Julie's Review: Skeletons At the Feast

Summary: A masterful love story set against a backdrop of epic history and unforgettable courage. In the waning months of World War II, a small group of people begin the longest journey of their lives. At the center is eighteen-year-old Anna, the daughter of Prussian aristocrats, and her first love, a twenty-year-old Scottish prisoner of war named Callum. With his boyish good looks and his dedication to her family, he has captured Anna’s heart. But he is the enemy, and their love must remain a closely guarded secret. Only Manfred, a twenty-six-year-old Wehrmacht corporal, knows the truth. And Manfred, who is not what he seems to be, is reluctantly taken with Anna, just as she finds herself drawn uncomfortably to him. As these unlikely allies work their way west, their flight will test both Anna’s and Callum’s love, as well as their friendship with Manfred–and will forever bind the young trio together. ~amazon.com

Review: Other than the memoir All But My Life: A Memoir by Gerda Weissman Klein, Skeletons at the Feast has to be the most intense WWII depiction I've read in a long time. By intense I mean brutal, honest and at times grotesque. I'm not surprised because we've all heard and read the accounts coming out of World War II, but sometimes it hits you over the head like a hammer.

Mr. Bohjalian never ceases to amaze me with the life that he breathes into his characters. Skeletons at the Feast is a testament to the people that survived the Holocaust and also the harsh reality that some people truly did bury their heads when it came to the treatment and killing of the Jews. Perhaps for the Emmerich's it was because they were in a rural area of the country and it wasn't until they had to flee that the harsh realities of this war became evident to them.

We are taken on this journey through Anna, Mutti, Theo, Callum and Uri. They are a make shift group that in the end becomes a family. They've been through some of the worst events in their lives and have made it through together. Anna is 18 and a bit naive but for me I expected that given her circumstances and the geography of where she lived. Callum is their Scottish POW who not only becomes Anna's lover but also a god send to the family when their patriarch and brother need to leave to help fight in the German Army.

For me the most fascinating character was Uri. A Jewish man who becomes a chameleon to survive the war and to perhaps find his way back to his family. He finds himself at first with the Emmerich's because he believes that Callum will be his ticket to freedom once they reach the Allied troops. Uri did what he had to for survival.

I am only sorry that this book sat on my TBR shelf for so long. I have no reason behind it other than "too many books, too little time."  My favorite book is still The Double Bind by Mr. Bohjalian but this is definitely a very, very close second.

I can't not encourage you more to read this book if you have any interest in World War II.

Final Take: 5/5

Children's Corner: The Three Bears

Review:  My son seems to be making his way through classic fables and fairy tales lately. Our local library is doing a "Read 1,000 books before Kindergarten" challenge and Derek has been working on it since this summer. As a prize for making it to 300 books, he was able to pick a book from the cart and he went with The Three Bears (Folk Tale Classics).

There aren't many of us who haven't read Goldilocks and the Three Bears but what this book does is tell it from the point of view of the bears, which for me was a nice take on an old story. The Bear family wasn't so much angry and they were upset that someone had eaten their porridge, sat in their chairs (broke baby bears) and then get tries out all of their beds before finding Blondie in baby bears bed. They weren't going to hurt her, they just wanted an explanation but she ran off before they could get one.

The illustrations are wonderful and are quite expressive. The colors are nice and bright and do a great great job of telling the story, along with the text.

It seems that Mr. Galdone was quite the author and illustrator of these children's classic tales. Next time you are at the library I would recommend checking out one of his books.

Group Review: Ransom River

Summary: A stunningly complex and atmospheric crime novel from Edgar Award–winning author Meg Gardiner, Ransom River features a deeply flawed, compelling heroine, a murder trial, and the long-unsolved mystery it exposes.

Rory Mackenzie is juror number seven on a high-profile murder case in her hometown of Ransom River, California. It’s a place she vowed never to visit again, after leaving behind its surfeit of regret and misfortune and the specter of a troubled past that threatened to disturb the town’s peaceful façade.

Brilliant yet guarded, Rory has always felt like an outsider. She retreated into herself when both her career aspirations and her love affair with a childhood friend, undercover cop Seth Colder, were destroyed in a tragic accident.

While most of the town is focused on the tense and shocking circumstances of the trial, Rory’s return to Ransom River dredges up troubling memories from her childhood that she can no longer ignore. But in the wake of a desperate attack on the courthouse, Rory realizes that exposing these dark skeletons has connected her to an old case that was never solved, and bringing the truth to light just might destroy her.

