A Night Divided

Okay, so I must admit, I hardly knew anything about The Berlin Wall. I remember learning about the fall of it in school, but I honestly had no idea how affected the German people were by the wall. I kind of felt like an idiot reading this book. How did I not know more about this? I studied WWII extensively in school, I've read a ton of WWII historical fiction books, but somehow, in all of that, I never knew the devastating facts about how this wall tore a country apart. This novel was so eye opening for me. This is exactly why I love historical fiction so much. It gives me a chance to really FEEL history, to be a part of it, even for just a moment. This book was not only just educational, it was thrilling! I was on the edge of my seat reading it. I got so nervous for the characters. I cheered them on. I cried with them. I fell in love with them. This was a beautifully written story of endurance, healing, hope, and the powerful bond of family.

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One morning Greta woke up to find that her world had completely changed overnight. While her father and brother went to the West side of Germany trying to find work, the Berlin Wall was erected, splitting up Gerta's family. Her mother and brother were imprisoned with her in East Berlin, ruled by the Soviets. Her father and brother were helpless on the other side of a wall that Greta got in trouble for by just looking at it for too long. Walking to school one day, Gerta spots her father pantomiming something to her from across the no mans land. After she receives a drawing from her father she puts the clues together and realizes that her father wants her and her brother to dig a tunnel under the wall to freedom. Getting caught would mean her instant death and cause horrible problems for her loved ones left behind, but if she doesn't try then her family might never be together again. She knows she must at least attempt it, but does she have enough courage to constantly lie to those who are close to her? This book will keep you up late into the night to find out.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows is the story of a young author, Juliet Ashton, who is searching for a topic for her next book. When a man from Guernsey Island writes to her telling her that he found her name in an old book, they begin writing letters to one another. Eventually she learns that he is a member of a book club that was created as an alibi given to the Germans that were occupying their island. Juliet becomes fascinated by the eccentric members of the book club and begins a correspondence with all of them. She ends up visiting the island and learns about the toll WWII had on their lives.

This book was beautiful. Beautiful words. Beautiful characters. Beautiful story. You can't help but fall in love with the quirky characters and the lives they live on their small island. It's one of the most heartwarming books during the WWII era that I have ever read. It's a tale of friendship, courage, hope, and the power that books bring to our lives. Books matter.

Promises and Primroses

'Promises and Primroses' by Josi Kilpack is the stories within the Mayfield family and the scandals that seem to follow them around. In an attempt to keep the next generation from making the same mistakes as their parents, Lord Elliott Mayfield comes up with an idea that he calls "The Marriage Campaign", where he states that only his nieces and nephews who make worthy matches will inherit his fortune. His oldest nephew, Peter, things the idea is somewhat ridiculous and has no inclination to find another wife after becoming a widower and being left with two daughters to raise on his own. He does however, decide to hire a governess for his daughters, but worries that his choice in Julia Hollingsworth just may be a mistake, as she is very young and much to his dismay, very beautiful. Peter is not the only one who worries about attaining feelings for Julia however. Julia's mother, Amelia, has very different reasons for wanting to keep her daughter away from the Mayfields - something that ties herself to Elliott from long ago.

The last few years I have become a huge fan of both proper romance, and Josi Kilpack. Although this hasn't replaced my top favorite one of her novels, I think this could definitely be placed high up on that list. Yes, it is somewhat predictable, but then most proper romance novels are, something which I surprisingly don't mind because the events leading up to the two characters falling in love is the very best part.

The Clockmaker's Daughter

Birchwood Manor is a twin-gabled house on the upper Thames river in England. This mysterious dwelling holds many secrets from the many lives that have spent time within its walls. When a young archivist from London, Elodie Winslow, discovers an old leather satchel containing a drawing of the home, she is curious about its history and how the portrait of the Victorian era women came to be in the satchel as well. Her job is to untangle secrets from the past and she can't help but feel connected to Birchwood Manor in some way.

'The Clockmaker's Daughter' by Kate Morton is an intriguing read as you can see the different stories in Birchwood Manor throughout time play out. Many of Kate Morton's novels are confusing as you begin them, but eventually they come together and you are left in awe of her writing genius. Having said that however, this particular novel of hers is probably the highest ranking on my list of confusing timelines and characters. I understood that all of the stories from the guests of Birchwood Manor are being told, but in my opinion Morton jumps around from era to era too often and there are just too many characters to keep track of. Keeping the timeline of the house straight proved to be a difficult task for me, but maybe that is simply because I wasn't able to read this novel as quickly as I would have liked too. The ending was good however and I think I may enjoy it more the second time around now that I have the general gist of its content down now. I would recommend this book if you have a good memory/ or can read it in a short period of time.

Educated

"Educated" by Tara Westover is the mind boggling memoir of a homeschooled girl living in the mountains of Idaho. She shares unbelievable stories about her father's "doomsday" beliefs and how she was constantly waiting for the world to end. She talks about her work helping her mother as a midwife and herbalist and helping her father salvage in his dangerous junkyard. Growing up she never saw a doctor, went to a hospital, or set foot in a classroom. She endured her brother's tormenting abuses, listened to her father's rantings about the corruption of government, and escaped to her grandparents home for some peace whenever she could. As a teenager she began educating herself and reading every book she could get her hands on. With her older brother's encouragement she studied for the SAT and applied for college. At age 17 as a freshman at Brigham Young University Tara stepped foot in a classroom for the first time in her entire life.

