Summer Reading Celebration

Mr Popper’s Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater was a fun one to read to my children. The kids loved the absurdity of keeping a penguin in a refrigerator, and later loved comparing and contrasting it to the film.

This was a great book if you like historical fiction, particularly WWII history. I have read many different historical novels set around the arena of WWII, but this one had a unique perspective. It is seen through the eyes of a young woman who goes to London with a friend after losing her own accommodations in the country. A good friend of her deceased mother puts her up and helps her land a job in a bookstore run by a crotchety old man (think, crotchety people are that way for a reason...but that is secondary to the story). She becomes very successful at what she does even though she is not a reader at the start of the book. The story unfolds against the backdrop of Hitler's blitz on London and England. So you get a front row seat to that harrowing year. I always learn new things and perspectives about the war when I read these books. This was a charming and generally heartwarming read based on real events including the impact of literature during the war.

This was a somewhat disturbing book. Disturbing in that if you don't happen to be a person if color, you learn what it is like to live in their world. That it would be so bad you would want to "cross over" is telling of the world I do not know. The fictitious story is set in a small town of very light skinned blacks. They pride themselves on their lightness. Some even have red hair and could be mistaken as being white. But as the author notes, even the boy who looks white is not allowed the same privileges that an actual white person would have. The story follows 2twin sisters born in this town. Their daddy dies young and their mothers struggles to support the family. The girls have to chip in and life is very hard for all of them. One of the twins "crosses over" in order to get a job that pays better so she and her sister can afford to live in the city they have run away to. Eventually her white boss falls in love with her. Will she tell him? What happens to the other sister? There are some rough parts in this book, but I appreciated the over all message it told.

Kristin Hannah is a great author who brings characters to life. This book did not disappoint. And her descriptions of life in the wilderness of Alaska are breathtaking.

This was not a direct sequel to Raiders of the Lost Heart but about another side character from that book. Dr. Miriam Jacob's is on an expedition to find the Lost City of the Moon located somewhere in the Amazon rainforest. Rafael "Rafa" Monfils is a jornalist/photographer on the expedition but he isn't there to help them find the city. His secret mission is to disrupt and prevent the expedition from finding The Lost City of the Moon. Unfortunately Miriam and Rafa find themselves drawn to each other in a way they weren't expecting. Secrets and a dangerous villain's return may not just bring their expedition to an abrupt end but their budding relationship as well.

This was such a cute and quick read!

Never, ever trust that you know who the “good guy” and/or “bad guy” is in a Freida book. This one stunned me in the epilogue.

As someone who has experience with dealing with people in toxic relationships, this book hit a tad harder than I expected. Freddy's situation is all too familiar. It was refreshing to see her get out of it. Relationships where the people keep breaking up and getting back together are, in my opinion, romanticized far too much, so the author treating it as a bad thing was nice to see.

An incredible story of survival against all odds. Watched the movie after reading the book and of course, the book is sooo much better. This is a must read!

A modern day twist on Same Time, Next Year (which is actually referred to frequently in the book). I found this book to be amazing. I listened to it while on a long distance trip, which is my usual way to pass the time on my trips. The characters were amazing, each one was well rounded and I could relate to each of them for different reasons. I've recently found out that there is a short story that accompanies this book and will be looking for that one. I highly recommend this book in whatever form you like!!