tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59644153365376916362024-03-15T18:09:44.013-07:00Girl About LibraryGirl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.comBlogger249125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-67524175901851924172023-11-07T09:49:00.006-08:002023-11-09T10:50:21.365-08:00How did "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick End? All the Spoilers and Twists!<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5_hZKvgR-Ue_ELKqoZfZ8qcuBc58gBNSL_dTJPQN6mBskmvEkVpTVs_cQLr0is2XykrFYoQGW2rCN8m4ZQ2uPBjt-yGHuxNdKIdqOv7HBK97iyFzyFNRLQm53cdXM2zl9L3vREAvINXFuOl-ykMbZ_77fLgWTTBEzNWSWdY6RwZP4xzQEjRuHW8qNszb/s1500/plot%20twist%20the%20measure.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5_hZKvgR-Ue_ELKqoZfZ8qcuBc58gBNSL_dTJPQN6mBskmvEkVpTVs_cQLr0is2XykrFYoQGW2rCN8m4ZQ2uPBjt-yGHuxNdKIdqOv7HBK97iyFzyFNRLQm53cdXM2zl9L3vREAvINXFuOl-ykMbZ_77fLgWTTBEzNWSWdY6RwZP4xzQEjRuHW8qNszb/w426-h640/plot%20twist%20the%20measure.png" title="How did "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick End? All of the Twists and Spoilers!" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>How did "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick end?</b> Have you finished reading "The Measure" and now you need to discuss the ending? Can you not remember how "The Measure" ends, or maybe you want to just skip to finding out the spoilers? Get refreshed on "The Measure" before heading off to book club tonight? Well, keep reading to discuss this fiction novel and all of the twists and turns at the end!<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><h4 style="text-align: center;">Spoilers ahead!</h4><div><br /></div><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Novel-Nikki-Erlick/dp/0063204207?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699378383&sr=8-2-spons&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=2e998e3a2175eab2f9566c2b9da0f85b&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Cover of The Measure by Nikki Erlick" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0063204207&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" title="Cover of The Measure by Nikki Erlick" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=0063204207" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><b>The Measure</b></p><p><b>by Nikki Erlick</b></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58884736-the-measure">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3QLD9Jc">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1265085158">library</a></p><i>Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live. From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise? As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge? The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything. Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest. ( from amazon.com)</i><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h1><div style="text-align: center;">How Did "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick End?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What Are the Twists and Spoilers?</div></h1><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The story really starts to move with Hank's death.</b> Hank jumps in front of a bullet aimed at Anthony Rollins, a presidential nominee. Rollins also happens to be Jack's uncle. Initially, it is thought the shooter was motivated by her grief over having a short string. As it turns out, she did not know she had a short string because she never opened her box. Later, we find out that the shooter was actually upset with Rollins because he was involved in the death of her brother thirty years earlier during a fraternity initiation party. She knew she wouldn't be able to kill Rollins because he had a long string, but she was hoping to inflict some harm on him. When the shot is fired, Hank heroically jumps in front of it not knowing who might be hit, and dies. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Javier dies in a military operation while rescuing volunteers with Doctors Without Borders. </b>Javier volunteers to be a decoy, and his team agrees thinking that Javier has a long string. They were therefore unworried that he would die acting as a decoy. Dr. Anika Singh is one of the rescued individuals from Doctors Without Borders, she is also a friend, and former love interest, of Hank's. At Javier's funeral Dr. Singh approaches Jack and shares that she was inspired by Javier's life and that his impact reminded her of another friend with a short string, the reader knows that she is referring to Hank.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>After Javier's death, Jack admits to Javier's parents that he did switch strings with their son. </b>Jack did not mention however that it was actually his idea to switch strings. After speaking with Javier's parents and getting their blessing, Jack decides to go public with their story. Jack goes to a short string foundation, the Johnson Foundation, where Maura is the director of communications. She promises to share their story. Shortly thereafter we learn that Maura passes away due to a heart defect that had been undetected. After Maura's death, we learn that her work promoting Jack and Javier's story led to the overturning of the STAR initiative by the Supreme Court. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Amie and Ben both pass away.</b> Amie marries Ben, knowing that he has a short string. Because Amie has never checked her box she does not know that her string is short as well. They are both killed in a car accident together, and when they die Nina takes care of their two children.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>And that's a wrap on "The Measure" by Nikki Erlick! Did I miss any twists or major ending plot points? Comment below! Or tell me your novel exploring death and fate! Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p><p><br /></p></div></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0063204215&asins=0063204215&linkId=1cbcf099571d64640b94f24816e3383c&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking for more spoilers? Check out the plot twists below!</b></h4><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.girlaboutlibrary.com/2023/10/how-did-river-we-remember-by-william.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uBocB6-GGXtEIJCUflxgPLKM9PHPTAIX_bXlumSv2gp3V5z4W_Nyj58hlLXnMmmSlwTf5onLgcP7M18ZyLyuFr_CRdZAOg6L5siMvl1u5FYEX6LkDLucVFoi2NwOvBd68lv1K6YrU63L5BFm9siJSy-eSJZmVNnj-Ga9f6aPQMk_TQi11cM17ATeD89F/w426-h640/plot%20twist%20the%20river%20we%20remember.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-61930806290417717402023-10-18T08:38:00.004-07:002023-10-24T11:25:36.664-07:00Book Review of "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger<p> </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>I just finished reading a popular Book of the Month pick for October 2023, "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger. Keep reading this blog post for all of my favorite moments from the book and find out whether or not you should read it, too.</strong></div>
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<div class="separator"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/River-We-Remember-Novel/dp/198217921X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697642297&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=cfe02b47549fdfcc430536d02e271cbd&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=198217921X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" style="float: left; margin-left: 30px; margin-right: 30px;" width="106" /></a></div>
<p><strong>The River We Remember</strong></p>
<p><strong>by William Kent Kruger</strong></p>
<p>goodreads // amazon // library</p>
<p><em>On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.<br /><br />Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.<br /><br />Both a complex, spellbinding mystery and a masterful portrait of mid-century American life that is “a novel to cherish” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), The River We Remember offers an unflinching look at the wounds left by the wars we fight abroad and at home, a moving exploration of the ways in which we seek to heal, and a testament to the enduring power of the stories we tell about the places we call home ( from amazon.com)</em></p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">Book Review and Discussion of <br /> "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger</h1>
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<div><strong>What Worked for Me</strong></div>
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<div><strong>Excellent plotting</strong></div>
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<div>"The River We Remember" is told from many unique perspectives, but mainly: Brody, the town sheriff, Scott, a local teenager, and Charlie, a lawyer hired to represent Noah Bluestone. Multiple POV storylines can be overdone, but this ended up being one of my favorite aspects of Kruger's approach to the story!</div>
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<div>It is incredibly common for an author to use this approach but have the same information presented to the reader each time. The story becomes incredibly repetitive and this technique can really slow down the plot. Instead, Kruger made sure that each perspective felt fresh and interesting. While not straying too far from the main plot, each character's perspective had its own part to play in uncovering the truth about the case.</div>
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<div><strong>What I Struggled With</strong></div>
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<div><strong>Neatly tied ending</strong></div>
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<div>I loved so much about Kruger's writing, until the very end of the novel. This book had a similar ending to, "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens. The mystery is solved, check - and the totally unnecessary, in my opinion, are the rest of the lives of the characters. How they lived out their days after and in many cases how each of those characters died. I'd rather just imagine them all riding off into the sunset. Finding out how the town sheriff died felt anticlimactic and really took away from the mystery and ambiance of the characters.</div>
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<div><strong>And that's a wrap on "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger. Have you read this novel? If so, comment below and tell me your favorite parts or what you struggled with while reading. I'd love to chat! If you haven't read this book yet, let me know your favorite historical fiction thriller or mystery! Thanks for reading, readers! </strong></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Want to know what happens at the end of "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger? Check out the blog post below for all of the spoilers and twists!</strong></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.girlaboutlibrary.com/2023/10/how-did-river-we-remember-by-william.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lig2P0wCgR2GpVvfzuHhncyuY2meRmfOAWXH5WbdJnaVU6qDDS5sc42NEw-TwWCdXAku-gTpYaUJ_84tR-aSw1dPa3xjZ09kHutI-BqljtU-M0u6gXE-aoZ3whxwic0hUWEtu4mXVw-3Z3DnWMvLU8gELyoRbI_lKqbra-L3S_X26wDXozxX714KSStN/w426-h640/plot%20twist%20the%20river%20we%20remember.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=198217921X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-21402067802852535542023-10-18T08:12:00.011-07:002024-01-02T17:41:49.287-08:00How Did "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger End? What was the Twist?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYs9zFNGf4aFbC2VP-C4ZWV5ly0BelJFwNRXYc7BwQW16kJ1nk0_9WXFAMlDgrK39vVit9AEvCM7y9_ZLbtJnE8igKBJkw_IPsKzafBh2AW2mpatI2vWkSpYGWBVbmcJz8JJju7UZHLRvF9mZgyAAczA3RI8m5LM6G9R699ubZdQ6T0BDzBZDIcXnZJ4Gv/s1500/plot%20twist%20the%20river%20we%20remember.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYs9zFNGf4aFbC2VP-C4ZWV5ly0BelJFwNRXYc7BwQW16kJ1nk0_9WXFAMlDgrK39vVit9AEvCM7y9_ZLbtJnE8igKBJkw_IPsKzafBh2AW2mpatI2vWkSpYGWBVbmcJz8JJju7UZHLRvF9mZgyAAczA3RI8m5LM6G9R699ubZdQ6T0BDzBZDIcXnZJ4Gv/w426-h640/plot%20twist%20the%20river%20we%20remember.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div> <b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=198217921X" width="1" /></b>How did "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger end? Have you finished reading "The River We Remember" and now you need to discuss *that* plot twist? Can you not remember how "The River We Remember" ends, or maybe you want to just skip to finding out the spoilers? Keep reading to discuss this historical fiction thriller and all of the twists and turns!</div><div><strong><br /></strong></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Across the course of his whole life, Scott Madison would never forget the scene. It would play itself out in unexpected moments, in dreams and in nightmares, in those solitary reveries he couldn't share, in the parade of all his regrets." - <i>The River We Remember, William Kent Kruger</i></strong></h4>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Spoilers ahead!</h4><div> </div>
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<div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/River-We-Remember-Novel/dp/198217921X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697463464&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=f290d86670389b01c455df1095e7e136&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=198217921X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" style="float: left; margin: 20px;" width="106" /></a></div>
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<div><strong>The River We Remember </strong></div>
<div><strong>by William Kent Kruger </strong></div>
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<div><a href="https://amzn.to/46VE0MC">amazon</a> // <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101160844-the-river-we-remember">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1369678674">library</a></div>
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<i> In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by a shocking murder, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling novel, an instant New York Times bestseller and “a work of art” (The Denver Post). On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past. Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose. Both a complex, spellbinding mystery and a masterful portrait of mid-century American life that is “a novel to cherish” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), The River We Remember offers an unflinching look at the wounds left by the wars we fight abroad and at home, a moving exploration of the ways in which we seek to heal, and a testament to the enduring power of the stories we tell about the places we call home. ( from amazon.com)</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><h1><div style="text-align: center;">How Did "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger End?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What Are the Twists and Spoilers?</div></h1><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>First and foremost, the most important question - who murdered Jimmy Quinn? </b></h4><div><br /></div><div>Jimmy Quinn was murdered by his wife Marta. Marta confesses to the town lawyer, Charlie, that she found Jimmy with their daughter, Colleen. It is clear that he is planning on raping her, something Jimmy has a history of doing to women when his current wife is sick. When Marta finds them, she shoots Jimmy with the shotgun. She then calls upon her son, J.P., and Noah to help her clean up the scene. That's why there was incriminating evidence, the bloody tarp, at Noah's property. Side plot twist, Noah is actually J.P.'s father, not Jimmy!</div><div><br /></div><div>Ultimately, the true murderer, Marta, does not face any legal consequences and most will continue to believe that Noah committed the murder. Charlie tells Marta that her secrets are safe with her.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">What happened next? Well, A LOT!</h4><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Drunk and angry, Tyler Searcy goes to the Quinn's barn, lights it on fire, and shoots a shot from his shotgun. Everyone on the scene is not sure whether Searcy killed himself, someone left inside the barn, or if he escaped. The fire is extinguished, and as it turns out, Searcy escaped through the back and is still on the loose.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the authorities are distracted by that scene, Searcy runs back to the Bluestone place and rapes Noah's wife, Kyoko. Brody returns to the jail to tell Noah what has happened to his wife and then agrees to let Noah Bluestone see Kyoko. </div><div><br /></div><div>While they are driving back to his cell, Noah claims that he is going to be sick and asks Brody to park the car. But this is actually a trick to get free from the sheriff. Noah strangles Brody, just a bit so that he can get loose, and then he heads to the river to try to find Searcy. The boys, Scott and Del, are also there trying to find Searcy, too. They all converge around the same time at the Alabaster River. Creasy shoots at Bluestone, and then Scott shoots Creasy to save Del. In the end, both of the young boys are safe, but Noah and Creasy are both deceased. </div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Happy ending?</b></h4><div><br /></div><div>At the end of "The River We Remember", a small time jump occurs and Kyoto is leaving town. She leaves her land to J.P., showing that she knows J.P. to be Noah's son.</div><div><br /></div><div>A larger time jump occurs and we find out how most of the main character's lives are spent, and for many how they end. For example, Scott becomes a lawyer and marries Holly. He also has a procedure done to fix his heart. Del joins the Army and loses his life in Vietnam. Angie and Brodie stay together, and many years later Brody passes away after falling off a roof. </div><div><br /></div><div>After Brody's passing, Angie finds a lock box with a ring inside labeled with Colleen Quinn's name. This ring was found on Jimmy Quinn after he was murdered. This note lets the reader know that although Brody never heard the confession from Marta, he connected the dots and knew that Noah Bluestone was not the murderer and that the ring was for Colleen from her father. A sinister gift considering what Jimmy planned to do to Colleen.</div>
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<p><b>And that's a wrap on "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger! Did I miss any twists? Comment below! Or tell me your favorite mystery set in a small town. Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p></div></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=198217921X&asins=198217921X&linkId=37492ab00fbd2837990ebbd21b68aae8&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Book Review (without spoilers ) of "The River We Remember" by William Kent Kruger</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.girlaboutlibrary.com/2023/10/book-review-of-river-we-remember-by.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6c1DxTRoOyMofX1DoI6f1f3KBqyDV_QaHHjbF2Lq43fCeGxnGsnEynZKAPO7dSaYCEqmxkxuBB1KJzTibW90kc0lgykCQAg_9zrc94I88i6G4MaEofgeYZk79hjvSrqHGpkPdQR0XXwvqedpEPZGxs5pTQcnG9ZQstrm01DAc-Do_beWdKQ_UfvaUCCi/w640-h640/theferrymanjustincroninbookreview.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-53140197552984134562023-10-13T17:25:00.001-07:002023-10-17T06:05:15.113-07:00Everything All At Once by Steph Catudal - Book Review and Discussion<p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2evZQhQLmYyo01MHDSO6af2eY97KIWs1PgHURhxN0jgq466rQCZQmtdpU2HuXdpTDhh6zOiqu7qLgTOb_0PPSpTRfOX15wieg2E4OzEOt0mcNaf5yenRzpIWBq_du0lx43f3w-Js7fNEuRBAD5WkT-zB8oif7-XTcSbR_N7VCX8Oczk7gyphBngjyiTWr/s1080/Copy%20of%20nurtureshock%20book%20review.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2evZQhQLmYyo01MHDSO6af2eY97KIWs1PgHURhxN0jgq466rQCZQmtdpU2HuXdpTDhh6zOiqu7qLgTOb_0PPSpTRfOX15wieg2E4OzEOt0mcNaf5yenRzpIWBq_du0lx43f3w-Js7fNEuRBAD5WkT-zB8oif7-XTcSbR_N7VCX8Oczk7gyphBngjyiTWr/w640-h640/Copy%20of%20nurtureshock%20book%20review.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;">"What a blessing and a curse to learn in an instant that pain is the intercessor of empathy." - Everything All At Once, Steph Catudal</h3><div><br /></div><p><b>Are you considering picking up a memoir for your next read? Check out my thoughts about a recently released memoir, " Everything All At Once" by Steph Catudal.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everything-All-at-Once-Memoir-ebook/dp/B0BDD4MFBK?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697126856&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=09dfcf1fa3588538ff6a183f2a2ee63a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0BDD4MFBK&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a></p><p><b>Everything All At Once</b></p><p><b>Steph Catudal</b></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62365899-everything-all-at-once">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/46pqZuX">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1380393404">library</a></p><p><i><b>An intimate and evocative memoir of one woman’s experience with the universality of grief and the redemptive power of love as she endures her husband’s 84-day battle with lung cancer.</b> When Steph Catudal met her husband Rivs, she thought that the love, stability, and warmth she shared with her husband had finally dispelled her pent-up anger and grief over the loss of her father and her faith. But when Rivs became ill and was put into coma at the height of the pandemic, the painful memories of her childhood—watching her father die of cancer—came flooding back. Written with lush lyricism, Steph’s account of how this crisis forced her to confront her past is raw, illuminating, and heartbreaking: her father’s death that wrecked her faith in God and jumpstarted a decade of rebellion, including running away from home and living out of a van at age 16, struggling with alcoholism, and delving into drugs to ease her pain. Sitting by Rivs's bedside, she grappled with the memories of the past and the uncertainties of the future while reckoning with the unknowns of her husband’s illness. Rivs would endure a grueling 84 days in a medically induced coma, eventually undergoing chemo for a similar illness that stole her father. Like Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, and Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H Mart, Everything All At Once is a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting reflection on resilience and a powerful reminder that we can find healing no matter how broken we are.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p></p><p></p><h1 style="text-align: center;">Book Review of "Everything All At Once" <br /> by Steph Catudal</h1><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>What Worked for Me</b></h4><div><b>Heartstopping medical mystery </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>My absolute favorite parts of "Everything All At Once" revolved around Steph's husband, Riv, and the doctors' trying desperately to determine what was causing the lung damage that was killing him. Because he became ill at the same time COVID hit, the assumption was that that was the cause. I was impressed by the extreme lengths that their medical community went to to save Riv, such as placing him on ECMO during chemotherapy. I was also humbled by the extreme endurance of his body. Riv was previously an endurance athlete and it was that super human strength that carried him through impossible odds. His previous extreme athletic training came together with excellent medical care beautifully in what is truly a miracle. I could not put the book down in those moments, learning how it unfolded. Their story is truly inspiring and I wish there had been more from those parties included.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beautiful writing</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>While at times the writing was a bit much, see below, for the most part, I really enjoyed Catudal's descriptions and writing style. I would absolutely read another book by this author and I saved several quotes such as the one at the beginning of the post, and this one below.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;">"Tragedy shapes us for better or worse. It molds us like clay. We are spun in the depths of despair and then forged in the kiln of awareness." - Everything All At Once, Steph Catudal</h3><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>What I Struggled With</b></h4><div><b><br /></b></div><b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=B0BDD4MFBK" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Lots of hyperbole</b><div><br /></div><div>This happened throughout "Everything All at Once," but one moment that stuck out in particular as my breaking point from being able to relate to Catudal's writing was:</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">" the ceiling fan spins violently above me. I wonder if, like me, it is trying to balance a world on the verge of implosion."</h3><div><br /></div><div>There were many writing choices like this and ultimately it took me out of the story. Their journey and this medical emergency is heart-wrenching - no personification of fans or other hyperbole needed! It felt like a disservice to Catudal's writing and the story she had to share when the writing became overly hyperbolic.