Gone with the Wind - Enjoy with a grain of salt!

 

Gone with the Wind 

by Margaret Mitchell

5/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Enjoy this mighty tome with a grain of salt, and historical perspective.

I do realize this book was written in the 1930's and so it does not have a "woke" sensibility, and one must read it with the time of writing in mind.

I think this will likely make my list this year as the longest book I've read!

It was very interesting to come back to this book and read it with adult eyes, and 2020 sensibilities.

I have seen the movie numerous times, and I read the book once previously as a much, much, younger woman. (Maybe even in my teens).

The book is much more complex than the movie.

The most obvious differences are that Scarlett has a child with each of her 3 husbands, not just Rhett. What struck me the most however was 2-fold.

I was really shocked at how "put down" and abused the people of Georgia were after the war. There is a LOT more about carpetbaggers and such than in the movie. We hear alot in the book about the politics of the day, and how the Confederates were not allowed to vote, and were so poor, and threadbare. In the movie this is touched on, but then it is passed over, and in the book you truly got the feeling of how subjugated and poor the Confederates were following the end of the war by the Northerners. This really helped me to understand why southerners to this day often feel the way they do. It was also surprising to me that the KKK evolved to protect the Confederates post-war from the carpetbaggers and freed persons. I did not know that the legislature of Georgia was "packed" with freed slaves, or that these freed persons would go from town to town to vote and revote for the northern Republicans.

In the book we can hear inside the character's head, and "hear" what she is thinking about the enslaved persons who are of course, African-American. Also all of the servants,etc talk in dialect, which they also do in the movie. It was very informative to hear that Scarlette thinks of her servants as children, who need caring for. This is not explicit in the movie. She also speaks of the affection the plantation families had for the servants and in many cases even tho the enslaved person is now free in the book they choose to remain with their white family, or return to the plantations.

Overall, this is truly a BIG story, in more than one way, and makes one think about the value and importance of being kind. Although I was spurred to read this by a book club selection, I'm glad I did, because reading it again with older eyes makes me think about what other books I should re-read. (less)

 

P.C. Cast - Moon Chosen - a rare 5 star review!

 

Moon Chosen 

by P.C. Cast

5/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A RARE 5-star review for me!

I loved this book and zipped through it in just a few days.

This story is about a different world, with different realities, and about halfway or so through I realized it was really a dystopian future. How "we" get there isn't explained in this book, but it looks to be the start of a series.

I have read other series (House of Night) by this author and for me, her writing just draws you in so easily. You really want to keep reading to find out what happens. 

In this book, she does an amazing job of crafting the world of the story and flushing out all the types of inhabitants.

Even though you could tell fairly early on where this story was going, it was still interesting to see how it gets there.

The main character, Mari, is a strong female lead, who must step outside her comfort zone to grow. Although some of the tropes are over-used, the story is still well-written and I really enjoyed it.

I can't wait to read the next one.

Finished reading iin Oct 2020

Where Butterflies Go - a compelling story

 

Where Butterflies Go

by Debra Doxer

4/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Where Butterflies Go is a story of the persecution and resistance of the Jews in Poland, and how some of them move on with their lives after the war ends.

Meira, the main character, her husband, and daughter live in Poland and are affected by the onslaught of Nazi violence and hatred. Meira has great skill as a seamstress since her Dad was a tailor. The Nazis discover this, and come to have their uniforms repaired. When the Nazis ship out the Jews, she is recognized and sent to a camp called Poniotowa to make uniforms for Nazi scum.

What happens at the end of the war is tragic, and Meira manages to escape and ultimately make it to America.

Her story of how she survives and comes to thrive in the US, and becomes a speaker for a Jewish organization is inspiring. 

WE MUST NEVER FORGET! She helps people to understand the true horrors of the war and the ugly details of Hitler's final solution.

BEWARE FASCISM - whether in 1939 or in 2020!

This was a very compelling story and I recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for this honest review

Finished reading Oct 8, 2020

 

A Flawed Scotsman

by Hildie McQueen

3/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

This is a typical bodice-ripping type romance, but set in Scotland a bit before the Battle of Culloden, as the clan structure and frission are in full swing in this story. Also, there is a ton of "ye" and lass, etc in the verbiage of the book.

