Books

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Book Review: I Shall Be Near To You

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I really enjoyed this book. (Obviously-historical fiction is my jam.) I will give this book a 4/5.

Here is a synopsis from Goodreads:

Rosetta doesn’t want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he joins up, hoping to make enough money that they’ll be able to afford their own farm someday. Though she’s always worked by her father’s side as the son he never had, now that Rosetta is a wife she’s told her place is inside with the other women. But Rosetta decides her true place is with Jeremiah, no matter what that means, and to be with him she cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier.
Rosetta drills with the men, prepares herself for battle, and faces the tension as her husband comes to grips with having a fighting wife. Fearing discovery of her secret, Rosetta’s strong will clashes with Jeremiah’s as their marriage is tested by war. Inspired by over two hundred and fifty documented accounts of the women who fought in the Civil War while disguised as men, I Shall Be Near To You is the intimate story, in Rosetta’s powerful and gorgeous voice, of the drama of marriage, one woman’s amazing exploits, and the tender love story that can unfold when two partners face life’s challenges side by side.

I have read a lot of historical fiction books, and this book was fairly accurate from what I know. Obviously there are some liberties taken, but I thought she did a great job honoring the integrity of the time. She does write in the dialect that you would hear at that time, which can sometimes be hard to wade through because there are some things that have changed in the English Language, but I find that kind of stuff interesting. She also based this on actual people. There is some added historical facts at the end of the book that I found really interesting. I was not aware of how many women actually chose this life to be with their husbands. What is even more mind-boggling is that they were rarely caught even when they were pregnant! I could not imaging trying to hide my female identity let alone trying to hide a pregnancy on the FRONT LINES. That is remarkable.

As a former military wife, fighting alongside my husband was something that never crossed my mind. Granted the circumstances are much different now, but it does make you think about what they would experience together. That could either make them even closer or push them apart because of the danger. Either way I think I would be highly distracted if I fought with Tom. I would be more concerned about his well-being than anyone else’s including my own that I don’t think my judgement would be clear in all cases. Watching their marriage on the front lines definitely made me think a lot about our own sacrifices we made as a military family. It also made me sooo thankful of the modern amenities and technologies our military has now.

There were parts that were predictable, but she did a good job of writing a story that you wanted to keep reading through despite some obvious plot twists. I also appreciated that she didn’t gloss over the horrendous way the Civil War was fought and the gravity of it all. It may be hard to read, but I think it this was a moving tribute.

Anyway this is a good love story set in historical fiction that I really enjoyed reading.

I did receive this book complimentary from Blogging for Books for my review. These thoughts are my own.

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Book Review: The Methuselah Project

I did receive this book complimentary from Litfuse Publicity Group for my review. These thoughts are my own.

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I will give this book a 4/5.

I liked it, but it wasn’t a love love for me. It was a fun quick read though that a put a different spin on historical fiction. That element is why it gets a 4 instead of a 3. I like to see something new!

The plot follows two main characters:  Captain Roger Greene who is an American pilot in WWII, and Katherine Mueller who is part of present day. The chapters bounce back and forth between Greene and Mueller. I thought this was a unique perspective to have two different time periods telling this story.

And part of that is because of an experiment that Captain Greene is part of, well captured for. The experiment was conducted by the Nazis to create a Methuselah man, or someone who would live MUCH longer than the average. The experiment is deemed a success with Greene, but then he is kept in a cage (not aging) for over 70 years while they try to figure out why and how after the creator of the project died in a bombing. The first half is the build up of his captivity, and then you hit the climax of the book where he manages to escape but he is now in a world that is so foreign to him since he hasn’t seen daylight in 70 years. Not to mention that his captors had been lying to him that the war was still waging between the Nazis and the rest of the world. Katherine’s twist on the story is that she is connected to the group that has been holding Greene captive, but she has had some doubts of her own destiny within the organization. So when their stories collide it is an intriguing plot line.

I have done a lot of research on WWII, and crazy medical experiments ran rampant during that era since the Nazis felt that they had “lab rats” at their disposal. They did things to humans that were despicably inhumane. So this story of keeping someone captive for 70 years is something, while seemingly far-fetched, is believable if the fountain of youth were actually possible. I think the Nazis would have done anything in the name of Hitler if given the means.

This book is really fast paced. The chapters are rarely more than a few pages long, and as I said you are jumping back and forth between Greene and Katherine. There is a lot of action on each page that keeps you enthralled in the story.

I am generally not a fan of science fiction, but the way that Barry wove other elements into the story, I was sucked in. It’s like Jason Bourne meets time travel meets historical fiction, definitely a different way to tell a story. It doesn’t really fit into any typical type of genre. You want to cheer Captain Greene on from page one, so you keep coming back to see what his fate is as a Methuselah man.

I recommend this book if you want something a little different and fun to read. It’s a page turner which in my book is always a good thing!

You can purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1GcsGbS

Are you into science fiction? Do you have any historical fiction books to recommend?

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Book Review: Through Waters Deep

I was really excited about this book. Historical fiction with romance and mystery! Yes please.

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I will give this book 3.5/5. I liked it, but I didn’t love it like I wanted to.

This story follows Mary and Jim during 1941 right before the US joined WWII. Jim is in the Navy and Mary works at the Boston Navy Yard. There are some suspicious events that occur that point to sabotage, and the story follows the mystery and a love story that unfolds between the two. Amidst the mystery and romance, you read about the anxiety that was abound before we joined the war efforts.

