The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4.0 stars -
This book was a solid 3.5 stars for me, but if I have to round, more deserving of a 4 star rating than a 3 star. The setting is a mining town in Kentucky during the Depression. The story opens in Lexington where Addie and Emmett briefly meet. Addie, a top student, has just found out that she has lost her position in the last week of her junior year, due to her family's financial straits. Emmett is about to graduate with a degree in commerce and is in the library looking for jobs in the want ads. They next meet up in Lynch, Emmett's home town, where Addie has been offered a job as a traveling librarian. It is here she meets Miss West, the library manager, who captures what I love about reading in the following quote:

"A book takes one into another person's thoughts and emotions. Books open up worlds beyond the view from one's own window. Stories can stir compassion, can inspire integrity, can show different lifestyles and problem-solving skills. Books, Addie, have the power to change people for the better." (p. 158 - Miss West to Addie)

Why would you want to read this book? I think it depends on what you're in the mood for. This book is uplifting, light reading. It is Christian Fiction, but not preachy. It is Historical Fiction, but a little light on the historical details surrounding the traveling librarian program. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek does a much better job in that respect. During this difficult year of pandemics and politics, it offers hope for the future. There are lessons to be learned about looking for the blessings in your daily life, even when they're not easily found; about treating others based on who they are inside, not listening to biases other people have about them; and about never giving up.
In short, if you're looking for a deep book with lots of historical details, this might not be for you. But if you're looking for something that will bring you peace and hope, within a historical setting, this is for you.
Book 161 of 2020.
Also reviewed on my blog: http://xbmill.blogspot.com/


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Someplace to call home by Sandra Dallas

Someplace to Call Home by Sandra Dallas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5/5.0 - Sandra Dallas is one of my favorite authors, and this young adult/juvenile book by her is another reason why. This takes place during the depression and the dust bowl and features a brave pair of siblings, Tom and Hallie, who take off from Oklahoma after losing their mother, in order to find a better life for themselves and their beloved younger brother, Benny. When their car breaks down in Kansas, they camp beside a stream for the night. In the morning, though, the farmer who owns the land finds them and tells them to move on. Tom, a mechanical wizard, explains their transmission is broken and their tire blown, and they'd like to stay on and look for work, until he can fix it. Swede, the farmer, has a hard time believing Tom could fix it, until Tom offers to look at a tractor Swede is having problems with. Tom is able to fix it, and the Carlson offer to let them stay. They become friends and benefactors, and their young daughter, Tessie finds a friend in Benny.
Sometimes it's hard to believe for us to believe or envision what life must have been like back then.
It is only when Benny goes missing for a time that Hallie and Tom can truly understand their place in the community, when the community bands together to help find the little boy.
We have so many fail-safes built into society today that children aren't wandering the country by themselves looking for work. Not to say that there aren't homeless people still, only that we have a few more mechanisms to help them. Back then, one relied on church, family or neighbors much more than today.
This is a book about hardship and courage, friendship and love, and what it means to be neighborly.
Book 160 of 2020
Fall Reading Challenge: OCTOBER/1. Pumpkin Spice Everything/b. Read a book whose title starts with a letter in SPICE.
PS FRC - 2. A book that has been on your shelf since at least last fall.


Other Sandra Dallas books I have read: Westering Women
Someplace to Call Home
The Last Midwife
A Quilt for Christmas
Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
Fallen Women
True Sisters
The Quilt Walk
Whiter Than Snow
Tallgrass
The Chili Queen
Alice's Tulips
Prayers for Sale
The Persian Pickle Club
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Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber

Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 stars - This was a book I really needed to read, to balance all the heavy books I've been reading lately. This lovely little book was about family, those we grew up with and those we find we find later in life. It was about healing and the hard road that is made more bearable when others travel it with us. It is about letting go, and holding on; finding new hopes and dreams and following them. It is about new friendships and new loves and learning who we are. I found myself caring about the characters and not wanting it to end, or at least wanting to hear what is next in their stories. Even if there isn't a sequel, the author did a good job of resolving or hinting at their futures so that it didn't leave you hanging.
PS FRC - 10. A book about or involving nature.
Book 158 of 2020

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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne


First, let me say, that in a year when the country seems to be on a downward spiral, why is it that all I seem to be reading are war-related or other depressing books? It's hard to know what to rate this. It's a very different spin on WWII literature, written from a child's POV. Bruno, one of the two main characters, displays such naivete that it's hard to picture him as a 9 year old. But, perhaps it was a more innocent time altogether. I also think that Bruno represents the rest of the world, in that aspect. When the camps were liberated, no one could believe that such atrocities really happened. There are those today who claim they didn't. Still, calling it Out-With, and Hitler - the Fury, rings more like a 4 or 5 year old to me. There were many things in the book that didn't ring true to me.
On the other hand, you do see some emotional growth in Bruno. He struggles with denying his friend, he questions what friendship really means, he (view spoiler)[ ultimately gives his life to try and help his friend. (hide spoiler)]
I watched the movie a few years ago, I might watch it again sometime and see how closely it follows the book.
Book 157 of 2020

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The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - I really enjoyed this book by Karen Hawkins. It's a story of love, lost and found, and of family - those you're born in, and those you make. It's a story of hope in dark times, the strength of friendship, the wisdom of the elderly and the value of sisters. Oh, and how could I forget? The importance of books!
Book 155 of 2020

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The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5.0 stars - I was afraid to start this book, given the difficulties in the world right now. I couldn't face more horror and depression. What I found however, was a wonderful piece of historical fiction, based upon a true story of a young Jewish woman, who risks her life to save hundreds of others by forging documents to help children and resistance members escape to Switzerland. She grieves the loss of these children's identities, and with her co-conspirator, Remy, she finds a way to record in code the children's names - their real names and the ones she gives them, in hopes that after the war she will be able to help give them a piece of their past.
(view spoiler)[She and others are betrayed by a member of the resistance, someone she has known for years, and she loses her mother and Remy, the man she has come to love. (hide spoiler)]She manages to escape and at the end of the war, returns to Paris, where she eventually finds her father, who has returned from a concentration camp, but is dying from cancer. Eventually, she meets an American, a good man, who asks her to marry him and come to the United States.
Years later, while working at the library, she comes across an article about a researcher who is trying to reunite books stolen by the Germans during the war, with their rightful owners. In a photograph, she recognizes her book, and decides to fly to Germany to retrieve it. While there, she helps to create a list of the names, and then the happiest ending imaginable happens.
I love books that feature strong women characters and people who are brave enough to do things I can hardly imagine.
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah - Reflection

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.0/5.0 stars - I read the sequel to this book 7 years ago, I'm terrible about not reading books in order. This is a story of two friends, who found each other when they both needed it the most, as young teenagers, facing high school and all of its angst. For thirty years they are friends with all the ups and downs that go with a friendship that long. They go down different paths, for one fame and fortune, for the other, love and family, but they're almost always there for each other when the chips are down.
Fall Reading Challenge: October/3. World Mental Health Day/a. Read a book where one of the author's initials is found in MENTAL HEALTH.
Fall Read-a-thon:800 - You'll see the light...source on the cover of this book
Book 151 of 2020

So that was my review, but what I didn't say was I wonder what having a friendship that lasts years is like. I had friends in middle school, and a few girlfriends in high school, including one that became my sister-in-law. Unfortunately, as an adult, friendships eluded me. I had acquaintances, and work friends, and I treasure those, but long-term, close friendships have always felt like a missing piece in my life.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First in a coming-of-age series about four teenage girls, who vow to be friends forever, but are facing their first summer apart. They decide to pass a "magical" pair of jeans around during the summer, as a way to keep in touch, and share their lives even though they're miles apart.
Fall Reading Challenge: October/2. October Birthday: R.L. Stine/a. Read a children's or YA book.
Fall Read-a-thon: 800 - A library patron might ask, "It's that one book that won that award."
Book 149 of 2020.


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Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.0/3.0 stars - This book had a lot of pros and cons. I enjoyed some of the characters very much, especially Mr. Everett, but many of the characters were despicable (Doris and Mike), inept (Wendy) or just plain unlikable (Trish). Angelica was annoying at times. The story line was believable. The town (although not necessarily all the people in it) was charming. Probably the biggest turnoff for me was several uses of the word "retarded" when referring to a child with Down Syndrome.
Fall Reading Challenge - October/4. Halloween/b. Read a book in which the main character has a disguise. (The murderer is disguised as her twin).
Book 146 of 2020


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A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I couldn't begin to give this a realistic review, as so much of the book was way over my head. No doubt, Stephen Hawking was a brilliant scientist, and he did his best to bring the complicated theories of the universe to the common human. It is I who is found lacking, not him. Perhaps if I read this multiple times, it would begin to make sense. It's a relatively short book, so give it a try, you might enjoy it and understand it better than I did.
Fall Reading Challenge: September/4. September Birthday: Shel Silverstein/b. Read a book written between 1930 and 1999.From the "1000 books you probably have read" list.