Tara's life of endurance and overcoming is inspirational and a little jaw dropping. Some of her experiences were incredibly difficult to wrap my head around, especially because her home is not that far from my own. She grows up in the "same" religion that I did, but the way her family practices religion is very different from my own. Some of the parents negligence was very upsetting to me and it makes me sad that people can get away with letting their children grow up in such toxic and harmful surroundings. Even though some parts of her memoir were difficult to swallow I couldn't stop reading it. When I did finish the book I got online and did even more research about her family and watched a few different interviews that she had done. Her life is amazing to me and I would recommend this book for sure.

Girl, Wash Your Face

My sister gave me the book 'Girl, Wash Your Face' by Rachel Hollis for my birthday. I have had a lot of friends talking about this book and had heard a lot of mixed reviews, so I was excited to discover it for myself. I honestly loved it. There were some chapters that I identified with more then others, but I thought she did a fantastic job speaking to the inner heart of women everywhere. There was a handful of times where I can distinctly remember having my own "Ah-ha!" moments. There are stories of hers that will stick with me for a very long time. I will keep those to myself however so as not to take away anyone else's moments of self discovery. I thoroughly enjoyed her sense of humor, candid honesty, and intelligent advise. This is a great, quick, feel good book and I would definitely recommend it.

The Orphan Keeper

Have you ever read a book that left you speechless? It was so mind-blowing that you almost can't even process it? That's how 'The Orphan Keeper' by Camron Wright was for me. It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that this book is based on a true story. That the events in this novel actually took place. I can't say enough good things about this book. It takes you on quite the journey with the highest of the highs and the lowest of the gut wrenching lows. Please open this book. I can guarantee you won't want to put it down.

Chellamuthu  is a young boy living in poverty in India. He is rambunctious, full of life, rash, wild, and a little disobedient as most youngsters are. He longs for things like playing in the wealthy children's park, eating ripe mangos, and proving to the other kids that he is big and tough. One day he is waiting for his father when an older boy lures him into his own kidnapping. He is placed in a Christian orphanage that he can't escape from and is eventually adopted by an unsuspecting family in the United States. Chellamuthu finds himself in a foreign country where he doesn't speak the language, has new parents and new siblings, and is thousands of miles away from his own loving and worry stricken mother. By the time he learns enough English to tell his adopted parents that he actually has a family back in India, they are shocked and do everything in their power to find his family, but with very little luck. 

This novel is a story of endurance, strength of families, and hope. It is sure to touch your heart and bring forth more empathy then you ever knew you had.

The Vicar's Daughter

Cassie is the youngest of six sisters. She is bubbly, social, and can't wait to enter society to find her match. The only problem is that Cassie's father won't let her enter society until her older sister, Lenora, marries. He believes that only one of his daughters should be a debutant at a time. The problem is, is that Lenora is timid, with crippling shyness. As she enters her third season Cassie begins to lose hope of ever having her own chance at happiness. Lenora's anxiety attacks and insecurity are standing between Cassie's happily ever after. Then one night, Lenora comes home from a social event with a positive encounter with a gentleman named Evan. That's when Cassie hatches a plan to start writing Evan in place of her sister. Cassie could have never predicted that she, herself, would start to fall in love with Evan through her letters to him as she pretends to be her sister. When Evan and Lenora finally start courting, Cassie tries to conceal her broken heart, and be happy for her sister. After all, it's her fault she's in this mess in the first place.

I love books that keep you guessing until the very end. How can Evan, Lenora, and Cassie all come out of their situations with happy endings? It seems impossible that this tangled trio can all come out unscarred. While this is not my favorite book from Josi Kilpack, it's high on the list. If you love proper romance novels then you will love this book.

The Six of Crows Series

The 'Six of Crows' by Leigh Bardugo is a thrilling adventure that takes you on a ride of emotions. Kaz Brekker is a criminal, leader of his gang. When he is offered the deal of a lifetime it can either lead to the world's riches or his imminent death. He can't do it alone, he needs to build a team with a special set of skills, but who can you really trust within your own gang? After all, they are all criminals and all have their own agendas. Kaz builds the perfect crew for the greatest heist of all time, but it is still going to take a miracle to actually pull it off.

This series was devoured very quickly, I could not put it down! It's very intriguing to have your protagonists be criminals. You can't decide whether to love or hate them, so you kind of do both throughout the book. This book was an amazing page turner and I would highly recommend it!

The Traitor's Game

I am a little behind (maybe a lot behind) on updating my book blog. I will try and catch up on what I have been reading as soon as I can. Let's start by talking about 'The Traitor's Game' by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into with this book, but I have read 'The Ascendance Trilogy', which is by the same author, and I loved that series so thought I would give this a try. Let me tell you what, it did not disappoint! I was completely caught up with the action, characters, and trickery. It kept me up late at night and has me craving more. There are so many details and twists that I am sure I'll have to read it again before the second in the series is released in February 2019. Here is a gist of what the book is about:

Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won't stop her from being drawn back into her father's palace politics. He's second-in-command to the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this -- and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home.

The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected. One of the rebels, Simon, has his hands full as Kestra tries to foil their plot, by any means necessary. As motives shift and secrets emerge, both have to decide what -- and who -- it is they're fighting for.