"Someday Soon" by Debbie Macomber

Someday Soon by Debbie Macomber is a light romance about two different couples.  One is Tim, a mercenary whose leg got blown up by a mine, who falls in love with his therapist, Francine.  I enjoyed watching the relationship between these two develop best.  The other was Cain, Tim's boss, and a widow named Linette.  I enjoyed this book because after having put my cat down, I needed something light and cheery.  This book was just what I was looking for at the time.  There were lots of emotions in this book.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)  

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"The Mother's Promise" by Sally Hepworth

In The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth, Alice is a single mother who has a 15-yr.-old daughter, Zoe.  When Alice gets sick with Cancer, she is told that she needs a support person to help her and drive her around.  Unfortunately, she has no one except Zoe to count on.  Kate, a nurse, and Sonja, a social worker come to her aid, but they are dealing with their own problems.  This book is really good!  All the characters seem real.  I especially loved the parts with Zoe!  This is Sally's best book yet!  I LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

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"The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise" by Colleen Oakley

In The Mostly true Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley, we meet Louise, an old woman who takes a fall in her home and her family insists she get someone to look after her.  We meet Tanner, a 21-yr.-old girl who the last thing she wants to do is look after an old woman.  She would rather wear sweatpants and play video games!  Sound like a match to you? 

I thought this book was really good.  Louise and Tanner are both good characters and the byplay between them is entertaining.  There are some twists and turns.  I thought I knew how it would play out, but I was surprised!  I recommend this book if you are looking for something light and entertaining to read.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Lies I Tell" by Julie Clark

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark centers around Meg and Kat.  Ten years ago, Meg just about destroyed Kat's life.  Kat wants to even the score and now, ten years later, Meg is back.  Does Kat even the score or does Meg win Round 2?  This is a great read!  Meg and Kat were both great characters and the storyline is very good too!  It was better than I expected and liked the ending.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"You Are Not Alone" by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

In You Are Not Alone, Shay's life is not going well.  Then one day Shay is befriended by the Moore sisters, Jane and Cassandra, which changed her outlook on life for the better.  However, Shay finds out that these sisters have secrets.

I thought this book was really, really good!  It flows well and all the characters were brought out well.  It has some twists and turns with a good ending.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 17:  One second she existed, and the next, she'd been erased.  I stagger over to a bench by the wall and collapse.  

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"The Last Train to London" by Meg Waite Clayton is Historical Non-Fiction

The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton is based on true events!  Hitler and the Nazis are on the march.  People who oppose him are anxious to flee, but with borders being closed, it is not going to be easy!  One woman takes it upon herself to smuggle children out of Nazi occupied lands.  What a story!

I enjoyed this book that flowed along.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 51:  "They have families elsewhere, in England or in the United States?"
"Yes, of course, Mr. Tenkink," Truus answered.  "That's why they find themselves standing in bare feet in the snow outside a burning Jewish orphanage."

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"Marooned in the Arctic" by Peggy Caravantes (non-fiction)

Marooned in the Arctic by Peggy Caravantes is the true story about Ada Blackjack, a desperate mother of a sick young boy who agreed to go on an Arctic expedition for two years to Wrangel Island to get some extra money for her son.  Wrangel Island is north of Alaska and Siberia!  She agreed to go along with three men as a seamstress to sew warm clothes for them during the two years. Although she was told some Eskimo families would join them, none did. During her time there, out of necessity, she learned to hunt, trap, kill, and even build a small boat! She and Vic the cat out survived the men!

Her story is quite remarkable, and I enjoyed the tidbits about the cats, walruses, polar bears and the Arctic Fox.  I can't imagine a day 50 degrees below zero like this expedition crew had to deal with.  No one could pay me enough to live like Ada did in the Arctic!  If you like adventures in tough conditions, read this!
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:
Marooned in the Arctic by Peggy Caravantes tells the true story of Ada Blackjack, a young Eskimo girl who goes along with four men on an expedition to Wrangel Island in the Arctic, a remote uninhabited territory.  She goes along because she needs money to help care for her ill son.  

I thought this book was pretty good.  I enjoyed the parts that dealt with the animals that she encountered.  This book is very short, but it kept my interest for the most part.  (4 stars)

Teaser from page 13: Cats and sailors have had a strong bond throughout history. Felines destroy rats and mice that could cause havoc on a ship in various ways: getting into a cargo of grain, chewing on the ship’s mooring ropes or woodwork, or carrying diseases. Cats do not like water, but they adapt to travel on it and become companions to lonely sailors.


