Getting current here on my February books.........

It's been a while since I book blogged...burnt out on the food blogging but books have always pulled me back to the keyboard.  Here are three of my February books. 

Beyond That, the Sea is a book spanning decades.

The working class family Reg and Millie Thompson decide to send their young daughter Beatrix from London to America during WW II.  The girl doesn't want to go but joins other children in relocation, safe from the bombs and destruction.

All the chapters are short and told from different viewpoints.  There is the Thompson family in London and the Gregory family in the U.S.  Nancy and Ethan Gregory have two sons, William and Gerald.  They welcome Beatrix with open arms and she eventually blends into their family, becoming the daughter they never had.

Meanwhile Millie is missing her daughter, feeling like she is missing out on Beatrix's childhood and indeed she is.  Mille and Reg are dealing with war, food shortages, burnt out buildings and hardship.   Bea, as the American family call her, lives with the Gregory family for five years and has many wonderful experiences.

Over the decades the stories are about love, death, disappointment, friendship and hope.  The settings are New York, Boston, Maine and London. 4.5 stars

**********************

When All is Said by Anne Griffin is reflective story of a man's life and the people who meant the most to him.

Eighty-four year old widower Maurice Hannigan reflects on his life as he sits on a barstool, raising a toast to the five people he loved the most and the influences of others (not always positive) who shaped his life. He starts with his brother Tony and sips a stout, moving on to the other dear people in his life with a different whiskey and ale for each.

As he reflects on his regrets, triumphs, grief and revelations you are transported to another time when he was younger. I loved all of this book and true to Irish literature there are very sad moments.

The story unfolds and intertwines with the lives of the rich Dollard family and how they effected each other. Near the end some fairly interesting twists came to light.

The setting is Meath Ireland.

*****************

Skylight by Jose Saramango

This is a novel translated from Portuguese by a Nobel Prize winner author. It's a slice of life from the 1950's in a small town, getting into the everyday lives of regular people. There are fractured relationships, secrets, love and deception.

Something I found interesting was the preface explaining about the author and how this novel came to be published after his death. He sent it to a publisher and unbeknowst to him, it was placed in a drawer and forgotten for over 30 years. When the company was moving to a different location the manuscript was discovered.

Imagine 30+ years later getting a call about this manuscript. Saramago immediately went to pick up his typed work, was offered to have to publsihed and he declined. He stated you must respect people and so he wouldn't have it published until after his death.
I rounded up to 4 stars.

One more to go and I'll start my March book stats.  So far, so good :-)

The Women by Kristen Hannah

This was a wonderfully written novel and I am glad I picked this up from the library, even if it was by accident as I meant to cancel the hold.  Having tried two other novels by Hannah which were DNF (Firefly Girls and The Great Alone) I'd decided she wasn't an author I would like to read.  This one hit it out of the park.

It covers so much about the Vietnam war from the outlook of nurse Frances "Frankie" McGraff.  She grew up in California in an affluent family and hadn't encountered hardships in her life.  She was working towards her nursing degree and excelled in her studies, wanted to make a difference. Frankie was naive as she was entrenched in a privileged  society where realties of working class life were never experienced.  All her parents  wanted was for her to get married, have children and be part of the country club group.  Then, when gazing at that wall of heroes in her father's office, her brother's friend asked why there weren't any photos of women there and told her women could be heroes too.

Frankie's brother Finley was about to be deployed to Vietnam and would, one day, earn his place on that "wall of heros," praised for his upcoming military service to Vietnam. Two different standards upheld for sons and daughters.....those will infuriate you when you read how Frankie was treated after her service as a MASH nurse.

I got ahead of myself but that was the beginning.  Frankie was hired as a nurse at a local hospital and despite her excellent skills all they had her do was get water for the patients, empty bedpans and basically be a candy striper.  She ended up joining the Army was sent to Vietnam for a hefty dose of culture and reality shock.

The book is graphic, devastating, tells of the horrific injuries that soldiers - basically teenagers - suffered when they were brought into the MASH unit.  Frankie grew up fast as she experienced what combat nursing entailed, the realities of war and the realization our government didn't share the truth about the war with the public.  They said there weren't any women in Vietman.  They said there were zero casualties for days when Frankie and the other medical personnel saw scores of body bags ready to ship home, held the hands of those who were dying with no expectation of survival.

Returning home, nurses were experiencing PTSD along with the soldiers but they were denied help at the V.A. and support groups because....women weren't in Vietnam. The nurses and the soldiers were treated abominably when they returned home - spit on, called nazis and child killers.  People who had zero idea about the bloody TET offensive, POWs or the hours selfless doctors and nurses worked to save as many boys as they could.

This book is not chick lit - you will read about depression, drug addiction, war and injuries and death sustained.....I am glad I read this one.  It's amazing and near the end, I most certainly had tears in my eyes.