Departing from her popular series novels, Meg Gardiner has gone deeper than ever into the utterly convincing lives and compelling pasts of her characters. Ransom River is an intimate crime thriller with a dark mystery at its heart—one that will keep readers breathless until the very last page. ~blurb  

Jenn's Review:  Oh, how I love Meg Gardiner's books!  She writes fantastic suspense novels with edgy, strong women.  I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to reading this one... except that reading it means I only have one unread Meg Gardiner book on my shelf and I do like to save them to savor.

The book begins with a snippet of Rory's childhood.  I was actually a little worried about where things were headed at first, but I shouldn't have been.  It is just one piece in the twisted jigsaw puzzle that is Rory's past.  From the outset, the attack on the courthouse seems ...wrong.  Honestly, I was just as surprised as Rory when things turned ugly at the police station.

 And then we meet Seth.  I love the way Ms. Gardiner can take two people, rip them apart, mangle them, and then see how or if they fit back together again.  Life is messy.  Things happen.  It's how you pick yourself up and move on that matters... and sometimes people can move with you, and sometimes circumstances make them move back towards you.  This is Ms. Gardiner's greatest talent... next to writing thrilling, suspenseful, parts that won't let you stop turning pages.  Seth and Rory have a history and it's ugly, and though Rory may think she's left it behind, her current situation leaves her no choice but to revisit.

Truly, I had no idea where things were headed.  It's awesome that Meg Gardiner can still keep me guessing after all this time.  There is twisty surprise after twisty surprise and very few that I saw a few things coming.   I've learned not to jump to conclusions and just let things play out, because nothing is ever quite what it seems.   I think things were more neatly wrapped up than most of her other novels, but that is probably because it's currently a standalone.  Yes, there is enough loose thread at the end to pick up and keep going, but it also feels perfectly all right that things are left as they are.

We gush about Meg Gardiner around here.  We do.  (Fact:  I did not read Julie's review before writing mine.)  I can count on one hand the number of authors whose works I feel that way about.  I can't encourage you enough to pick up one of her novels.

Jenn's Final Take:  5/5


Julie's Review: Meg, thank you for writing another strong yet emotionally scared woman. I absolutely adored Rory. I loved how she fought back against the allegations that were going to come at her but she didn't put herself in situations that she couldn't handle.

In the beginning of the book, because you aren't yet familiar and trusting of Rory, you do wonder if she's involved the courthouse attack. It's not too soon after that you figure out that it is what it seems, wrong place wrong time. Until of course you walk the plank with Rory and figure out that it is much, much more than that.

What Ms. Gardiner does extremely well is she keeps you guessing about everything plus she add a little of electricity between Rory and Seth to keep that subplot humming. Seth is everything you want in a sexy, bad boy except he's not really a bad boy. He only seems like it and perhaps he's a little reckless but that's what makes him appealing. The problem is that he was reckless when Rory was with him and it caused her a lot of pain. It is what made her leave Ransom River.

This is a fast-paced mystery/thriller that keeps you guessing until the final pages of the novel. There is a definite cast of characters who are both crazy and evil; some of them are related to Rory. I did guess a couple of the twists that were coming but again it didn't diminish the story for me. I couldn't wait to see how Ms. Gardiner would unravel them. I don't want to say too much to ruin the novel for you guys, so I'll just stop here.

Again, if you haven't read a Meg Gardiner book, (why haven't you!?), Ransom River is the perfect one to start with since it's a stand alone novel. Although, this reader is hoping to read about Rory and Seth sometime in the future.

Julie's Final Take: 5/5


Julie wants to thank Dutton Publishing Group for her copy of the novel.

Julie's Review: Dead Asleep

Summary: The devil is awake in paradise . . . Biochemist Emma Caldridge comes to a remote tropical island in the Caribbean in search of minerals believed to reverse the aging process. What she finds instead are the bloody remnants of a bizarre religious ritual. And here, where the local people speak in whispers about sea monsters, ancient voodoo curses, and rampaging evil, she discovers something far more real . . . and more terrifying. One by one, the island’s innocent inhabitants are descending into a paralyzing sleep of the dead—victims of a long-dormant, terrifying, and incurable pandemic that could once again wreak unimaginable havoc if it escapes from the island to spread like wildfire across the globe. Trapped by a global quarantine, Emma must break through the fear and superstition to get to the truth and stop the real evil, before she herself succumbs to the death sleep . . . along with millions of others. Because the evil here has an all-too-human face . . . and the deadly ingredients of the apocalypse are suddenly for sale to the highest bidder.  ~amazon.com

Review: You know how you hear about an author and you make note of it but haven't quite gotten around to reading their books? That was me with Jamie Freveletti. So, when her newest novel Dead Asleep landed on my doorstep I was thrilled!

