Book Review - Let's Make Things Better: A Holocaust Survivor’s Message of Hope and Celebration of Life by Gidon Lev and Julie Gray

 

Let's Make Things Better: A Holocaust Survivor’s Message of Hope and Celebration of Life by Gidon Lev and Julie Gray is a biography about a child holocaust survivor and the life lessons he has learned along the way. On May 8, 1945, Gidon Lev was ten years old when he was liberated from a Nazi concentration after spending four years there with his mother. Gidon had lost twenty six family members including his beloved father and grandparents. He and his mother were the sole survivors.

Gidon was able to rise from depths of hell and despair, and was determined to build a life filled with joy, adventure, and love. He was cheerful and tried to find joy in what he believed in. Gidon also spent his time teaching youth about the Holocaust and sharing his horrifying experience with others. 

I thought the book was an okay read. I was not familiar with Gidon prior to reading the book. The book doesn’t focus a ton on Gidon’s experience at the concentration camp, instead he focuses on his experiences and life story and how he chose to imbue joy. At first I thought it was going to be too happy and go-lucky, but while I didn’t glean tons of “advice” on how to be happy and find joy, I did find some of his stories interesting and entertaining. 

Gidon had spoken about having cancer a few times and how that made him question being happy and finding joy. He spoke about his decision to have his first born child live with his ex-wife. In both situations he spoke with candor about it and didn’t make it seem that he had to be happy about a “bad” situation. He mentioned he had regrets and then spoke on how he moved forward. Sometimes, it is okay if bad things happen. 

I also like the part where he spoke about if you are not happy where you are in your life currently, to figure out where you want to be and then decide on the steps that would help accomplish your goals. I think readers who are familiar with Gidon would enjoy this book a lot more than me, but I do think if someone is interested in living a more joyous life, that they might like this book also.

Book Review - Sweet Pea Summer by Alys Murray

 

Sweet Pea Summer by Alys Murray is about high school sweethearts reconnecting later in life. Eight years ago, May Anderson made the biggest mistake of her life. She broke up with her high school boyfriend, Tom Riley, and watched him leave their hometown, Hillsboro, California, without her. She felt that moment has changed the entire trajectory of her life and it has been one of her greatest regrets. May is unprepared when she finds out that Tom is back home.

Tom would rather spend his time alone but his family’s vineyard is failing. He joins forces with May to organize the prestigious Northwest Food and Wine Festival. He hopes that the festival can help bring business to the winery. However, Tom is having a hard time putting the past behind him and working side by side with May, especially since she broke his heart years ago. May finds Tom even more irresistible than before and she can’t seem to move on. Will the pair be able to work out their differences to make the festival successful?

The book wasn’t for me.  I didn’t really care for any of the characters. I found May to be annoying. She complained that she wanted to leave Hillsboro because her entire time there she only made one friend. And then she left that one friend because of what other people (not friends) have told her. She claims that that was her biggest mistake but then she continues to make the same mistake. She doesn’t trust her friend, Annie, or even her sisters to be open with her feelings or trust them with the truth about her breakup.

I also don’t see why May is hesitant to leave the small town or how she was considered the “town’s sweetheart”, as she just seemed selfish and mostly kept to herself. I haven’t seen any examples of the town being supportive. May’s father said to her that the town was suffocating her creativity and spirit. May’s sisters seemed bland and one-dimensional. I felt like they were barely present in the story and didn’t really add much to it.

I don’t understand why Tom kept May’s secret when she seems to be betraying his trust and choosing her needs over his all the time. He kept saying it’s not his place to tell the secret but, the secret did involve him so, why wouldn’t it involve him? He also said he wanted to tell people the truth and told his grandmother but was very selective later on telling people the truth or even defending himself. 

I also didn’t understand why the two of them were pining over each other for years. I understand that they were friends and were in love but we got no glimpses of that love and tenderness since May was continuously letting Tom be used as a punching bag by the town. The novel mostly focused on their boring romance and the planning of the festival mostly happened in the back end. I felt that the story was repetitive and kept saying the same thing over and over without much happening. I had started reading another book by the author years ago and had stopped reading it because it was boring. I feel like I should have trusted my previous judgment and just skipped this one as well.

Book Review - Storm Singer by Sarwat Chadda

 

Storm Singer by Sarwat Chadda follows a young disabled girl named Nargis, who helps a stranger find his family. Twelve-year-old Nargis is a poor human living in a world ruled by fierce winged warriors known as garudas. The eagle garudas are considered royalty, and their word is law. Nargis dislikes the garudas because she knows they killed her parent, despite everyone else claiming it was bandits.

Nargis is left disabled after a childhood attempt to fly like one of the garudas. She walks with a crutch after the accident. While she appears powerless, Nargis is a spirit singer, capable of controlling the elements through song.

