Here’s a quick new edition of WOMN!

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
Dragon Bones by Lisa See

and Soul Catcher by Michael White

Coming Soon — A review of “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan.

My neighborhood book club recently selected “The Heretic’s Daughter” for reading (or “HERetic’s Daughter”, as the book indicates). It tells the story of Martha Carrier, victim of the Salem Witch trials, through the eyes of her daughter, Sarah. This was a compelling read, and a remarkable one since Kent is a descendant of Carrier and this is her first novel. Kent’s ability to portray the starkness of life in New England in the late 1600’s is extraordinary. Her descriptions of winter in Massachusetts (where, by the way, I live) left me feeling cold; her passages of the deplorable Salem jail conditions left me squirming. Throughout the story I held hope that the spirit and strength of the protagonist, Sarah, would see her through, even as I knew what the outcome would be for her mother.

I have read many accounts of the Salem Witch Trials and visited Salem several times. Each time I encounter the story, I once again marvel at how this horrible and terrible chapter in our nation’s history occurred. How could this have happened – accusing innocent people of witchcraft and getting them condemned to death – and could something like this happen again? Sadly, when one considers that the trials were about persecuting people who were different or disliked (often strong-minded and outspoken women), the answer is that yes, these atrocities do continue to happen in different forms today.

I enjoyed this book, even though it was stark and somewhat disturbing. The end left me with hope and with respect for the strength of Sarah Carrier and her mother. I thought the length was perfect – 332 pages – as it was not a “light” read. The characters were well-developed and the story moved well.

I give this book 4 stars — “I really liked it alot”. I purchased this book as I thought it’d be one I’d like to keep and lend.

A short while back, I had some “Border’s Bucks” to use, so I treated myself to a new book. I chose “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows as I had heard good things about it.

Then it sat next to my bed for two weeks.

For some strange reason, I just couldn’t start this book. And then I realized: trite as it may seem, the title was turning me off. What was the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? And for that matter, what was potato peel pie? It sounded awful. However, I could see the book was a series of letters and written communication, so I wrapped my mind around that, and dug in.

In this story, our main character, Juliet, is a writer living in London at the end of WWII. She receives correspondence from a gentleman who lives in Guernsey in the Channel Islands, learns of his “book group” there and their exploits during the German occupation, and is pulled into their lives. Just as Juliet is drawn in, so was I. Once I started this book and got through the first 30 or 40 pages I was hooked. I loved these characters and I loved this story – so much so, that I didn’t want it to end. If I could pick one word to describe this book, it would be “charming”.

Now, gentle reader, I must confess that I do love historical fiction, so this book was typical of the things I enjoy reading. However, I think this story does great credit to once again remind us of the fortitude and strength of the generation who survived WWII with all its indecencies. This is a story about ordinary people, who seem extraordinary by their virtue.

This is Mary Ann Shaffer’s first novel, and sadly it will be her only one as she has passed away. Anne Barrows, her niece, helped with co-authoring the book after Mary Ann had sold the manuscript, but became ill.

I gave this book my coveted “5 Stars” – “I loved it so much, I need to own it!”

About once a month I’ll post a list of the random things that are on my nightstand and which I am concurrently reading. Right now it is:

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Small Town Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Some of these titles may (or may not) be reviewed! Let me know if you’d like to see them here in a post.

As I read books, I will give an overall “star” rating, from 1 to 5.

5 Stars: I loved it so much I need to own it!

4 Stars: I liked it alot.

3 Stars: It was fine (rather non-committal).

2 Stars: I did not like it, but I read it.

1 Star: I really disliked it and couldn’t finish it.

My first review is coming soon and will be on “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”.

Welcome! I am excited to start this blog as a way to review the books I read. I’ve always loved to read and do read alot. Since friends and family are always asking me to recommend books and ask me what I’m reading, I thought a blog would be a good way to share this info with friends, family, and the world at large. I look forward to posting my thoughts on what I read (mostly adult fiction, though I also will read non-fiction and children’s lit). If you visit, feel free to leave your thoughts!

Just a note — I, like many bloggers, am an Amazon Associate. When you link to a book on Amazon through the link on my site, and then purchase the book, I receive a small percentage. Happy Reading!