her mom is gone, and there is no one else!  This book was way better than I thought it would be.  I really wanted only the best for Fishkill.  The pacing of this book was very good and I was always glad to get back into it!  I liked that it had twists and turns that I did not see coming.  Pick it up, you will be glad you did!

Teaser from page7:  "I'm not in your gang."  I said.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to be or not, even if it was a real gang.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Karen's review, 12/22/17:
Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer is about a 12-yr.-old girl who is poor and lives in a shack with her drunk/druggie mother and her abusive grandfather. Her father is unknown. She finally built a friendship with a girl who called herself Duk-Duk and moved in with her and her lesbian mother who was very nice to Fishkill. After the mean grandfather died, Fishkill’s mother tried to sober up so she could get back custody of her daughter. Most of this story is sad.

I liked this book all right but could have done without the Lesbian angle. I felt bad for Fishkill and her biological mother. My favorite character was Duk-Duk because I liked how she wanted to be a lawyer and tried to view everything logically. This book had some interesting situations and really addressed the emotions one feels when a loved one dies. It also had a bit of humor when Fishkill and Duk-Duk came up with their secret mission to get revenge on the girl who bullied them—that was very cool and my favorite part of the book! (4 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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