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"Resistance Women" by Jennifer Chiaverini

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini is a work of historical fiction.  Mildred and Arvid are newly married and enjoying life and teaching in Germany.  But the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party changes that.  They and their friends decide to do what they can to get the truth out about Hitler and help people to escape.  But how long until they are found out?

I thought this book was really good.  The book ran true to life for me and I enjoyed the characters.  At close to 600 pages, there was some down time but still had a pretty good pace to it and a good ending.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 26:  "Then along comes this loud, angry man," Natan said, "promising to take them back to a mythical golden age of prosperity, swearing to punish Germany's enemies for wronging them.  Some people respond to that--in this case, vast numbers of people."

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"Wunderland" by Jennifer Cody Epstein

WOW!  What a fantastic book Wunderland by Jennifer Cody Epstein is to finish the month of April!  There are two main stories in this book:  (1)   Ilse and Renate are the two young girls and best of friends!  However, the infiltration with the Hitler youth movement will put that friendship to the test like nothing else would!  (2)  Things have never been easy between Ava and her estranged mother Ilse.  Ava has so many questions; however, when her mom's ashes arrive in a box from Germany and a bunch of letters addressed to Renate, Ava will learn the shocking story of her mom she never knew!

This is very good!  Ilse and Renate were both great characters!  I thought both of the stories were really well written and enjoyed this book a lot!  Believe the hype!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 39:  But Ava could only shake her head, overwhelmed not just by the gift but by the stark realization that for all her self-declared independence and self-sufficiency, for all her written protestations to her friends that she'd been "managing just fine" alone, she hadn't been.  Not at all.

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"When the Men Were Gone" by Marjorie Herrera Lewis

When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera Lewis is based on a true story that is inspiring.  In fact, it even inspired the author to give coaching football a try!  Brownwood, a small Texas town during WW II was on the verge of canceling their High School football season because they did not have a coach.  Tylene, a former English teacher and now assistant principal at the High School loved football and what it meant to the town.  She also hated to see the season canceled, knowing the then some of the seniors may drop out to enlist.  She began her search for a coach and found herself stepping into the role!  A lady football coach was unheard of in the 1940s, but Tylene ignored the insults and proved she knew the game and could play!

I enjoyed this book very much.  I really liked the football parts and how Tylene and Moose interacted with the players and how she convinced the men she could be the coach.  I give this 4 stars because I would have liked to have had more football games than just one.  This is a quick read and I was sad to see it end.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)


Gerard's review:
When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera Lewis is based on a true story.  In the early 1940s, in a small town in Texas, it's time for high school football.  It is the place to be on Friday nights!  But, with the men of fighting the war, somebody needs to step up to coach the team.  With no one coming forward, it looks like the season will be called off until a woman steps up!  How will that go over?

I enjoyed this book very much.  Tylene was a great character and rally carried the book.  The story line rang very true in this quick read.
(5 stars)

Teaser from page 3:  "When are you going to call the shots out there, Tylene?"  Mr. Periwinkle asked.
      "I'll go down there right now if they'll let me," I said.
      My father turned to the men.  "Don't kid yourselves.  She might just take over before the second half."

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"Down Cut Shin Creek--The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky" is Very Short and Interesting!

Down Cut Shin Creek—The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer is a very short book about a group of women during the Great Depression who delivered magazines, books and Sunday School papers on horseback to the poor people of Kentucky. I did not know of this and found it very interesting! It has pictures too which I enjoyed.
(Gerard’s review, 5 stars)

Karen read it too:
Down Cut Shin Creek—The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer is an interesting book about The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky during the Great Depression. President Roosevelt created The Works Progress Administration (WPA) instituted the Pack Horse Library Project give create some work. Mostly women on horseback delivered donated books and magazines to people in Kentucky. Sometimes they would also go on foot. This is a very short but interesting book with pictures about a brief time of history that is little known. I’m glad I read it--it took less than an hour! (Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Fire on the Track" by Rosenne Montillo

Some of my favorite books to read are non-fiction books about events that I am not up to speed on.  Fire on the Track by Roseanne Montillo is one of them!  It centers on women running track in the late 2's, early 30s.   Most people did not even think women should be running at all!  Three women are the main focus:  Betty Robinson, Babe Dickerson and Stella Walsh.  I enjoyed this whole book, especially the part that is about the Olympic games in Germany with Hitler watching!

