Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly

Title: Lilac Girls
Author: Martha Hall Kelly
Published: 2017 (first published 2016)
Pages: 502
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source Fraser Valley Regional Library

Description: New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.

An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.

For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.

The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  I was on Litsy when I saw Mrs. Kelly's most recent book being promoted by somebody a few months ago and when I look up information about that book, I saw that there was an earlier book.  Knowing that there was an earlier book, I requested this particular book.  I wasn't really sure about what the book was about when I picked it up, but once I started reading it, I was informed as to what the book was about.  I looked at the pages at the end to get an idea as to what it was about, but I was still fairly clueless as to what it was about.  But as I got into the book, I got quickly absorbed into the novel and also what had happened to these young women at Ravensbruck.  The first time I actually had heard of Ravensbruck was when I read The Nightingale, but I may have heard about the concentration camp earlier.

I really liked how the author used the three different perspectives, two of which were actual people and one of which was a fictional person based on an actual person.  I don't know how accurate the book is, but judging from the limited research that I did do while I was reading the book, it seems as though it is fairly accurate.

Bottom line: It was a really excellent book and I am most definitely going to be reading the next book that this author has written, Lost Roses.  Don't let the title deceive you and don't go down the "rabbit hole".  Highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5

    

  

God's Big Picture - Vaughan Roberts

Title: God's Big Picture: Tracing the storyline of the Bible
Author: Vaughan Roberts
Published: 2012 (first published 2002)
Pages: 170
Genre: Christian, Non-fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal collection

Description: Sixty-six books, forty authors, written over nearly 2,000 years, in two languages and several different genres. A worldwide best-seller published in countless sizes and bindings, translations and languages. It has been sworn by in court, fought over by religious people, and quoted in arguments. The Bible is clearly no ordinary book. How can we begin to read and understand it as a whole?

In this excellent overview, Vaughan Roberts gives the big picture -- showing how the different parts of the Bible fit together under the theme of the kingdom of God. He gives us both the encouragement and the tools to read it with confidence and understanding. He points us to the Bible's supreme subject, Jesus Christ, and the salvation God offers through him. (via Goodreads)
Thoughts: This was a book for a bible study class I was taking at my local church and while the author covers in a short book, with bible study questions at the end of each chapter, how the Bible is interconnected and how different parts of the Bible fit together.  It is a nice introductory book for those wanting to go onto further study that could give them a much bigger look of the Bible with more depth.

Bottom line: This book is only a cursory look at how the Bible fits together and if you wish to have something that gives a bigger picture, this is not the book for you.  Recommended.

Rating: 3/5

The Unquiet Dead - Asuma Zehanat Khan

Title: The Unquiet Dead (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #1)
Author: Asuma Zehanat Khan
Published: 2015
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Edition: Paperback
Source: Surrey Public Libraries

Description: Despite their many differences, Detective Rachel Getty trusts her boss, Esa Khattak, implicitly. But she's still uneasy at Khattak's tight-lipped secrecy when he asks her to look into Christopher Drayton's death. Drayton's apparently accidental fall from a cliff doesn't seem to warrant a police investigation, particularly not from Rachel and Khattak's team, which handles minority-sensitive cases. But when she learns that Drayton may have been living under an assumed name, Rachel begins to understand why Khattak is tip-toeing around this case. It soon comes to light that Drayton may have been a war criminal with ties to the Srebrenica massacre of 1995.

If that's true, any number of people might have had reason to help Drayton to his death, and a murder investigation could have far-reaching ripples throughout the community. But as Rachel and Khattak dig deeper into the life and death of Christopher Drayton, every question seems to lead only to more questions, with no easy answers. Had the specters of Srebrenica returned to haunt Drayton at the end, or had he been keeping secrets of an entirely different nature? Or, after all, did a man just fall to his death from the Bluffs? (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I read this for my May library book club and I quite enjoyed it.  It was weird reading a book that took place during an event that I very much remember seeing on the news in the mid-1990s.  There is also a callback to Eichmann and how he tried to hide in Argentina after WWII.  Despite the book being choppy in places (this is the author's first novel), I really liked it.  I liked how Rachel Getty was drawn and how she basically put down when she has a gut feeling about something related to the case and her old male partner tries to quiet her down or dismiss her ideas in regards to the case.

