Raised By Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn

Raised By Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn

224 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Set in the author’s own teenage years, Raised By Ghosts begins in 1991 with semi autobiographical Briana in middle school. Classes are a bummer, but lunches are worse; either spent alone, or being teased. Traditionally a good student, Briana is not doing well in her academics, but keeps it a secret. Her parents (divorced) are a mess, and largely absent. She spends a lot of time by herself. By high school, she makes friends, and those connections are her only source of happiness as they help each other navigate adolescence. But life at home with each parent remains fraught. When her relationships at school begin to falter, she has no one to turn to, forcing Briana to grapple with her sense of self-worth, her longing for belonging, and her desire for authenticity in her relationships.

Until We Meet Again: A Graphic Memoir by Lily Kim Qian

Until We Meet Again: A Graphic Memoir by Lily Kim Qian

224 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Lily isn't sure where home is anymore. Her family is constantly on the move, resettling in different towns across Canada and, eventually, in Shanghai, China. Her father plays the role of primary caregiver while her mother is absent for long periods of time. When she reappears, her strange behavior turns Lily's life upside down. As Lily enters her college years, she strives to better understand her family and her place in the world. But can she escape the inherited trauma passed down by her immigrant parents?

Step of Faith by Richard Paul Evans

 

Step of Faith  by Richard Paul Evans  279 pages

Alan Christoffersen decided to leave his painful memories behind and walk from Seattle to the farthest point on the map, Key West. In St. Louis, when his severe vertigo is diagnosed as the side effect of a brain tumor, Alan must go to Los Angeles for treatment. He is surrounded by those who care most for him, but one by one he alienates them all, and he resumes his journey in angry loneliness. Can he have faith that life can be worth living again?

Book four in the walk series and I am so excited to continue with this series.  This one was even more interesting to me because he is walking through Missouri and especially St. Louis and south.  So many of the areas were familiar to me.  His story hits a low when he is diagnosed with a brain tumor, but after his treatment he returns right back to his walk. Now I can't wait to read the last book in the series. 

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

264 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Omar and his little brother, Hassan, arrived in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, seven years ago. Their father was killed the day they left home, and they haven't seen their mother since they joined their neighbors who were fleeing to Dadaab. Now Omar is eleven and Hassan is nine, and Omar has quit school to look after his brother, who has an intellectual disability.

When Omar is given the opportunity to return to school and carve out a future for himself and Hassan, he feels torn. He loves school and could have the opportunity to earn a coveted scholarship to a North American university--and with it a visa for himself and Hassan. But is it worth the risk and heartache of leaving his vulnerable brother for hours each day?

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Smile #2, 199 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Raina can’t wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren’t quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she’s also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn’t improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and later, when something doesn’t seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.

Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo

Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo

Sue Gutiérrez #1, 256 pages

⭐⭐⭐.75/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Sue just wants to spend the summer reading and making comics at sleepaway camp with her friends, but instead she gets stuck going to Honduras to visit relatives with her parents and two sisters. They live way out in the country, which means no texting, no cable, and no Internet! The trip takes a turn for the worse when Sue's mother announces that they'll be having a surprise quinceañera for Sue, which is the last thing she wants. She can't imagine wearing a big, floofy, colorful dress! What is Sue going to do? And how will she survive all this "quality" time with her rambunctious family?

JOY by Danielle Steel

 

Joy   by Danielle Steel  240 pages

When she is only six years old, Allegra Dixon's party-loving mother leaves without so much as a goodbye. Her father, an emotionally distant military officer, is also unable--or unwilling--to care for her. Sent to live like a ghost in her grandparents' joyless home, Allegra finds her only solace through an escape into books. Attending boarding school, life finally takes a turn when she meets a dashing young West Point cadet named Shep Williams. Soon their friendship blossoms into something more, and they fall deeply in love. After college, Allegra has established herself as a book editor and Shep is rising through the ranks of the military. But then Shep suddenly receives a posting to Afghanistan, and they decide to marry before he goes. Between his deployments, they cling to their brief and fraught stolen moments together. Each time he leaves, Shep promises the separations will soon come to an end. But soon Allegra realizes that the horrors of war have begun to change her husband into a man she no longer recognizes. The trauma he has experienced proves to be too harrowing, and Allegra will find herself feeling utterly alone again just when she thought she'd finally found happiness.

Another Danielle Steel novel that I really liked, but did not like the ending.  I felt the sorrow that Allegra felt throughout the whole book and was happy when she found a new person to love.  But I did not like the ending...she loses again and finds a new love interest with 2 pages left, reallly??? Overall, a very good read.

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan - 305 pages

 The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan

Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McKinnon, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McKinnon family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate—if they only knew where it was. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home.

But on the train to the Highlands, Mirren runs into rival book hunter Theo Palliser, and instantly knows that it’s not a chance meeting. She’s all too familiar with Theo’s good looks and smooth talk, and his uncanny ability to appear whenever there’s a treasure that needs locating.

