Just I started the book, Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah and am enjoying it very much. Birdie loves her home along the ocean and her children. Her husband was once the love of her life, but now something is missing. Birdie wonders if she’s the one whose missing out on life.
I wish I could read more often than I do, but Need to Know by Karen Cleveland was a super quick read because it was sooo good! I love reading thrillers and suspense stories, and this novel was one of the better ones I’ve read in a while.
Cleveland weaves you through the intricacies of being a CIA analyst and having a family while trying to uncover Russian sleeper cells embedded in the US. Things get more complicated when she uncovers evidence that implicates someone close to her.
The rollercoaster ride is only beginning. When I reached the end, I closed the book firmly saying, “Brilliant ending” out loud. I don’t do that every day. I’d give this book 5 stars.
A Wrinkle In Time is my local book club’s selection for November. I love this book, and I read it, for the first time, when I was in third or fourth grade. It is a “YA” or Young Adult book but I would recommend it as an inspirational read for all ages.
The winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal, this book is a mix of science fiction, fantasy and the drama of coming of age for a young girl who feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere but finds the courage to battle for those she loves.
I love Maeve Binchy’s stories about Ireland. Circle of Friends was the first of Binchy’s books that I read. The Lilac Bus is a series of stories about all of the passengers who take the bus back home on weekends from Dublin. Binchy is a master at developing fascinating characters and plots.
A few months ago, I was asked to join the local book club. I’d always planned on joining when it was formed a decade ago, but life and my introverted persona thwarted any plan to attend.
I was excited and frightened to go. I knew most of the attendees — when you live in a village of less than 1000 people for over twenty years, you get to know who’s who. My fear was garnered by writer’s doubt. They would realize I’m a fraud. They hated my books and were planning to tar and feather me. Or even worse…they planned to review my book in front of me.
Well, despite my fears, none of the terrible things I thought would happen happened. I’ve enjoyed my time with the group, their insights and the books that we’ve read.
This month’s selection is Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. The New York Times Bestselling story is about Vance’s family, his youth and the culture of the Rust Belt areas of Ohio and Kentucky.
I felt an affinity to the characters described in this book. They fought to protect the family and the family fought among themselves. In my family, we were taught from a young age that “blood is thicker than water”. Another point the author made was how even as his family moved into the middle class, they were uncomfortable with the difference in the culture around them. Behaviors which were accepted in Jackson, KY were frowned upon in Middleton, OH.
Throughout the book, J.D. Vance chronicles the events of his life and how he could have taken a different road than the one he ultimately did — graduating from Ohio State and Yale Law School. His story made me laugh, cry and get angry. Bounced from household to household, a parade of “father figures” and dealing with a parent with substance abuse, J.D. grew up with uncertainty and fear. His only source of stability were his grandparents.
I highly recommend Hillbilly Elegy, it is a moving story which helps to shed light on the reasons we have a large social and political divide in our country. I believe it is important to see what other people have experienced and how their lives are affected by the politics of the day.
Check out this 3-volume short story anthology by authors from the One Million Project!
LINKS
myBook.to/OMPThriller
myBook.to/OMPFantasy
myBook.to/OMPFiction
I’d like to recommend this book by author Jason Greenfield. It’s a poignant story about family. #amreading
http://www.bookviral.com/forever-torn/4593194719
Check out this scifi adventure by Anthony Robinson that I #amreading on Inkitt.
https://www.inkitt.com/followed-stories?ref=v_bb966ad3-df68-4bfa-8c32-2eaf878ec49b
Kate McGinn - Storyteller 