V is for A Voice in the Wind: Francine Rivers

I was very skeptical when someone handed me this book to read. I often have a difficult time reading Christian Fiction. I'm afraid it's either too touchy-feely for me, or the theology in it is so incorrect that I can't continue reading it. I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. Perhaps because the theology didn't seem to be the focal point. However, I did find Rivers' take on Christianity in the first century very interesting, especially when interacting with other Jews and Gentiles. The tension between these different religious groups was fascinating to read about, and I appreciate her perspective. Often times, I forget about the persecution that continued on after Paul's writings. It's still important to consider the things our brothers and sisters before us did and had to endure to follow Christ.

I really liked Hadassah's character. She was a very intriguing character. I appreciated her strengths and reading everything she endured, but I also appreciated seeing her faults. Rivers did a fantastic job incorporating both strengths and weaknesses, which is important for readers to see: Christians aren't perfect, and while we strive for that, it's not possible in this lifetime.

I must admit, I was shocked and horrified at the ending. I knew Julie was just going to continue getting worse and worse, but I couldn't have ever anticipated how much worse she was going to get. My heart broke at what she did, and I'm hoping for a survival from Hadassah because not only do I need her, but Marcus needs her. I love their relationship and her fight for Marcus' spiritual life. It's uplifting and lovely.

As great as all this was, I only give it four stars because it took me about 300 pages to be sucked in by her writing. I think some areas went on far too long, and I felt bogged down by portions in the story, especially the first 3/4 of the novel. I was just about ready to give up when things finally started getting interesting, and I was convinced to push on.

U is for The Underground Railroad: Colson Whitehead

This was an incredibly written beautiful story of Cora. Whitehead has an interesting spin on the Underground Railroad and what it consisted of which is fun. When I finished reading, I had to ask my husband whether or not there were actual trains on the railroad, because Whitehead made it so realistic. Even my husband, when I explained my confusion, couldn't give me a straight answer; I had to Google it to find out that no, this was just Whitehead's childhood fantasy of trains on the Underground Railroad. 

The novel is very well-written and flows beautifully and horrifyingly. There were so many times and so many phrases that I read and had to put the book down because of the sickness in my gut. For example, this is one of the least or the sentences that gave me pause and had me swallowing down the sick: "In effect, they abolished slavery. On the contrary, Oney Garrison said in response. We abolished niggers." Whitehead was incredible at digging into the minds of slaves and whites alike. Both sides were presented so well, including whites for and whites against slavery: both sides have a share in this story, and it's almost overpowering how well Whitehead writes these sides. 

I appreciated the breaks in Cora's story to give background on the "minor" characters of the novel. It was fun to read a few pages about the characters that until then, we didn't know much about. My heart broke when I read Mable's chapter. To think that she had turned back for Cora, but never made it, is heart-wrenching. And Cora never knew, which is the worst of it. 

Cora is an incredible character. I was humbled, encouraged, and impressed by her throughout the entire story. Her only flaw was that she was too trusting in the places she landed, and always hesitated a moment too long, but I can't blame her for that. It wasn't until I finished the book and glanced at the summary that I remembered/realized that Cora is only 15. That does not seem real to me. She is so much older, wiser, and braver, than any 15-year old I know. I almost want to reread it, with that age in mind and see if it changes anything for me. 

Whitehead also was fantastic with creating the antagonists. Not only do you have overall slavery as a villain, but then you have Randall, you have the Irish servant, and worst of all, you have Ridgeway. Every time he reappeared, I had to put the book down for a second because I was so upset. Each time Cora defeated him, I believed would be the last, but it was never the last until the very end and that was great. And terrible. But great in regards to the quality of the book. 

“The underground railroad is bigger than its operators—it’s all of you, too. The small spurs, the big trunk lines. We have the newest locomotives and the obsolete engines, and we have handcars like that one. It goes everywhere, to places we know and those we don’t. We got this tunnel right here, running beneath us, and no one knows where it leads. If we keep the railroad running, and none of us can figure it out, maybe you can.”

Excellent book.

