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We Were the Lucky Ones–Jewish Family in Poland, WWII
We Were the Lucky Ones
by Georgia Hunter
We Were the Lucky Ones tells the story of a family of Polish Jews during what was arguably the most difficult time for Jews in European history. This work of historical fiction is written by Georgia Hunter, a descendant who spent years researching, traveling, and interviewing family members to uncover this amazing story of rare survivors. As the author notes, “By the end of the Holocaust, 90 percent of Poland’s three million Jews were annihilated; of the more than thirty thousand Jews who lived in Radom, fewer than three hundred survived.” Although it is fiction, it has been closely based on facts. The author also intersperses short paragraphs summarizing the historical events of World War II as they relate to this family and notes at the beginning of each chapter the date and location of the events in that section. We Were the Lucky Ones begins in March 1939 and concludes in 1947.
The novel moves through history by telling the story of each family member at various times through an excruciating eight year period. Some experience prison and the torture of interrogation; others endure Siberian work camps, life in a Polish ghetto, extermination by pogrom. The family members are subjected to various extremeties: death, disease, starvation, persecution, betrayal. Through all of these trials, one of their greatest pains is not knowing the fate of their loved ones. A constant theme is their unending love of family.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to the Penguin Group (Viking) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, General Fiction (Adult)
Publication: February 14, 2017–Penguin Group (Viking)
Memorable Lines:
But after a few days, they found they had little left to talk about. The chatter ceased and a funerary silence settled upon the train car, like ash over a dying fire. Some wept, but most slept or simply sat quietly, withdrawing deeper into themselves, encumbered by the fear of the unknown, the reality that wherever they were being sent, it was far, far away from home.
And suddenly, the consequences of this war were undeniably real–an understanding that sent Halina spiraling as she wrestled with the knowledge she both feared and loathed: she was powerless.
Nechuma used to reassure herself that they had lived through pogroms before, that in time, the fighting, the bloodshed would pass. But with the news from Lodz she’s come to understand that the situation they are in now is something entirely different. This isn’t just being subjected to profound hunger and poverty. This isn’t persecution. This is extermination.
The Green Mill Murder –witty, sexy, intrepid private eye
The Green Mill Murder
by Kerry Greenwood
I am delighted to belatedly discover that Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries were novels before they were films. Usually I find that in such cases the book is better than the movie. This is true in The Green Mill Murder which is the fifth in the series by this prolific, award winning Australian author. I should add, however, that I have very much enjoyed the films and having seen them added to my ability to visualize the setting and beautiful dresses and accessories that the heroine, Phryne Fisher, wears.
Phryne Fisher is quite a character. She is rich, but down to earth. She shares her wealth and offers personal help to those in need. Her morals are outrageous (in the 1920’s); and although she is clearly a lady, she never lets her gender limit her actions.
The Green Mill Murder has a basic mystery: a man is killed by unknown means in a dance hall during the waning hours of a dance marathon in plain sight. Phryne is there and so is able to help the detective Jack with his investigation. In the process, several more mysteries arise, which include issues of a missing husband, blackmail, and inheritance.
I so enjoyed this mystery starring a witty private investigator who can conceal a flask or a small gun as needed in a sexy outfit one day and fly a Gipsy Moth the next. The Australian English (e.g. collywobbles) and the 1920’s laws and customs add to the interest.
Phryne’s independence is exhilarating, and I look forward to more of her adventures. Greenwood says she will keep writing Miss Fisher mysteries as long as readers want more. Currently there are twenty mysteries in this series, thirteen of which have been made into movies for television.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery & Thrillers
Notes: There were various earlier publications of this book
Publication of Current Edition: February 7, 2017–Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
“She enjoys bad health, Dot. the woman hasn’t been well since 1915, and she’s as strong as a horse.”
Vic had been delightful, but he and his surroundings were a passion to be indulged in sparingly, like absinthe, which sooner or later sent the drinker mad.
“Oh, how clean I am and how lovely hot water is! Great invention. No wonder the Romans ruled the world.”
Head for Mexico: The Renegade Guide–expect the unexpected!
Head for Mexico: The Renegade Guide
by Don Adams
I picked this book up in the second hand book room at the Lake Chapala Society Library for a few pesos. This is an informative book written with a sense of humor. Don Adams doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he doesn’t want you to take yourself too seriously either. He has organized the book well so that you can enjoy it in its entirety or you can pick and choose sections as needed. I already live in Mexico, so my perspective was one of comparing my experiences with his. Although he has spent a lot of time in the Lake Chapala area (home of MANY expats from the U.S. and Canada), he also has lived in many other parts of Mexico. Just like other countries, there is no ONE Mexico, but Adams accurately offers up a taste of cultural differences South of the Border with respect for the kind and generous people here. Unlike his Internet references which are about 14 years old, the people of Mexico have not changed much since he wrote the book. I found it to be an accurate portrayal of life in Mexico where one should always expect the unexpected.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Travel, Nonfiction (Adult)
Notes: Some government information and Internet references are dated, but it still stands as a good resource for someone thinking about moving to Mexico.