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were also many moments that felt overly personal. It's like a super saccharine Facebook post to a husband from a wife on their anniversary. Not that it is disingenuous, but by sharing it, repeatedly, it loses some of its meaning. Most of the last chapter is literally writing pulled from her personal Instagram.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>More medical information, fewer flashbacks </b></div><div><br /></div><div>The parts about Catudal and her husband were interesting when not overwritten; I wish there had been more. An interview with the physicians or nurses that treated Riv, would have been fascinating and provided another perspective on the drama and healing. I would love to have read what they thought of everything - the COVID conditions, his treatment, recovery, etc- after reflecting back on it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Memoir moments felt aimless</b><br /><p>It is the height of coincidence meeting with fateful cruelty that the author's father and now her husband suffered from lung cancer. Those memoir moments connecting those experiences made sense to be included in the story and enriched each other. </p><p>However, there were many moments from the author's personal life that just didn't seem fully connected to the overall arch of the main story in "Everything All At Once". There were many personal stories that while interesting felt like nonsequiturs and could easily have been left out without taking away from the main points of her memoir. In their place, I would have loved to have learned more about her and her husband as a couple, or her and her father. I think ultimately this would have made me more invested a reader. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Have you read "Everything All At Once"by Steph Catudal? If so, comment below and let me know your thoughts on the novel.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0BGMNP9Q9&asins=B0BGMNP9Q9&linkId=9cbd4bf0b40594c8ceef9cfb6d622a4e&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking to read another heart-wrenching memoir about family and growth? </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Check out my review of "Boy Erased" by Garrard Conley below!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.girlaboutlibrary.com/2019/04/boy-erased-by-garrard-conley-book-review.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirK86GCgOVfmEn91hpgZii6HF5dWW6_hmfWbj5RqLrb-vd90ZWRjc9Efdg3ghNM10PDNphGdusKS720I_KS2Y45oVl8hiqhJfpXNgwTXr-KhXTmhWLeGc2nB6sppmLZ-5JsbKl_HCRGpqYTWhoaNDmiQX6L0M6XAoFTwrxMSOJjvGuo7GMe6VMYD27JhWG/w640-h640/Copy%20of%20nurtureshock%20book%20review.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><b><br /></b></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-39944969047863369182023-10-05T07:51:00.005-07:002023-10-05T07:52:21.148-07:0010 Things I Learned from "NurtureShock" by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman<p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX07VQR7QHX-_Rxs6JEpgz2BXmAzOZWKr2OIRmJJZGzRMp-Kju9l80_ddUW2qy9SSjrrEohY9xlIDdNMkJ7UDwyZwhElOmKjanTe_KsxmDl8INZrsONcpaBsGDkIkpWEeJOCAwEUhh0zbiZmSmaz9I2JgdH_GcMAO8NQY2o6yd0c1ls4cPFJe_rWrEVzmJ/s1080/nurtureshock%20book%20review-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX07VQR7QHX-_Rxs6JEpgz2BXmAzOZWKr2OIRmJJZGzRMp-Kju9l80_ddUW2qy9SSjrrEohY9xlIDdNMkJ7UDwyZwhElOmKjanTe_KsxmDl8INZrsONcpaBsGDkIkpWEeJOCAwEUhh0zbiZmSmaz9I2JgdH_GcMAO8NQY2o6yd0c1ls4cPFJe_rWrEVzmJ/w640-h640/nurtureshock%20book%20review-2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I absolutely love reading parenting books</b>, and "Nurtureshock" by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman is a new favorite. An astounding amount of research went into the creation of this non fiction book, as well as the studies that the book is based upon. There are so many interesting chunks of wisdom in "NurtureShock". Keep reading to find out ten things I learned from "Nurtureshock" by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.</span> </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><b><br /></b><p></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/NurtureShock-New-Thinking-About-Children-ebook/dp/B002LHRLO8?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1696354026&sr=8-2&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=c9a95d41cc83104e7bd6b880d96dab3e&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B002LHRLO8&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">NurtureShock</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6496815-nurtureshock">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3ryHA0d">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/311262903">library</a></span></p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">In a world of modern, involved, caring parents, why are so many kids aggressive and cruel? Where is intelligence hidden in the brain, and why does that matter? Why do cross-racial friendships decrease in schools that are more integrated? If 98% of kids think lying is morally wrong, then why do 98% of kids lie? What's the single most important thing that helps infants learn language? NurtureShock is a groundbreaking collaboration between award-winning science journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. They argue that when it comes to children, we've mistaken good intentions for good ideas. With impeccable storytelling and razor-sharp analysis, they demonstrate that many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring--because key twists in the science have been overlooked.<br />Nothing like a parenting manual, the authors' work is an insightful exploration of themes and issues that transcend children's (and adults') lives ( from amazon.com).</span></i><p><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: center;">Ten Things I Learned from "NutureShock" <br /> Book Review and Discussion</h1><p><br /></p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=B002LHRLO8" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><p></p><h4><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>1. Praise for intelligence backfires</b> - </span></h4><span style="font-size: medium;">This first knowledge bomb is one I have heard before, but the "Nurtureshock" authors, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, provided so much context around the information, that I felt like I was learning it for the first time. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">" We tell them this is the name of the game: look smart, don't risk making mistakes."</span></i></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Praising for effort ( using proper stance in baseball, completing a homework assignment ) instead of the result ( winning the game, acing the homework) has been shown to be most effective in bolstering kids. Encouragement around effort allows parents to praise children without sending them into a state of worry about how a challenge might change perception of them. If my parents praise me for trying then no matter the outcome, I am winning by giving my best effort.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control." </span></b></i></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the hardest parts about reading parenting books is seeing yourself in the mistakes and feeling like it is too late! I appreciated also how the authors gave a lot of grace to parents in each chapter. Many parents, myself included, reflexively praise our kids for their victories, and redirecting that can be difficult especially when we are around other parents.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Later school times, particularly for older kids makes a huge impact </span></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I live near a high school and was surprised to find that students are arriving each day around 9am. That was not at all my high school experience, but after finishing this chapter I'm glad to know our district is following the research-based guidance. Not only did later start times prove to be safer by preventing car accidents, likely caused by sleepiness, but students' test scores were wildly different as well. SAT scores in particular were boosted by staggering amounts due to the change. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">" In the year preceding the time change, math/ verbal SAT scores for the top 10% of Edina's 1,600 students averaged 683/605. A year later, the top 10% averaged 739/761."</span></i></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Bias preparation is helpful to a point</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"> "Harris - Britt warns that frequent predictions of future discrimination become as destructive as experiences of actual discrimination."</span></i></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There was a lot of discussion in the book about ways to help your child understand racism and how to best discuss it with them. But I was interested to hear that even those carefully curated messages can backfire as well. In fact, receiving too many lessons in preparation for bias made students significantly less likely to connect their successes to effort and much more likely to blame their failures on their teachers - whom they saw as biased against them. It seems like such a difficult balance and I left the chapter still wondering how much is too much?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">4. How we go about teaching kids to lie seems only to make them more skillful liars</span></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The entire chapter on kids and lying was fascinating. Not only are parents worse than chance, like flipping a coin, at knowing whether their own kids are lying. </span></p><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"> "increasing the threat of punishment for lying only makes children hyperaware of the potential personal cost"</span></i></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This message distracts children from learning a far more important lesson - how lies impact others. Offering immunity also did not show in studies to reduce lying. The old trick of, just tell me the truth I won't be mad trick - yeah it doesn't work. Instead immunity coupled with a clear route back to good standing is the best option for parents. Most importantly show you children the worth of honesty and also give credit to the confusing messages we send as parents. Frequently, we give preference to lying and it is actually seen as polite, such as with a white lie. Our children become accustomed to hearing us lie to make things "easier", and it is a difficult nuance for children to understand.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">5. It is incredibly difficult to predict who is gifted at the stage when giftedness is typically assessed.</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"> "if you picked 100 kindergarteners as the "gifted" i.e. the smartest, by 3rd grade only 27 of them would still deserve that categorization." </span></i></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is such an interesting aspect of education that absolutely rings true to my experiences. I did not qualify for gifted services until seventh grade, and while I might have made the cut in kindergarten I certainly wouldn't have later in school. The book discusses how comprehension of educational topics comes in spurts, the same child could be behind and then a few years later quite a bit ahead. One thing "NurtureShock" didn't address is what happened to those kids? Why would a kid be doing so exceedingly well in kindergarten and then be below average by 3rd grade and what can be done to prevent that?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">6. Sibling relationship research is complicated and fascinating and</span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>7. </span><span>Children's out of family friendships predict success inside family relationships</span></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">"Young children may fail to develop prosocial relationships with their siblings if nobody teaches them how."</span></i></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sibling relationships may seem like such an obvious, effortless instant built-in friendship, but anyone with siblings knows this is not the case. We as parents spend a lot of time on analyzing the psychology of the strife between siblings. Why are they having tension? Is it competition for parental time, toys ( hint it's the toys frequently according to research), etc. Scientists have found though that even in homes where everything is as equal as possible, the sibling relationship is likely to not form if no one facilitates it. "Nurtureshock" discussed several studies where skill building around sibling relationships - how to play with your siblings, why to include them, and different ways to play, was found to be essential to forming a bond.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After finishing this chapter I now try to take a more active role in checking into how my kids are playing together. They have a five-year spread, and so sometimes playing together can be tough, but clearly integral to their long-term relationship.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">6. Deception and Resistance </span></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Deception and resistance to parental authority actually peak at 14. These qualities are stronger at 11 years old rather than the usually depicted rebellious 18 year old. We have this idea of the rebellious high school student, but I think this age difference is really important information to know as a parent. We already learned earlier in the book that parents are poor judges of being able to tell when their child is lying to them. Being able to anticipate this early resistance and know its peak reminds parents to be cautious but also that grace is needed as this resistance is developmentally normal.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>7. Gratitude journals didn't do the trick</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In previous research, gratitude journals had been found to be effective for adults in increasing their overall happiness. I was surprised to learn that those journals did not work well at all for children. While there was not a conclusive way to increase gratitude for children, I did enjoy learning about just how wide the emotional spectrum of children is and that those children with the kindest traits could also at times be the most cruel. It is a good reminder as a parent that black and white thinking about a child's "goodness" is fundamentally wrong and unfair.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">8. Children are not small adults </span></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Reading through the experimental discussed in "Nurtureshock" it was interesting to see what failed as much as what worked. </span><span>Time and time again the researchers would initially make an assumption based on what works for adults, such as with gratitude - only to have that completely upended. The same was found for encouragement, which for adults when focused on results is not as directly discouraging. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">10. Responding quickly to babble can improve early speech in mere minutes </span></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Like any good nonfiction book, I left with lots of questions when I was done reading. One of the last chapters of "NurtureShock" covers how psychologists have worked to determine how best to generate language skills in babies and toddlers. But as someone with an 8-year-old, I would love to learn more about how those skills continue to develop with age and how best that is learned by older kids as well! Fingers crossed a sequel is released with more information about the middle years.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Have you read "NurtureShock" by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman? What did you learn from reading book? If you haven't read it, leave a comment letting me know your favorite parenting book! I would love to add it to my TBR. Thanks for reading, readers!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /></p></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKApGF5bOXTt8nIHX3BHZqo-u3jrGmd0g-4RpcmJY9DG35ttDmqrO3nRyYWhCtZxzURLIlUKmBQ31g8WWC0yFksmi90BZ2T4zquYJrtLsto__1bD_bXL-BZGrTTCkhNNiWf9XVZ1nKkTbyBhgonkKGTQovuFRIlm8bc3hvVI9y8faE5ZeXA7oudUFLPWr/s1200/friendslikethesebookreview.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKApGF5bOXTt8nIHX3BHZqo-u3jrGmd0g-4RpcmJY9DG35ttDmqrO3nRyYWhCtZxzURLIlUKmBQ31g8WWC0yFksmi90BZ2T4zquYJrtLsto__1bD_bXL-BZGrTTCkhNNiWf9XVZ1nKkTbyBhgonkKGTQovuFRIlm8bc3hvVI9y8faE5ZeXA7oudUFLPWr/w426-h640/friendslikethesebookreview.png" width="426" /></a></div>
<p><strong><em>"But close friends can also let you get away with too much. And what feels like total acceptance, what masquerades as unconditional love, can turn toxic... letting you be your worst self just so you can be terrible together is cruelty, not kindness. And it's got nothing to do with love." - Friends Like These</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>How did "Friends Like These" by Kimberly McCreight</strong> <strong>end? Looking for an explanation for all those twists and turns because this thriller was super twisty! </strong>"Friends Like These" by Kimberly McCreight had a very busy and character filled plot with a major ending twist! Keep reading and remember, spoilers ahead!</p><p><br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p>
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<p><strong>Friends Like These</strong></p>
<p><strong>by Kimberly McCreight</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57894786-friends-like-these">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3LCueXq">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1265039576">library</a></p>
<p><em>Six college friends have reunited for a glamorous weekend in the Catskills, a decade after a fatal accident that nearly destroyed them. Keith, once the ringleader of the group, was a handsome charmer on the fast track to success. Now he’s spiraling into addiction and stands at the edge of losing it all. This weekend is the last chance to save him But Keith, it turns out, is not the only one who needs saving By dawn on Sunday morning, a car has been found deep in the woods—one of the friends is dead, another is missing. When a local detective turns up to investigate, it’s clear the group is hiding something ominous Haunted by her sister’s murder years ago, Detective Julia Scutt has her own share of problems. But she’s a skilled detective, and knows a rehearsed story when she hears one. It is up to Julia to untangle a decade-long web of friendship, lies and betrayals to discover the truth. But first she needs to face her own past—including the secrets that could, in the end, offer the key to everything A story of unconditional love, obsession, and the sometimes-impossible choices we have to make in the name of loyalty, Friends Like These is a relentlessly twisty, roller-coaster of a novel ( from amazon.com ).</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p><p><em><br /></em></p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">How Did "Friends Like These" by Kimberly McCreight End? Book Review and Spoilers</h1>
<p><br /></p><div><strong>What Worked For Me</strong></div><div><div><strong>Lots to Follow </strong>While this element of the book ended up being a double-edged sword, I do have to give the author credit for creating a thriller filled to the brim with plots to follow and characters to learn about. I was never bored reading "Friends Like These". There is so much to digest and different characters to quickly catch up with as soon as the book begins. I definitely felt challenged as a reader and on my toes while reading.</div><div><br /></div>
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<div><strong>Grown up PLL vibes</strong> I think the strongest parts of "Friends Like These" really lean into the friendships at the heart of the book. I was really attached to the intital premise of the book : an insular friend group who through perhaps no fault of their own, was party to a crime, and has to rely on their friendship to get through. There are so many ways an event like that could change a friend dynamic for the better and worse. At it's most engaging moments, "Friends Like These" had a Pretty Little Liars the later seasons vibe to it, and I was all in. </div>
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<div><strong><br />What I Struggled With</strong></div>
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<div><strong>SO many characters and plots</strong> I was not more than ten pages in before I had to grab a piece of paper and start taking notes. There are so many different plot threads, red herrings, and characters to follow in this book. And while that can sometimes feel rewarding, initially it was just frustrating. The various plot lines and shifting perspectives did not seem to serve a purpose and as a reader it was frustrating and discouraging and pulled me out of the story. </div><div><br /></div>
<div><strong>The twists are just beyond chance </strong>I really had to suspend disbelief to enjoy this book, and for me that's a huge stretch out of my comfort zone. I had a hard time buying that someone could really pull off what each of these characters did. But also, that all of this happened in such a small area and the coincidences that would have to line up in order for all of this to happen! It was just this constant stretch that took me out of the story. </div><div><br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Plot Twists and Spoilers</b></h3><div><strong><u><br /></u></strong></div><div><strong><u><br /></u></strong></div>
<div><strong>First things first, who is the </strong><strong>murderer and what's the big twist - </strong>Maeve! Quiet and unassuming Maeve who seems only interested in getting back to her boyfriend in the city has quite the double life that she has been living!</div><div><br /></div>
<div><strong>Many years ago, Maeve was a girl named Bethany.</strong> Bethany lived in the same small town as the Detective on the case, Julia. Julia was much younger so she did not initially recognize Maeve as Bethany. However, when she begins going through Dericks belongings she finds an old college photo. In the photo, Maeve (Bethany) is wearing the sweater her sister Julia was wearing the day that she was murdered. This connects Bethany, who had previously been assumed dead, as the murderer.</div><div><br /></div>
<div><strong>Alice didn't commit suicide - that one was Maeve, too!</strong></div><div><strong><br /></strong></div>
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<div><strong>Which characters did Maeve/ Bethany murder and why? </strong>The murdering streak started with Jane. One day, when they were in the woods together, Jane suggested to Maeve that if she changed the way she looked Jane felt that she could be much more attractive. This perhaps unkind but otherwise unremarkable comment, triggered Maeve to commit murder. <em>Which frankly, seems pretty far fetched in my opinion, and we are not given much more of a reason.</em> Bethany disappears to become Maeve and it is assumed that she was murdered as well.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>Next is Evan, the boy whom she pushed off the roof when they were at a party during college. Maeve killed Evan because he recognized her as Bethany. Evan's mom was interested in Jane's murder because he too was from this small town. When Evan mentioned this to Maeve she snapped and took the first opportunity to push him to his death.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>Next up was Alice. Alice felt incredibly guilty about Evan's death. She thought Evan's death was truly an accident, but was unable to let go of the feelings she had because the friend group had chosen not to report the accident. As such, the authorities assumed that Evan was breaking and entering and fell from the roof. Alice wanted to clear things up with Evan's parents and apologize to clear her conscience. Obviously, Maeve felt that she needed to stop Alice from doing that, murdered her, and posed it as a suicide by leaving her car near a bridge, though her body was never found. </div><div><br /></div>
<div>Derrick, her last victim, Maeve murdered because she was worried that he would reveal that she purposefully pushed Evan off the roof. Derrick reveals to Maeve that he knows she pushed Evan but that he loves her and would never share that information with anyone and has secretly helped to keep her secret for years. Maeve kills him to try to keep that secret hidden.</div><div><br /></div>
