October Book Reviews

Davida: Model & Mistress of Augustus Saint-Gaudens

by Karen Ingalls

Having read and loved “Novy’s Son” I was intrigued to learn about Novy’s parents. This story started out with the life of a girl Albertina who left Sweden with her mother for a new life in America. Written in first person enabled me to experience this journey with her. I loved her peaceful life with her mother, aunt, and uncle in America. The details about Swedish culture were fascinating and added another depth to this story. I delighted in her trips into the forest to connect and find answers. I appreciated learning about all the artwork and how it would feel to be a model for it. Although Ms. Ingalls didn’t know much about Albertina/Davida, she still created a story about her great-grandparents that was spell-binding. Albertina’s innocence and obedience to her mother, merged with her curiosity and emotions blending into a story that felt very real to me. I understood the woman who went from Albertina to Davida. I felt for everyone person involved–including the wife. For Davida to love that unconditionally, even with society’s disapproval, shows not only a tragic situation, but one where she had so much strength and respect for that love. This was an amazing read that I got lost in. What a legacy that their great granddaughter wrote about.  I highly recommend this if you love art, history, human relationships–or a love story.

The Lost Years of Billy Battles: Book 3 in the Billy Battles Trilogy 

By Ronald Yates

In this final book “The Lost Years of Billy Battles” the story continues with Billy and his wife Katharina living in Chicago. It seemed like Billy had found some peace and happiness. But, that all changed when Billy and Katharina went to help out an old friend. I love the history incorporated into the story. I knew very little about this Mexican revolution, so that really held my interest. The relationship between Katharina and Billy is well done and I couldn’t help but root for them. I could easily picture each place the characters went and appreciated the time-period. I thoroughly enjoyed all three books and was sad to see the story come to an end. I will be looking for more from this author. I highly recommend this series especially if you like history and action combined.

Slivers of Life: A Collection of Short Stories

By Beem Weeks

This is a collection of twenty short stories that embrace the full spectrum of emotions and life. The descriptions were vivid, and the characters drew me into each story. There’s a vast array of subjects covered that made me feel so many things ranging from: sadness to satisfaction to surprise. I tried to pick a favorite story as I read, but as I declared this was my favorite, I would feel the same way about the next story. I was very happy to see a short with Baby from “Jazz Baby” in one of these stories. I can easily recommend “Slivers Of Life”.

Kentucky Kernels: Book of Short Stories & Poetry 

by B. R. Chitwood

This is a unique collection of Mr. Chitwood’s work. It starts off with a two-part short story that I really enjoyed. His work is well-written with depth, intrigue, action, and humor. There is an introduction to each part that is infused with the author’s humor. There are teasers from two of his books along with poetry, personal stories, and insights. The poetry was my favorite part of the book. Mr. Chitwood has a beautiful, almost musical, way of presenting his poetry while adding in the emotional element. This collection has an anthology-feel to me. I’m already a fan of this author having read one of his books, “Stranger Abduction” that earned five stars–and I don’t miss his blogs. I recognized several parts of the book from the blog. I recommend this author, and this collection gives you a chance to get to know him.

Here are the winners for The Button Giveaway:

The Fire HD Tablet: Dianna H.

$25 Gift Card: Ashleigh S.

Signed copy of “The Button”: Kayla R, Jeanne S. and Sarah M.

Embrace that inner child by reading a book! D.L. Finn