Nargis is persuaded to participate in a kite fight with the son of the ruler village. She attempts to use her powers to win the battle but loses control and is subsequently exiled. As she walks to her new home in the desert, she encounters an injured person. After helping him to safety, she realizes the injured boy, Mistral, is an eagle garuda.

Mistral is on a mission to return home and reclaim the throne from the usurpers. However, he needs allies and the means to get back home. Unwillingly, he enlists Nargis's help for his mission. Both Nargis and Mistral would rather not work together and would prefer to be anywhere else; however, they must join forces if they want to protect those they love.

The novel is an entertaining read, though it lacks twists or turns. I enjoyed the author’s writing style. The world-building was vibrant, and I felt as if I were there. I liked the characters and their interactions. I was curious about what would happen between Nargis and Mistral. I appreciated that this wasn’t a love story, but more about two people becoming unlikely friends in a difficult situation. I would love to read more adventures from the author!

Book Review - The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud

 

The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud is about a group of kids bonding over their love for comics. Makayla has tons of great ideas, but she struggles to put her ideas into a story. Howard loves drawing but he struggles to come up with ideas. His dad also thinks that comics are a waste of time and wants him to focus on other things.  Lynda loves drawing but she focuses on her mistakes and spends a lot of her time making sure everything is perfect. Art loves being creative and trying new things. The four students come together to learn how to make comics, using their imagination and create their comic adventures.

The graphic novel was a quick and fun read. I liked that it was both educational and fun. It was interesting learning details about comics like different drawing styles, how they are made, and other fun facts while reading about the students’ experiences with creating their masterpieces. I liked that the back of the book goes into more detail about the inspiration for the characters and educational tips. I also liked the personal stories from the authors and thought those added a bit of a heartwarming aspect to this lovely comic about friendships.

Book Review - All That Is Hidden by Rhys Bowen

 

All That Is Hidden by Rhys Bowen is about a husband and wife who try to solve the murder of a man who is accused of being corrupted. In 1907, New York, Molly Murphy Sullivan used to be a private detective. She is now content being married to her husband, Daniel, who is a police captain. They live in a small but beautiful home in Patchin Place in the West Village, which is close to her beloved friends. She is also the mother to a happy and energetic toddler, Liam, and adopted daughter, Bridie. Molly feels that she has a good life and her marriage to Daniel works well because they have a partnership where they trust and believe in each other.

On a family walk one day, Daniel surprises Molly by telling her that they will be moving into one of the fancy homes on Fifth Avenue. He also said that he is leaving his police captain job and running to be sheriff of New York. Molly is flabbergasted because she never knew of such a position, and the political party that Daniel is running for is filled with corruption and members taking kickbacks. She knows Daniel is against corruption and has fought tooth and nail to make people accountable. Daniel tells her to trust him, but Molly is unsure of how to feel with their new change of circumstances.

The novel is part of a series, but I was able to follow along and read it. There were some character nuances that I might have missed but it didn’t take away from the story. The book is a cozy mystery read. There would be pages where we would learn about Molly running her household instead of learning more about the mystery. I felt like she didn’t do much, but instead things fell into her lap. I also felt that the series is named after Molly, but she seemed to take a backseat approach to the investigation. The book felt boring to me and I thought that the book didn’t need to be as long as it was. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and could have been more intricate and had more flair. While I did finish the book, I don’t think I would continue reading the series as there are a lot more interesting murder mysteries out there.

Book Review - The Hellion and the Hero by Emily Sullivan

 

The Hellion and the Hero by Emily Sullivan is about two lovers who cross paths again. Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Arlington always puts the needs of her family before hers. She married a man that she didn’t love so she could save her family from financial ruin. After her husband’s death, Georgie feels stronger and bolder and decides to live her life as she really wants. She decides to run her family’s factory in a way which benefits the workers instead of the owners. Because of her bold plans, Georgie finds herself a target.  Georgie doesn’t want to bend to the threats but she starts to fear for her life when the threats escalate. Her family is desperate to find the culprit behind the threats. They reach out to the one man who left Georgie heartbroken years ago.

Captain Henry Harris met Georgie years ago when she was courting during her season. She was looking to find someone to help her family, and Henry was looking for someone who had money. After their brief encounter fizzled, Henry left the season and went on to become a decorated naval hero. He has no problem finding someone to marry but he still feels a pull and an attraction to Georgie. When Henry gets hired by Georgie’s family, he is torn by wanting to be a professional or following his heart.

The novel is a straightforward romantic read with some spicy parts. The book mostly focuses on their romance, and the mystery behind the threats is on the back burner. There were parts where the story moved very slowly and the pair was going back and forth following their desires. I thought the book was an okay read and I would be open to read more books by the author as I do find the book title to be fun.