<div><strong>And that's a wrap on "Friends Like These" by Kimberly McCreight! Let me know below if I missed any twists and share it below! Thanks for reading, readers.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br /></strong></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0063061562&asins=0063061562&linkId=f62155ec33543abb60158e84508b93eb&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-23521250203611680722023-09-06T08:39:00.005-07:002023-09-20T07:26:07.456-07:00How Did "Notes on an Execution" by Danya Kukafka End? Spoilers!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zMdYBUhpWIfGA8JoXY_PoabRsGhE5KhsnCzLdxE0jUBq0l6vJA2dVXyFe-LRLbnwPDitENT4PrSLNdurJtcfqbOTFSXLvG2wtRGP4Yx2COZfbx6CB6f0kD6gRWE7DHMP1IbP4hKUgNG3vV0tJstRM4mBUkhTV1JXRu-E1TdUypxIOJ3ybor9cA6b1IKn/s1200/notes%20on%20an%20execution.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book Review and Spoilers for "Notes on an Execution" by Danya Kukafka" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zMdYBUhpWIfGA8JoXY_PoabRsGhE5KhsnCzLdxE0jUBq0l6vJA2dVXyFe-LRLbnwPDitENT4PrSLNdurJtcfqbOTFSXLvG2wtRGP4Yx2COZfbx6CB6f0kD6gRWE7DHMP1IbP4hKUgNG3vV0tJstRM4mBUkhTV1JXRu-E1TdUypxIOJ3ybor9cA6b1IKn/w427-h640/notes%20on%20an%20execution.png" title="Book Review and Spoilers for "Notes on an Execution" by Danya Kukafka" width="427" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><b>How did "Notes on an Execution" by Danya Kukafka end? Looking for a plot summary for book club or an explanation of what happens to the characters at the end?</b> "Notes of an Execution" by Danya Kukafka is an emotionally charged literary fiction novel that left me reeling with thoughts and questions. Keep reading for a deeper dive into this heartbreaking read!<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Execution-Novel-Danya-Kukafka-ebook/dp/B09292JSZF?crid=2YDJ7IN3P9Q1Z&keywords=notes+on+an+execution&qid=1693929920&sprefix=notes+on+%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=ebef4358de7deb60e2de5cc19b25a8c4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B09292JSZF&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" title="Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka" /></a><b>Notes on an Execution </b></p><p><b>by Danya Kukafka</b></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57773248-notes-on-an-execution?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=TZIvlMTAa4&rank=1">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/47ZH2ki">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1246225928">library</a></p><i><br />Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. <br /><br />Through a kaleidoscope of women—a mother, a sister, a homicide detective—we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake. <br /><br />Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes on an Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it simultaneously unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our system of justice and our cultural obsession with crime stories, asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men.</i><div><i><br /></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><h1 style="text-align: center;">Book Review and Spoilers of "Notes on an Execution" by Danya Kukafka </h1><div><br /></div><div><b>What Worked for Me</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>"Notes on an Execution" does an amazing job at being suspenseful while also not hiding the ball</b> Reading this novel, we know pretty early on that Ansel murdered several girls, and that he will likely receive the death penalty. Who those girls are, how, and when is concealed for a little while, but I like that the author shifted the focus of the story from the typical "did he do it" to instead look at "why did he do it? Is there reason and meaning to be found there and if not, what do we do with that void?" Tanya Kukafka really elevated the genre by skipping over the typical suspense and asking much more pointed and important questions about criminality. Ansel's crimes are truly found to be senseless and in the end, this felt much more terrifying and real. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lavender's story arc was heartbreaking and so raw</b> There is such a spectrum of emotions that I felt reading Lavender's point of view. her story stuck out to me reading this book because I am also a mom of two young children. Initially, I was incredibly angry with her character but ultimately came to forgive her as she did herself. It was just so heartbreaking - the choices that Lavender had to make to protect herself and her children, and watching the consequences of those choices play out horribly. All of the ways she was the cause of and also victim to the horrible choices of others. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>So much respect is given to the deceased characters</b> "Notes on an Execution" spends time respecting and reflecting on who the women Ansel murdered could have become. These moments had such a touching sort of whimsical thinking that felt true to the characters and also how in grieving you would imagine who these young girls and women could become, the potential and love that was lost. Ansel and his childhood trauma are presented fairly, but in a way that makes it clear that that hurt is in no way an excuse or explanation for the crimes he committed. Because we all have hurt, what we choose to do with that is what makes us ourselves. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What I Struggled With</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Manufactured conflict </b>There are very few moments in the book that I did not enjoy, however, there is one moment that sticks out. Even though the ring Jenny is wearing from Ansel could connect him to the crimes, Ansel is initially not questioned because a higher-up in the police force of the town wants to pin the crime on someone else. Certainly, this does happen, but if this was truly how they operated there I think Saffy's reaction to this would have been different. She could have been frustrated that cases kept going that way and remarked on it, but instead, it felt like this case was conveniently cherry-picked to be mishandled to stretch out the story arc.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">How Did "Notes on an Execution" by Danya Kukafka End? Spoilers!</h2><div><br /></div><div><b>The climax of "Notes on an Execution" begins with Jenny getting away from Ansel.</b> Jenny finds a job in Houston and with the help of her sister, Hazel, is able to get out and file for divorce. Afterward, Ansel begins spending time with his niece, Blue, and his brother's wife at their cafe. This quickly ends when Saffy approaches the women to let them know that Ansel is not safe. When Ansel is rejected by them he enters a tailspin. This leads him to drive to Jenny in Houston. Ansel sees Jenny exiting her workplace and kissing another man, her new boyfriend. Ansel then follows Jenny to her home, breaks in, and murders her. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Initially, we see Ansel planning his escape from jail with the help of someone working at the jail, Shawna</b>. Thankfully his plan is spoiled when Shawna does not follow through with the plan. She had initially agreed to put a gun under the seat of the van and told Ansel that she was going through with the plan. However, when he gets on the bus and reaches for where the gun is supposed to be there are only jumper cables. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jenny's death ignites a memory in Hazel</b> of Ansel burying a box the night that Ansel proposed to Jenny at their parent's house. When Hazel digs the box up, she finds a bracelet and barrette that belong to the other girls Ansel murdered. Jenny brings the belongings to Saffy who flies to Houston with the items to question Ansel after he is detained for questioning regarding Jenny's murder.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ansel caves after getting pressured by Saffy</b> and he is sentenced to the death penalty. At the end of the novel, he is put to death. The author explores the moral questions of execution and why this does very little to create a sense of justice. Instead, it puts Ansel on display and gives him attention, and perhaps a truer justice would have come from a lifelong sentence in jail alone without any opportunity for martyrdom. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Favorite Quotes from "Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka</h2><div><br /></div><div>"There is a story you know about yourself. There is a story everyone knows. As you pull Shawna's note from your waistband, you wonder how that story became so distorted - how only your weakest moments matter now, how they expanded to devour everything else." - page 10</div><div><br /></div><div>"It was audacious, and so like him, to throw her to the wolves then demand her forgiveness for it." - page 226</div><div><br /></div><div>"What a disappointment. She had finally solved this epic mystery - touched the place where Ansel's hurt had congealed - only to find his pain looked just like everyone else's. The difference lay in what he chose to do with it." - page 260</div><div><br /></div><div>"She wonders how a concept like justice made it into the human psyche, how she ever believed that something so abstract could be labeled, meted out. Justice does not feel like compensation. It does not even feel like satisfaction." - page 281</div><div><br /></div><div>"It does not matter why he killed those girls and Jenny. Hazel believes that a person can be evil, and nothing more. There are millions of men out there who want to hurt women - people seem to think that Ansel Packer is extraordinary, because he actually did." - page 289</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>And that's a wrap on "Notes on an Execution" by Danny Kukafka! Let me know below if I missed any twists or perhaps you have a favorite quote I skipped? Share it below! Thanks for reading, readers!</b></div><p><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B092FT43QZ&asins=B092FT43QZ&linkId=fffa2ef1c3a9cc09afa55e6fbb9d741a&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div></div></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-51805534929244068832023-05-15T09:25:00.003-07:002023-05-15T09:29:17.469-07:00Book Review of "The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin<div class="separator"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ferryman-Novel-Justin-Cronin/dp/052561947X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1683735765&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=8c1f6f12cba765672d768a9d4ce6cc0c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg61AnkJybF0yaQMmS28gC2HuNaIMp9tMmTO4uIo4BDNIexOBB1QugbQ6USdiGDUwwXAVql_mMZqOCtmC4fGOaNoQMeLsNzgBC0RZ3G96pIiuIzGfFtEimMSa5B1fmrrLfS_bjZYLVZ5YuegepC6B4pWctINYfm2wpvIJpdGNhEreyU_W4M-at5-Akw/s1000/theferrymanjustincroninbookreview.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg61AnkJybF0yaQMmS28gC2HuNaIMp9tMmTO4uIo4BDNIexOBB1QugbQ6USdiGDUwwXAVql_mMZqOCtmC4fGOaNoQMeLsNzgBC0RZ3G96pIiuIzGfFtEimMSa5B1fmrrLfS_bjZYLVZ5YuegepC6B4pWctINYfm2wpvIJpdGNhEreyU_W4M-at5-Akw/w640-h640/theferrymanjustincroninbookreview.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At 560 pages, "The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin is a chunky read and a huge time investment. If you're trying to decide whether or not to pick this one up, keep reading to find out my thoughts and whether I think it's worth a read!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ferryman-Novel-Justin-Cronin/dp/052561947X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1683735765&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=8c1f6f12cba765672d768a9d4ce6cc0c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=052561947X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><b>The Ferryman</b><div><b>by Justin Cronin</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61282437-the-ferryman">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/41BnZs7">amazon</a> //<a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1313669115"> library</a> </div><div><br /></div><i>Founded by the mysterious genius known as the Designer, the archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. In this island paradise, Prospera’s lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh. <br /><br />Meanwhile, something is stirring. The Support Staff, ordinary men and women who provide the labor to keep Prospera running, have begun to question their place in the social order. Unrest is building, and there are rumors spreading of a resistance group—known as “Arrivalists”—who may be fomenting revolution. <br /><br />Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realized—and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth. ( from amazon.com)</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><b>Book Review and Discussion of <br />"The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin</b></h1><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b>What Worked for Me</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Genre-bending reading experience - </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Reading "The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin felt like the science fiction dystopia of Blake Crouch had a baby with Andy Weir's space based fiction. Both of which are authors and reading experiences that absolutely love. These are the kinds of books that you wish you could have the opportunity to read again for the first time! </div><div><br /></div><div>Not only did "The Ferryman" explore different sub genres within science fiction, it also had a great deal of character development reminiscent of your typical literary fiction plot. I think this book would be a great entry into science fiction, as long as the length wasn't a reading deterrent.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The twist is earned - </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>This book is easily ruined by spoilers, so I have to be careful here - the plot of "The Ferryman" definitely pulled me in quickly and while I was very confused at times, I think Cronin did an excellent job of making that confusion pay off. Ultimately the story does all make sense and you can tell that Cronin carefully plotted, planned, and rewrote to make sure his story was internally consistent. Too frequently, especially in popular thrillers, a twist is so abrupt that it feels disconnected from the rest of the book, and like a very cheap writer's trick, that was not the case with "The Ferryman".</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What I Struggled With</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>About that Plot Twist</b> <b>-</b> </div><div><br /></div><div>There is a significant plot twist that occurs in this book around the 70% mark. And while I do think it is worth it (see above), and I gave "The Ferryman" four stars, the bulk of the beginning was frustrating to make sense of - because it isn't supposed to fully make sense. It took me a really long time to forgive that feeling once everything started to come together - just know that you will likely spend a good chunk of time slightly confused and that it might or might not be worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Length - </b></div><div><br /></div><div> I truly think that this book could've been a hundred pages less with the same story and it would likely not negatively effect the reading experience. As someone who does not primarily read science fiction, I'm not used to reading books this long. My typical reads are between 350 and 400 pages. And at a certain point, I start to get reading claustrophobia anywhere past that. It feels like I will be trapped reading this book forever unless I put it down and start a new one. While I did struggle for the first 70%, once the plot twist hit I flew through the ending of the book.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Have you read "The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin? If so, comment below and let me know what you thought of the book! If not, tell me your favorite genre-bending read. Thanks for reading, readers!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><em>Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an early copy for review. Please know that as a "girl about the library" where books are always free, my opinions expressed in this post are truly my own.</em></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0B922G9VR&asins=B0B922G9VR&linkId=50afe51a57b9b83fefb39e0abe367769&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-89219760094597006602023-05-01T09:15:00.001-07:002023-05-01T09:15:43.574-07:00How Did "All That Is Mine I Carry With Me" by William Landay End? What was the Twist? Spoilers! <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJsIB9JmxX2xj6_Orw-P_1Jum8icpIZ5AbKhO5u6rZFbY3lvzdi0vc-4uCWSCrp6oylLKBmF6OgSPz7eH2FJaTfZHgw0F7-9jtc5yC7cjIFOODdKdDD5qRvY9j1ArThgmv8wBfeHaZgQa5oTus4b4MKyxSRSOxc_WlE2qVLW2JSD6BpRCX-z8lTK-AQ/s1200/ink%20and%20bone%20by%20lisa%20unger-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJsIB9JmxX2xj6_Orw-P_1Jum8icpIZ5AbKhO5u6rZFbY3lvzdi0vc-4uCWSCrp6oylLKBmF6OgSPz7eH2FJaTfZHgw0F7-9jtc5yC7cjIFOODdKdDD5qRvY9j1ArThgmv8wBfeHaZgQa5oTus4b4MKyxSRSOxc_WlE2qVLW2JSD6BpRCX-z8lTK-AQ/w426-h640/ink%20and%20bone%20by%20lisa%20unger-2.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How did "All That is Mine I Carry With Me" by William Landay end? Looking for an explanation for all those twists and turns because this thriller was super twisty! </b><span>"All That Is Mine I Carry With Me" by William Landay had a really intriguing plot and such a great ending twist! Keep reading and remember, spoilers ahead!</span></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span><br /></span><p></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Mine-Carry-Me/dp/0345531841?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1682953981&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=c8d82317741860a63df96476debeadf3&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0345531841&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a><span><b>All That Is Mine I Carry With Me</b></span></p><p><span><b>William Landay</b></span></p><p><span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61058004-all-that-is-mine-i-carry-with-me">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/41YezYH">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1309016023">library </a></span></p><i>One afternoon in November 1975, ten-year-old Miranda Larkin comes home from school to find her house eerily quiet. Her mother is missing. Nothing else is out of place. There is no sign of struggle. Her mom’s pocketbook remains in the front hall, in its usual spot. So begins a mystery that will span a lifetime. What happened to Jane Larkin?<br /> <br />Investigators suspect Jane’s husband. A criminal defense attorney, Dan Larkin would surely be an expert in outfoxing the police. But no evidence is found linking him to a crime, and the case fades from the public’s memory, a simmering, unresolved riddle. Jane’s three children—Alex, Jeff, and Miranda—are left to be raised by the man who may have murdered their mother.<br /> <br />Two decades later, the remains of Jane Larkin are found. The investigation is awakened. The children, now grown, are forced to choose sides. With their father or against him? Guilty or innocent? And what happens if they are wrong? A tale about family—family secrets and vengeance, but also family love—All That Is Mine I Carry With Me masterfully grapples with a primal question: When does loyalty reach its limit? ( from amazon.com)</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i><h1><div style="text-align: center;">How Did "All That is Mine I Carry With Me" by William Landay End?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What Are the Twists and Spoilers?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></h1><p><b>First things first, who murdered Jane?</b></p><p>Drumroll please, ..... it was the dad the whole time. But how do we find out? </p><p>During the last chapters of "All That Is Mine I Carry With Me", two of the children and Jane's sister decide to sue the father, Dan, in civil court. They hope to be able to prove there, with a lower burden, that he did commit the crime and hold him responsible in some way. However, he is found not guilty and so the daughter Miranda, begins to find peace with her father.</p><p>Fast forward and Dan is in the late stages of Alzheimer's and Miranda is his caretaker. When he first began to decline, Dan decided that he wanted to pursue "death with dignity" and decided to take a life-ending medicine to avoid a potentially slow and painful decline from Alzheimer's.</p><p>On the day that he is going to end his life, Dan and Miranda are in his room getting him ready. Miranda offers to get out some of Dan's nicer watches and other accessories to wear that day. While going through those things, Miranda finds her mother's wedding ring. It is at this moment that the reader, and Miranda, realize that Dan did murder Jane.</p><p><b>The added twist! Three cheers for Miranda!</b></p><p>There is one more twist, though! After Miranda finds the wedding ring, she takes Dan to a separate room in his home with an aide who will assist in the end-of-life procedure. Legally, Dan has to administer the drink to himself and Miranda must leave the room. While Dan is alone with the aide, it becomes clear that he is too advanced in Alzheimer's to be able to make the drink himself. The aide leaves the room to get Miranda, and the author describes Miranda coming into the room and the aide yelling her name. From this, the reader can assume that Miranda is making sure that Dan drinks the life ending medicine.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What I Liked About the Book</b></p><p>William Landay is absolutely a must-read author in my opinion. His books are unputdownable and have the perfect amount of literary fiction elements mixed into his exciting thrillers.</p><p>I absolutely love the literary tricks up his sleeve. For example, Landay opened the book as though he was writing an author's note, when in fact the book had already begun. Also, there is a chapter of the book that reads like it is from the deceased mother, but is actually a fictional story the daughter wrote. This kept what can be a repetitive genre feeling very fresh and exciting. Also much of the book explores the inner workings of the family and a great deal of character development, which can be missing in other books of this genre.</p><p> Reading "All That Is Mine" felt so much like watching the best episode of Dateline you have ever seen.</p><p> </p><p><b>What I Struggled With</b></p><p>The ending is so satisfying but also a bit of a letdown. The whole novel I felt certain that it was the father, so getting that confirmation and knowing that there was some justice involved was great. However, I would love to know exactly how he did it and what happened. It is a small consolation that Landay gave us a peek at what he would've written in the fictional account written by Miranda.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>And that's a wrap on "All That Is Mine I Carry With Me" by William Landay! Let me know below if I missed any twists! Did you figure out this thriller early or did it take you by surprise? Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p><p><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0345531841&asins=0345531841&linkId=584f4a7d32ff21a0d3c2e1fb9afcbdb7&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-4694170749944139512023-04-26T09:36:00.002-07:002023-10-16T17:57:55.554-07:00How Did "The Eden Test" by Adam Sternbergh End? What was the Twist? Spoilers!<div class="separator"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eden-Test-Novel-Adam-Sternbergh/dp/1250855667?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1681742800&sr=8-2&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=65e47a8cdbfb6c6408e7adf31ad525f7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwess1faVFRTX5Hk5crgJGj6vVrjkzAVeFt2Hnfpyb_eUuCPltS_UeQPW-Yxe8S0VcUgJ275rznADBaDr3m3rlkbcJ8AU576HTXtvNSasfZjGbOfMYYaMIWSlOoJpcnclWRG8pchgBEKPWJQPkL7sWuEvAEMeAcwKntBascYqf4hfRy-NyFi_X2rDKHA/s1500/Pink%20Torn%20Photo%20Food%20Recipe%20Pinterest%20Pin-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwess1faVFRTX5Hk5crgJGj6vVrjkzAVeFt2Hnfpyb_eUuCPltS_UeQPW-Yxe8S0VcUgJ275rznADBaDr3m3rlkbcJ8AU576HTXtvNSasfZjGbOfMYYaMIWSlOoJpcnclWRG8pchgBEKPWJQPkL7sWuEvAEMeAcwKntBascYqf4hfRy-NyFi_X2rDKHA/w426-h640/Pink%20Torn%20Photo%20Food%20Recipe%20Pinterest%20Pin-5.png" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b style="text-align: left;">How did "The Eden Test" by Adam Sternbergh end? Looking for an explanation for all those twists and turns because this thriller was super twisty! </b><span style="text-align: left;">"The Eden Test" by Adam Sternbergh had more twists than most and if like me you have a hard time a week later remembering all of those twists and turns - or maybe you just want to skip straight to the twists, keep reading - but remember - - spoilers ahead!</span><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eden-Test-Novel-Adam-Sternbergh/dp/1250855667?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1681742800&sr=8-2&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=65e47a8cdbfb6c6408e7adf31ad525f7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1250855667&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a></div><div>The Eden Test</div><div>by Adam Sternbergh</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://amzn.to/3L5oUfv">amazon</a> // <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784371-the-eden-test">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1334726267">library</a> </div><div><br /></div><i>Seven Days. Seven Questions. Forever Changed.<br /><br />Daisy and Craig’s marriage is in serious trouble. That’s why Daisy has signed up for The Eden Test, a week-long getaway for couples in need of a fresh start. Yet even as she’s struggling to salvage her marriage, it seems Craig has plans to leave her for another woman. In fact, his bags are already packed―long before he arrives to meet Daisy in this remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York.<br /><br />At first, their week away is marked by solitude, connection, and natural beauty―and only a few hostile locals. But what Craig doesn’t know is that Daisy, a slyly talented actress, has her own secrets, including a burner phone she’s been using for mysterious texts. Not to mention the Eden Test itself, which poses a searing new question to the couple every day, each more explosive than the last. Their marriage was never perfect, but now the lies and revelations are piling up, as the week becomes much more than they bargained for…How far are they willing to go?<br /><br />Adam Sternbergh brings his wit, originality, and a Hitchcockian sense of dread to this chilling, surprising, and wholly entertaining portrait of a marriage on the brink.