Publication: August 11, 2003–Trafford Publishing
Memorable Lines:
Here’s typical (and accurate) advice from Don Adams to give you a flavor of the book: “And a lot of folks caution against driving at night. Actually, nobody in their right mind would even want to consider this. Usually it’s just me and the truckers flying through the dark, although you’ll usually find a pretty active level of traffic on the autopistas connecting the major cities.”
My Not So Perfect Life–is your life as perfect as your social media says it is?
My Not So Perfect Life
by Sophie Kinsella
Having read most of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series as well as several other books by this best selling author, I looked forward to a work of chick lit that is neither trite nor cliché. I was rewarded with a story that contrasts the glamour of London with the authenticity of rural Somerset. It presents characters with depth who react to their experiences with change and growth.
The first setting is a branding/advertising agency in London where difficult work relationships take center stage, as well as survival in a very expensive city. The second is a sheep farm that reinvents itself as a glamping (glamour camping) center. The main character, known as Cat in London and Katie on the family farm, tries to survive by straddling two worlds. Katie’s complicated home life leads her to lie about her “perfect” London life, creating unintended consequences. Complications don’t end there, however, as one already difficult boss seems to suffer from mental issues and another sets off romantic fireworks.
I know a book is good when I repeatedly succumb to the temptation of glancing at the opening paragraph of the next chapter. Once I have gotten that far, it is hard to put the book aside, and so it happens again and again. My Not So Perfect Life keeps luring the reader back just like that. As I read, I initially thought I could see a direct path to a happy ending, but Kinsella has lots of surprises in store before the tale reaches its conclusion.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House (Dial Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Women’s Fiction, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: moderate profanity (including some specific to British English)
Publication: February 7, 2017–Random House (Dial Press)
Memorable Lines:
It’s amazing how an otherwise intelligent person can become a credulous fool as soon as you mention the words “organic,” “authentic,” and “Gwyneth Paltrow.”
“Every promotion requires you to do less of the thing you originally wanted to do.”
“Whoever started the rumor that life has to be perfect is a very wicked person, if you ask me. Of course it’s not!”
Warm up in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero
Welcome to Zihuatanejo in the state of Guerrero–a tourist town with a traditional, colonial feel alongside a port, beaches and beautiful views. The average high temperature is 89.8° F (32.1° C) and it varies only a degree or two from that all year.
The Simplest Way to Change the World–opening your home to others
The Simplest Way to Change the World
by Dustin Willis and Brandon Clements
Why would an introvert with no 
gift for entertaining read a book on hospitality? True confession: when I clicked on a link in an email to see what the book was about, I was unknowingly requesting a review copy of the book. I have to admit I was intrigued by the subtitle: Biblical Hospitality as a Way of Life, and I had to wonder if maybe, just maybe, God was drawing me out of my comfort zone to show me a way that I could share the love of Jesus with others as a part of my daily life.
The Simplest Way to Change the World presents a biblical basis, both historically and scripturally, for hospitality: making your home, yard, and life open for engaging conversations with both non-Christians and other Christians. It shares the difference between entertaining (a high pressure show to convince others of your worth) and hospitality (opening your heart to others). A discussion of the rhythms of your life shows how to include others in what you and your family are already doing and also to intentionally create opportunities to include others. In addition, there are suggestions for “reverse hospitality”–how to share Jesus’ love with those who are uncomfortable with an invitation into your home or are physically unable to leave their own residence.
The authors include anecdotes from their own experiences as well as tales related by family and friends who are sharing their homes, lives, and hearts with others. They emphasize that hospitality can be planned or spontaneous, and they point out that Jesus’ ministry was not a three step plan, complete with PowerPoint, to bring people into a physical church building. Instead, He wandered from place to place, listening, sharing, and meeting people’s needs.
This is not a difficult read, not a philosophical or religious treatise. It is practical, sometimes humorous, and always interesting. It stimulates readers to think of ways they can use hospitality in their own circumstances, where God has located them, and with the people He brings into their lives. At the end of the book there is a helpful study guide for those who want to use this tool as a church or in a small group setting to learn about hospitality.
And as to the mouse click that brought The Simplest Way to Change the World to my iPad? No regrets here! Reading this book was a blessing.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Moody Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Nonfiction
Publication: February 1, 2017–Moody Publishing
Memorable Lines:
And while the everyday use of our homes to welcome others may not feel like the most exciting cause in the world, we must remember that ordinary does not equal insignificant.
