Edenbrooke

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

My Rating - 5 out of 5 stars



Oh my goodness! I am so in love with this book! It was such a cute, sweet, innocent yet mature read! For some reason I was a little skeptical about it but as soon as I started reading I was hooked! Marianne and Philip are just adorable and so like able! Ahhhhh, I think I am going to sit down tonight and read it again!

This magnificent book is set in England in 1816 and is a beautiful romance novel. Marianne Daventry was sent to her grandmothers shortly after her mother died. Now over a year later she is still waiting for her father to come home, is hearing all about the wonderful life her twin sister leads in London, and is bored stiff! Now she is off to Edenbrooke to meet her sister. On this journey she falls in love with the Edenbrooke, encounters a few life-threatening situations, and meets a charming stranger who she just can't seem to get out of her mind.

Please, please, please give this book a try. It is just that good!

11/22/63

 11/22/63 by Stephen King

My Rating - 4 out of 5 stars.

Wow! This book is so big! I have to admit that I kind of felt winded when I finally finished it, haha.

I enjoyed this book. I did find it a little long and admittedly skimmed parts of it. For the most part it was extremely interesting, intense, and fun to read. I was a little disappointed with the ending though. I am such a sucker for happy endings and although this didn't end tragically, it wasn't particularly happy either.

Jake Epping is a recently divorced English teacher who is asked to do a somewhat strange favor for a friend. Al embarks Jake on a extreme adventure and an extremely difficult task. Al has found a portal of sorts in his storeroom that takes you back to 1958. He asks Jack to go back and spend 4 years in history so that he can try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. Crazy as it sounds Jake finds himself agreeing and next thing he knows he is back in a very different time. Of course while he is back in time he changes a lot more history than he originally meant. Is this going to have a huge influence on the future that he once knew???

Hattie Big Sky

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a fun little read! I quickly fell in love with the Hattie, how could you not? I loved her innocence and her outlook on life. I was definitely rooting for her throughout the book.



This is set in Montana during WWI. Hattie is a sixteen year old who has been passed around between distant family members for most of her childhood after her parents died. Unexpectedly, Hattie became the proud owner of land out in Montana after an uncle she never knew passed and left it to her. So in December she moves to Montana by herself to care for the land, cow and horse that now belong to her. She definitely was ill prepared for the harsh winter and hard work that awaited her. But man, did she work! I was exhausted just reading what she would have to do daily.



Anyways, what made this book special was the relationships that were formed. I absolutely loved how everyone helped each other and were all so generous. Although there are some teary moments and glimpses into how evil war can make some of us, this was a very cute and feel good read. I came away craving relationships like the ones Hattie unexpectedly found.

Next up on my list is Vanish by Sophie Jordan (the second book in the Firelight series).

Happy Reading!



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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Oh how I loved this book! It is such a refreshing read. Right from the beginning you are absorbed into these characters lives. I thought that the letter format would be a little annoying but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the history, the friendships, the heartbreaking stories of war and the fact that life does go on.



The book is set right after WWII in London and Guernsey. It is centered around Juliet, a writer who is looking to write her next book. Juliet happens to receive a letter from a man from Guernsy who found her name in the book jacket of a secondhand book he bought. They start corresponding and she becomes obsessed with life in Guernsy. She starts hearing from others who live there and they all tell her about life during the German occupation. The characters that Juliet meet are enduring, sweet, fun and real. I had a hard time putting this book down and highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good, clean and refreshing read.

Happy Reading!



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The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow! What a amazing book. Really, I definitely recommend it. It is so heart breaking but so good. Definitely not a uplifting book but it is written so well and from a interesting perspective.

The book follows Leisel when at 9 years old she is taken to a foster family, the Hubermanns. Oh, and it is set in Germany in the 1930s. On the way to her new home she finds a book in the snow and takes it. That is the beginning of her becoming the book thief. The Hubermanns live in a poor area and are already struggling to make ends meet. As Hitler becomes more powerful, life becomes more and more hungry for Leisel, her family, and her friends. But all Leisel cared about was books, and whenever the opportunity came about, she would steal a book. Leisel loved words, and lived in words. In this book we get to see Leisel become strong, brave, have relationships, experience grief, death and survival. Oh, and the narrator .... is death. Good, right?