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=1250855667" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />( from amazon.com)</i><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h1><div style="text-align: center;">How Did "The Eden Test" by Adam Sternbergh End?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What Are the Twists and Spoilers?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">First things, first - this whole thing is a setup!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">All of the twists begin with Daisy setting up her husband, Craig, to kill her stalker. Through "The Eden Test" we get little pieces of a stalker storyline - Daisy has been in hiding since college when she dated a man, Frank, who has stalked her ever since. She has had to abandon her life several times to escape him. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">While she usually only takes small off-Broadway roles, Daisy purposefully goes on a widely broadcast television show when she finds out she is pregnant. Daisy wants her stalker to find her so that she can have him killed. She does not want to live in hiding, watching her back, with an innocent child to protect in addition to herself. Daisy hopes that once Frank is dead she will be free.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In order to make this happen, Daisy invites her husband, Craig, on a marriage retreat. The retreat is real, but Daisy has thrown in some extra players. Daisy invites other actors and special effects friends to test Craig's faithfulness and his ability to protect her. It's *messed up*</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daisy has more than one male, crazy-obsessed fan</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Daisy seems to figure out that what she is doing to her husband is wrong, but it takes longer than it should! Craig believes he has really shot someone ( he didn't it was just the special effects of fake bullets etc). and he does it to defend Daisy and prove himself, but he is visibly upset about it - understandably. At that point, things shift for Daisy and she seems to feel guilty for manipulating Craig.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Things take a turn for the worse though when Frank appears and shoots one of Daisy's friends, Shep. Shep also goes by Christian and is a former classmate of Daisy's, whom she has called on to act as a fake security guard. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Shep is threatening Daisy with a gun because he feels used and abandoned - he had hoped that Daisy's husband would not follow through and that Daisy would leave her husband for him. Apparently, Daisy attracts crazy men like a magnet.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frank dies, but so does Christian aka Shep</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Frank shoots Shep and he is killed. Then, Craig is attacked by Frank with a metal baton stick. Craig eventually stands back up and comes behind Frank to knock him hard with a rock. Stunned and injured, Frank swings at Craig again with the baton, knocking him down. Daisy has a knife and stabs Frank and then another rock is thrown by Craig at Frank, killing him. Now they have two dead bodies to deal with. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Craig wants to call the police and explain what happened not realizing how that might implicate Daisy. They "destroy the evidence" by crushing her phone and Frank's - never mind the fact that the text messages would still exist. They decide instead to call the foundation owners who help them and contact the police themselves hoping to keep the situation undercover for the sake of the retreat's reputation.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even the questions were fake!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In the last several pages we learn that the foundation founders have a close relationship with the police and will be able to cover up the murders. We also learn that the questions we thought were coming from the Eden Foundation were also a setup from Daisy. So many lies and so much manipulation!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">This thriller is especially hard to believe</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In my opinion, too much of this book relies on Daisy being able to predict with absolute accuracy how everyone will act, and it works perfectly for her all of the time until it doesn't as the perfect twist. Not one person was like, uh Daisy no I will not spend my weekend in your messed up dinner theatre production, this is an unforgivable betrayal of your husband? Also, they are struggling financially but you can pay a stipend, expenses, and hotel stay for multiple friends as well as pay for this retreat?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Also, the only way that Daisy gets in touch with her stalker is through an obscure message board for the show that she appeared on, that she knew he would find and post on? And for that matter, what kind of stalker agrees to meet at a nondescript cabin that their victim's husband will definitely be at, too? The whole thing sounds like a setup either to have him killed or for the cops to get him.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A private ambulance service, owned by the retreat foundation, comes to get the bodies. That's incredibly convenient.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daisy hates guns, but loves setting people up to be attacked </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The thing that *really* got me though was Daisy's insistence that her husband not have a gun. In fact, when in a desperate attempt to defend himself, Craig does have a gun, she is shocked saying, " You thought we'd be <i>safer</i> with a gun!?" - UGH YEAH DAISY, I DID! You've set up an entire plot of different men for me to attack and all you've given me to defend myself, and you, are rocks!?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Daisy tells her husband, "Daisy Plus Craig", before the attacks begin because she has decorated a bunch of rocks with this phrase to remind him to grab a rock to hit her stalker with. The lady has literally asked her husband to bring a rock to a gunfight and it's just mind-blowing. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">At one point her husband Craig, is baton slapped to the floor by her stalker, Frank. Frank and Daisy have a long conversation and the entire time, apparently, Daisy is just faithfully waiting for Craig - who she has set up, emotionally abused, and repeatedly lied to - and he knows it - to pull himself together and grab a rock to kill Frank with knowing full well that this man has an actual gun, multiple in fact. I just don't buy it and am also mildly amused by Daisy's gun resistance amidst the violence.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">And that's a wrap on "The Eden Test" by Adam Sternbergh! Let me know below if I missed any twists! Did you figure out this thriller early or did it take you by surprise? Thanks for reading, readers!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div></h1></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B09XL79FFP&asins=B09XL79FFP&linkId=71f11cd795dc291cbb516708d502905c&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Looking for more plot twists? Check out the spoilers for another suspense or thriller novel below!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.girlaboutlibrary.com/2023/05/how-did-all-that-is-mine-i-carry-with.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pkVQZz0lnesFKLhPFAgXNkgY9-0Vg-Drdtgg_uoppl9sICIC5tFhq9dPKcoh6QBWQR9n9yldzfDoVz_RZXKo7slSe3omhCTBaOhWZ0XtgTKE_O8u-xIgoi33vzukHD8RIv1gnOb7Nk7juR9nQmDO6UadqsedsN1s6GhB1M5GbekR2KPZ_I5ENTwulK0E/w426-h640/ink%20and%20bone%20by%20lisa%20unger-2.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-13770304530046015292023-04-17T07:33:00.003-07:002023-05-15T08:04:20.218-07:00Book Review of "The Trackers" by Charles Frazier<div class="separator"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trackers-Novel-Charles-Frazier/dp/0062948083?crid=147RLP80R7IW&keywords=the+trackers+charles+frazier&qid=1681320783&sprefix=the+tra%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=80a35541cd0cf6829c4e019db27a066c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwcxPx8nZa0-EUbkqS-PERCFP6xBGeEmooLxLreGM4iG1rGUEuEIYwxz7tvzeY8cNO0pbBOD0WbvsbCdW1FYL2occbrp0N9Ez2OJAg_eghUpx2frfa0OVexG95hqXk9gyz3oqfApcjSW6-NM5YEE4ac6z_jjZ8By0g28lWimO0kbhvZSWg_Z3ei004Q/s1080/book%20review-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwcxPx8nZa0-EUbkqS-PERCFP6xBGeEmooLxLreGM4iG1rGUEuEIYwxz7tvzeY8cNO0pbBOD0WbvsbCdW1FYL2occbrp0N9Ez2OJAg_eghUpx2frfa0OVexG95hqXk9gyz3oqfApcjSW6-NM5YEE4ac6z_jjZ8By0g28lWimO0kbhvZSWg_Z3ei004Q/w640-h640/book%20review-3.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Considering reading the newest release from the author of "Cold Mountain"? Historical fiction writer Charles Frazier has a new release titled, "The Trackers". I was lucky enough to snag an early copy - keep reading to find out my thoughts on this upcoming novel release! </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=0062948083" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trackers-Novel-Charles-Frazier/dp/0062948083?crid=147RLP80R7IW&keywords=the+trackers+charles+frazier&qid=1681320783&sprefix=the+tra%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=80a35541cd0cf6829c4e019db27a066c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0062948083&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a></p><p><b>The Trackers</b></p><p><b>by Charles Frazier</b></p><p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61609871-the-trackers">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3UugjWA">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1374172126">library</a> </b></p><i><br />Hurtling past the downtrodden communities of Depression-era America, painter Val Welch travels westward to the rural town of Dawes, Wyoming. Through a stroke of luck, he’s landed a New Deal assignment to create a mural representing the region for their new Post Office. A wealthy art lover named John Long and his wife Eve have agreed to host Val at their sprawling ranch. Rumors and intrigue surround the couple: Eve left behind an itinerant life riding the rails and singing in a western swing band. Long holds shady political aspirations, but was once a WWI sniper—and his right hand is a mysterious elder cowboy, a vestige of the violent old west. Val quickly finds himself entranced by their lives.<br /><br />One day, Eve flees home with a valuable painting in tow, and Long recruits Val to hit the road with a mission of tracking her down. Journeying from ramshackle Hoovervilles to San Francisco nightclubs to the swamps of Florida, Val's search for Eve narrows, and he soon turns up secrets that could spark formidable changes for all of them. In The Trackers, singular American writer Charles Frazier conjures up the lives of everyday people during an extraordinary period of history that bears uncanny resemblance to our own. With the keen perceptions of humanity and transcendent storytelling that have made him beloved for decades, Frazier has created a powerful and timeless new classic. ( from amazon.com)</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><b>Book Review and Discussion of <br />"The Trackers" by Charles Frazier</b></h1><div><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>What I Liked </b></p><p>Unfortunately, the things that I enjoyed about this book make a short list. As someone who reads a lot of historical fiction, I appreciate that this novel is set during the WPA / New Deal post-Depression era which does not get a ton of coverage. I was engaged with the plot because we were visiting a unique and less frequently written about period. I think the mystery element of where his wife went and why kept me reading through my frustrations with the speed and lack of complexity of the plot and characters.</p><p><b>What I Struggled With</b></p><p>I'm disappointed that I that this book was 2/5 stars for me. I kept waiting for the plot to pick up and for me to get invested because this book sent me into a huge reading tailspin. I really struggled to pick this book up because I did not care. The plot moved incredibly slowly, and the characters are written in a way where they feel purposefully unknowable or likable. This novel is incredibly slow but without being character driven or having poetic writing, which for me usually compensates. Some moments felt overtly political - Florida and the people there are a wasteland, and the Supreme Court is a corrupt joke - and that took me even more out of the plot. Also, this feels like the gazillionth book I've read without quotations mark, is anyone using them anymore at this point? "What gives - they serve a purpose, let's use 'em guys," said the frustrated reader.</p><p><b>Have you read "The Trackers" by Charles Frazier? If so, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Either way, let me know your most recent read without quotation marks, did it bother you or add to the reading experience? Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><br /></p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0062948083&asins=0062948083&linkId=c1d3ea83a7e7aeefe4a1d97b9df9408c&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-32355933567640673752023-04-05T08:59:00.008-07:002023-10-11T20:12:45.749-07:00How Did "What Lies in the Woods" by Kate Alice Marshall End? What was the Twist? Spoilers!<p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyIpPJCP5tF5kUKPDacw6Waqkw3GcDJ0NYvzKNouSuYphDj19gwgVnTE0END996GY7CHRQu1KvC4hslto5cTcoLvygQIJRnGSclKnx8-BPFX80AzSasdY_QiRy9FmZ6gTeFF4cIrPttfXXGGhDZxdXSuzTBMwPTYIgI2cFEjuNE2HGKwhsbHmss_jBA/s1500/Pink%20Torn%20Photo%20Food%20Recipe%20Pinterest%20Pin-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ending Explained "What Lies in the Woods" by Kate Alice Marshall with spoilers" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyIpPJCP5tF5kUKPDacw6Waqkw3GcDJ0NYvzKNouSuYphDj19gwgVnTE0END996GY7CHRQu1KvC4hslto5cTcoLvygQIJRnGSclKnx8-BPFX80AzSasdY_QiRy9FmZ6gTeFF4cIrPttfXXGGhDZxdXSuzTBMwPTYIgI2cFEjuNE2HGKwhsbHmss_jBA/w426-h640/Pink%20Torn%20Photo%20Food%20Recipe%20Pinterest%20Pin-4.png" title="Ending Explained "What Lies in the Woods" by Kate Alice Marshall" width="426" /></a></b></div><b><br />How did "What Lies In the Woods" by Kate Alice Marshall end? Looking for an explanation for all those twists and turns because this thriller was super twisty! </b>"What Lies in the Woods" by Kate Alice Marshall had more twists than most and if like me you have a hard time a week later remembering all of those twists and turns - or maybe you just want to skip straight to the twists, keep reading - but remember - - spoilers ahead!<p></p><p><br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-Lies-Woods-Alice-Marshall/dp/1250859883?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1680706866&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=adb3381d50211d7d78e10eed5bf3ab74&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1250859883&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" title="What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall" /></a><b>What Lies in the Woods</b></p><p><b>by Kate Alice Marshall</b></p><p><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784373-what-lies-in-the-woods">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3MmQ8iD">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1336956387">library</a></b></p><i>Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes. And they were liars. For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods―no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be. ( from amazon.com)</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">How Did "What Lies in the Woods" by Kate Alice Marshall End?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What Are the Twists and Spoilers?</div><div><br /></div></h1><p><b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=1250859883" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></b></p><p><b>First things first, the person who stabbed Naomi was not Stahl after all! </b></p><p><span>Stahl being the main criminal in this story is a total red herring that is settled pretty early into the mystery. While Stahl was certainly a murderer, he did not attack Naomi in the woods when she was a child. He also did not kill Jessi, the skeletal remains that the young girls called Persephone.</span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><b>Ethan is actually Stahl's son!</b></p><p>Naomi befriends a podcaster named Ethan who is investigating the stabbing and trial. She confides in him about the case. That trust is broken though when Cass and her father, Jim Green, reveal to Naomi that her trusted friend, Ethan, is actually the son of the man who allegedly tried to murder her.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cody Benham isn't so trustworthy after all!</b></p><p>Several times during "What Lies in the Woods" Cody had come to Naomi's rescue. When she was a child and assaulted by Oscar, in the woods when she was being stabbed, and he reassured her when she was in town that if she needed help he would be there for her. </p><p>Cody's wife made an aside to Naomi at Liv's funeral that Cody was slightly obsessed with Naomi, and that they owned prints of her photography as home decor. This felt weird and was definitely a hint from the author.</p><p>So, it wasn't a huge surprise to me when Naomi's call to Cody for help turned sinister. Naomi tells Cody about the skeleton they found in the woods. Cody leaves saying that he is going to "take care of this". While he is out of the car Naomi finds her stolen cell phone in Cody's glove compartment. When Cody returns he asks Naomi to take him to where she found Jessi's body and begins driving there.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Cody was the last person with Jessi when she died</b></p><p>When they arrive Naomi leads him towards the pond saying that they are headed to the body, but hoping they will run into anyone else. On the way she confronts Cody, asking if he was the one that was following her and stole her cellphone. She then asks if he was somehow involved in Jessi's murder. At this point, Cody snaps, and tells Naomi about the "accident" involving Jessi. </p><p>Jessi and Mayor Jim were having an affair. Mayor Jim had called Cody when Jessi figured out that Jim was not going to leave his wife. She was drunk and becoming out of control, so Jim asked Cody to come and get her. After Cody picked Jessi up they also had an altercation outside and when Cody grabbed her she fell backward and hit her head on a rock. He was upset and left to cool down. When he came back to check on her she was nowhere to be found. Naomi theorizes that Jessi wandered away with a head injury and died in the woods where the girls eventually found her.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cody murdered Liv and tries to also kill Naomi</b></p><p>After Cody admits to being involved in Jessi's death, Naomi continues to probe asking about Liv's death and how he was involved. Confronted again, Cody reaches into his jacket and grabs a gun. Cody admits that Liv came to talk to him about Persephone and that he killed Liv, to defend himself, but really just to defend his reputation.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cass is the ringleader and has been blackmailing Cody</b></p><p>Cody doesn't immediately kill Naomi but instead says they need to wait for someone - and that is when Cass shows up. Turns out - all those years ago, Cass had known that Persephone was Jessi and that her dad was in a relationship with her. When Cass found Jessi's body, she also found Cody's name tag on the jacket near the dead body. Cass used her knowledge about Cody's involvement to blackmail him into helping her over the years. For example, when Cass needed money for her hotel project, she blackmailed him into investing. Cass had warned Cody that Liv was about to spill their secrets and helped plant a suicide note and steal their family home gun to make the death appear to be a suicide. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>So, who stabbed Naomi in "What Lies in the Woods"? Cass told Liv to stab Naomi, and she did - but Cass is the one who tried to finish the job</b></p><p>Frustrated that Naomi and Liv were becoming better friends with each other than with Cass. Cass convinced Liv that stabbing Naomi was what "Persephone wanted" her to do and would be a way to prove to Cass that Liv really wanted to be her friend and not Naomi's. Unfortunately, because Liv was not mentally well at the time she believed Cass and went along with the plan. Liv stabbed Naomi once, but she panicked, realizing what she did - so Cass took over. Cass tries to spin the story as actually being a good thing because it tied the girls together and made them stronger people in the end and heroes in the eyes of the community.</p><p>After Naomi was stabbed, Cass told her father about the skeleton they found in the woods and pinned the stabbing solely on Liv. Knowing that the skeleton's discovery would spell trouble for himself, Green instead pinned the crime on Stahl, knowing he was guilty of other crimes. The girls continued to keep Persephone a secret.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Cody shoots and kills Cass, and Naomi offers to help him cover it up</b></p><p>Cody, after hearing about all of the crazy things Cass has done, offers to be the one to kill Naomi. He takes the gun from Cass but shoots Cass instead. Relieved and grateful to Cody, Naomi then suggests that they pin Liv's death on Cass. Cody instead makes the choice to kill Naomi too, to try and keep everything quiet. Naomi attempts to escape but Cody does manage to shoot her from a distance and catches up to her. When Cody crutches down, Naomi grabs the gun and when the shot goes off it hurts her hand and then hits Cody's leg. Naomi tries to run away again and hides where they found Persephone. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hiding from Cody, Naomi calls Ethan for help </b></p><p>Ethan is able to track Naomi's phone because she logged into his computer previously. Naomi is found and survives. The end!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>And that's a wrap on "What Lies in the Woods" by Kate Alice Marshall! Let me know below if I missed any twists! Did you figure out this thriller early or did it take you by surprise? Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B09XL73BN2&asins=B09XL73BN2&linkId=d5508df317b71bd94e94828bbac82616&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><p><br /></p></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-17619779729279219202023-03-27T07:48:00.003-07:002023-03-27T07:48:48.289-07:00Book Review of "Beyond That, the Sea" by Laura Spence-Ash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26VkVmHLf0kzFBurnOzl5ltBBLmGV44z0NcBNWMuHxR2lbJFYTHMILW6JmoMdiVkhObeczrCVSMpEhRM-u0dFBtta4eFt62U1tvMZ7GEGhGIPuO41s4XkidNcgUoHmsOa9uwfAXjopFmNbREBWGmYEE2-OI-dFetIYNxSkaNfTjwaEgE7Fkao_Gbw2A/s1080/book%20review.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26VkVmHLf0kzFBurnOzl5ltBBLmGV44z0NcBNWMuHxR2lbJFYTHMILW6JmoMdiVkhObeczrCVSMpEhRM-u0dFBtta4eFt62U1tvMZ7GEGhGIPuO41s4XkidNcgUoHmsOa9uwfAXjopFmNbREBWGmYEE2-OI-dFetIYNxSkaNfTjwaEgE7Fkao_Gbw2A/w640-h640/book%20review.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>Do you love historical fiction and coming-of-age stories? Looking for a unique new perspective in a familiar genre? Check out my review of "Beyond That the Sea" by Laura Spence-Ash.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><b><br /></b><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-That-Sea-Laura-Spence-Ash/dp/1250854377?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1679331754&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=e32226abe35c3f1abbdb1a96523f370c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1250854377&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a><b>Beyond That, the Sea</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>by Laura Spence - Ash</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784759-beyond-that-the-sea">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3TrFfOb">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1319692098">library</a></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><i>As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: they decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter, Beatrix, to America. There, she’ll live with another family for the duration of the war, where they hope she’ll stay safe.<br /><br />Scared and angry, feeling lonely and displaced, Bea arrives in Boston to meet the Gregorys. Mr. and Mrs. G, and their sons William and Gerald, fold Bea seamlessly into their world. She becomes part of this lively family, learning their ways and their stories, adjusting to their affluent lifestyle. Bea grows close to both boys, one older and one younger, and fills in the gap between them. Before long, before she even realizes it, life with the Gregorys feels more natural to her than the quiet, spare life with her own parents back in England.<br /><br />As Bea comes into herself and relaxes into her new life―summers on the coast in Maine, new friends clamoring to hear about life across the sea―the girl she had been begins to fade away, until, abruptly, she is called home to London when the war ends.<br /><br />Desperate as she is not to leave this life behind, Bea dutifully retraces her trip across the Atlantic back to her new, old world. As she returns to post-war London, the memory of her American family stays with her, never fully letting her go, and always pulling on her heart as she tries to move on and pursue love and a life of her own.<br /><br />As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love. ( from amazon.com )</i><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><b>Book Review and Discussion of <br /> "Beyond That, the Sea" by Laura Spence-Ash</b></h1><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What Worked Well - </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>A unique setup for historical fiction </b>If, like me, you<b> </b>read *a lot* of historical fiction - with a WWII timeline, with female narrators, with women on the cover, <i>you know the type,</i> then you might be excited to know that this book did actually feel different than most in the genre! Outside of young adult fiction, I had not read a novel about a child being sent away for safety during WWII, particularly somewhere as far away, and familiar to me, as America. I loved the duality the author explored in this exciting new adventure for the main character and the many points of view. Bea is traveling to America alone and meeting her new family, and making new friends, but this excitement is juxtaposed with the heartbreaking sadness of being separated from her true parents and for them their only child, during such a turbulent time. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The first half of this book is * SO GOOD * </b>After finishing reading "Beyond That, the Sea" I gave the book three stars, for reasons discussed below - but when I first started reading the novel I would've said it was a five-star read for sure. I absolutely loved the unique story and perspective. I also enjoyed the different storylines weaving together and everything felt very well constructed. I was excited to see what would happen in the main character's adventures in America, how her parents back home would adjust, how her new parents would as well, and what her new "brothers" would think of her. Yes, it was warm and cute but also there was a degree of emotional complexity, but in the end maybe not enough?</div><div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Memorable characters </b>I absolutely love the characters that Laura Spence-Ash created for this novel. Their situations, personalities, and struggles all felt very real. We get a sneak into all of their perspectives allowing the reader to connect in different ways with each one. I would love to see a film adaptation of this movie to see who would be cast in each role, particularly the Boston mother, Nancy. She was such a warm and truly good presence in the book and in each of the characters' lives as a mother and friend. You don't see characters like hers often in modern fiction and it was a comfort and encouragement to read her parts of the story.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What I Struggled With - </b></p><p><b>So slow at the end </b>The reader who thought this would be a five-star read was pretty disappointed by the end of the book that seemed to drag out forever. I think a good chunk of "Beyond That, the Sea" could've been cut out. But then after a long middle, the ending also felt fairly rushed. I don't tend to like books that try to tie everything together very neatly in the end. I don't need to see characters through to the very end of their stories - and this book definitely does that. There also weren't any sharper edges to this book. The plot and characters felt soft and fluffy even in its sadder moments, the emotional complexity from the beginning of the novel didn't carry throughout the story.</p><p><b>Italics conversations with no clear purpose - </b>I'm not someone who is typically bothered by authors breaking convention and deciding to not use quotation marks, but this one started to frustrate me by the end. In "Beyond That, the Sea", all of the conversations between characters are in italics, without quotations, and also without explicitly stating who is saying what. You know the characters fairly well, so you can discern who is saying what 80% of the time, but the other 20% where you have to guess really didn't add anything for me, and just became frustrating by the end. Whatever the purpose of this was it wasn't worth the repeated confusion for me as a reader.</p><p><b>The intro really threw me off - </b>I was so thrown off by the start of this book, there are maybe three pages where the main character, Bea, is looking back on her time in Maine. Because you don't know any of the characters yet it is just confusing; there are many character names and random information to absorb without any context. This introduction thankfully did not match the tone of the rest of the book, which I found very easy to follow. I almost set the book down to read something else, but I'm glad I didn't, so don't let the first few pages scare you off.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Have you read "Beyond That, the Sea" by Laura Spence-Ash? Comment below and let me know your thoughts on the book or your favorite characters and moments. If you haven't read this novel yet, let me know what WWII historical fiction book impressed you with it's unique story! Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p></div>
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=1250854377" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-22287580048597327672023-03-20T07:43:00.003-07:002023-03-20T08:47:34.711-07:00Book Review of "Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61Qh1VYsJdjj3vEFThotMZLc-4SZKtfnpWjEgJv2sBU5rveN6AJgAaUZsvblIkOFz8BPJmQtNBGidvOC9gDxwazaTuKoHshIzC0rs6G0pg6PiW_Bh_22n9SNVHmV6nZfdVyMEES6nrQpXduLxsvKEe0ffklr3TrT33QZn4cu360C0O3mhas6zYVoS6A/s1500/bookreviewhellobeautiful.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61Qh1VYsJdjj3vEFThotMZLc-4SZKtfnpWjEgJv2sBU5rveN6AJgAaUZsvblIkOFz8BPJmQtNBGidvOC9gDxwazaTuKoHshIzC0rs6G0pg6PiW_Bh_22n9SNVHmV6nZfdVyMEES6nrQpXduLxsvKEe0ffklr3TrT33QZn4cu360C0O3mhas6zYVoS6A/w426-h640/bookreviewhellobeautiful.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="426" /></a></div>
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<p><strong>Interested in stories about sisters and found families, with a dose of coming of age, oh and also how about some romance?! Looking for your next four or five star read? Keep reading this post to check out my review of Oprah Book Club's 100th book pick, "Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hello-Beautiful-Novel-Ann-Napolitano-ebook/dp/B0B7R4Q5DJ?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678121835&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=e5343011c7ae05eae88d41c37ab9333b&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0B7R4Q5DJ&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" style="float: left; margin: 10px;" width="106" /></a><strong><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=B0B7R4Q5DJ" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />Hello Beautiful</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>by Ann Napolitano</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61771675-hello-beautiful">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3kO0xIX">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1338300885">library</a></p>
<p><em>William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.</em> <em>But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?</em> <em>An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, <span class="a-text-italic">Little Women</span>, <span class="a-text-italic">Hello Beautiful</span> is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it. ( from amazon.com)</em> </p>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><br />Book Review and Discussion of <br /> "Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano</h1>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Ann Napolitano books are always my favorite</strong> Even though I actually read her last novel, "Dear Edward" three years ago, I feel like I read it just last month. The memories from the book and the emotions in it are still easy for me to connect with, which as a reader with a long list of books read, is an especially difficult accomplishment for an author! If you haven't read "Dear Edward" yet - do it because it is so, so good. I loved "Hello Beautiful" in a similar way and I'm sure I'll be thinking about this book for a while, wondering about the characters, and reflecting on all of the quotes I saved while reading. I can not wait to see what Napolitano writes next; she is absolutely one of my favorites!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Check out some of my favorite quotes from "Dear Edward" by the author of "Hello Beautiful", Ann Napolitano.</b></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://girlaboutlibrary.blogspot.com/2020/10/dear-edward-quotes-book-quotes.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZJwmfusCcge_L2zAdOcWilP0SI-aPlUcgkAdi6wQ_KT6i5mgNE3vdLiRv1_VSZAzjzLJRlnShJ1QTbVfLgmTGAJ6LHfba4-AyqaGFgKsu8bPPKpjeJMTqsKpt6NMS-OWz9FfZGNMwIfXtZWi77oj2lX91wLkXPDy3ABPTsAgmWWyjL7vNTdO4iEhhg/w400-h400/www.girlaboutlibrary.com%20(4).png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>
<p><strong>"Hello Beautiful" strikes so many different emotions </strong>I really feel like this novel has something for everyone. In part because it covers so many different characters and also stages of life. I really rooted for these characters and also felt incredibly sad with them. It was an emotional rollercoaster in the way only a really good book can be!</p>
<p><strong>Characters to love and hate </strong>I can't wait for other readers to grab this book to see which characters they love and connect with the most. A common struggle for readers is finding a hateable character and then the novel is ruined for them by that character. I think my favorite character in "Hello Beautiful" was Alice. And my least favorite was definitely Julia, and I do not think I will be alone there. Reading that character's storyline will be an understandable challenge for some readers because a huge chunk of the book was from her perspective. Her story ultimately didn't bother me as a reader but it might bother other people.</p>
<p><strong>Such a good book club choice </strong>Because this book hits so many different emotions and also raises so many interesting questions it would be an excellent book club pick. For example, most of the characters in this book take substantial risks in their lives and most of those risks are worth the reward, but others are less so. So many interesting conversations could be generated by looking at those risks, deciding if they were worth taking, and how they might play out off of the page. Any book with a hatable main character is also sure to generate lots of conversations and I felt like this book has that covered too.</p>
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<p><strong>Things I Struggled With</strong></p>
<p><strong>Repetitive </strong>A common criticism I saw checking out the Goodreads reviews, and one that I also agree with is that "Hello Beautiful" becomes repetitive. I think repetitive themes in novels are fine, I don't need a ton of action and prefer character-driven plots which can tend to show the same themes, but in actual character experiences it wears on me. Pretty much the entire book, the main characters are repeating the same emotional struggles just in a new place. Their thoughts about those problems and how they choose to solve them, or not solve them, don't change over the course of most of the novel and after 400 pages, it did become a bit frustrating. </p>
<p><strong>Frustrating characters </strong>If you are someone who gets frustrated with character choices and that puts you off when reading a book, this one might not be for you. For example, I really struggled with Julia's character because she just refused to grow emotionally, at least not in the way I would hope. By the end of the book, I was even more frustrated that she didn't understand why her poor choices would have negatively affected her daughter's ability to form relationships - definitely a "throw the book across the room" frustration moment for me. </p><p><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0B7R4Q5DJ&asins=B0B7R4Q5DJ&linkId=005d0b85d1f01411fe316c5ccbeff724&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><p> </p>
<h4><em>Related - There were so many beautiful quotes in "Hello Beautiful". Click the image below to see which quotes from "Hello Beautiful" by Ana Napolitano made my list!</em></h4><div><em><br /></em></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://girlaboutlibrary.blogspot.com/2023/02/heartbreaking-quotes-from-hello.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCD5VK5yfJ4rRE0BoACb6a3q5CcU1yGwSC9uDtFcixGE0p8HGZJ-1ofsp4XNXuvIOMxhAw8rpcvPgQ9KG17g7fhpg4k8sqsxrNANvZ6aH4Ik06VZWNJSbHZfLf9bNIC1w1nhrELidqBtS4JxeNNluO1CHHUSR23IxShOHtnoj38pfcfE8yIMYMtpVew/w640-h640/hellobeautifulbookquotes.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Have you read "Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano? Comment below and let me know what you thought of the novel! I'd love the hear if you found any of the characters especially frustrating or which of the plot lines you most connected with! If you haven't read it yet, share with me a book you recently read that you think would make for a great book club discussion. Thanks for reading, readers!</b></div><br /><em><br /></em></div><div><em>Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an early copy for review. Please know that as a "girl about the library" where books are always free, my opinions expressed in this post are truly my own.</em></div>
<div> </div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-88104679272039776662023-03-06T08:25:00.002-08:002023-03-06T08:25:30.157-08:00Book Review of "The Circus Train" by Amita Parikh<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAghmA2i27Mim03EDBv6YwIIloO6CwZ3e1dCC4mXulneGy47tJQDGFwchNnyISq4uYj2Fu_ZxnccKHe0MqxLQI7ZrdrGPXZRuQ9VWs2IvLXE1qbifX-P2fkEsil21vTcUt0_CqNbky--RakYfYnpvW_hRM7Jxh-47E2TfLQsPgqgJJO7fwq-ooerQ8g/s1500/thecircustrain.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAghmA2i27Mim03EDBv6YwIIloO6CwZ3e1dCC4mXulneGy47tJQDGFwchNnyISq4uYj2Fu_ZxnccKHe0MqxLQI7ZrdrGPXZRuQ9VWs2IvLXE1qbifX-P2fkEsil21vTcUt0_CqNbky--RakYfYnpvW_hRM7Jxh-47E2TfLQsPgqgJJO7fwq-ooerQ8g/w426-h640/thecircustrain.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><b>Thinking about picking up January's Book of the Month pick "The Circus Train" by Amita Parikh? Keep reading to check out my thoughts on this World War II circus themed historical fiction novel!</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Circus-Train-Amita-Parikh/dp/0593539982?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678119009&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=dd447b620eebdce4c47ed2b5aa6b433c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0593539982&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=0593539982" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></div><div><b>The Circus Train</b></div><div><b>by Amita Parikh</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56469793-the-circus-train">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3ZLWoDU" target="_blank">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1302740224" target="_blank">library</a></div><div><br /></div><i>1938. Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena—who uses a wheelchair after a childhood bout with polio—yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, her mind stronger than the limitations placed on her by society. Then her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past.<br /><br />As World War II escalates around them, their friendship blossoms into something deeper while Alexandre trains as the illusionist’s apprentice. But when Theo and Alexandre are arrested and made to perform in a town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena is separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible—herself. ( from amazon.com)</i><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h1 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Book Review and Discussion of </div><div style="text-align: center;">"The Circus Train" by Amita Parikh</div></h1><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"The Circus Train" was a two-star read for me throughout the entire book. There wasn't any one moment that made me give it a lower rating, and I powered through only because it is a fairly quick read. However, the current Goodreads rating is over 4 stars, so my issues with the way it is written may just be a personal preference.<p></p><p><b>Historically inaccurate with a creative license</b> </p><p>I am coming to realize that historically inaccurate fiction is a personal reading ick for me. The author's note at the end of the novel addresses most of her choices regarding why she changed certain historical elements in "The Circus Train". It might be worth reading that note before reading the novel to see if the changes made make it not worth reading. I love historical fiction, and would rather read the grit of reality, bearing witness to that suffering and honoring the truth of their experience than read an emotionally "safer" depiction. Why read historical fiction if the actual history is removed? So much of the reality of circus train life, the realities of being handicapped, or most horrifically being in a concentration camp were removed that it just felt emotionally empty.</p><p><b>Read like a young adult novel</b> </p><p>Because of the lack of grit and emotional depth, "The Circus Train" felt like reading a young adult novel. I think the knee-jerk is to think of this as an insult, but it is not. I truly love many young adult novels, but they are fundamentally a different reading experience. And I do not like reading adult fiction that comes off as belonging to the young adult genre.</p><p>Have you read The Circus Train by Amita Parikh? Comment down below and let me know your thoughts! I'd also love to hear about your favorite historical fiction novel that you felt was especially historically accurate - those are my favorites! Thanks for reading, readers!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div>
<center><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0593539982&asins=0593539982&linkId=25810396cf8b54b5b4ab96ceb032a303&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></center>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-18816235743568657472023-02-27T09:08:00.005-08:002023-03-09T07:21:08.156-08:00Heartbreaking Quotes from "Hello Beautiful" by Ana Napolitano<b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLREfWEeAfqgiHP4vC52q14eDkmRFqUc3OQT4WXdWWryLNSbFOuSHNhkvylZ5VaHVU1UsuLIO1JJ83Zl4CauLYbUpkFvKFlsWxoAWD8NYynbIoUKX5KQRFVa99Gz_8tuMKY5BsofpKga9VhaoGkV0WcaRFHDPUKpqBwqSiD8hJval2md9EagvYVG39w/s1000/hellobeautifulbookquotes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="book quotes from "Hello Beautiful" by Ana Napolitano" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLREfWEeAfqgiHP4vC52q14eDkmRFqUc3OQT4WXdWWryLNSbFOuSHNhkvylZ5VaHVU1UsuLIO1JJ83Zl4CauLYbUpkFvKFlsWxoAWD8NYynbIoUKX5KQRFVa99Gz_8tuMKY5BsofpKga9VhaoGkV0WcaRFHDPUKpqBwqSiD8hJval2md9EagvYVG39w/w640-h640/hellobeautifulbookquotes.png" width="640" /></a>
</div>
<br /><br /></b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Reader beware. SPOILERS AHEAD</b> - there are several twists and turns in
"Hello, Beautiful" that I would hate to ruin for another reader!! So, if you
haven't yet read this book, I would recommend saving this post and coming back
later because reading these quotes and the discussion will give away many of
those surprises. That being said, let's get into those heartbreakingly
beautiful quotes!