T is for The Turn of the Screw: Henry James

I don't think I like Henry James' writing style. With all of the description and inner thoughts and ramblings and unnecessary information given by the narrator, I lost so much of the story. I got lost in the descriptions and couldn't keep track of where the story was supposed to be going. With that being said, I almost feel as if there wasn't any description. There was a lot, but the descriptions we got weren't about the actual story, or so I found. When it came to the actual story, it seemed that the reader was left to interpret how he or she wanted. We had to come up with our own description of the story.

I also didn't really understand why the narrator was so scared. It didn't seem to me that she should have felt as much fear as she did, as quickly as she did. Sure, she saw some people at night, but that shouldn't be cause for the fright she felt (this is what I mean when I say the description was a bit lacking). We just have to believe that those people were very scary and that everyone should feel such great alarm. Even Mrs. Grose didn't seem to be alarmed at the beginning, which left me feeling even more annoyed and unbelieving of the fear.

I also didn't like the subplot of Miles not returning to school. I didn't understand where that was supposed to go and what that had to do with the whole story. I'm afraid that in all the unnecessary words, I lost a majority of the depth of this story. It's probably one that I'll have to read again. I don't understand the title, but I think that would require another read through and some deep thought.

I ended the story with a few questions about the narrator. I thought for a while that she was simply crazy and that's why she was so afraid. I thought these "ghosts" were in her head, and that's why, at the pond, neither Mrs. Grose nor Flora admitted to seeing them. I thought I was being so smart in interpreting that all of this fear and horror was created in her head, perhaps due to the stress of the letter about Miles from his headmaster. I kept that thought until the end. I don't think that last sentence was in her head. But I just don't know for sure.

This is a book I'd have to read several more times and probably read more essays on to fully understand. It was complex and confusing, and I'm sure there are a multitude of themes to explore, which is why I can understand this book is so important in the literary world. I just didn't enjoy it much.

S is for Secrets to the Grave: Tami Hoag

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I didn't realize when I purchased it that it was part of the Oak Knoll series because I really didn't like the first one. I wasn't drawn to any of the characters and there were so many red herrings that I ended the book not really caring who did it but longing for the book to be over.

I don't know a lot about crime and how police departments work when there is a crime, but some of the paths and steps taken by the main people didn't seem like steps I'd seen in other crime fiction. I'm sure Hoag researched and by this point knows pretty well how the process works, but this just didn't seem right to me.

Anne is a very dull character. I didn't like her in the first book and I didn't like her in the second. She doesn't really seem to change or develop; she just remains this dull, flat character. I know we are supposed to feel sad for her and Vince as they struggle to conceive, but that topic is just hardly grazed and then never brought up again. As one who has struggled with reproducing, I find this disappointing. If it's major enough to write about throughout the book, write about it. However, if it's not that big of a deal (as it feels in this book) leave it out. It just took away from the story-line and left  me confused and disappointed at the lack of time spent on that "major" problem of Anne and Vince. Maybe this will be talked about more in the third?

I have the same complaints about the trial with Peter Crane and Anne. This is mentioned two or three times in the book, but it isn't really ever talked about and again it just detracts from the story. I'm assuming both of these will be talked more about in the third book? I'm not sure that I'll continue reading to the third book. I like Hoag a lot, and have loved several of her novels, but this one, this series, is a no-go for me.

Q is for Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking: Susan Cain

This was a very powerful book that was quite different from what I'd been reading. It was a good change of pace for me. Cain does a nice job exploring this subject on a variety of levels: the business world, the college world, the married world, the young child world, she covers it all.

The book was easy to read and understand: it's written in simple language for every man to understand. There were places where I'd skim through because of the technical aspect of what Cain was saying: much of the biological sections I'd skim through quickly because I didn't understand nor care to grasp those concepts, as well as when the business aspects got too detailed. I don't fell like I missed anything for doing this.

It was well structured and organized, each part flowing into the following part well, so that the section breaks and chapter breaks weren't breaks but pauses in the journey. Very easy to read the book in one sitting.

