Review: The Secret Keeper

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book hit all the right notes with me. Historical setting, family drama, romance, war, mystery. Totally my jam. Of course I loved it.

Laurel is an actress (a fairly famous one, btw). Her aging mother is dying and she is coming home to support her family. Laurel is also carrying a secret, one only she and her mother know. When Laurel was 16 she saw her mother stab and kill a stranger in the yard. Somehow they kept this from her siblings. And now that her mother is dying Laurel is bent on discovering the truth. We go on a journey of alternating timelines, past in WWII and present 2011. The mystery slowly unfolds, and it's a good one. I thought I had figured it out several times, then something else would happen to mess up my guess. And while I was mostly right about it, I was wrong in several ways.

Very satisfying story. I completely recommend it.


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Review: The Bronze Horseman (The Bronze Horseman #1)

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. Glad I finally got around to it. It's a great piece of historical fiction and romance. There is something for everyone packed into these 900 pages. War. Love. Death. Starvation. History. Hope. And a cliffhanger to lead you right into book 2.

Tatiana meets Alexander by chance, and falls for him before realizing he is her older sister's boyfriend. Bad luck, Tatiana. Alex wants to end it with Dasha and be with Tatiana, but she won't allow it. They suffer in silence (mostly) through war, poverty, and terrible life in Russia. There is always hope that these star-crossed lovers will make it, and that sustains you through the cold Russian winters.

A really great book. Worth every hour I invested in it. Now to track down book 2.

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Review: A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford #1)

A Duty To The Dead by Charles Todd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


New series for me, and it's off to a great start. Really liked it.

Bess Crawford is a wartime nurse who makes a promise to a young dying soldier to deliver a message to his brother. When she does she finds herself wrapped up in a mystery from the past. The mystery is smartly plotted and even though I guessed at a few twists and turns, it was still really enjoyable.

I like Bess. She's a strong, confident character but not an insufferable Mary Sue. I like her father, and I like Simon. It has the bonus of being a historical mystery, which is my two favorites mixed together. And a series to boot! I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.



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The Storyteller

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm a little bit wrecked right now. Excuse me while I gather my emotions to write this review...

Ahem. Yes, this book is wonderful. You bounce between the past and the present. We get to see the awful events of the Holocaust through two different sides, and we learn about them both with Sage as she struggles with acceptance and forgiveness. Forgiveness for herself, and for the past of others. And along the way is a beautiful fairy tale, an allegory of love and guilt, that ties the entire book up with a bow.

This book was great. I'm a big Jodi Picoult fan, and this one did not disappoint. At all.



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The Nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A beautifully written, heartbreaking piece of historical fiction. Set in World War II France during the Nazi occupation, we follow the lives of two sisters who both deal with the war in very different ways. Young, impulsive Isabelle rushes headlong into the Resistance, while her older sister Vianne is just trying to keep her daughter alive until her husband returns from the Front.

This book will leave you emotionally shredded, for sure. So much sadness and senseless death. War is never an easy read and especially when it involves the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WWII, but Hannah does a wonderful job weaving the lives and stories together in a way that might just leave you curled up in a ball crying. It's that good. Do yourself a favor and read it while you are alone so you can absorb yourself in the storyline and then take a little time to decompress. I suggest having something light-hearted on hand to immediately read as a tonic afterwards.



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All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


World War II. Occupied France. Two young lives in different places, both impacted by the conflict. They come together in this unique, well-written work of historical fiction. The writing is both beautiful and sad. My heart broke into a million pieces several times while reading.

I fell in love with Marie Laure, her father, and Entienne. Marie Laure was an unusual heroine who filled me with hope. And I felt sympathy for Werner, who grew up fighting for the Nazis. In war, there are no winners, only survivors. Marie Laure and Werner both found a way to survive despite the world around them.

Read it. You just might, like me, find yourself leaving a piece of your heart in Saint Malo.



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The Diary of a Young Girl

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I can't believe I had never read this before. Heartbreaking to read about what happened to all of them after their discovery and capture.

I was surprised by this book. I expected more thoughts around being discovered, but in a way it is nice to see that she really was a young girl with hopes for the future. She was annoyed by her perfect older sister and her mom drove her crazy. It could apply to any girl at any time period.