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<span><a name='more'></a></span>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">Heartbreaking Quotes from "Hello Beautiful" by Ana Napolitano</h1>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px; text-align: left;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "With his palm pressed against his fathers', William had the
strange thought that he might never see his parents again - that they'd
only ever had one child, and it wasn't him."</span>
</h4>
<p>
<b>The most heartbreaking character in Hello Beautiful, and the competition
is tough, would be William.</b>
His childhood, the loss of his sister, and the total loss of parental love
were such a gut punch. A sympathetic character for the reader, but also for
the close-knit Padavano sisters who had always known companionship and
family - and in many ways define themselves by it.
</p>
<p>
This moment in particular stuck out to me because William is off to pursue
the rest of his future, playing basketball as a collegiate athlete. A moment
that should be exciting and something his parents would be eager to join him
in is coupled with what should seem like an unreasonable thought, but it is
one that actually ends up being true.
</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p></p>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px; text-align: left;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "...Sylvie ached at how this priest and all the people at the wake
defined Charlie with his biographical facts, when he has been so much
more. He was vast, and beautiful, and more present in the gift of baby
formula to a young mother than any day he'd spent at the paper factory. He
was his acts of kindness, and his love for his daughters, and the twenty
minutes he'd spent with Sylvie behind the grocer's that evening."</span>
</h4>
<p>
<b>I loved this moment in the book at Charlie's funeral.</b> While loved by
his daughters, up until this point in the novel, Charlie is depicted as a
failure. However, Napolitano really drives home the idea with Charlie that
someone posthumously might be remembered very differently, and why that
might be. For years after Charlie's death, the Padavano sisters,
particularly Sylvia, are greeted by neighbors who were positively impacted
by Charlie, all of this without the girls knowing his good deeds at the
time. I love this idea that someone's memory would be carried on by their
good deeds and that so much can be happening with a parent or anyone really,
that you do not know about that informs their character - bad or good.
</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p></p>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px; text-align: left;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "William's departure had been sudden, but it had struck like
lightning in the middle of a storm. Unexpected yet natural."</span>
</h4>
<p></p>
<p>
<b>This is one of the ways in which Napolitano is such a brilliant
writer.</b>
A big plot point occurs and while you're processing it as a reader, she
swoops in with the *perfect* metaphor that adds so much depth to the moment
and really made you think about it differently. I was surprised when William
made the choice to leave their marriage, and also his decision to give up
their daughter. Comparing it to lightening in a storm is just so perfect,
surprising yes but even if was sudden for Julia, it might also have not been
a surprise considering how far apart they had become.
</p>
<p></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p></p>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px; text-align: left;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "Alice is a lamp. A bright lamp, from the moment she was born. She
kind of shines. Looking at her hurt my eyes, and I was afraid to touch
her." "You were afraid of her light?" "No. I was afraid I was going to put
her light out. That my darkness would swamp her light."</span>
</h4>
<p><b></b></p>
<p>
<b>I absolutely love this metaphor.</b> Napolitano is at it again with
heartbreaking metaphors! Even though I do not suffer from depression - as
someone with children, I found this idea incredibly relatable. I think all
good parents worry that in some way they might even just dim the light of
their children through their parenting faults. I also love the word swamp -
rarely used that way, but such a good visual!
</p>
<p>
Below are two more times Napolitano used metaphors that perfectly
illustrated her point -
</p>
<p><br /></p>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "But the friction between life inside that room and outside made
him feel like a record needle being dragged across the vinyl
surface."</span>
</h4>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "Julia had shut that door between them so many times that Alice had
locked it."</span>
</h4>
<div>
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></span>
</div>
<p></p>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px; text-align: left;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "William had grown up in a nice home, with a professional father, a
big lawn, and his own bedroom. He clearly knew what success and security
looked like, and the fact that he saw those possibilities in Julia pleased
her immensely."</span>
</h4>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "She knew William's attention would be on her. She loved the
hopeful look William directed at her, as if he were a ship eyeing the
ideal harbor."</span>
</h4>
<p>
<b>Even knowing how it all ends, I think the start of the relationship
between William and Sylvia was so romantic.</b>
I really enjoyed reading those sections of "Hello Beautiful" because
Napolitano does a perfect job balancing romance with storytelling.
Frequently in romance novels, I feel like the plot is less important than
the more graphic scenes, but this novel is a closed-door. I became invested
in the relationship between William and Sylvia and how they made each other
feel. William needs connection and family and finds it with Sylvia. And
Sylvia is so ready to be grown up and she loves that William sees that in
her.
</p>
<p>
By setting up this seemingly ideal couple, Napolitano does a great job of
showing how a fundamental flaw in their relationship caused an absolute
breakdown even though initially it seemed like a perfect match.
</p><p><br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_tSbYBeruY2UHMfRz8wdGLUTU5BIhHqiliLE2wonuzoJ_PhWHPODLrkiJLCcn4K3bl9HLcpUgftQVI6KwoOS81g-U77aEKeUg0tipVjcp3u1yHVQkob5cc8QlY2xw4MWDIoobTuZTeLAW8GZ82acmWF9Vf5f0RDM3tvfSzx3-qZl3OnUhHqS1D9u8g/s1080/hellobeautifulbookquotessylvie.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book Quote from "Hello Beautiful" by Ana Napolitano" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_tSbYBeruY2UHMfRz8wdGLUTU5BIhHqiliLE2wonuzoJ_PhWHPODLrkiJLCcn4K3bl9HLcpUgftQVI6KwoOS81g-U77aEKeUg0tipVjcp3u1yHVQkob5cc8QlY2xw4MWDIoobTuZTeLAW8GZ82acmWF9Vf5f0RDM3tvfSzx3-qZl3OnUhHqS1D9u8g/w400-h400/hellobeautifulbookquotessylvie.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>
<h4 style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 2px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #555555; padding: 2px 6px 4px; text-align: left;">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"> "Sylvie wondered, looking at the mural, if bravery was wedded to
loss. You did the unthinkable thing and paid a price."</span>
</h4>
<p>
<b>Definitely one of my favorite quotes from "Hello Beautiful" and also a
repeated theme throughout the book </b>- by growing as a person you have to make really difficult choices,
and typically those choices involved a great deal of loss. Nearly every
character in the book, in order to grow and be the best version of
themselves, has to make a decision that is tied to a great loss. And as a
reader, it felt like the author was asking us, was this choice worth the
loss? I think this book would make an excellent book club pick because there
were so many big choices made by characters that would generate a lot of
discussions!
</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>
<b>Have you read Hello Beautiful by Ana Napolitano? Comment below and share
with me your favorite quote or moment from the novel. If not, share
another novel with a great romantic relationship, even if things don't
work out in the end. Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p><p>
</p>
</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0593243730&asins=0593243730&linkId=e2c3df8efa81a195952ab33fa9c46425&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-891499227043683762023-02-22T08:50:00.013-08:002023-05-15T09:33:32.175-07:00How Did "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley End? What Was the Twist? Spoilers!<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwfo92AljaZbJINbGeoW071xv0sFoBVtsU6Uff2xSmUwFjo-3BGjFPFurAdLc5Lm_ID07thB43-C3olAevgqTSEnyupr--BLutPGdVMOsK2Iw99zUquKsUlS9ydONrE92EiQbL6UsNgPwxgRwSlUNj5l5zZFPw0pfk7zoKsTeR2QYaroB9FIkP1pqvw/s1500/Pink%20Torn%20Photo%20Food%20Recipe%20Pinterest%20Pin-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How Did "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley End? What Was the Twist? Spoilers!" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwfo92AljaZbJINbGeoW071xv0sFoBVtsU6Uff2xSmUwFjo-3BGjFPFurAdLc5Lm_ID07thB43-C3olAevgqTSEnyupr--BLutPGdVMOsK2Iw99zUquKsUlS9ydONrE92EiQbL6UsNgPwxgRwSlUNj5l5zZFPw0pfk7zoKsTeR2QYaroB9FIkP1pqvw/w426-h640/Pink%20Torn%20Photo%20Food%20Recipe%20Pinterest%20Pin-3.png" title="How Did "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley End? What Was the Twist? Spoilers!" width="426" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b>How did "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley end? Are you looking for an explanation of all those twists and turns because this thriller was super twisty! TLDR?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>"The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley had more twists than most thrillers and if like me you have a hard time a week later <i>remembering all of those twists and turns</i> - or <b>maybe you just want to skip straight to the twists</b>, <b>keep reading - but remember - - "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley spoilers ahead</b>!</p><p><br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Party-Novel-Lucy-Foley/dp/006286890X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676486748&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=b4d4563a9e1806a0579caf5d0aa3b020&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=""The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=006286890X&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" title=""The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley" /></a><b>The Hunting Party</b></p><p><b>by Lucy Foley</b></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37642030-the-hunting-party">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3EcK3k8">amazon</a> //<a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1039335015"> library</a></p><br /><i>During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves. The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps. Now, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it. ( from amazon.com)</i><div><br /></div><div><h1 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">How Did "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley End?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What Are the Twists and Spoilers?</div></h1><p><br /></p><p><b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=006286890X" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />First of all, that cozy lodge is actually a front for a drug smuggling ring!</b> </p><p>Heather, the Lodge manager, heads to an abandoned building on the property to check for Iain. Iain is fairly suspicious - he likely never left on the holiday he said he was, he has access to a missing gun, and he had ominously told Heather to not let the guests wander outside at night.</p><p>Doug, the groundskeeper, calls Heather over the radio saying that he is going to come to her and stop her, but Heather is undeterred. Once inside she finds a bunch of packaged cocaine and is then hit over the head and passes out, when Heather comes to, she recognizes the person who hurt her as Iain. </p><p>Iain holds Heather hostage, but thankfully because Doug was on his way to help Heather anyway, Doug shoots Iain setting Heather free. Iain confirms Heather's suspicions about the drug smuggling and we learn that the creepy train guy was creepy because he was helping with the drug smuggling ring, too. Oh, and those creepy Icelandic hikers? Yep, they were in on it also!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Emma is *obsessed* with Miranda</b> </p><p>The twists in "The Hunting Party" really begin to take off when drunk Emma slips up during one of their lodge get-togethers. Emma asks Miranda if she remembers something from college - a time before Emma had supposedly known Miranda. </p><p>Emma, they've been told, went to a different university so the comment is definitely odd! Miranda, also drunk, doesn't think much of it, but it is clear that Emma is referring to something Miranda did before she is believed to have known the group which is very suspicious. Clearly, Emma has been observing Miranda since long before she started dating Mark and joined the friend group. </p><p><i>Then things get more suspicious!</i> While visiting Emma, Miranda is pleasantly surprised when she sees that Emma has the same lipstick that she wears. This is convenient because Miranda's has gone missing ( very sus). Miranda then finds a box at Emma's, opens it, and sees inside all kinds of previously lost items of hers that Emma had stolen and kept! Previously in the novel, Miranda and the group had discussed her college stalker, and <i>it becomes clear that that person was Emma.</i> </p><p>The perspective switches to Emma's and we learn that Emma has always felt that she didn't have her own personality. Instead, Emma liked to watch others and borrow theirs. Miranda, being "that girl" was a natural choice; Emma has been obsessed with her ever since meeting at their college interviews. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Miranda's husband, Julien, is cheating on her with Katie, Miranda's best friend.</b></p><p>And there is an added twist to this twist, which was a pretty good twist because I don't remember any hints at this one! We, the readers, know that Katie's character is pregnant. Miranda also puts this together from clues and then asks Katie if the father is her husband, Julien. And it is! This is especially hurtful because Katie is Miranda's best friend and Miranda has been struggling to become pregnant herself.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The biggest twist of all - Emma is the killer and she kills Miranda, kind of by accident - maybe?</b></p><p>Miranda tries to leave after finding out that Emma is her stalker. but Emma runs after her. Miranda, understandably upset about finding out about Emma, calls her some unkind words. This causes Emma to flash back to elementary school when something similar happened. Not thinking about what might happen next, Emma grabs Miranda's neck and strangles her. She then pushes Miranda backward allowing her to fall and guaranteeing her death.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Emma then attempts to take revenge on Katie</b></p><p>After killing Miranda, Emma lies low in the cabins, believing it is unlikely that they would ever be able to pin the murder on her. Emma also decides that she needs to take revenge on Katie for hurting Miranda. Emma twists what happened in her mind, blaming Katie and Julien for making Miranda upset. Emma believes that is why Miranda said the hurtful ( true ) things to Emma that motivated Emma to kill Miranda. Emma tries to kill Katie, but thankfully Heather and Doug have made their way back and Heather throws herself at Emma taking the bullet and saving Katie. Heather recovers and is fine.</p><div><br /></div><div><b>Other possible suspects</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>This novel had one too many red herrings in my opinion. Here are some of the other characters and how the author leads you to think that they might actually have been the murderer -</i></div><div><br /></div><p>Bo acts suspiciously, taking extra care of a very intoxicated Miranda, kind of hiding her away. Miranda seems confused by how she became so out of it, suggesting that she might have been drugged.</p><p>Giles confronts Miranda about revealing that she slept with someone insisting that Miranda not tell his wife, Samira.</p><p>Through all of this Miranda is very coy - suggesting that she has dirt on every one of the people upset with her and she is more than happy to spill it. Miranda always seemed like the one most likely to be murdered. Which isn't really a superlative you want to win.</p><p>Miranda spends some time with Doug who has PTSD and anger issues. When Miranda goes to see him she taunts him calling him a coward and the chapter ends with us not knowing whether Doug lashes out, as we know he has a prior history of doing when angry.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>And that's a wrap on "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley! Let me know below if I missed any twists! Did you figure out this thriller early or did it take you by surprise? Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>
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<p><strong><br />Interested in historical fiction with a dose of coming of age, also how about some spies?! Looking for your next big chunk of a book? Keep reading to check out my review of "The Whalebone Theater" by Joanna Quinn.</strong></p>
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<p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>The Whalebone Theatre</strong></p>
<p><strong>by Joanna Quinn</strong></p>
<p><strong>My Rating:</strong> ★★★★/ 5 stars</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59900661-the-whalebone-theatre">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3XmlxUg">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1345067369">library</a> </p>
<p>One blustery night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel. By law, it belongs to the King, but twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave has other plans. She and the rest of the household—her sister, Flossie; her brother, Digby, long-awaited heir to Chilcombe manor; Maudie Kitcat, kitchen maid; Taras, visiting artist—build a theatre from the beast’s skeletal rib cage. Within the Whalebone Theatre, Cristabel can escape her feckless stepparents and brisk governesses, and her imagination comes to life.<br /><br />As Cristabel grows into a headstrong young woman, World War II rears its head. She and Digby become British secret agents on separate missions in Nazi-occupied France—a more dangerous kind of playacting, it turns out, and one that threatens to tear the family apart. ( from amazon.com)</p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">"The Whalebone Theatre" by Joanna Quinn</h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">Book Review and Discussion</h1>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>What Worked</strong></p>
<p><strong>Immersive, epic story </strong>Yes, brace yourself, because this book is long ( 576 pages!!). Most of this novel is jam-packed with characters and plot so it didn't feel long for me, until the very end. In fact, so much happened with the rotating cast of main characters, especially in the first half, that looking back it's wild to think that this was all just one book! </p>
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<p><strong>Reminds me of other favorites</strong> "The Whalebone Theater" reminded me of two other favorites "The Heart's Invisible Furies' by John Boyne and also "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah. It's definitely grittier than "The Nightingale" but the spy elements were familiar, as well as the story of sisters living different lives, separate but also together during WWII. The length of the book, paired with the main characters being out of place, emotionally complicated, and quirky children with inattentive parents, and also that the story follows much of their whole lives, definitely gave me "The Heart's Invisible Furies" vibes. </p>
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<p><strong>Just great writing, so so good </strong>Despite how much is going on during "The Whalebone Theatre" all of the characters are well-developed and strong. This is a multi-point-of-view historical fiction. Typically, I would have a favorite character and resist the POV change, but I think each of the character's stories is equally engaging. For most of the book, the pacing was perfect as well. Nothing felt rushed. I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Instead of being glad that I had shifted to a new character and their subplot, I just missed the characters being all together and their group interactions. They each felt like very real people to me, and also the secondary characters as well!</p>
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<p><strong>SO many creative storytelling methods in the book </strong>Talented writers are in their own class when it comes to creative storytelling and Joanna is certainly one. She cleverly uses different storytelling methods in order to keep the plot moving, such as when a large amount of time elapses and she uses dated newspaper clippings about the children's plays to show the passing of time. Joanna Quinn also uses different sizes of the font and the placement of words to tell the story, much like in poetry. The novel is also epistolary as much of the story is told through letters between the siblings. This book has so much to offer and checks a lot of different reader boxes.</p>
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<p><strong>What Didn't Work</strong> </p>
<p>While I loved almost everything about "The Whalebone Theater", the last quarter of this book really dragged out for me. That lull took this book's rating for me from five to four stars. The author's depictions of being a spy in WWII are probably very accurate but made for exceptionally slow storytelling. I imagine it would be easy to fall into a James Bond-eqsue action sequence to keep the plot moving and the reader engaged, and I'm glad she resisted that. However, the ending felt very drawn out and unrewarding as we were stuck with the same character for over one hundred pages, and not much happened in that time. Which was particularly discouraging after such great pacing and storytelling at the start of the novel! Regardless, I really enjoyed this book and will absolutely pick up this author's next novel.</p>