2022 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Roundup

 I had signed up for the book challenge at Shelleyrae's site Book'd Out and went for the Nibbler category of six books. 

Here's my round up.

1. Social History - Changing Roles by Dr. Vivien Newman
2. Popular Science - The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland
3. Language
4. Medical Memoir - Trauma by Dr. James Cole
5. Climate/ Weather
6. Celebrity - Taste by Stanley Tucci
7. Reference - The Lyrics by Paul McCartney
8. Geography - Stonehenge by Francis Pryor
9. Linked to a Podcast
10. Wild Animals - Aesop's Animals: The Science beyond the Fables by Jo Wimpenny
11. Economics
12. Published in 2022

My favorite book in this reading challenge was The Lyrics by Paul McCartney. I was fortunate enough to have seen McCartney with Wings at a concert in Germany in 1976. It was amazing.  Big fan here!

 Trauma was another one I could recommend for the medical memoir.

The Nonfiction Reader Challenge is hosted by Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.  Check out the sign up post and info HERE.  It's never too late to join in on a reading challenge in my opinion!

The Lost Family by Libby Copeland and Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

 

The Lost Family was an interesting nonfiction book about DNA testing.  Through spitting into a tube and sending your sample to Ancestry or 23andMe some people have found surprises in their family lines.

Some are welcomed into a family they never knew. With others, they've been met with mistrust as the "new family" think they’re interested in money or have ulterior motives. That’s quite a disappointment for somebody that feels like they have suddenly found their biological family.

This book also addresses the genetic testing with markers for health reasons, 23andMe may lead to discoveries you'd wish you’d never uncovered. If you find out you have a genetic marker for Alzheimers do you tell your children so they know something to look for? It would hang like a guillotine over my neck the rest of my life so I don't want to know.

Another book I found very interesting on the same subject is Dani Shapiro's nonfiction Inheritance.  Check out the review HERE on my previous book blog. I immediately thought about this book when I was reading The Lost Family.

And with that I will segue to Dani Shapiro's latest book, a work of fiction titled Signal Fires.  This kept me reading constantly. I finished this in two days. 

You know how some authors can describe characters so will you have a very vivid mental image of what they look like? Well not only does the author describe them so you can picture them, she builds the flesh and emotion around them.  You can visualize the mannerisms, witness their anxiety and know when they were uncomfortable or when they’re getting ready to explode and anger. She brings them to life.

There is a young boy who is a genius level with an interest in the the stars.  He can't seem to connect with his classmates or his father. He will become an astrophysicist but he experiences loneliness growing up. The connections of all the characters -signal fires -link the young boy, the doctor and his family who live across the street, a car accident which takes a life, everything is connected. As I said, couldn't put this down and would recommend to a fan of Dani Shapiro.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this advanced reader copy.  The publication date is October 18, 2022 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing. Genre: General Fiction, Literary Fiction.

Sharing The Lost family with Shellyrae at Book'd Out for the 2022 Nonfiction Reader Challenge (Category: Popular Science). Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

The Maze by Nelson DeMille

 

I have enjoyed many of DeMille's novels and remember liking the character John Corey. He's a combination of Jack Reacher and Detective Frank Mackey (Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French) with a heavy side of sarcasm.

That said, I enjoyed the first two John Corey novels Plum Island and The Lion's Game much more than this one. The macho stuff was way over the top and I found myself ready to skim to get to the mystery. If you haven't read any of this series before please don't start with this one as you need background and character development.

Basic plot is about murdered prostitutes and how Corey gets involved - again. He investigates dirty cops and has a teenaged inner dialogue about women (Ugh), mental scenarios where he is as agile and badass as he was in his youth.  If you aren't a John Corey fan already I'd give it a pass. Plum Island was great so you could make the exception there!

Publication date October 11, 2022 by Scribner.  Genre: General Fiction Adult, Mystery and Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields

My introduction to Helen Fields' books were through the D.I. Callanach series and I was instantly hooked.  If you like police procedurals and mysteries which are gritty and bold, this is your author.

The Last Girl to Die is a stand alone novel with charcaters you'd not be familar with if you were a fan of the aforementioned series. This one is a page turner. 

The setting is Mull, a small island off the coast of Scotland. Our main character is Sadie Levesque, a Canadian private investigator hired by the Clark family to find their missing daughter. The Clarks are from California and when 17 year old Adriana suddenly disappears, they seek help from outside the community.  The local townspeople are close knit and outsiders aren't welcomed with open arms. The police chief isn't helpful and tells the parents she's probably off partying in Glasgow.

Sadie doggedly pursues her investigation despite the hostile environment and lack of cooperation / info sharing from the police. Secrets are uncovered about the Clark family and a few locals,  violence is threatened and carried out and the ending - just wow. I was so astounded how this ended. I went back a chapter to reread it. If Fields comes out with any new books I will purchase them.  

