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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