Happy Reading!



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The White Devil

The White Devil by Justin Evans

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I would probably put this at a 3.5. I really enjoyed this book, and once I was in 80 pages I found it hard to put it down. This is a different type of book for me to read. I really enjoy murder mystery type books, but I tend to stay away from ghost stories. I freak myself out way too easily and am way too scared to watch scary movies so why would I read a scary story? This novel had a good balance between the ghost/scary story and a romance/murder mystery. This made it much more manageable for me.

The book follows Andrew, a senior in high school who has somewhat of a bad reputation. He has been kicked out of his previous schools in America so as a last stitch effort his dad sends him to a prestigious, all boy British boarding school. Not long after he arrives strange things begin to happen. Including Andrew finding his only friend dead. The freaky thing, he saw the murderer. BUT........ he is pretty sure the murderer was dead also. Andrew finds himself tangled up in the history of a fellow student, Lord Byron's, life that took place in the early 1800s.

I do have to say there is some language in this book, not too much though. There also is a sex scene or two, but I thought they weren't' too wordy or descriptive. The one thing that might make people uncomfortable is some of the references to homosexuality. This is a all boy school and supposedly in the 1800's (Lord Byron's days) it was not uncommon for some of the boys to experiment. Lord Byron just "experimented" a little more seriously than some of the others. So just a little heads up if you are planning to read. I would recommend this book if you are up to it!

Happy Reading!



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The Reader

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to say this was a interesting story. I really liked how the story was told and the confusion of emotions the characters experienced.

The book is set in post WW2 Germany. 15 year old Micheal is on his way home when he falls extremely ill. Hanna, a woman twice his age, comes to his rescue. Once Micheal is well he goes back to Hanna's home to thank her. What follows is a passionate, odd and sexual relationship between the two. Then Hanna disappears. Fast forward to Micheal in law school following a case. He then sees Hanna who is on trial for a hideous crime. Hanna does not defend herself and Micheal is not sure what to do or think.

I just saw that this book was made into a movie in 2008, so I will have to check that out too.

Happy Reading



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The Paris Wife

This was my book club book this month.
I thought it was pretty good. Not my favorite though.
The book follows Hadley Richardson as she becomes Ernest Hemingway's first wife.
It was set in the early 1900s, first in Chicago and then follows them to Paris.
I really enjoyed the first half of the novel.
The courtship of the two characters and seeing them fall madly in love.
The second half was still enjoyable but seemed a little slow.
I so felt for Hadley while she was desperately trying to find her role in Ernest's life.
Ernest seemed like such a complex and moody individual
and Hadley was so patient and seemed to always try to put him first.
But their life was very fast paced and somewhat racy,
which was difficult for Hadley once they had a child.
So in all, I liked this book,
I just found it somewhat slow in some places.

Hotel on t he Corner of Bitter and Sweet

This was our book club book this month.
I would have to say it wasn't my favorite, but I did enjoy reading it.
It is set in the 1980's and follows a Chinese-American man who
finds something that reminds him of his past.
This starts the flashbacks back to his childhood, the 1940's.
His childhood was difficult.
He was mistaken for a Japanese boy throughout his childhood,
who given the time period, were unfortunately passionately disliked.
He finds a friend, who happens to be a Japanese-American girl,
and they quickly bond.
Unfortunately his tumultuous relationship with his father and this new friend
being shipped away to a internment camp got in the way of this relationship.
In the present, his wife recently died from cancer
and he and his son are growing farther and farther apart.
This novel is more than a love story.
It is a story about heartbreak, loss, life, and love.
I would recommend this book,
but I did find it somewhat slow.

Happy Reading!

Water for Elephants

So I am pretty sure everyone has already read this book
so I am not going to say much about it.
So many people loved this book and told me it was a "must read!"
Well, I have to say I like it a lot too.
I was a little let down just because people talked it up so much
but for the most part I really enjoyed it.
It is a great love story!
I loved feeling like I was part of the circus and going through the hardships on the train.
And I am very excited to see the movie.
I most likely won't see it till it comes out on video, but that is okay.
If you haven't read this, you definitely should!

Happy Reading!