Teaser from page 12:  Had she ever been timed?  Price asked.  Had anyone ever used a stopwatch to see how fast she could run?
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Caroline--Little House, Revisited" by Sarah Miller

Caroline by Sarah Miller is about the Ingalls family and their move from Wisconsin to Kansas and their time in Kansas during the late 1800s. This book is told from Caroline’s point of view. She is the mother of two girls, Mary who is 5 and Laura who is 3. She is pregnant with a third during her trip to Kansas and has Carrie while in Kansas on the prairie. This book is closer to the actual historical account than the Little House on the Prairie books. In this book, the only characters that appear besides the Ingalls family is Mr. Edwards.

This book is historical fiction that gives a very clear picture of what pioneer life was like. It is slow moving but has lots of emotional scenes. I think women would definitely enjoy it more than men. I thought it was nice revisiting the Ingalls family again and learning more about Carolyn.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)


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"The Freedom Broker" by K. J. Howe

In The Freedom Broker, Thea is one of 25 Kidnap and Rescue (K&R) specialists in the world--the only woman and the best!  Her father has been taken and it will take all her skills to rescue him, as more than just her father's life hangs in the balance. 

This is an adult novel to be sure with good action and plenty of twists and turns.  The ending caught me by surprise too!  This is the author's first book so I will be looking for more.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Seashell Season" by Holly Chamberlin

Seashell Season by Holly Chamberlin is about Gemma, a girl who was kidnapped by her father when she was just a baby and after 17 years, is finally reunited with her mother who is now a complete stranger to her.  The whole book is about adjusting to her life with her mom and trying to understand her dad.  The mother is an artist who teaches art at a college in Maine and is a bit apprehensive about how exactly to get to know her daughter and make her feel at home.

This book reminded me of a Hallmark or Lifetime movie.  I enjoyed it a lot and liked how the author let us see how both Verity, the mother, and Gemma thought about things.  I think women would enjoy this book much more than men because it is very heavy on developing relationships and low on action.   I read it because one of my co-workers recommended it to me and I liked the summary of it.
(Karen's review, 4 stars) 

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"Lilac Girls" by Martha Hall Kelly

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly is told by three different points of view.  During World War II, Kasia is a Polish teenager and will do what she can to help her people fight Hitler and his army.  Herta is a German doctor and wants to prove that she is as good as a man.  Caroline works in the French Consulate in New York and when Hitler sets his sight on France, her world changes.

Kasia's story is the one I enjoyed the most.  She is a brave girl!  Her story alone makes this a "must read" book.  Herta's story came in second; I could not believe her thought process!  Caroline's story was okay and got better at the end.  I think The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is better; however, that being said, this book is very good too!  When you are done reading this, be sure to read the Author's Note too!  This is my best read for this month!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Girl Waits With Gun" by Amy Stewart

Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart is based on a true story.  Constance Kopp and her two sisters are riding in their buggy one day when they are run down by a ruthless factory owner.  When the girls want their money to repair the damages, the owner balks and gets his gang ready to terrorize the girls to keep them quite about the accident, or else!

This book kept my interest and the girls are really good, especially Constance, who is enlisted to help the sheriff in the case.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

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"Prayers and Lies" by Sherri Wood Emmons

Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons centers on 7-yr-old Bethany.  When she meets her cousin, Reana Mae, they form a bond that benefits them both.  As the years go on, Bethany finds out that there are a lot of secrets that are going to change the way she thinks about people and events.

I thought this book was okay.  I think it would appeal more to teen girls and women than men. 
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

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"The Barter" by Siobhan Adcock

The Barter by Siobhan Adcock tells the story of two women—Bridget and Rebecca. Bridget’s story is told in modern times while Rebecca’s story is set in 1902. They both have something in common. To find out what that is, you will have to read the book. I really loved Bridget’s story. It was so good and funny a lot of the time. Rebecca’s story I didn’t like as much, but it did get better at the end. On the strength of Bridget’s story, I give this book 4 stars. Well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"In a Dark, Dark Wood" by Ruth Ware is a Page Turner I LOVED!

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware is about Leonora who is leading a good life.  She is a writer and doing well.  One day she receives an email to come to a "hen" party given for her best friend when she was going to school.  It has been ten years and she really does not want to go, but against her better judgment, she does.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY has this book as one of their top 10 summer reads and PEOPLE MAGAZINE had it as a top read.  They are both right!    The first part of the book sets the scene and you might think it is slow, but when the action starts, this is becomes a real page turner.  I enjoyed all the characters and could not wait to see how it all played out!  I LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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