I would be absolutely stir-crazy in the Annex. It's a miracle they didn't get caught sooner. Bad food, no food, no entertainment, strict schedules. You couldn't use the bathroom when you wanted.
I realize those in the concentration camps had it much worse, and it seems Anne did, too. For a young girl, she didn't complain too terribly much about being stuck there. She knew she was fortunate in a lot of ways.

I thought it was interesting to see how she matured during their time in the Annex. Deep down inside, she was just a regular teenaged girl, the same world-over. She really could have been a talented writer. What a shame.




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The Two Mrs. Abbotts (Miss Buncle #3)

The Two Mrs. Abbotts by D.E. Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We return to the world of Barbara Buncle, now the happily married Mrs. Abbott #1, and Jerry, who married a cousin to Barbara's husband (Mrs. Abbott #2). World War II is going on, Jerry's husband Sam is off fighting, and Barbara and Jerry are up to their usual adventures. Really more about Jerry than Barbara this time around, we get a glimpse of everyday life at home during the war. We finally see more about Archie Chevis-Cobb, Jerry's brother, as he keeps the farm going to support the boys on the front.

I really like these cute books, and I'm sad that I have reached the end. I understand Barbara and Jerry are a brief part of The Four Graces, and I will be hunting down that one next. Fun little series, and worth the read.

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Night

Night by Elie Wiesel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This book absolutely wrecked me. I made the mistake of reading a little of it before I left for work, and had to put it down for a day to let my soul heal. Elie Wiesel shares his story of spending time in the World War II concentration camps of Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald. Separated from his mother and three sisters, his father and he work in the camps, struggling through the cold, starvation, and cruelty to survive the war. He tells his story in such a way that you can picture the scenes. He pulls you in, stomps on your heart, and leaves an imprint on your soul. Don't be fooled by the short length, as his words are so powerful, so compelling, that you will find enough in these pages to last a lifetime. This book is a must-read.

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Close Combat (The Corps #6)

Close Combat by W.E.B. Griffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More World War II in the Pacific. The Coastwatchers are relieved, and we watch the fight to retain Guadalcanal. More unrealistically drawn women wanting nothing more than to land a Marine, but I will forgive Griffin this because, hey, what do I know? Maybe this is truly how women felt during the early 1940's. I love how we get more time with Pick--I enjoy his ridiculous optimism and how he has stayed the same silly man-child throughout.

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Line of Fire (The Corps #5)

Line Of Fire by W.E.B. Griffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book 5 of our journey through World War II in the Pacific takes us on a daring rescue mission of the Coastwatchers serving as advance sentries for Guadalcanal. Less about McCoy and Pick and more about General Pickering, we see the events through their eyes as the planning and execution happens amidst the action of the war. A good read.

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Battleground (The Corps #4)

Battleground by W.E.B. Griffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More new characters introduced as the war winds on. Time overlaps from the previous books as a result of so many characters and story lines, and the women are eye-rollingly unrealistic, as usual. But a good series and great insights into the history of World War II in the Pacific.

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Counterattack (The Corps #3)

Counterattack by W.E.B. Griffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Counterattack overlaps in time with the events in book 2, but from different characters' points of view. Instead of spending time with Pick and McCoy, we spend time with the higher ranks in the Corps and Navy, and also gain some outside perspective on MacArthur during his time in Australia. Interesting to read the military strategies and learn more about our time in WWII Pacific, but slower than the other two books for me.

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Call to Arms (The Corps #2)

Call To Arms by W.E.B. Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Call to Arms picks up where the last left off, and leads us through the events after Pearl Harbor. A little slower than Semper Fi, we find McCoy in San Diego and Pick in Pensacola for the majority of the story. Griffin's research is top-notch, and the details around the military training, strategies and maneuvers really help the series come to life. These books leave me wanting to read more about the US role in WWII, so I will forgive the cheesy depictions of relationships and the eye-rolling dialogue that often comes out of the women's mouths. Another good installment in the series.

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Semper Fi (The Corps #1)

Semper Fi by W.E.B. Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So happy to be reading this again for 2013. It's one of my favorite series. Not just for the Marine Corp details, or the rich history, but because I love each of the characters. McCoy, Pick, Ernie...I can't choose a favorite. Book one starts prior to the US entry into WW II with the Marines stationed in China and ends with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Welcome to World War II, boys. It's going to be a hell of a ride.

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