Review: This Heart of Mine

This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars.

Very clever. Written with a lot of heart. No pun intended.

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Review: Great Soul of Siberia: Passion, Obsession, and One Man's Quest for the World's Most Elusive Tiger

Great Soul of Siberia: Passion, Obsession, and One Man's Quest for the World's Most Elusive Tiger by Sooyong Park
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel a little blind sided by this book. I have an interest in tigers so I thought I would read just a bit and see how I liked this guy’s research. turns out that “this guy” immersed himself in the study of this nearly extinct tiger. By the time I was interrupted, I’d become captivated by Bloody Mary and her cubs and was terrorized by her destruction of Park’s bunker. I tried to explain the book to my husband but realized I knew too many details that were important and gave up trying to explain it to him.

With a mere 350 Siberian tigers in the world, Sooyong concentrated his research on one family and her progeny. The reality is that they are highly elusive and it is highly unlikely one will ever actually see the animal. To increase his chances, Park spent the summer studying the land, the trees with food for ungulates, watching for pug marks or tiger trails, measuring the pads and strides, then carefully constructing very small bunkers within the earth then staying very still, very solitary, and very dark and watched with his cameras going.

Tiger activity was few and far between but what he captured and experienced is far more than any other researcher. He found relationships, nurturing, independence, and personalities of the tigers. There is far too much to express about what I loved about this book but the narrative naturally led to poachers. It was heart breaking. The tigers are faced with the natural enemy of the unforgiving landscape but then the encroaching civilization takes up the territory they used to claim. Then poachers illegally hunt the magnificent animal which has brought it nearly to extinction.

I loved the book. I am in awe of the Siberian tiger and also what the author sacrificed to capture so much knowledge and footage to share.

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Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Absolutely delightful spine chiller! Clues dropped sparingly with a few red herrings and an excellent resolution for the ending. I felt the chill throughout as Hal, alone and far too young to be alone, was trapped in Brighton until the letter from the solicitor. Her options so grim, her decision to pursue a possible inheritance looked to be the best choice of action.

Chilling is the best word to describe this book; not only spine chilling, but the setting is also chilly. The large house is always cold. The snow is cold. The characters are somewhat cold. Hal, the protagonist, trapped as she may be, finds options, anyway.

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Review: Jar of Hearts

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twisty and unpredictable ending. We may not know the characters as well as I think we do.

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Review: The Ones We Choose

The Ones We Choose by Julie Clark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well written book that questions ethical duty when faced with possibly knowing something about your DNA or your child's DNA that might impact others. Interesting.

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Review: The Mermaid

The Mermaid by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a little afraid to read this book simply because I loved "The Greatest Showman" so much. Of course, I read a little more about Barnum and so I wasn't expecting a saint. On the other hand, I didn't want my version of him to be sullied. I have absolutely no doubt that Christina Henry began this book long before "The Greatest Showman." In fact, she admits that she spent a great deal of time researching P.T. Barnum and eventually created a man that fit her purpose which, incidentally, is very near the kind of man my mind created. Human, fallible, complicated, interested in making money, and a very good showman.

"...the trick, really - making sure nobody could prove what Barnum wasn't true."

"A bird in a cage still knows it's in a cage, even if the bars are made of gold."

The author creates a story of the "Fee Jee Mermaid." The book begins by telling the story of a lonely fisherman who catches a mermaid and cuts her loose. The mermaid recognizes the loneliness in the fisherman and chooses to come ashore and be his wife. For the years of the fisherman's life, Amelia, the mermaid, lives as a human woman, Jack's wife, weathering the wagging tongues of where she came from and why she never ages, and also returns to the sea at night to swim and be who she is. But Jack grows old and eventually dies. Amelia continues to be a young woman and she waits for Jack. For decades.

Enter P.T. Barnum, or rather, Levi, his lawyer. Little is known of Levi hence the author takes creative license to create him perfectly for the story. He is sent to offer the alleged mermaid a place in his museum. The story navigates this beautiful, terrifying, and honest creature through the constructs of P.T. Barnum's belief system of acquiring interesting objects of curiosities including animals, creatures, and different human beings. Barnum is not the main character, by any means, yet he makes decisions that drive the story.

The author brings depth to characters both real and fictional. Amelia is an interesting and complex character who sees things honestly and simply without all the political tainting of modern(ish) society. There is a lovely interchange she has with Levi as he tries to explain to her what "savages" are on the Cook Islands. Her reasoning is so innocent and beautiful and his is so entrenched in society. Additionally, and relevant to this point, Amelia has grown close to Charity and Caroline, Barnum's wife and oldest daughter.

"Amelia finally realized it was because he himself did not understand what it meant to be different and to have people expect you to change for their sake. She realized that no man could understand this, really, though they expected their wives to do so every day."

Really wonderful book. Great for a book club.


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Review: Slayer

Slayer by Kiersten White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nina is the underdog. She's Artemis' twin who is strong and quick. Her father was a Watcher who died in the line of duty to save a Slayer.

The story, as it is now written, begins after a big epic battle occurred and a whole lot of stuff happened. I don't know if this happened in the "Buffy" series or not so I guess I can't be critical that I was confused and felt like I walked into the middle of a movie. Truthfully, White does a good job catching the reader up on the main points of the battle and what happened.