Almost as soon as Mirren and Theo arrive at the castle, a deep snow blankets the Highlands, cutting off the outside world. Stuck inside, the three of them plot their search as the wind whistles outside. Mirren knows that Jamie’s grandfather, the castle’s most recent laird, had been a book collector, a hoarder, and a great lover of treasure hunts. Now they must unpuzzle his clues, discovering the secrets of the house—forming and breaking alliances in a race against time.

Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman

 

Jawbreaker  by Christina Wyman  305 pages

Max Plink's life is complicated. Her parents aren't getting along. The school bullies are relentless, and her own sister is the cruelest of them. Worst of all, her mouth is a mess. With a mismatched puzzle of a jaw, Max has a Class II malocclusion, otherwise known as a severe overbite. She already has braces, which means she lives on Advil and soft foods after each orthodontist appointment. But now Max has to wear painful (and totally awkward) orthodontic headgear nicknamed "the jawbreaker." Could things get any worse? Yes. The journalism competition Max wants to enter has a video component. But being on camera means showing her face not just to her junior high classmates, but possibly the whole city. Going viral is the last thing Max needs, but winning this competition is what she wants most. Turns out, following her dreams is complicated, too.

This is a Mark Twain nominee.  It really hit home because I had to wear headgear when I was a teenager, but not out in public.  I also related to parents fighting all the time.  It was so sad that one of her bullies was her sister though.  I really think kids will like this book if they just give it time.  It is a long book for some kids to get through.

A Mother's Love by Danielle Steel

 

A Mother's Love   by Danielle Steel 271 pages

On the occasion of her daughter Valerie’s wedding and her upcoming fiftieth birthday, bestselling author Halley Holbrook finds herself reflecting. Raising twins Valerie and Olivia is her proudest accomplishment. Halley has been able to give them the loving and safe home she never had, having survived a childhood so traumatic she’s never talked about it with her girls. Long ago, Halley decided to live in the sunlight of the present, not the dark shadows of the past. After Valerie moves to Los Angeles with her producer husband, and Olivia follows to remain close to her sister, Halley is empty-nesting in her Fifth Avenue apartment. Facing her first holiday alone in years, she books a trip to Paris. On the flight over, she meets charming Bart Warner, and the two become fast friends. Halley hasn’t dated since her partner died three years ago, yet she quickly begins to feel more like herself. But when a cunning thief makes off with her handbag and then begins to harass her, it reawakens old ghosts from her past. Vowing not to be a victim, and with Bart’s help, she chooses a bold course of action.

Not my favorite from Danielle Steel but it kept me interested all the way through.  It was a great story and kind of believable.  I love her stories about family.  This one really pulled at my heart strings with a mother and her children facing the world. 

Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks

 

Counting Miracles  by Nicholas Sparks  350 pages

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather's military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew -- and where to find him. Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He's been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting -- and possibly leaving in just a few weeks. Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest -- a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather -- he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers. As these characters' fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle... but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.

I love Nicholas Sparks books, but this one especially appealed to me because it involved Christian people and Bible verses within.  I loved the way the story intertwined the characters with one another.  I would love to read this one again!

The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown

 

The Girl in the Lake  by India Hill Brown  209 pages

Celeste knows she should be excited to spend two weeks at her grandparents' lake house with her brother, Owen, and their cousins Capri and Daisy, but she's not. After failing her swimming lessons, she is done with the water--and she knows the trip is just a way to get her in the lake. Her grandparents are strong believers in their family knowing how to swim, especially having grown up during a time of segregation at public pools. They want Celeste to have the opportunities they never did. Celeste insists on spending her visit on dry land. But soon strange things start happening when she's alone: the sound of footsteps overhead late at night. A flickering light in the attic window. And then Celeste's cousins start accusing her of playing cruel pranks on them when she's been nowhere near them! Things at the old house keep getting scarier until, one evening, Celeste looks in the steamy mirror after a shower and sees her face, but twisted, different. Who is the girl in the mirror? And what does she want?

I am not a fan of scary stories and the only reason I read this one is that it is a Mark Twain Nominee.  It wasn't too scary, but still not a favorite.  I do think kids aged 8-12 will enjoy it because it has a ghost in it, but it also teaches a lesson about overcoming your fears.  This book also teaches about civil rights and why some people say "Black people can't swim".  Even though it was a ghost story I did enjoy the main story about the family. 

Home is Where the Bodies Are

 

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose 264 pages

After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.

While going through their parent’s belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.

Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.

I recommend this book. It was a fast and entertaining read. It did not have boring "fluff" details to get through so it was never slow. 

Chasing Endless Summer by VC Andrews

 

Chasing Endless Summer by VC Andrews - 272 pages

A young girl trapped in a labyrinthine mansion may finally get the family she longs for when her estranged father reappears in her life in this new novel from the world of the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and Landry series—now popular Lifetime movies.