Let me tell you it didn't fail to thrill me either. Reading the description I thought I was in for a horror/zombie book and those are not my cup of tea. Needless to say because I was already captivated by the setting and the undertones of voodoo, I kept reading on. This is not a zombie novel! It is a thrilling ride that involves a mysterious disease, mysterious minerals, international criminals and a famous rocker. These all collide for quite an entertaining novel.

I immediately liked Emma Caldridge. She was smart and tough. In some ways she reminded me of Meg Gardiner's Evan Delaney with her book smarts and her seeming street smarts. Well, they both know their way around a gun. Emma is a biologist that is on Terra Cay to find a new plant or mineral for a cosmetic company that hired her to do the research and testing. It is immediately evident that someone is trying to scare her off the island with the attack by the voodoo mistress and her machete carrying sidekick. Emma doesn't scare easily or back down. She continues on with her research in hopes that going to the blue holes will provide her with enough minerals to help keep her company afloat.

All of the characters in the book are well fleshed out and intriguing. I'm anxious to read more about Banner and Stromeyer; their relationship, their business and their enemies. Sumner is an interesting character and I'm sure there is more to his story that I'd love to learn about.

There is definitely a lot going on in this novel but Ms. Freveletti does a wonderful job of pulling it all together. I only have one question lingering and this is what was the creature or black ink in the cave/ocean by the blue holes. Maybe I'm just supposed to let it go with Emma's explanation as it did seem plausible.

I definitely recommend Dead Asleep and even though I hadn't read the previous 3 novels, I didn't feel it inhibited my understanding of the characters. I have already purchased the three previous Emma Caldridge novels (Running from the Devil, Running Dark, The Ninth Day because I enjoyed Ms. Freveletti's writing style and characters immensely. Hopefully the rest of my reading won't get in the way so I can go back to the beginning of this series sooner rather than later.

Final Take: 4/5

Thank You to Kaye Publicity and Harper for my review copy.

Jenn's Review: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

Summary:  When Cammie "The Chameleon" Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers' plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

As her junior year begins, Cammie can't shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn't feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion's corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions, Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth.

Review:  I had other reads planned for this week, but I suddenly found myself craving a visit with Cammie and the Gallagher Girls, so Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover jumped to the top of the pile.

Lots of important things happen your junior year of high school, SATs, college applications, driver's licenses... unless you're a Gallagher Girl, in which case it's covert ops, disguises, and code breaking. Cammie and Macey suffer a real attack from unknown assailants that puts their training to the test. It leaves both girls shaken and the school on high alert. Cammie is determined to figure out who is behind the attack and find a way to protect her friend.

This is probably the most serious of the books so far. But even trained teens get distracted by boys and have lapses in judgement. With Ally Carter's trademark wit and sarcasm, she brings levity to such a grave subject. It's one on the things I love about this series, but it's also one of the things that bothers me. I want them to be teens, but I want them to be responsible --probably just the mother in me, right? I got frustrated with some of the risks Cammie took, but I also understand her need to be involved.

The plot twists were unexpected and kept me guessing. I loved the new character additions too. All the little loose ends were tied up, but there are still some big questions that need answering, so I have a feeling I will be making another trip to the Gallagher Academy soon.

Final Take: 4/5

Children's Corner: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

 I adore William Joyce's picture books and this one is no different.  Although the deeper meaning may be a little beyond my daughter, it's still a fantastic concept with his beautiful trademark imagination and illustrations.

Moris Lessmore (more is less-more!) is so busy with his head in a book that he doesn't notice the world outside of his books until he is thrown into it by a catastrophic event after which he realizes that he can be a keeper of books and stories.  According to the jacket, this is inspired by Mr. Joyce's experiences with hurricane Katrina and though the symbolism may be lost on the younger crowd, the imagery and fantasy are marvelous in their own right.

Apparently, this story also inspired an Academy Award winning short film that I will now have to seek out as well as a story app.  This is well worth exploring on many levels. I look forward to progressing into some of William Joyce's works for older children as my daughter grows.