As you simply listen well, you practice Christ’s compassion. The world is full of people who halfway listen to others just so they can take their turn talking next.
But the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble of my world.
The end goal of hospitality is care and healing–we do the caring and Jesus does the healing.
The Impossible Fortress–1987 from a teenage perspective
The Impossible Fortress
by Jason Rekulak
Here’s a novel that will take you back to 1987 complete with 14 year old computer nerd Billy Marvin who is currently failing ninth grade and his equally awkward sidekicks Alf and Clark. Outcasts from all the requisite cliques at their high school, they devise a plan to not only obtain a copy of the coveted Vanna White issue of Playboy, but also profit from the the object of their desires.
By the end of The Impossible Fortress, you really know Billy and the even more digitally talented Mary, and you have laughed and cringed your way through many early teen escapades. The pair programs on TRS-80 computers and the Commodore 64. Appropriate touches of the 80’s are sprinkled throughout the book–mention of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Christie Brinkley, the must have Bugle Boy pants, and Mark Cerny who started working for Atari at age 17. More than a nostalgic look at the 80’s, we explore the tough times of kids working their way through the difficult teen years. There are times when you hold your breath. times when you laugh, and moments of suspense. This is a book you will be glad you read.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: This book abounds with male teenage profanity
Publication: February 7, 2017–Simon & Schuster
Memorable Lines:
The first step was easy. But the second step, the step where I fully removed myself from the roof–that was commitment. The wood trembled beneath my weight, quivering like the edge of a diving board. I made the mistake of looking down, but there was nothing to see–no alley, just a vast black gulf, a bottomless sinkhole.
“Imagine a computer not bigger than a candy bar!” he exclaimed, and we laughed at the absurdity of his predictions; they were all straight out of The Jetsons.
A Palette for Murder–mysteries abound in this hot beach town
A Palette for Murder
by Sybil Johnson
I had my introduction to the Aurora Anderson Mystery Series with the third book of the series, A Palette for Murder. This well-crafted book begins comfortably with a chapter that sets the scene in an unseasonably hot beach town and introduces the main characters: Rory (Aurora), a computer programmer, and her friend Liz, a real estate agent. Before the chapter is over they discover Kit, a homeless man Rory has befriended, injured through an apparent attack at the beach.
The plot rapidly becomes more complicated as Rory is often present when disaster strikes. Even more trouble finds her in this tale as she is motivated by a drive to help others and find solutions.
I had a great time following the clues as Rory tries to unravel various mysteries. There are two romantic interests, but they do not dominate the story–the mystery does. The ending was satisfying, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more books by Sybil Johnson.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery & Thriller, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: This cozy mystery works fine as a standalone.
Publication: January 31, 2017–Henery Press
Corazón de Durazno–Heart of the Peach
We live in an area called Corazón de Durazno because the houses are built where there used to be a peach orchard. It is January with highs around 68 degrees F and lows averaging around 40 degrees–although last night we did have a light frost. The trees are in full bloom and have various stages of fruit simultaneously. Some fruits remain from last year and the poor trees are generally confused, but beautiful.
Tell Me No Lies–an excellent mystery
Tell Me No Lies
by Lynn Chandler Willis
Tell Me No Lies is an outstanding mystery. While marketed as the first book in the Ava Logan Mystery Series, it reads as a standalone. If the author Lynn Chandler Willis has more adventures in mind for the main character Ava, I am excited at the prospect.
A woman is brutally murdered as Ava Logan, a widowed mother of two, babysits her adorable toddler, Ivy. Who would murder this beautiful, young artist and why? Representing law enforcement, handsome Sheriff Grayson Ridge, and Ava, small town newspaper publisher, pursue their independent and joint investigations into these questions.
With a very effective gossip machine, many in Jackson Creek, North Carolina, wonder why the small town even needs a newspaper. The mystery plays out with continuing danger, various potential suspects, a heated sheriff election, Ginseng poaching, speculation of abuse, and romantic intrigue.
Tell Me No Lies is a hard book to put down. It will keep you engaged until the very end–an ending you won’t expect. Willis has won several awards for previous books. I anticipate this one will add to her accolades.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, Thriller
Notes: Can I give this one a 6/5? It’s just a really splendid mystery!
Publication: February 7, 2017 — Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
Rain splattered against the windshield then, like magic, disappeared with the hypnotizing swipe of the wipers. I wished life was that simple. Whenever you felt the sting of a broken heart, the crush of a disappointment, or the torment of a bad decision, you could just flip a lever and a giant mechanical arm would wipe it all away. It was a nice thought but, like the rain, there would always be more to come.
[Describing Ava’s office manager] Ever the social butterfly with a manicured nail on the pulse of the town…
For so many years, we had walked around carrying words we wanted to say but never did. We raised silent questions, hoping to never really know the answers.
