“Despite” flying to Paris and back, I only read 8 books in June. Actually, part of that was because it was a very full month and I was tired by the time evening came around so I fell asleep faster and read less. I did read some really interesting books, though, including one by a new world record holder in the 400m hurdles and who is going to Paris for the Olympics. I read a local history book and listened to stories from a country vet. Here’s what I read in June:
Families sometimes had to make very tough decisions during WW2. When Elise’s husband becomes a target because of his communist beliefs, she has to go into hiding but leaves her daughter in the care of her best friend, Juliette. Little Mathilde fits right in with Juliette’s three other children. However, while Elise stays safe helping take care of other people’s children, Juliette’s family faces a horrible tragedy during a bombing. Juliette makes a decision that changes all of their lives in The Paris Daughter. It was a very good book but I could predict the ending.
I saw Bone Rattle advertised in The Pioneer Woman magazine and thought I’d give it a try even though it’s not my normal genre. The action book is set in Alaska, which was nice, but the people in it were doing some pretty evil things. People got hurt. The good guys won. The book ended with a cliff hanger to make you want to read the next book. This genre is just not for me, but those who like it would like Bone Rattle (probably should start from book 1 instead of 3, though).
Sydney McLaughlin first appeared in the Olympics at the age of 16 for the 400 meter hurdles. She’s fast and holds world records and is about to compete in the Olympics again. While Far Beyond Gold is about her running journey, it’s also about her faith journey and how she didn’t really learn how to run well until she knew how to live well as a child of God. I was really impressed by her story and plan to follow her journey.
Set in 1789 in Maine, The Frozen River is the story of how a midwife pursued justice. Her job lets her in on most of the town’s secrets, which unfortunately includes many rapes. Women have to face fines if they have a child out of wedlock, but fathers face no consequences. When a accused rapist is found dead in the recently frozen river, his fellow accomplice as the town judge tries to say it was an accident. The midwife sees rope burns around his neck and knows he was hanged before being thrown into the river. While the book was interesting and had a unique storyline, there is a lot of violence and rape in the book.
I listened to All Creatures Great and Small and found it to be a very enjoyable book. The book is non-fiction, but reads as a fiction novel as it follows the life of James as a country vet. The calls he gets sent out to are almost always a legendary tale. His interactions with his boss and boss’ brother are laughable. His personal life is interspersed and sends him on some awkward dates. I found myself laughing out loud at times. I would highly recommend for middle school ages and up (or younger if familiar with farm animal life).
After a family member mentioned George Remus at a family dinner, I had to find out if there was a book about him. He was the King of Bootleggers and lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. I wanted to know more and found The Ghosts of Eden Park. He was first a lawyer, but almost always a slight con man. When he gets sent to jail for tax evasion, his second wife starts up a new relationship, which drives him “mad.” The story was fascinating and the fact that it’s local history made me even more interested. Ohio history fans will enjoy this book.
I wanted to love South of the Buttonwood Tree more than I ended up liking it. The story is unique and fun, but the scene is not set up in depth which had me wondering at times what was actually going on. The town has a buttonwood tree that you can visit once a year to get a question answered via a wooden button the tree gives with an answer on it. Ask twice and you can be cursed. Blue Bishop is trying to separate herself from her family name – her father and brothers were known to make trouble of all kinds. She wants a baby, but hasn’t found love yet. Then a baby shows up with a button that says to give the baby to Blue. The baby had to come from somewhere, though – that’s the mystery that must be solved.
Set in coastal Maine during WW2, The Blackout Book Club is about a town learning to love its library and its people coming to create a community. There are several characters to follow along in this book and there are minutes from their book club meetings. It was sometimes hard to keep track of characters and it’s a little predictable, but it was a sweet read where everyone is learning to open their hearts.
What have you read lately? Share your bookshelf in the comments!