I will be honest that the first fourth of the book, I thought was really slow. I had a hard time investing in it. But about half way through I was hooked and read the last half in just a couple bedtimes. The chapters are pretty short, so it was a pretty quick read anyway.

Sundin changes perspectives every chapter, so you get to see Mary and Jim’s thoughts throughout the story. I like this style a lot because I think you get to see the full picture. I found myself screaming (in my head) at each of the characters when they obviously weren’t seeing signs of love that the other was holding back.

There was a Nancy Drew feel to the mystery aspect. Mary used intuition to find clues and keep tabs on the happenings of the Navy Yard. As she discussed what she found with Jim, they developed a connection before he went off to the sea. It’s a pretty light-hearted story with some dramatic flair thrown in.

The other part I enjoyed is the focus on scriptures and prayer. You don’t see a lot of books that do this, so it was refreshing to read fiction that really focused on following God’s plan and remembering to pray for strength.

Also I think if I was to be born in the correct era, it would have been the 40s. The style is just impeccable, so generally I love most fiction about this era.

This was a fun quick read, that I enjoyed. It is the first in a series, and I may pick up the next to see how it fairs for me. You know I love them series!

There is a giveaway going on for this book promotion right now. You could win the book and some other cool things.

Through Waters Deep I did receive this book complimentary from Litfuse Publicity Group for my review. These thoughts are my own.

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Book Review-Leaving Time

Stop what you are doing and get this book.

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I LOVED this book. I am a huge Jodi Picoult fan, and if you weren’t aware I am obsessed with elephants. So this was meant to be a good book for me.

Picoult told this story from four different points of view: Jenna, Serenity, Virgil, and Alice. Alice is Jenna’s mother. She went missing when Jenna was three, so Jenna has been searching for clues for the past 10 years to find her. Now thirteen, she enlists the help of Serenity, a psychic, and Virgil, a PI. When you are reading Alice’s perspective you actually go back in time before the disappearance to give you some context.

I thought the way she laid out the book was brilliant. I was never confused on who was talking since each chapter was a different character. I also felt having the four different perspectives showed you different sides of the same story which brought depth to the plot line.

I am not going to tell you more to the story because I don’t want to give anything away. I want you to experience all the emotions I did with every twist and surprise.

This is honestly one of the best books I have read in a long time. Seriously it is possibly now in my top five all time favorite books is how much I loved it.

Not only is it a story about human emotions and how intertwined and messy but beautiful they can be, it also talks A LOT about elephants. I would call myself a novice expert (if that is a thing) on elephants. Every research paper in elementary school up to high school I did on elephants. I had all kinds of elephant encyclopedias/magazines growing up, and give me all the elephant figurines at the dollar store please. One of my dreams growing up was to work with elephants at a zoo or sanctuary. How I found this book was because I was setting up my yearly donation to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. (Click here if you want more information on that or to read about the lady elephants there.) Anyway, so I know when a writer is speaking the truth on elephants.

She wrote so beautifully on the emotional capacity of these wonderful animals, and the way it fit into the story was just great. I thought the flashbacks from Alice were a nice touch, and I honestly didn’t see the story unfolding as it did. And I am usually pretty good at predicting things. Total surprise with each chapter.

So I am sure that was the vaguest book review ever, but honestly you need to read this without me giving away any spoilers.
As a caveat though, from the reviews on Goodreads, it seems that this book is either hit or miss with people. Either you love it like I do, or people thought it was too much to keep up with and didn’t carry well between characters. I will let you decide. I think though if you are a fan of Jodi or of elephants, you will like the book.

Have you read Leaving Time? What is your favorite Jodi Picoult book?

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Recent Reads

In the last couple weeks, I finished two books. This is momentous for me to be reading like this after the last year rut.

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I rated this 3 stars. It was an extremely easy read, and it was jam packed with insider Bachelornation information. This was honestly the reason I got the book. I wanted to know all the secrets. Sean is easily my favorite Bachelor from the show too. I did find it really interesting to hear his personal thoughts on his love story and how he made decisions. I have been watching this show since Trista’s season (she was the first Bachelorette), so I am obviously hooked on the franchise. I am also pretty naive, so I found it fascinating to read how much is staged in the show. (Duh Stephanie.) If you are a Bachelor fan, this is a fun read to get behind the scenes.

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I gave this book 4 stars. I really loved this book. It is a non-fiction book written like a fiction novel. The first half of the book follows the Mercury Seven wives, who are the first group of Astronauts here in the United States. These women were catapulted from fame during the early 60s known as the perfect housewives. They received a contract from Life magazine and were followed around during each mission. These women were supposed to be perfect, but there are so many hard emotions that come along with husbands being gone and being in a dangerous and unknown career. This book allowed them to open up about those darker emotions that they could not show in those earlier years. It portrayed the rawness of how marriages suffered amongst the expectations and competition. But it also showed how these women became friends and were support for one another when their husbands went up (and came down or never returned in some cases). I would have given it a 5 star because I honestly did love it, however the last half of the book was not as good as the first half. Towards the middle of the book, Koppel also wrote about the Gemini and Apollo missions which had several new groups of wives. I felt like she went into much greater detail about the Mercury Seven, and then zipped through the rest of the groups so quickly that sometimes it was hard to keep track of who she was talking about. All in all, I highly recommend this read. It was really interesting to read about this perspective of the space missions. And now I can go watch the TV show.

What have you been reading lately? Do you read more than one book at a time?