Book Review - Punished by Ann-Helén Laestadius

 

Punished by Ann-Helén Laestadius is about five Sami indigenous children being forced to attend a government-run boarding school. In the 1950s in Sweden, there was a mandate that all the children of Sami reindeer hunters had to attend these re-education nomads boarding schools. Seven-year-olds Jon-Ante, Else-Maj, Nilsa, Marge, and Anne-Risten are attending the school together for the first time.

The children are forbidden to speak their native language and encouraged to learn Swedish norms and culture. They can only visit their families occasionally for some holidays. Their parents are not aware of the abuse the children face. The ones that do speak up, face repercussions that leave scars that are not just skin deep and they have lasting effects.

Thirty years later, the children have chosen different paths after spending their youth at the nomad school. Else-Maj is proud of her Sami heritage but she seeks solace in religion. Anne-Risten prefers to go by Anne to hide that she is Sami. Nilsa is a reindeer herder like his father and has a lot of anger issues like his grandfather. Jon-Ante struggles with a deformity he had received in school. Marge has an adopted daughter from Colombia, and she struggles to know if she made the right choice of taking her from her homeland.

While the five adults are still struggling with the past, they come across the housemother, Rita, from the nomad school. They had once feared her as children and she made their lives miserable. However, she is now a frail old woman who believes that God is on her side. She thinks that she didn’t do anything wrong when she was the housemother. They have never forgotten or forgiven her and now, they will need to decide how they act now that the roles have been reversed.

The novel is told from alternating narrators and time periods. The novel started off interesting but then it felt boring. It was interesting to see how the children were treated and how that affected them as adults. However, the re-emergence of Rita in their lives was a very small part of the story. I thought some of the characters would have more interaction or there would be dialogue/story about them coping with their feelings of seeing Rita again after thirty years.

I think I would have enjoyed the book if there were fewer characters. It was hard focusing on the many different characters along with their past, and present, and how they were connected. I felt like if there were fewer characters we could have connected more to the characters and their struggles. I would be open to reading more stories about Sami culture and people but I would be hesitant to pick up another book by the author.

Book Review - Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

 

 

 

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune is about two past lovers who cross paths with each other in the future. Fern Brookbanks had spent twenty-four hours with Will Baxter in her early twenties. He was an attractive and idealistic artist. Their chance encounter ended up spiraling into spending the entire day together in the city. The pair found themselves attracted to each other and spent every moment of the day sharing their inner thoughts. The timing at that point wasn’t the best, so they decided that they would meet up with each other one year later. Fern was excited and was counting down the days and couldn’t wait to see Will after a year of being apart. Unfortunately, Will never showed up.

Fern is now thirty-two and she is tired of wasting her time thinking of Will and what could have happened if he had shown up years earlier for their fated meeting. Fern’s life didn’t turn out as she thought it would. She was hoping to be living in the city, but instead she is running her mother’s lakeside resort. It was the one thing she never wanted to do. As she takes the helm, she realizes the entire place is in chaos.  Adding to her stress, her ex-boyfriend is the manager of the resort. Fern has no idea where she should begin.

Fern needs help getting the resort and her life sorted. However, she is surprised when Will shows up to the resort one day with a plan to help her. Fern is annoyed and wants nothing to do with Will as he is nine years too late for reconciliation.  Will Fern and Will be able to work through their past to save Fern’s resort?

The book was an okay read. It didn’t have any unexpected twists, and it was a straightforward read. The book is a cute romantic read even though I found it to be mushy at times. It plays to readers who are  into the love torn lovers trope.  I was not a big fan of the characters and thought the storyline was a bit unbelievable:Fern and Will spent one night together, and even though it was the best they ever had, it seems that they both never moved on even after all those years apart without any communication. It doesn’t even seem like they wanted to be together until they were thrown together. I am on the fence about if I would read another one of this author’s books.

 

Book Review - Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith

Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith is about parenting young children at an age when the word “fat” is considered a sinful trait and an insult. In the current landscape, kids and adults learned that being thin is in. They have learned to equate body size with value. Parents worry about the size of their children and the consequences of them being fat. 

The multibillion-dollar industry thrives on our fear of being fat. There have been countless wars on obesity for the past forty years, but research has shown that Americans haven’t gotten any thinner or happier with their bodies. Perhaps what needs to change is our biases.

I thought the book was an okay read. It addresses the biases that people have about being fat. I will admit it was hard coming to terms with a few things as an obese person myself. I found some of the information helpful and the author does provide parenting strategies to start a dialogue with their children about weight, health, and self-worth. I was conflicted on some parts of the book, as while the book is quick to point out biases and fatphobia, I feel like I was just as stuck on what to do as when I first started reading the book. I feel like at times the author was discouraging eating in moderation, being active, and other “healthy” behaviors. It was almost like I had permission to continue eating unhealthily and not exercising, and that the world should rather change its view of physical size. Personally, as a person who struggles with their weight, I do like the “body positivity” or not tying my worth with my size but continuing to have unhealthy eating habits and patterns doesn’t seem like a wise way to go either.