The Charm School

The Charm School by Nelson DeMille
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great book, very suspenseful and full of unsuspecting twists and turns. It was brutal, sad, and unbelievable. Of course it was fictional, but wow, sure was realistic sounding.

I love the narration of Scott Brick but I found myself not liking the main female character and I think it was because of the way he portrayed her voice. I kind of felt like routing against her sometimes.

Nelson DeMille continues to amaze me with his writing and thought process. Crazy guy but he sure knows how to stretch the could-be-truth of the human psyche and conspiracy theories.

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Been a Long Time

Clearly I haven't kept up with this blog for a long time. With a crazy, busy, tragic, sad summer, I couldn't focus on this. I have a new job and things are starting out great in 2014. I am crazy blessed and even though last year was like Friday the 13th nearly all year, I wouldn't have changed a thing. I truly grew from all the hardships, especially in my relationship with Christ. Hopefully I can get back on track with posting my reviews again for 2014!

The Falcon and the Sparrow

The Falcon and the Sparrow by M.L. Tyndall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! Mary Lu Tyndall writes books the way I like them. Darn near perfection in my mind. I read this book in a single day it was that good.

Again, cheesy book cover but she has no control over that one, so no fault there Mary Lu! Glad they are improving her covers these days.

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Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't realize this was YA, but once you got past the quirky little teenage talk of some characters, it was really a very darling book. It was fun to read and a real page turner. A nice light read.

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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unbroken, perfectly titled. But I think forgiveness should have been in the book title too.

I found this book to be the most eye opening book reading experience ever. It's so hard to try to imagine the horrors the Pacific theater POW's experience yet alone read it. You can't make this stuff up. It's so, so sad that I found myself getting a little down. But I was pleasantly surprised by the end that that is where I ended up in tears. I think I was just too shocked for tears before the end.

I'm so glad I finally read this book. I've wanted to since it came out. I think everyone should read this book to obtain a great understanding of the WWII POW experience. They and other war veterans deserve more respect than our government has given them. WAY more.

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Forsaken Dreams (Escape to Paradise #1)

Forsaken Dreams by M.L. Tyndall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this book though it seemed a little different than her other books. I liked all of the characters, even down to the "bad guy" who was just straight CREEPY!

This book really was about escaping. These war-exhausted southerners are ready to leave their roots in the south after the civil war. They seek to start a new colony in Brazil where they can start fresh and away from the Union.

Ms. Tyndall is a talented author (my favorite) but this book really shows her growth I think. It's beautifully written, it was seamless to me.

As always, I love her journey into faith for the characters, though the journey for each of them was not quite as powerful as I have read in some of her other books. But that did not take away from it at all.

I am so very excited to read more in this series and see what lies ahead in Brazil!



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Fly Away

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll call this a 3.75 rating. :)

I do not recall much about Firefly Lane except that I liked it. I'd almost like to reread it to see how the characters early days were as I'm drawing a complete blank.

Kristin Hannah can either blow my mind or I can feel a little disappointed. This one was a little disappointing only because it is not a writing method that I love. It switches points of views so much, and the same character can be first or third person. It was easy to follow but I simply don't favor this method.

That being said, it was still a great story. It was incredibly sad and very moving as are most of her books. The character development in this book was major and I really enjoyed seeing each of the characters grow and move on from tragedy at their own pace.

I love Kristin Hannah's story telling. She is a master and I will eagerly await each and every book she writes! They are all SO different, you never know what you are going to get.

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