FEBRUARY 2019

1) The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo / A / ***1/2 / Kindle
Who knew Reese Witherspoon has a book group? Kerry does. Of course Kerry does. She is like my book muse.  She is like those people that dress the celebrities by finding them clothes except she finds me books and I'm not a celebrity and she doesn't get paid. Okay maybe that is a bad example.  But anyway Reese Witherspoon does in fact have a book group and "The Light We Lost" was the first I've read of her book group books and it won't be the last even though I don't think I "felt" this story as much as I should have.
It is a story of two young lovers full of passion and the need to live a remarkable life, especially after witnessing the horror of 9/11.  This need to make a difference causes one of the couple to part ways, creating another disaster in the life of the book's narrator.   Through the years she picks up the pieces of her life and finds happiness but can't quite ever let her feelings go.
This book was a bit of an enigma for me as it as a story where I didn't love the main characters and sometimes I outright detested them. I can't love characters that treat other people horribly. To me it didn't feel like love between the two but rather self-centered obsession.  I guess maybe they were both so horrible they deserve to be together? But seriously WHAT KIND OF ROMANCE IS THAT?? It was like a modern day Wuthering Heights!!   But despite that I found I couldn't put the stinking story down. Go figure. Sigh.

2) Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson
Oh my. This book. It is the story of a 12 year old African American girl living in Mississippi in the 50's.  She has it hard on all sides. from parents that abandoned her, a grandma that is raising her but doesn't love her, and a society that is in chaos due to the South's resistance to the Civil Rights movement.  You found yourself really feeling for this character and rooting for her.  

3) Flamecaster (Shattered Realms book 1) by Cinda Williams Chima / YA / ***1/2 / Kindle
I was a few pages into this book and realized I had read it before.... but it was good to read it again as the fourth of the series is coming out next month. It takes up the story that was begun in the Seven Realms series and the main characters are the children of the original characters. The author has created a whole new plot line and crisis with enough new characters and lands that it was still super interesting.  Anyway, I have really enjoyed this author... especially her world building and her character development. I didn't find myself rooting for these new characters as much as her other books, but we'll see what develops.

4) Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight out of this Wild and Glorious Life by Jen Hatmaker / A / **** / Kindle
I first found Jen Hatmaker through a blogpost shared to me by my sister, Ashlee. I have followed Jen's blog off and on through the years but have never read any of her 12 books.  This book was just available on pioneer so I checked it out to see what her writing style was like. I laughed. I cried. I felt all the feels.  I was totally uplifted, took about 300 pages of notes, and finished it feeling hopeful and determined to show this world a bit more love.  Good job, Jen.

5) CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi / YA / ***1/2 / Kindle
* Read for Goodreads Best of 2018 Challenge
Four unlikely teens unite to save their country. Two are children of a cruel king, and two are commoners who have greatly suffered from the king's rule. The king's goal for the last 13 years has been to eliminate the native magic of the land.  The four are trying to restore it before it is too late.

You would think this would be my new favorite book as this story had great world building and was full of epic adventures. I'm not sure why exactly, but this book was just off for me. I had to force myself to read it. The pacing was just off and while I could appreciate the different characters I didn't love any of them. Even the chemistry was just meh to me.  


6) Orphan Island by Laurel Synder / JF / *** / Kindle
Nine children live on an island. Each year a green boat arrives, taking away the oldest child and leaving a toddler.  This has been going on for decades until one year, the oldest child refuses to leave.  This sets into motion a series of events that affect everyone.  The food sources start to dry up. The weather gets erratic.  The sky changes.
The great part of this book was the whole sinister island aspect combined with the mystery regarding the back story. The bad part of the book is that IT NEVER EXPLAINS IT.  So frustrating. I looked up the author and she said she may write a prequel but really wanted to leave us hanging to promote discussion. RUDE. The other thing is that the main character was super annoying.

7) The Mountain Between Us  by Charles Martin
A small plane crashes in the mountains of Utah.  Two strangers survive the crash, but are trapped in miles of snowy wilderness.  The book tells their story to survive while also visiting the lives that led them to this point.  It was really beautifully written and I liked it even though no one got eaten in this book.