Publication date September 1, 2022 by Avon Books U.K.  Genre: General Fiction Adult.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

 

This book was well written and will go down as one of my favorites for the year. I had been in a reading slump but this book - wow.  Couldn't stop and finished in two days.

If you have ever seen the television series Mad Men and wondered why women would allow themselves to be cast as second class citizens, you will love this book. Chemist Elizabeth Zott takes on the male dominated science field and won't be held back. She's intelligent and driven, not a ball buster as you'd think a woman had to be to take up for themsleves.

Elizabeth is smarter than her male coworkers, won't be pushed into making them coffee, sharing her research or leaving her name off a professional publication because she is a woman. I could rehash the many great conversations and scenes but this has been done by many already so I won't do that.

There were many laugh out loud moments, many times I read passages to my husband and can highly recommend reading this novel.

I saw some who listened to book had some issues but I can not comment on the audio versions as I never could get into that format.  Read this on my Kindle in two days.

A+

Sharing with Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel about Mona Lisa but I liked the description so I bought it on a sale from Amazon. 

The odd parts, for me, was how Lisa spoke of being in love with Leonardo.  A fantasy tale of how the centuries passed and what the painting experiences. She tells how she was brought to life, how she was kidnapped, the lonely existance of sitting in her glassed prison in the Louvre as people wander by and only comment how small the painting is in real life.

 Listen to my history. My adventures are worth hearing. I have lived many lifetimes and been loved by emperors, kings and thieves. I have survived kidnap and assault. Revolution and two world wars. But this is also a love story. And the story of what we will do for those we love. (From Goodreads)

Overall I enjoyed the novel.  If you like historical fiction and reading about the Renaissance era you may well enjoy this book.  Natasha Solomons is a British author and as I liked her style, I will add her other books to my to-read list.  The House at Tyneford is set in England, another historical fiction, and I'd like to read that soon.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the Historical Fiction Readng Challenge.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

Harriet Reed (called Harry by her friends) is engaged to Edward Holbeck, a handsome man with a super rich family.  Harry is a best selling novelist and Edward is a businessman.  He is estranged from his family because, as you're led to believe, they are self entitled, eccentric and controlling. Eventually Harry agrees to meet the family and the games begin from there.

Harry has a secret from her past but it just about pales in comparison to Holbecks.  Edward brings her to the family home for the first time at Thanksgiving.  During that visit Edward's father meets with her privately, eventually giving her a tape of a "novel in progess" for her to evaluate.  Is it a thriller or is it a murder confession disguised as fiction? Harry researches the information and realizes she is involved in a potentially deadly situation.

The prologue starts with Harry coming to on the floor on the estate of the Holbeck mansion.  Wiping the blood from her face she makes a plan to survive this dangerous treasure hunt, a family game played every year at Christmas.  The stakes are high and the scenes are brilliantly written.

Near the end of the book this scene picks up so you know exactly how crazy a family game this was.  I could not put this down after the twists were revealed - dinner was late on two evenings while I read on! This is the fourth book I have read by Catherine Steadman and I loved it.

Publication date is November 8, 2022 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.  Genre: General Fiction Adult, Mystery and Thrillers, Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Walking Through History

If you are interested in history and most especially in English historical landmarks, I highly recommend the Walking Through History series. Check out this link HERE for an introduction to this exceptional series.

"Most of the walks Tony Robinson follows are around 100km long, and although he doesn't walk the full extent for the camera, he reckons he covers at least that distance during filming. "I walk my arse off," he says. "Every shot we do needs three or four takes - so I go up a mountain, come back down, and go up again."

The scenery is stunning and we enjoyed each episode. The photo below is from Cornwall, snapped from our TV as we watched.  This one detailed smuggling in the area and I learned the sayings "the coast is clear" and it's "all above board" originate from those times.

How I would love to be in shape and walk these trails. The history and walsk near Hadrians Wall was of particular interest to me.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

 

This story has two separate story lines.  Mari's story is from 1973 and Emily's story is set in present day. Seems all our main characters are writers, both past and present.

Emily is having trouble in her marriage as well as her writing career.  Her best friend Chess, also a writer, invites her on a 6 week vacation staying at an Italian villa.  It is mainly set in Italy and the villa sounds amazing. The setting and genre were my initial attractions to the book.

I found there were too many plots going on, back and forth between Mari and Emily's time period.  The toxic relationship development was not surprising between the friends so after a while I became distracted. I would not describe this book as a thriller at all.  It was a mystery but a predictable outcome.

Previously I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs and so I would read more by this  author.

Publication date January 3, 2023 by St. Martin's Press  Genre: General Fiction Adult, Mystery and Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.