Book 141 of 2020


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In the Valley: Stories and a Novella Based on Serena by Ron Rash

In the Valley: Stories and a Novella Based on Serena by Ron Rash
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book includes nine short stories and a novella about Serena Pemberton, the main character of his 2008 book, Serena. As a rule, I don't enjoy short stories, but three stood out to me, Neighbors, The Baptism, and The Belt. The novella was also very good, it moved the Serena story forward without actually bringing it to a conclusion.
Fall Reading Challenge: SEPTEMBER/2. National Read a Book Day/c. Read a book that can be read in one day.
Book 140 in 2020.


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The Other Side of the Sun by Madeleine L'Engle

The Other Side of the Sun by Madeleine L'Engle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5/5.0 stars - nothing like any other Madeleine L'Engle book I have previously read. I kept thinking Gothic novel while reading this, so I looked up the elements and found:
1. Setting in a castle or old mansion. The action takes place in and around an old castle or an old mansion, or the ruins of an old castle or mansion. The castle often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, trick panels with hidden levers, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections. This describes the family home, Illyria, with its hidden rooms and dark secrets.

2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense.The work is pervaded by a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown. The Dark Riders and the White Riders threaten the sanctity of life.

3. An ancient prophecy is connected with the castle or its inhabitants (either former or present). Not so much prophecy, but journals that tell parts of the dark past.
4. Omens, portents, visions. A character may have a disturbing dream vision, or some phenomenon may be seen as a portent of coming events. Honoria and Belle can both see the future.
5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events. I can't really think of examples of this, except for when they kidnap Stella and perform rituals.
6. High, even overwrought emotion. The aunts.
7. Women in distress. A lonely, pensive, and oppressed heroine is often the central figure of the novel, so her sufferings are even more pronounced and the focus of attention. The women suffer all the more because they are often abandoned.Stella is kidnapped several times in one night, and her life is endangered. She has been "abandoned" by her husband, through no fault of his own, who is on a mission for the government.
8. Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male. Tron, among others.
9. The metonymy of gloom and horror. Lots of dark and stormy nights.
Fall Reading Challenge: November/4. November Birthday: C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle/c. Read a book written by either C.S. Lewis or Madeleine L'Engle.
Book 139 of 2020.


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Universe of Two by Stephen P. Kiernan

Universe of Two by Stephen P. Kiernan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 stars - I loved this book, as much, if not more for the love story, as anything else.
Fall Reading Challenge: SEPTEMBER/2. National Read a Book Day/a. Read a book by a new-to-you author.
2020 A-Z Location Challenge: C - Chicago
Book 139 of 2020


More about the book - In some ways, Brenda reminds me of myself. Her faults, thinking she's better than she is, and not treating Charlie as well as she should, not being as kind as she could be, can also describe some of my own faults. Life is too short, we need to love with our whole heart and show the person we married how important they are to us, each day.

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 stars - Reading a Debbie Macomber book is like a warm hug, and this one was a perfect example. Jo Marie is a young, grieving widow who buys a B & B in Cedar Cove on the Kitsap Penisula, with the proceeds of an insurance policy her husband left her. Jo is desperate for healing, and finding a way to move forward with her life, after losing her husband in Afghanistan just months after they were married. The Inn helps her, and her guests, do that. This is a story of love that doesn't die, courage to live the rest of your life, and the healing power of forgiveness.
This book satisfies several prompts:
Fall Reading Challenge: OCTOBER/1. Pumpkin Spice Everything/c. Read a book in which food plays a role in the book.
2020 A-Z Location Challenge - Letter K - Kitsap Penisula
Book 136 of 2020


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The Beekeeper's Son by Kelly Irvin

The Beekeeper's Son by Kelly Irvin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - Just the book I needed to read right now. Not dark or heavy, but light and light. I enjoyed the story of a family who is grieving but needing to move ahead with their life, who travels from Tennessee to Texas, only to find the journey didn't lead where they thought it would. Still, family and love stand strong in this first book of the Amish of Bee County series.
Book 134 of 2020.

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