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<p><strong>Have you read "The Whalebone Theatre" by Joanna Quinn? Let me know your thoughts about the book below! Either way, comment with your favorite historical fiction novel. It is one of my favorite genres and I would love to add your suggestions to my TBR. Thanks for reading, readers!</strong></p>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="150" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0593321707&asins=0593321707&linkId=be9d4e549409a35351cf4c3a164479ff&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;" width="300"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h4><i><span style="font-size: large;">Looking for your next read? Check out this post below!</span></i></h4></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://girlaboutlibrary.blogspot.com/2020/10/dear-edward-quotes-book-quotes.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQwxJ_4_8u41_HnGiAcZZMmbW21C4Raoq3kVXlW9Gr9LtmL4Q-JElscO_RcxFML018_Ei67RN5no_HFlsPMY6uwiQrIErRaUa1oULj-tRuS6QbX3es22rCAeiWV8KeaYKLcnZFVpd0Ywsof9UHSz98DWi7N3Y4FOv8G1d_LIeAX1HoolaNo1cZAgGuQ/w640-h640/www.girlaboutlibrary.com%20(4).png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-36766782034493196152023-02-08T07:43:00.001-08:002023-02-08T07:43:45.543-08:00"The Fake" by Zoe Whittall - Book Review and Discussion<p> </p>
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<p><b>Hey reader! Interested in picking up a book about pathological liars? Keep reading to see my thoughts on "The Fake" by Zoe Whittall!</b></p>
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<p><strong>The Fake</strong></p>
<p><strong>by Zoe Whittall</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62075259-the-fake">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/40HQ7ug">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1331414050">library</a></p>
<p><b>My rating : <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">★</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">★/ 5</span> </b></p>
<p>After the death of her wife, Shelby is suffering from prolonged grief. She’s increasingly isolated, irritated by her family’s stoicism and her friends’ reliance on the toxic positivity of self-help culture. Then, in a grief support group, she meets Cammie, who gives her permission to express her most hopeless, hideous feelings. Cammie is charismatic and unlike anyone Shelby has ever met. She’s also recovering from cancer and going through several other calamities. Shelby puts all her energy into helping Cammie thrive—until her intuition tells her that something isn’t right. Gibson is fresh from divorce, almost forty, and deeply depressed. Then he falls in love with Cammie. Not only is he having the best sex of his life with a woman so attractive he’s stunned she even glanced his way, but he feels truly known for the first time in his life. But Gibson’s friends are wary of Cammie, and eventually he, too, has to admit that all the drama in Cammie’s life can feel a bit over the top. When Gibson and Shelby meet, they realize Cammie’s stories don’t always add up. In fact, they’re far from the truth. But what kind of a person would lie about having cancer? And what does it say about Shelby and Gibson that they fell for it? From the author of <span class="a-text-italic">The Best Kind of People </span>and <span class="a-text-italic">The Spectacular</span> comes a sharp, emotional novel about lies, liars, and the people who love them. ( from amazon.com)</p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">"The Fake" by Zoe Whittall <br /> Book Review and Discussion</h1>
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<p><strong>What Worked</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Characters to root for</strong> - The two main characters in this book, Shelby and Gibson, are very different but at heart, they both seem like kind, good people. And the situation these characters get into, to a point, is definitely relatable. We have all had a relationship end and then had a rebound that was less than ideal, or perhaps we've been too trusting of a new friend and regretted it later. One of the strengths of this book is that it's easy to put yourself in the character's shoes and imagine what you might do. Because each character's circumstances are so different if you don't feel pulled towards one, you'll likely relate to the other.</p><p><br /></p>
<p><strong>Interesting Conversations</strong> - One of the things that kept me reading "The Fake", were the dynamics around mental illness and personal responsibility. There are several possible diagnoses for the abuser, Cammie, who is clearly mentally unwell. She is certainly a pathological liar and seems to have had this tendency for most of her life. The most intriguing dynamic to me was that Shelby met Cammie in her grief recovery group. Other people in the group knew that Cammie was a pathological liar and allowed her to be in the group despite the fact that she would likely take advantage of those around her - people who are already hurt and suffering, and also likely to fall into her trap. Some of the characters in the book excuse away Cammie's - in my opinion inexcusable - behavior saying that because she is dealing with a mental illness they need to be understanding and patient with her. I wish more of the book had dealt with complex topics like this because it added a lot to an otherwise mundane plotline.</p>
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<p><strong>What I Struggled With</strong> </p>
<p><strong>Very uneventful plot </strong>You are aware from the back cover synopsis of "The Fake" that Cammie is a liar, and there isn't much else revealed about her character or the other characters to keep you motivated to read. There is no big "event". There are many literary fiction books I've loved that someone might describe as - "nothing happened" - but in that case, there is always beautiful poetic writing with insights about life and love that stick with you or there is wonderful character development - it's certainly a balance that is hard to strike. And unfortunately, this book didn't have those other elements to supplement a slow plotline.</p>
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<p><b>The thing that most stuck out to me while reading "The Fake"- I was actually bored</b> by the fact that Shelby and Gibson were being lied to and manipulated by Cammie. Is the big take away from this book that people lie? At some point, it is just frustrating to watch these people being taken advantage of while doing very little about it or while being in denial about what is really happening to them. </p><p><br /></p>
<p><b>But! If someone told me the story of "The Fake" at a party, I would be shocked, intrigued, and would have so many questions.</b> Dealing with a pathological liar is definitely the kind of life event that you can imagine someone telling you about, either because it happened to themself or another friend, and everyone being very into the story. The disconnect, however, is that because we are with the characters while they are being taken advantage of, it's easy to see how it happened. There's very little intrigue. I think that particularly in the age of app dating, there are many people with far worse stories than this of abuse and lies, unfortunately, the bar has risen (fallen) and there needs to be more there to hold my attention in terms of bad behavior.</p><p><br /></p>
<p><strong>Have you read "The Fake" by Zoe Whitall? Comment below and let me know your thoughts on the book. If you haven't, comment down below letting me know your favorite unlikeable character. Thanks for reading, readers!</strong></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1524799440&asins=1524799440&linkId=bd9ae785970b97801592e5791d6529e2&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-17753288272590454032023-01-30T08:54:00.004-08:002023-01-30T09:37:35.036-08:00"Age of Vice" by Deepti Kapoor - Book Review and Discussion<p> </p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4FI-bQLmFjPvr8lFp4qiEp34mDuAgfggf9r14qtjB0gvs2G3raZvTLpbs-0ToEq0NUNKibW5TdUzDZfa47hL2XVqYqbejBDK_nEjt4ZK3lprgGKASfqTuEAp9cyC_1CmM-_IBlDlxuAb1olvhGLJLZIuEgVi-Es-YMx5VbFG53DY0XuXITubsApfvg/s1500/ageofvice.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4FI-bQLmFjPvr8lFp4qiEp34mDuAgfggf9r14qtjB0gvs2G3raZvTLpbs-0ToEq0NUNKibW5TdUzDZfa47hL2XVqYqbejBDK_nEjt4ZK3lprgGKASfqTuEAp9cyC_1CmM-_IBlDlxuAb1olvhGLJLZIuEgVi-Es-YMx5VbFG53DY0XuXITubsApfvg/w426-h640/ageofvice.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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<p><strong>Is it worth it read "Age of Vice" by Deepti Kapoor? At over 500 pages it's definitely a big time investment! Keep reading to see what worked for me in this book and whether I think you should read it, too.</strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Age-Vice-Novel-Deepti-Kapoor-ebook/dp/B09WZSLSX6?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1675095445&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=aa0eb4796a3b552f692d46f97c072034&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B09WZSLSX6&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=B09WZSLSX6" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /><b>Age of Vice</b></p>
<p><b>by Deepti Kapoor</b></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60177466-age-of-vice">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3jjN0YP">amazon</a> //<a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1330712303"> library</a></p>
<p>New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.<br /><br />Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, <span class="a-text-italic">Age of Vice</span> is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family -- loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.<br /><br />In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction? <br /><br />Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi,<span class="a-text-italic"> Age of Vice </span>is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption.It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best. ( from amazon.com)</p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">Book Review and Discussion of <br />"Age of Vice" by Deepti Kapoor</h1>
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<p><strong>Things That Worked for Me</strong></p>
<p><b> "Age of Vice" felt like an achievement to read and finish.</b> There should be a quick quiz I can take and a certificate should be mailed to me. The FOMO would have been too much if I had skipped on reading "Age of Vice" and with the wait at the library begin 11 weeks on a digital copy and potentially longer for a physical one, I decided to brush off my dusty BOTM subscription and get it ASAP.</p><p><br /></p>
<p><strong>Strong world building</strong> There are quite a few characters in "Age of Vice" but they are all unique enough that I did not feel like I had to take notes - which is my go to when authors introduce too many similar characters. I felt like this was especially impressive because all of the main character's names are Indian, which could further complicate name confusion for me when I'm already less familiar with them. Also, because the author has obviously spent a great deal of time where the book is written the locations and scenery were immersive and she built out a solid world for us to be dropped into for this epic story.</p><p><br /></p>
<p><strong>Very strong first half</strong> - I think the best constructed part of this book is the first half. There are not as many characters, the plot is more focused and kept my interest as we followed three characters - Ajay, Sunny, and Neda. I wish that the author had stuck with these characters more, but for the first half of the book I was very sucked in and excited to see how the story would progress!</p><p><br /></p>
<p><strong>I'm invested -</strong> even though I only gave 'Age of Vice" three stars, I do think I will continue to read the series because I want to know what is going to happen. I am also curious to see how the author, Deepti Kapoor, develops as a writer over time. However, if I felt the same way after finishing the second book, I'm not sure I would take the time to finish the series. I am not a fast reader so choosing to invest time in an over 500 page book is not a decision I take lightly, it's likely going to take me over a week possibly two to read through a book this big. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>What I Struggled With</strong></p>
<p><strong>By the end I had book claustrophobia</strong> "Age of Vice" is *long* and like most really lengthy, time consuming books, at some point you start asking yourself if it was really all that necessary. There were definitely chunks of "Age of Vice" that could've been cut and it would've made little difference to the plot or outcome - particularly around the 2/3 point. "Age of Vice" will be a trilogy, and it's supposed to be an epic story with a large cast, and I think with that comes LONG.</p>
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<p><strong>There isn't much hope to cling to in this story.</strong> And while I don't mind reading gritty,intense, or sad novels, I do prefer that there be a character I can root for or at least a glimmer of hope for justice or happiness. Again, this is the first in a series so who knows what the next two books will bring - but "Age of Vice" as a standalone just felt like a lot of suffering without a purpose. I had hard time discerning what the author wanted me to take away from the story, other than life in impoverished India, or even as someone wealthy there, is beautiful but also very difficult.</p>
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<p><strong>Too many characters and backstories</strong> I loved the first half of "Age of Vice" and felt confident that it would be a five star read - and then the rest of the book happened. The world really started to expand and then all of a sudden these very late introduced characters were suddenly incredibly important to the plot, which is a strange way to build a story. I missed the original characters and wish that the story had been more focused.</p>
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<p><b>Have you read Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor? Comment below and let me know what you thought! Or tell me the last really long book you read that was worth the effort! Thanks for reading, readers!</b></p>
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<center><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="150" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B09WZSLSX6&asins=B09WZSLSX6&linkId=a1dd2a27d3431ff9f4920ff1fb085c03&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;" width="300"></iframe></p></center>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-24805923878506993312023-01-23T09:05:00.005-08:002023-01-30T09:37:42.047-08:00"What Remains of Elsie Jane" by Chelsea Wakelyn - Book Review and Discussion<p> </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLr_70j2JlgBhMKT2ifmVcMXStNvvQj9OlqDUUj9Gt5YoR5PKKUm0ad_MkYpxX3PLr_o5vKCkVpZTPz8fRucF5QhBL-JoUqEN8T2m8Q-n-qAxeArt2ExTkAKGmWFGRa4mJkYfPTR2lUu07A6VUoSVKO9fz1rCexofL1EZjZ5Dzglix-hPom3ZSTsH4Q/s1500/whatremainsofesliejane.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLr_70j2JlgBhMKT2ifmVcMXStNvvQj9OlqDUUj9Gt5YoR5PKKUm0ad_MkYpxX3PLr_o5vKCkVpZTPz8fRucF5QhBL-JoUqEN8T2m8Q-n-qAxeArt2ExTkAKGmWFGRa4mJkYfPTR2lUu07A6VUoSVKO9fz1rCexofL1EZjZ5Dzglix-hPom3ZSTsH4Q/w426-h640/whatremainsofesliejane.png" width="426" /></a></strong></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Curious about the debut novel "What Remains of Elsie Jane" by Chelsea Wakelyn - what worked for me as a reader and what I struggled with during this book? Keep reading to find out!</strong></div>
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<div class="separator"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-Remains-Elsie-Chelsea-Wakelyn/dp/1459750845?crid=BZGFHUSHD03U&keywords=what+remains+of+elsie+jane&qid=1674489786&sprefix=what+remains+of+elsie+jane%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=7bf3feb72c700ebe8e1013409012a26a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1459750845&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" style="float: left; margin: 20px;" width="104" /></a></div>
<p> </p><p><strong>What Remains of Elsie Jane </strong></p><p><strong>by Chelsea Wakelyn</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60860990-what-remains-of-elsie-jane">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3Hs6tQp">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1356622997">library</a></p>
<p>Sam is dead, which means that Elsie Jane has just lost the brilliant, sensitive man she planned to grow old with. The early days of grief are a fog of work and single parenting. Too restless to sleep, Elsie pores over Sam‘s old love letters, paces her house, and bickers with the ghosts of Sam and her dead parents night after night. As the year unfolds, she develops an obsession with a local murder mystery, attends a series of disastrous internet dates in search of a “replacement soulmate,” and solicits a space-time wizard via Craigslist, convinced he will help her forge a path through the cosmos back to Sam. <br /><br />Examining the ceaseless labour of motherhood, the stigma of death by drug poisoning, and the allure of magical thinking in the wake of tragedy, "<span class="a-text-italic">What Remains of Elsie Jane"</span> is a heart-splitting reminder that grief is born from the depths of love. ( from amazon.com)</p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">Book Review and Discussion of <br />"What Remains of Elsie Jane" <br />by Chelsea Wakelyn</h1><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
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<p><strong>What Worked for Me</strong></p>
<p><strong>Solid three star read</strong> After reading 'What Remains of Elsie Jane" I gave the book three stars. There are a lot of things about this book that worked well for me but there were also things I really struggled with while reading. Generally speaking, it isn't one I would push for other readers to pick up. However, because this book is own voices - the author experienced the loss of her spouse to a similar circumstance - I would suggest this book if the story were especially close to a reader's own life experience and they might find the main character's journey especially relatable and useful.</p>
<p><b>Own voices experience</b> While the author makes it clear in the introduction that this is not an autobiography, some of the elements of her life and the main character overlap. Most notably, both the author and main character lost their spouse to drug poisoning, and both had children to parent after that loss. It felt like when the author leaned into those lived experiences the book really was impactful. I was struck by how accurate the author's portrayals of dealing with co-parenting alongside someone with an addiction felt. Balancing protecting her children, feeling hurt, and yet also still loving her partner through their addiction.</p>
<p><b>Hilarious dating scene insights</b> Every now and then I get a peek into what dating right now is like, and I just can't even believe the struggles. I absolutely loved how accurately and humorously the author portrayed re-entering the dating scene. I can only imagine how incredibly disheartening and soul-crushing that would be after thinking you were done and had found your soulmate; someone who you share children with and have shared all of your stories and truly, deeply knows you to what is a literal, and sometimes deeply unpleasant, stranger, especially with how much dating has changed in the last decade! I imagine I would just not even try so I was particularly drawn to just how determined the main character felt about filling that hole in her life, and how miserably and hilariously it went at each try.</p>
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<p><b>What I Struggled With </b></p>
<p><b>Edgy, quirky language</b> There were two big elements that didn't mesh well and took me out of the story while reading 'What Remains of Elsie Jane". Elsie is quirky and edgy and in order to read from her point of view for hundreds of pages, she really needed a straight man or woman to balance out that eccentricity whether brought on by grief or just her normal personality. Reading the novel though, you don't get the feeling that that was Sam, her parents, or her sister, but maybe just her sanity is so far gone through her grief that she is the most eccentric version of herself. But without that other person balancing her, it was hard to read for hundreds of pages which I think is also why I enjoyed the dating parts so much. It brought her back to reality in a humorous and much needed way!</p>
<p><b>Parenting through grief should've been more of a focus</b> The author of "What Remains of Elsie Jane" infrequently told and rarely showed just how difficult parenting two children would be after losing your co-parent. I think that Elsie's interactions with her children about their grief and her own would realistically have been some of the most emotionally difficult for the character and I wish more of that had been included. Without spoilers, these relationships are particularly important considering how the book ends. I think more moments with her children throughout the novel would have connected more of the dots and really deepened the emotional impact of the book.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Have you read "What Remains of Elsie Jane" by Chelsea Wakelyn? Leave a comment below and let me know about your reading experience! Or comment letting me know your favorite novel dealing with parenting and grief. I'd love to add it to my TBR! Thanks for reading, readers! </b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1459750845&asins=1459750845&linkId=220b0ae86aa7e0a23c591508576b0051&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-66505725046135171022023-01-18T10:17:00.007-08:002023-10-24T11:26:45.602-07:00"The Forever Witness" by Edward Humes - Book Review and Discussion<p> </p>
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<div><strong>Interested in reading about true crime and the newest recently solved cold cases? You should definitely pick up my first five-star read of this year, " The Forever Witness" by Edward Humes. Keep reading to see my review!</strong></div>
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<p><strong>The Forever Witness </strong></p><p><strong> by Edward Humes</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60438216-the-forever-witness">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://amzn.to/3Wm68CI">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1294399902">library</a></p>