Bottom line:  While it isn't a strong first novel, I have heard that the second book in the series is a lot better.  And with that in mind, I think she did an excellent job and acquitted herself quite well in writing a novel based on an event that happened less than 30 years ago.  Recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Finders Keepers - Russ Colchamiro

Book Title: Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition
Author: Russ Colchamiro
Category: Adult Fiction
Pages: 310 pages
Genre: SciFi/Fantasy
Publisher: Crazy 8 Press
Release Date: October 17, 2018
Edition: Ebook
 Content Rating: PG-13 + M (A few f-bombs, and mild sex scenes + some casual drinking/pot smoking) 
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Description: In the spirit of The Good Place, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, author Russ Colchamiro has gone back to the future to deliver his wildest, funniest novel yet--the new and updated Sci-Fi/Fantasy tale Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition. 

When a jar containing the Universe's DNA falls from Eternity, bumbling backpackers Jason and Theo find their loyalties--and sanity!--put to the test. Unaware that a motley crew from another realm is chasing them across the globe to retrieve that radioactive vessel, these intrepid new friends are forced to contend with passion, responsibility, and their own mortality--and the fate of the Solar System, which hangs in the balance. 

Traversing Europe, New Zealand, and the backbone of Eternity, Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition ultimately asks one simple question: Is the life you're living the life you actually want . . . or does the Universe have more to offer than you can possibly imagine?

Thoughts: I really didn’t like this book, as I felt it was more of a chore than anything to read it.  I felt that that there were a lot of things that I didn’t like about the book.  The first thing was that I didn’t really find it funny. I had one small chuckle at one point during the read, but it seemed rather mundane for the most part.  Secondly I felt that the plot of the book was all over the place and there were too many characters.  I have read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and that book was more polished and coherent than this one.  For example, the book didn’t keep you with one set of characters for large periods of time and I wouldn’t get a sense of what the book was about.  I would read about one set of characters for a bit and then a few chapters later, would read about another set of characters and that switch to yet another set of characters a few chapters down the line.  I realize that the book is part of a series, but the number of characters in the book was way too much and too hard to keep track of to the point that I couldn’t tell who was who for the most part.  The author needed to have a better editor that would make the book tighter and more readable and therefore more readable.

It also needed to be shorter in terms of page length.  If the book was at least 50 pages shorter, it would be a better read.  There was too much to keep track to comprehend it properly.

I can see where the author is going with it and while it’s a good idea,  I doubt I am going to continue with the series.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
Playster ~ Kobo ~ 24symbols
Add to Goodreads

Watch the trailer:​

Meet the Author:

​Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space opera, Crossline, the zany SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, and is editor of the SF anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, all with Crazy 8 Press.

Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two children, and crazy dog, Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself.

Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Camelot 13, TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, and Brave New Girls. Russ is repped by The Zack Company.

Connect with Russ: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

#csreadathon and 2018 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

 As you can see I am signing up for both the Christmas Spirit Readathon and Reading Challenge at the same time. 

For the readathon, I am going to read A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny and Washington Black by Esi Eugyan and the new Christmas book by Debbi MacComber.

For the reading challenge I am to attempt the Christmas Tree level and Fa La La La Films

You can find more information at the Christmas Spirit blog.

Thankfully Reading 2018 #thankfullyreading

I realize that this is late, but I am joining the Thankfully Reading Weekend.

China Rich Girlfriend - Kevin Kwan

Title: China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians #2)
Author: Kevin Kwan
Published: 2015
Pages: 400
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description:
On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over-the-moon. She has a flawless Asscher cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiancée willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won't be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel in to a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore's It Girl Astrid Leong is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly-minted Tech Billionaire husband. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: While I enjoyed this book, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I did the first one in the series.  It took me longer to get into the book and I really didn't get the point of it.  I really didn't like the focus on Kitty but when the book focused more on Rachel and Nick, I felt that the book was better.

Bottom line:  I felt it was a decent sequel to the first book Crazy Rich Asians, but it suffered from what most second books do in that it was flat in areas.  Sure there were areas that were funny, but it didn't have the introduction that Crazy Rich Asians had and it didn't really wrap any of the lingering story lines that the third book will likely have.  And yes, I will be reading the final book in the series.

Rating: 3.5/5