After the tragic death of her mother and a long period of isolation under the thumb of a cruel grandfather, young Caroline Brady has little to hope for in her life in the foreboding Southerland mansion. Her only companion, her enigmatic cousin, Simon, may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing and is not to be trusted. But when Caroline’s estranged father suddenly resurfaces with news of a new wife and stepchildren in Hawaii that she’ll finally be allowed to visit, Caroline dares to hope for a new, normal life. Desperate for her father’s love, Caroline will do anything to stay in this new home. But her troublesome stepsister has other plans, and Caroline cannot tell who to trust and who to run from. Will her new stepbrother and stepsister be a light in her dark life, or will they blot out the last slivers of sun forever?

I read this one because one of my goals is to read more best seller authors.  I was not a fan of this one; to me it was boring and redundant.  

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

 Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose-249 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐✩

I absolutely love this cover! I hadn't previously read any of Rose's novels, but was intrigued by the premise of this one. I heard that she was going to be in St. Louis and decided to go to her author event at the Grant's View branch. It was a blast. At the beginning of the book, Beth Thomas is taking care of her mother, Laura, who is dying of cancer. Laura's final words to Beth are "Your father didn't really disappear. Don't trust..." and that's how this story really gets going. Laura dies before she can tell Beth who not to trust. Beth's two siblings, Nicole and Michael arrive home to help make funeral arrangements and settle affairs, or so it seems. As the siblings sort through the stuff in their parents' house they find a VHS tape that shows their parents standing over a dead body and discussing getting rid of it. Are there literal skeletons in the closet of this family? I encourage you to read this book to find out. I really liked this book and intend to read another of Jeneva Rose's novels The Perfect Marriage. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries/thrillers.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, 360 p.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late. --Amazon blurb 

 

The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1) by Nita Prose

 The Maid (Molly the Maid, #1) by Nita Prose-304 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐✩

Molly Gray is a lowly maid at a fancy hotel where everything is not as it seems. When Molly finds a wealthy hotel guest (Mr. Black) dead in his bed her life is flipped on its head. Her normally orderly and mundane existence is suddenly upended. She becomes the main person of interest in the death of Mr. Black and must prove her innocence. Mr. Preston is the doorman and one of Molly's true friends. He helps her in her time of need and truly cares for her. It's hard for Molly (and sometimes all of us) to tell who her true friends are and what people's intentions are. The first half of the book is a bit slow going, but it really picks up in the second half and I enjoyed it overall. I really liked the ending.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg-395 pages

⭐✩✫✫✫

This is our next book for the Book to Movie Club chosen by our group. I have to be honest. I didn't like it very much. I finished it, of course, but it has borderline racist overtones. The African-American characters are very "stereotypical." Also, the timeline throughout the book is scattered and off. The stories are all over the place and it doesn't seem for most of the book to be a cohesive, coherent story. It reads mostly like a lonely old woman babbling to a younger woman at a nursing home about the "good old days." Mrs. Threadgoode (the old woman) and Evelyn Couch do strike up a friendship, but I just didn't get emotionally invested in the characters. Lastly, it seems like a creative writing class project and not a published novel. It seems the author was going for a folksy feel, but it didn't work for me. Overall, I would not recommend this book. However, maybe this will be a rare occasion when the movie is better than the book (it definitely was!). 

Tom Lake : A novel by Ann Patchett

 

Tom Lake : A novel by Ann Patchett-309 pages

It's spring and Lara's three grown daughters have returned to the family orchard. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the one story they've always longed to hear – of the film star with whom she shared a stage, and a romance, years before.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. 

A good read, though it seemed to lag a bit in parts.

Six Feet Below Zero by Ena Jones

Six Feet Below Zero by Ena Jones 283 pages What a fun book! This award nominee kept me guessing and laughing. It was a mystery with a twist. These poor children were asked to hide their great-grandmother's dead body so that another grandma wouldn't sell the house and send them to boarding school. Of the things kids can come up with!! A dead body. A missing will. An evil relative. The good news is, Great Grammy has a plan. The bad news is, she's the dead body. Rosie and Baker are hiding something. Something big. Their great grandmother made them promise to pretend she's alive until they find her missing will and get it in the right hands. The will protects the family house from their grandmother, Grim Hesper, who would sell it and ship Rosie and Baker off to separate boarding schools. They've already lost their parents and Great Grammy -- they can't lose each other, too. The siblings kick it into high gear to locate the will, keep their neighbors from prying, and safeguard the house. Rosie has no time to cope with her grief as disasters pop up around every carefully planned corner. She can't even bring herself to read her last-ever letter from Great Grammy. But the lies get bigger and bigger as Rosie and Baker try to convince everyone that their great grandmother is still around, and they'll need more than a six-month supply of frozen noodle casserole and mountains of toilet paper once their wicked grandmother shows up! This unexpectedly touching read reminds us that families are weird and wonderful, even when they're missing their best parts.