I feel a little disappointed, as I often do with first books in series, however. I don't like all the hanging threads and I don't like where the characters are at the end of this book. I do, however, LOVE the last little twist at the end. That twist will make the remainder of the books in the series much, much more fun.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher via Edelweiss in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Incendiaries

The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating story/book. On a college campus, Will, with a troubled childhood behind him and secrets of his own, meets Phoebe, a Korean born immigrant, daughter of an estranged Christian Reverend and strong, supportive mother, recently deceased. Will spent his childhood trying to "save" souls and save his mother.

A third character sneaks into the life of Phoebe, feeling out the hole she has from her survivor's guilt, her anger at her father, her aimless life. He fills it with religion which quickly turns dangerously cult.

So many aspects to explore. So many ideas to inspect. Will is the skeptic yet has a huge hole where God used to reside within him. He is such a complex character, as is Phoebe. Most of the book is narrated by Will with only a few snippets from Phoebe and John Leal. But Will provides the most meat with his POV. He wants to please Phoebe yet he wants to be true to himself. He looked to God, loved God, burned of God and then burned out. I got the feeling that Will hasn't stopped yearning for God, he has simply been completely disappointed and can find no reason to believe in God. Which leaves him empty.

Phoebe is empty in another way with the added layer of the estranged father who is a leader in a Christian church. Then enter John Leal, a mystery character. Charismatic and well studied in human behavior, he weaves stories of his time in North Korea as a prisoner being tortured, giving details that seem to change yet those who are devoted to him will do whatever he asks. Sacrifice everything.

Very fascinating book.

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Review: Under a Dark Sky

Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the kind of thriller that kept me guessing until the end. First impression is completely different from how the novel developed. The intriguing part is the way the friends are willing to throw one another under the bus then suddenly be best friends again. The POV is told by Eden, the outsider.

Very difficult to put down.

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Review: The Boy at the Door

The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a thinker. It didn't grip me but kept me reading as facts became more evident. In the end, the book left me with something to think about. There is a comparison, however loosely connected, one can't help but wonder if different choices could have been made. Could they have changed?

I liked the twist at the end. I think that, in and of itself, provides the most starkest of contrasts.

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Review: The Clockmaker's Daughter

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love Kate Morton’s writing style. She writes beautifully and paints a picture. She ties stories of different ages together. This one seemed more loosely tied and there were unresolved story lines that had me scratching my head. However, I really do enjoy a little ghost story with great writing.

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Review: The Water Cure

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don’t even know what to say about this book except I think I might find new nuggets the second time around. The basis is a family living on an island, secluded and parents strict with obedient daughters. They are taught weird, cleansing rituals. Love is about sacrifice and pain.

As I was reading this book, the picture of the Father (King) that kept flashing in my mind was the father of the 13 children in California who, with his vacant eyed and smiling wife, created a skewed reality of torture and extreme abuse. The guy with the really stupid haircut. Mother in this story is someone different in my mind than that guy’s wife. But the cruelty by both couples can be equated, although different.

Most of the story is narrated by Lia, the daughter who is unloved and shunned. The ages of the girls are kept ambiguous until later in the book but the reader understands they are grown. Particularly through Lia, as she is the main narrator, the skewed beliefs are revealed. The undeveloped social skills. Lia is very innocent and very hungry for validation. The three strange men showing up reveal much about what they do and don’t know.

I found myself uncertain if I was reading about a post apocalyptic world or mentally unbalanced parents. Were men more dangerous in the outside world? Was the air more toxic? Through the voice of Grace, I think I found the answers at the end, but the journey, through the POV of these two very different sisters, gave me a lot to think about.

3.5 stars

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Review: Infidel

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a two part book. The first half is the author’s history beginning in her home country of Somalia. She educates the reader on how Somalia became a place of political unrest and eventually civil war particularly between clans Somalia and how the tribes or clans protect one another. It is chronological as Ayaan and her family live hungrily but with the help of the black market. Her father has been imprisoned for opposition of the current president. The life of a Muslim girl in Somalia includes female genital mutilation, a primitive and invasive operation performed without anesthesia or clean instruments. Ayaan barely survives.

The story follows the author to Mecca, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and back to Kenya where she is given to a man to be his wife against her will. By this time she has been fully indoctrinated in Islam.

The second part of the book begins with a stopover in Europe that was supposed to put her in Canada. She runs off to Holland and asks for asylum. It is in Holland that she finds a well run government where the police force are friendly and helpful. It is a welfare state run like a Republic. She is shocked to see that, when she removes her Islamic coverings, men do not suddenly go crazy with lust as she has been taught. There is order, there are laws, and most of the laws make sense. It is here that learns about something called the Holocaust. It is also here that finds friendships with Christians who do not lead her down to Hell. She begins to question her faith and what it is built upon which is a book, a man, and intense fear. She becomes atheist. She is now an Infidel. According to the Quran, she must be put to death.

It is fascinating to read about her indoctrination and her beliefs then the evolution of her beliefs. She is currently a political activist for The rights of Muslim woman. As with the refugee crisis of the past few years, those seeking asylum are often Muslim. The problem with Islam, she states, is that it is way of life that is incompatible with modern life. Muslims do not adapt to their society.

When brave men like Martin Luther or Calvin began questioning the Roman Catholic Church’s interpretation of the Bible, reformations took place and Christian churches evolved with society. Islam in and of itself is radical and needs to go through the same process. However, to make interpretations or to modernize it will put a target on your chest. To question Mohammad and his personal life is to choose death.

It is a very eye opening book.

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