Books You Loved: February

I read March (Trilogy Slipcase Edition) by John Lewis during Black History Month this year. I've had the March trilogy in my 'to be read' pile for quite a while now. So I was thrilled to finally read all three books in the March trilogy as learning more about the life of Civil Rights legend and activist, John Lewis, is a must for anyone wanting to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement in general. By reading the March trilogy, I learned a lot about the Civil Rights Movement with regards…

Harris, Kamala "The Truths We Hold. An American Journey" - 2019 I just finished this, on the day of her inauguration. I am so happy to have read it. I didn't really know much about the new US vice president and this was a great way to get to know her. What a woman! If you've been following my blog for a while, you will have heard this already. When I first joined Facebook, I used to take part in some of their "games" and found that I am very liberal (not a surprise), "as far left as can be…

I’m currently working through the backlog of unread books on my shelves. That sometimes means a departure from my current reading tastes – more YA, more fantasy and sci-fi, and fewer books by authors of color. This book is one I requested in a gift swap when I thought I might try reading some horror.... Read more »

Migrations, Charlotte McConaghy, Flatiron Books, 2020, 256 pp This is the best novel I have read so far in 2021. The big idea behind the story is climate change. Set in the future, Earth's oceans are fished out, wild animals have all but disappeared, insects and birds are dwindling rapidly. The culprits in all this demise are humans. Unless we can change our ways we will ourselves follow since we have decimated the very elements needed to survive. Thus it must be humans who populate the…

To Mervas, Elizabeth Rynell, Archipelago Books, 2010, 192 pp (originally published as Till Mervas by Albert Bonniers Forlag, Stockholm, Sweden, 2002; translated from the Swedish by Victoria Haggblom) I have been neglecting my Archipelago Books shelf for too long. I must say that every book I have read from this excellent publishing house of translated literature has provided great reading. To Mervas was no exception. Marta, a solitary middle-aged Swedish spinster with a troubled past…

Last year, as part of the Novellas in November 2020 reading event, I read the brilliant crime-fiction, Crooked House by Agatha Christie. This is Christie’s 49th detective story, first publish…

Who is cousin Olivia? Rebecca remembered visiting her a few times when she was a child, but her mother didn’t mention her too often. Finding letters from cousin Olivia addressed to her mother pleading for help had Rebecca on her way to Olivia’s house. What a mess she found. The house was in shambles, Olivia wasn’t there, her finances were very bad, and Rebecca finds a hidden tunnel in the basement which had been used during the war along with other secrets from WWII. We go back and forth…

One thing that draws me to a book is an old house, and Highbury House sounded amazing. And with the mention of many gardens, I was pulled in from the start. We meet Emma, present day, who was commissioned to restore the gardens of Highbury House that were designed by Venetia Smith to what they looked like in 1907. Emma had no photos but did some research. Emma’s work was definitely cut out here, but it was so exciting for her to be able to recreate these famous gardens. We also meet two…

The war is over, but Italy is still recovering and is filled with underprivileged children. Northern Italy seems to have come back much quicker and are more prosperous. THE CHILDREN'S TRAIN is a story based on true events that happened post WWII. We meet young children taken from their parents by choice to live with an adopted family in Northern Italy for the winter. The train ride was frightening for the children because they were worried about how the new families would treat them, and…

Everyone seemed to like games. One game was for a murder mystery party and another was to trick Nina's grandfather into thinking Beth actually was Nina.​ We meet Beth and Nina in 1988 and Sadie in 2019.​​ Beth is a foster child that came to live with Nina and her odd family in Raven Hall. ​​ Sadie is an actress who is invited to play a part in a murder mystery game.​​ We also meet an unnamed character who has come back to Raven Hall and is angry about the new owners. ​​ As we move from one…

Lana lost everything the night the Gestapo shot her husband because he was hiding a Jewish child in his piano, and she also lost her unborn child because of the shock.​​ Did she really lose everything? She didn't lose her desire to help save other Jewish families and especially children. She had to avenge her husband's death, and an opportunity arose.​​ Lana was approached by the French Resistance to help out at the Riviera. She was apprehensive because she would have to pretend she and a…

We meet two sisters who are teachers and a blizzard that is wreaking havoc on the Great Plains just as school is about to be let out. Raina and Gerda had to make the decision about letting the students run home or to keep them in the school. Either choice was risky...one made the right choice and one didn't. The decisions made by Raina and Gerda stayed with them and affected them for their entire lives. We follow the children, the teachers, the townspeople as the blizzard rages, as people…

Two sisters that have been estranged since the death of their parents go on a hiking trip to reconnect. It may not have been the best idea. It was a pretty stressful trip, and both sisters still held grudges. Melanie and Olivia had some good moments, but most of the trip was bickering. ALL THAT WE CARRIED wasn't as enjoyable for me as Ms. Bartels' first two books. I actually wasn't anxious to get back to the book. Those readers who enjoy family drama and hiking will love this book. The…

Antonina's father had been planning how to protect her for a while since the Germans had invaded Italy and were starting to take Jewish people to camps. His plan was to have Antonina pretend she was married to Nico. Antonina didn't like the idea of leaving with a stranger and leaving her father and mother, but Nico was very nice and had a wonderful family who welcomed her as his wife. Well everyone but his sister, Rosa, but Rosa came to love Nina. Rosa was angry because Nico was to be a…

Jane was running from something in Arizona and running right into more trouble even though she didn't know it would be trouble. Jane walks dogs for wealthy people, and one of the neighbors whose wife along with her friend drowned bought a dog so he could get close to Jane. Jane jumped at the chance to walk Eddie Rochester's dog because she knew she could make him love her and be his next wife. Was she getting herself into something worse than what she left in Arizona? For Jane, the rich…

I had not read any of the books in Marilynn Robinson's acclaimed Gilead series prior to this one. In fact, I had never read anything by ...