<p>A relentless detective and a civilian genealogist solve a haunting cold case—and launch a crime-fighting revolution that tests the fragile line between justice and privacy.<br /> <br /><em>In November 1987, a young couple from the idyllic suburbs of Vancouver Island on an overnight trip to Seattle vanished without a trace. A week later, the bodies of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and her boyfriend Jay Cook were found in rural Washington. It was a brutal crime, and it was the perfect crime: With few clues and no witnesses in the vast and foreboding Olympic Peninsula, an international manhunt turned up empty, and the sensational case that shocked the Pacific Northwest gradually slipped from the headlines. </em><br /><em> </em><br /><em>In deep-freeze, long-term storage, biological evidence from the crime sat waiting, as Detective Jim Scharf poured over old case files looking for clues his predecessors missed. Meanwhile, 1,200 miles away in California, CeCe Moore began her lifelong fascination with genetic genealogy, a powerful forensic tool that emerged not from the crime lab, but through the wildly popular home DNA ancestry tests purchased by more than 40 million Americans. When Scharf decided to send the cold case’s decades-old DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, he hoped he would finally bring closure to the Van Cuylenborg and Cook families. He didn’t know that he and Moore would make history.</em><br /><em> </em><br /><em>Genetic genealogy, long the province of family tree hobbyists and adoptees seeking their birth families, has made headlines as a cold case solution machine, capable of exposing the darkest secrets of seemingly upstanding citizens. In the hands of a tenacious detective like Scharf, genetic genealogy has solved one baffling killing after another. But as this crime-fighting technique spreads, its sheer power has sparked a national debate: Can we use DNA to catch the murderers among us, yet still protect our last shred of privacy in the digital age—the right to the very blueprint of who we are? ( from amazon.com)</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p><h1 style="text-align: center;">Book Review of "The Forever Witness" by Edward Humes</h1>
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<p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>What Worked for Me</strong></p>
<p><strong>Basically, the entire book. </strong>"The Forever Witness" was unputdownable and easily a five-star read. I would absolutely recommend it to other readers, even if they have never read true crime. I think this book is a great introduction to how nonfiction about true crime and cold cases can be engaging and informative without feeling overly gruesome or exploitative. Finding any book like this "enjoyable" is a tricky thing to discuss but the process and research in solving this crime were fascinating to explore and the author handled the delicate nature of the topic very well. </p>
<p><strong>So much detail </strong>The amount of research that went into this book is simply staggering. It felt like there was not a single element of this crime, the investigation, trial, jury deliberations, and more that the author did not discuss and explore in "The Forever Witness". The jury deliberations were especially interesting to me. I have never had the privilege to serve on a jury, so getting a peek at that experience, particularly in an important case with a murder involved was fascinating. And also, after reading about the crime and all the years of research that went into finding the murderer, I felt so invested in the outcome, and listening in on how the verdict was met was suspenseful and informative. </p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><strong>What I Struggled With </strong></p><p><b>Maybe too detailed?</b> While this never personally felt like an issue, I did see some criticism on Goodreads about this book possibly being a little overly detailed. And I can certainly see how readers might feel that way. "The Forever Witness" goes into detail on every facet of this case - the lives of the victims before the crime, the background of the murderer, the science behind the genealogical resources used to solve the crime, the ethics of genealogy in crime-solving, the book even goes into the deliberations of the jury after the trial was dismissed. It is truly an in-depth look at this story, and I can see how after over 300 pages it might become tiring.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Favorite Quotes from "The Forever Witness" by Edward Humes</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Omit or change any one of these links in the chain of events, and the couple from Vancouver Island would never have reached the same spot at the same time as a stranger determined to do evil. Such is the nature of tragedy, Scharf has learned, built not on a single inevitability or intelligent design but on a mosaic of blameless choice and coincidence, fate assembled blindly piece by piece."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>" A law enforcement apparatus that had been profoundly uninterested in searching for a missing girl while she was still alive had now turned on a dime, sparing no effort or expense on her behalf once they believed she was dead."</p>
<p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Have you read "The Forever Witness" if so, let me know what you thought about the book in the comments below. If you haven't gotten the chance to read this one yet, let me know your favorite true crime book below. I'd love to chat or add a new book to me TBR. Thanks for reading, readers!</strong></p><p><strong> </strong> </p> <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B09TN8WK5C&asins=B09TN8WK5C&linkId=e7f53df16186f7ad3249eb5ac6b657bc&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><p><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=1524746274" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></p>
Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-81913870407457846292023-01-11T08:43:00.007-08:002023-01-30T09:37:26.076-08:00"The Night Ship" by Jess Kidd - Book Review and Discussion<p><strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_CTsp0qEuBpXbIcZBSx_IHrzOD9Jv2jCYIGWyJBDvT8_kf9dTWgRJt563kptnEVC4M13QoO6TlS0-0ulmBQI9_VC481fgcjrDsH0pLs4LgfuE-JiYX84jqFFo11nlPJ0gZsrVmJnPNWWg2ZPKAQ_kq4VUS1MKzyrXG2LiG8qcqeoOwBKUyJtbZP00A/s1500/thegirlinhisshadow-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_CTsp0qEuBpXbIcZBSx_IHrzOD9Jv2jCYIGWyJBDvT8_kf9dTWgRJt563kptnEVC4M13QoO6TlS0-0ulmBQI9_VC481fgcjrDsH0pLs4LgfuE-JiYX84jqFFo11nlPJ0gZsrVmJnPNWWg2ZPKAQ_kq4VUS1MKzyrXG2LiG8qcqeoOwBKUyJtbZP00A/w426-h640/thegirlinhisshadow-2.png" width="426" /></a></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><strong><br />Interested in historical fiction or thinking about picking up Jess Kidd's newest novel, "The Night Ship"? Keep reading to see my review!</strong><p></p>
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<p> </p>
<p><strong>The Night Ship </strong> <br /> <strong>by Jess Kidd</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366231-the-night-ship">goodreads</a> // <a href="https://a.co/d/1i8LPIO">amazon</a> // <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1281583036">library</a> </strong></p>
<p><span class="a-text-bold">Based on a true story, an epic historical novel from the award-winning author of </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Things in Jars</span><span class="a-text-bold"> that illuminates the lives of two characters: a girl shipwrecked on an island off Western Australia and, three hundred years later, a boy finding a home with his grandfather on the very same island.</span><br /><br />1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the <span class="a-text-italic">Batavia</span>, one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks.<br /><br />1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck…<br /><br />With her trademark “thrilling, mysterious, twisted, but more than anything, beautifully written” (Graham Norton, <span class="a-text-italic">New York Times</span>bestselling author) storytelling, Jess Kidd weaves “a true work of magic” (V.E. Schwab, author of <span class="a-text-italic">The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue</span>) about friendship, sacrifice, brutality, and forgiveness. ( from amazon.com )</p>
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<h1 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Book Review of "The Night Ship"</div><div style="text-align: center;">by Jess Kidd</div></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnR_3B1rJqR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background-color: white; background: #FFF; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnR_3B1rJqR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background-color: white; background: #FFFFFF; line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-bottom-left-radius: 50%; 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<h4> </h4>
<h4> </h4>
<h4>What Worked for Me:</h4>
<p><strong>Writing Style</strong> After finishing "The Night Ship" by Jess Kidd I gave the book three stars. It's a novel I enjoyed reading in parts, but it isn't a book I would push others to read. Ultimately, despite the things I struggled with that are listed below, I think the thing that won me over was how much I enjoyed Kidd's writing. The pacing and writing style kept me engaged throughout "The Night Ship" even when other elements were falling flat for me. Several quotes also stuck out to me and I saved them, which is one of the ways I can tell I am really enjoying an author's writing style. One of my favorites quotes from "The Night Ship" was :</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"The greatest disgrace of humankind is the failure of the strong to protect the weak. We don't need monsters, Gil, we are the monsters."</b></p>
<p> </p>
<h4>What I Struggled With:</h4>
<p><strong>Disconnected Storylines</strong> There are two different main character storyline plots to follow in "The Night Ship". Typically in a historical fiction novel when an author does this there are major connecting points between the two characters and you learn more about the first plot/character from reading the second plot/character because of how they are intertwined. "The Night Ship" did not deliver on that and the two storylines felt only tangentially connected. For example, the settings of the characters are similar - the young girl is based on a ship and the young boy is based where research is being done about that ship, but they share very little else for connection. I struggled through most of the novel to try to make them more connected, which was unsatisfying because without that connection, why have the dual timelines? Additionally, the second timeline felt particularly random, it is set in the 1980s but didn't feel especially connected to that time period.</p>
<p><strong>Child narrators are tricky</strong> I love reading the occasional John Green- esque teenager that sounds like someone in their mid-thirties. So I say this knowing that I'm a total hypocrite, but I really struggle with younger child narrators, which "The Night Ship" had throughout. When a nine year old is operating as an adult would but also like a child, depending on what the author needs at any given moment - my guard goes up. While there are lots of legitimate and also tragic reasons why a child would need to act as an adult for themselves, it begins to feel very convenient when the character goes in and out of that role. If only one of the narrators had been a child, I might have been able to move past this. I also have learned that I like my historical fiction stories to have a lot of history. For a variety of reasons, child narrators and their personal narratives are just too far removed from the action of the history. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Have you read "The Night Ship" by Jess Kidd? Let me know your thoughts below or let me know your historical fiction preferences? Do you prefer light or heavy on the history? Happy reading, readers!</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B09JPK5TYL&asins=B09JPK5TYL&linkId=67de7914c3ef1c233b7556251048bfd5&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-937226037582217982022-11-30T10:23:00.012-08:002023-05-15T09:36:45.333-07:00"The Girl in His Shadow " by Audrey Blake - Book Review and Discussion<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoShfiP5yH1_PipTofetbzjyXlBlFy4C6c5VhEa79A-CIR8tyBJMIS5f4JDx1Iul0w6TIH8WMWHfG0oe14mFVsRPWDEOh5NZ8l5yUvGFvRWB5nvmoR8XWenZ370iL-LD2wHGJsxVa5sl5kXrZpljFKIs5jeLJDV3t-nMqSVj5LByUT8T4eX_l_S4Itw/s1500/thegirlinhisshadow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoShfiP5yH1_PipTofetbzjyXlBlFy4C6c5VhEa79A-CIR8tyBJMIS5f4JDx1Iul0w6TIH8WMWHfG0oe14mFVsRPWDEOh5NZ8l5yUvGFvRWB5nvmoR8XWenZ370iL-LD2wHGJsxVa5sl5kXrZpljFKIs5jeLJDV3t-nMqSVj5LByUT8T4eX_l_S4Itw/w426-h640/thegirlinhisshadow.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>My most recent three-star read that had the potential to be so much more! Want to hear me explain where I think this book went off the rails? Do you enjoy reading historical fiction that features a strong female lead? Interested in reading about the history of medicine? Check out my book review of "The Girl in His Shadow" by Audrey Blake.</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><h1 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">"The Girl in His Shadow" by Audrey Blake</div><div style="text-align: center;">Book Review</div></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-His-Shadow-Novel/dp/1728228727?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1669832126&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=269e215e1205f36c6d9b96e2aa99526f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1728228727&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" style="float: left; margin: 20px; text-align: center;" width="107" /></a><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=1728228727" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></strong></div></strong><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>The Girl in His Shadow</strong></p>
<p><strong>by Audrey Blake</strong></p>
<p><strong>My rating : ★★★☆☆</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54717137-the-girl-in-his-shadow?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=9qWTxLCNTu&rank=1" target="_blank">goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3OMa7GM" target="_blank">amazon</a> / <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1179271170" target="_blank">library</a></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Raised by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Horace Croft after losing her parents to a deadly pandemic, the orphan Nora Beady knows little about conventional life. While other young ladies were raised to busy themselves with needlework and watercolors, Nora was trained to perfect her suturing and anatomical illustrations of dissections.</em><br /><br /><em>Women face dire consequences if caught practicing medicine, but in Croft's private clinic Nora is his most trusted--and secret--assistant. That is until the new surgical resident Dr. Daniel Gibson arrives. Dr. Gibson has no idea that Horace's bright and quiet young ward is a surgeon more qualified and ingenuitive than even himself. In order to protect Dr. Croft and his practice from scandal and collapse Nora must learn to play a new and uncomfortable role--that of a proper young lady. ( from amazon.com) </em></p>
<p> </p><p><b>What Worked for Me: </b>I *love* historical fiction. It is absolutely one my favorite genres and it also gets a bit of a bad rep for being repetitive - cue hundreds of identical book covers featuring the back of a woman. But really, it is such an interesting genre, when done well! And while I wouldn't say reading this book felt like stepping into a time machine, I did enjoy learning about the history of women in medicine. I also felt connected to many of the secondary characters in this book and I think that my investment in their stories kept me reading when my interest in the main plot fizzled out.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What I Struggled With: </b>I gave this book three stars and after finishing it really struggled to put my finger on why I wouldn't recommend it. It's a solid three star read, but it had the potential to be so much more! Thank the book gods for Goodreads because there were so many excellent reviews that helped me see that I was one, definitely not alone and two, hung up on two issues - the main character and the plot.</p><p>The stakes in this book felt incredibly low. We were dealing with life and death situations but that stress rarely felt palpable. In comparison, a historical fiction novel I *loved* Push of the Stars - I had to put it down several times because the scenes were so incredibly intense. That novel managed to have suspense, emotions, and character development - that "The Girl in His Shadow" just doesn't have. </p><p>The ending of "The Girl in His Shadow", which is supposed to be a cliffhanger, was such a letdown. It felt unsatisfying because we do not get to find out until the next book - presumably - about an important choice the main character must make. But at the end of the day I felt like I didn't really care, the main character would be fine either way and so I just wasn't that invested. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Have you read "The Girl in His Shadow"? Let me know your thoughts below. If not, tell me your favorite historical fiction novel! I'd love to add it to my list. Thanks for reading!</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1728228727&asins=1728228727&linkId=c6b6ed2def57b35f7143decb84822fe5&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Girl About Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13629485086467355735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5964415336537691636.post-39127973067491221892022-11-28T08:23:00.004-08:002023-03-08T10:02:31.828-08:00"The Daughter of Auschwitz" by Tova Friedman - Book Review and Discussion<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6y6F_CePlJHsXsWu9BD3lq4P5A4rnH8IaNPo5uHWAvpMVm0Jg2vH0ttun6b7iRu_hROL5fxLrkdD6Ok2CZ5d4ZnkZ94BoTVNvFoDJpsH_HXx7nzQH_Arn5Hk798FX0lvVhf6UG7oiMPjVULgaA0jdhcNm_obyaROtdB3IyudEhItW4hYzVPk5Rq7iPg/s1500/thedaughterofauschwitz.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6y6F_CePlJHsXsWu9BD3lq4P5A4rnH8IaNPo5uHWAvpMVm0Jg2vH0ttun6b7iRu_hROL5fxLrkdD6Ok2CZ5d4ZnkZ94BoTVNvFoDJpsH_HXx7nzQH_Arn5Hk798FX0lvVhf6UG7oiMPjVULgaA0jdhcNm_obyaROtdB3IyudEhItW4hYzVPk5Rq7iPg/w426-h640/thedaughterofauschwitz.png" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Trying to decide what to read next? If you enjoy historical nonfiction and stories of survival, check out my review of "The Daughter of Auschwitz" by Tova Friedman.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><strong><br /></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Auschwitz-Story-Resilience-Survival/dp/1335449302?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1669649788&sr=8-2-spons&linkCode=li2&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&linkId=e8c01126a56bf5373e55b51e41c7aab5&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1335449302&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US" style="float: left; margin: 20px;" width="107" /></a><strong><br /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=girlaboutlibr-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=1335449302" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />The Daughter of Auschwitz</strong></p><p></p>
<p><strong>by Tova Friedman</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60481659-the-daughter-of-auschwitz" target="_blank">goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3u3BMtg" target="_blank">amazon</a> / <a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1334493433">library</a></p>
<p> Tova Friedman was one of the youngest people to emerge from Auschwitz. After surviving the liquidation of the Jewish ghetto in Central Poland where she lived as a toddler, Tova was four when she and her parents were sent to a Nazi labor camp, and almost six when she and her mother were forced into a packed cattle truck and sent to Auschwitz II, also known as the Birkenau extermination camp, while her father was transported to Dachau.</p><p>During six months of incarceration in Birkenau, Tova witnessed atrocities that she could never forget, and experienced numerous escapes from death. She is one of a handful of Jews to have entered a gas chamber and lived to tell the tale. ( from amazon.com ) </p>
<p><strong><em>Recommended for: </em></strong><em>readers curious about a child's experience during the Holocaust, a reader who would like to learn more about Judaism through the lens of the Holocaust</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Book Review and Discussion of <br /> "The Daughter of Auschwitz" by Tova Friedman</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div></h1><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br />
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</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>What Worked for Me:</b> As someone who enjoys ( side note, the word "enjoys" doesn't really fit here but I think readers understand this conflict ) reading nonfiction and fictional depictions of the Holocaust, I've found that they each bring something different to the table for discussion and education. “The Daughter of Auschwitz” is unique in that it is packed with details about the Jewish faith and related observations about why the atrocities committed by the Nazis were especially abhorrent. </div><div><br /></div><div>For example, before reading this book I did not know that burial as close to death as possible is an important part of the Jewish religious tradition. Typically a proper burial should occur within 24 hours of death. Additionally, in the Jewish faith, cremation itself is forbidden. Obviously, both of these religious beliefs were deeply, and arguably purposefully, violated by the Nazis. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another highlight from "The Daughter of Auschwitz" is that the survivor who narrates this memoir, Tova Friedman, went on to study psychology and social work. The knowledge she gained from those studies is woven into her understanding of her experience in the camps and how she psychologically coped during that time. I found it fascinating to have that additional informed perspective as she reflected on her deeply traumatic experiences.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Things I Struggled With:</b> While the vast majority of "The Daughter of Auschwitz" takes place in the lead up to, during, and direct aftermath of the Holocaust, around a quarter of the book, follows the author, Tova Friedman, after this event. We learn how she met her husband, started a family, made many impressive cross-continental moves, and pursued multiple degrees. To be fair to the author, this is her memoir, so of course, there are sections not directly dealing with the Holocaust. While that event was deeply formative it was also a relatively short time in her life and doesn't have to define her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, after reading a good chunk of the book not directly dealing with the Holocaust, it did begin to feel tedious. On the other hand, I can see why this information was included. All of these experiences intertwined because her education and career do ultimately tie back to the Holocaust. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later in life, Tova becomes a social worker helping elderly people who survived the Holocaust address their trauma. This was truly a beautiful image to end her memoir with and I appreciated her sharing that part of her life with us, but I do think the details of those in-between years could have been briefer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Have you read "The Daughter of Auschwitz" by Tova Friedman? Let me know your thoughts about the book below! If you haven't read it, let me know your favorite non fiction, or fictional, depiction of the Holocaust - I'd love to add it to my list!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>
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