I've gained a lot of knowledge now about the world around me, regarding introversion and extroversion. I have more understanding of how to be powerful and succeed in this world that is so extroverted-focused. More than that, I have a better understanding of how extroverts function, why they think the way they think, and how we can use our differences for good.

I highly encourage extrovert and introvert alike to read this book as it will be beneficial no matter how you describe yourself.

P is for The Passenger: Lisa Lutz

What a page-turner! I was hooked by page one. And I stayed hooked the entire read. Each chapter presented one more layer of murk, one more shocking surprise, one more question that needed to be answered, and I couldn't put this down. I'm glad I had a two-hour plane ride with nothing else to do but read this book. 

I really appreciated the break-down of the book: each part split up by name. This made it very hard to stop (or impossible because I never actually stopped?) because when the part ended, I had to know what happened with her next identity. 

I like Nora. I think she was a very good character, with a lot of depth, a lot of pain, and a lot of life. That makes it easy to read and enjoy reading. From the very beginning I was on her side. Maybe that's because she's the main character and narrator, but I also think Lutz did a very good job making her readers instantly fall onto Nora's side. Each time an identity falls apart, my heart breaks a little bit more for Nora because it's so easy to see that all she wants to be is Nora. Just Nora. 

I also liked the email correspondence throughout each part. That helped provide some background while also leaving me clueless with so many more questions, adding to the intrigue. 

Even with the book finished, I'm not sure how I feel about Blue. She's a strong woman, to be sure, but almost the complete opposite of Nora's strong, and when those two are in comparison, I can't fathom choosing Blue ever. She almost does the right thing, but she always ends that by doing the complete wrong thing, and I'm left feeling betrayed by her, even though she might not actually deserve that. 

Domenic was also an interesting character. I longed for more of him in the book, because I couldn't figure out why Nora was so drawn and attached to him so quickly. I never felt like he was worth her affections because I couldn't figure him out. I wasn't given enough of his character to decide who and what he was. Maybe that's intentional-to keep us guessing on Domenic. 

I totally did not expect the ending, but I thought it was a fantastic way to finish the story. That's the only thing that made sense. And when it comes down to it, it does make sense. Of course that's how it is. How else could it be? I just never expected it. But looking back on the novel, I should have seen it coming. Lutz left clues all along. I just missed them and didn't add two things together to get that outcome. 

Loved this book. Highly suggest it. Read it when you have enough time to finish it because you won't put it down until the last word. 

O is for The Orphan's Tale: Pam Jenoff

This was a well-written and well-crafted novel. The characters and events were so real to me that it was easy to play this out as a movie as I read. 

One of my recent favorite reads was about a circus (Night Circus is highly recommended by me) and I've always enjoyed books about World War II, because, I think, it makes the events of WWII more real in my head. I can read about it all I want in a textbook, but when I'm reading stories about people who suffered (granted, most of them are made-up) I feel so much more and can imagine so much more and understand the war so much more. This novel combined the two in a beautiful and entertaining way. I also learned of the Jewish circuses that took place before and somewhat during the war, and I find that incredible. 

I appreciated the narration style a lot. Had the whole book been told by one character, I might have gotten bored. Too many different narrators would have overwhelmed me. Jenoff uses the two main characters, Noa and Astrid, to tell the story, and that was a good choice. Each chapter bounced back between the two, and that helped keep me on my toes, and kept me reading. It was interesting to see the two very different perspectives these two provided, and it was cool to see the friendship bloom between the two from each person.

I was so frustrated when I got to the part where Astrid is beaten by the police. I wanted to stop reading because I was so mad at all that had gone wrong in her life. It was so unfair! I kept reading, though, and I was somewhat able to move on and let that go, but I was greatly relieved when I got to the end. There was a part of me that either guessed that would happen or just really wanted to happen, so I wasn't too surprised, but very thankful. Thanks, Jenoff! Good ending! 

This was a beautiful tale of friendship, loss, struggles, and love. It's a very different take on WWII then I've previously experienced, and I quite enjoyed it!