The story is about a Laird's nephew in Clan Ross who is asked to marry a Laird's daughter in Clan Fraser to strengthen ties against the savage and aggressive Clan Mackenzie.

The story moves along quickly enough and is fun to read, with some silly steamy passages.

It was a fast read for me, and I enjoyed letting the yarn spin out.

Although it is sort of historical fiction, there was less about everyday life and how things were different than in some of the best examples of HF (like Outlander). Also, some themes and thoughts were repeated unnecessarily, as though we forgot what we read in the beginning of the book. For example, Esme (the daughter) must mention that her mother thinks women should not involve themselves outside of home duties at least 4x.

Overall, as long as you understand the type of book this is going to be it can be fine to read, and I enjoyed it.

I received an ARC of this book at NC from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Finished reading Oct 5, 2020

Life is Sweet - a fun bit of fluffy frosting

 

Life is Sweet 

by Elizabeth Bass

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Life is Sweet a former child star moves to a small town in Virginia and opens a cake shop/bakery.

Some of the action is centered around a horse ranch so equine -lovers should enjoy this book as well

This book was an easy and fun read. Although I could really see a lot of the action/plot points coming a LONG way off, I didn't know how it would get there, and it was fun to read.

Very light, and sometimes that's just what you need.

Finished reading Oct 2, 2020

The Scent Keeper - some delightful passages

 

The Scent Keeper 

by Erica Bauermeister

3/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

I started this book, and then set it aside for a couple of weeks, and when I picked it up again, I blazed through it.

I enjoyed it pretty much, although, for me, some of the action was really a stretch.

Parts of the book were delightful, and the prose and descriptions are lovely.

I especially liked the parts where Emmeline is learning about scent and being a nose.

It was unrealistic to me how easy it was for Emmeline to find her mother.

I also think the ending was a bit predictable.

All in all, good to read, but slightly flawed.

Finished reading in Sept 2020

Bookshop of Second Chances - a fun book about books!

 

The Bookshop of Second Chances 

by Jackie Fraser

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The book starts with Thea Mottram's husband of nearly twenty years leaving her for one of her friends, and she is let go from her office job--on Valentine's Day, of all days. She soon learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, and she heads up to a small town of Baldochrie in Scotland to deal with it.

Thea falls in love with the beautiful home, and loves the books. She meets Edward and Charles Maltravers, who are feuding brothers, and begins to work for Ed in his bookshop. Their relationship slowly develops with some bumps along the way.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to have a 40-something heroine, and not to have the ultimate goal be marriage and baby. The emotions seemed written very honestly and the story unfolded nicely. The author describes the countryside so beautifully that it makes one want to head to Scotland for a relaxing vacation. I also especially liked the setting of the bookshop.

I would recommend this book -it reminded me of Jenny Colgan's books.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finished reading Sept 27, 2020

The Book of V - a different twist on the Esther story

 

The Book of V 

by Anna Solomon

2/5 stars 

⭐⭐

The Book of V is a set of 3 separate but slightly related stories, based on the story of the Book of Esther - the Purim story.

The V in the title is Vashti, the queen who would not follow the request of the king to appear naked at his party. He then forsakes her and ultimately marries Esther who goes on to save the Jewish people from complete annihilation.

V follows Vashti's story, the story of Vivian, a senator's wife, and the story of Lily, a young mom living in NYC. Ultimately Lily and Vivian's stories intersect, and parallels are drawn to Vashti's story, which is told from a different viewpoint.

I did not love this book, altho I did like parts of Esther and Vashti's story.

I thought the modern-day characters were whiny and self-indulgent, and I did not understand their motivation a lot of the time. I did enjoy the description of the Purim Shpiel and could appreciate the challenges of sewing a kid's costume.

There is a magic thread in the Esther story that I also felt undermined her power and diminished what she actually accomplished.

I read this for a Jewish book group, so it will be interesting to hear what the other members thought of this book. I would not recommend this- it falls in the "waste of time" category for me, although it does make me want to read a good translation of the actual Book of Esther.

Finished reading Sept 22, 2020