Here are the great books I read in May that were four stars and higher. Click on the book titles for the Amazon link.
By Pat Spencer
“Oceanside” is a short story that tackles a difficult subject, human trafficking. Although not too graphic it was brutally honest. A young girl meets an older man, and she keeps the relationship a secret from her family. He showers her with gifts until the worst thing that can happen does. This is something I think every parent should be talking about with their teens as these types of predators exist whether we want to think about it or not. It is a tough read, but it does offer kind people willing to help. I can easily recommend it
“Celebrating Poetry” is a beautiful collection that touched my heart and inspired me. Although it is a companion book to “Re-Create and Celebrate” it wasn’t necessarily for me to have read it, but I sure will be now. There are many poems I loved, and more importantly, felt, and I chose a few that I highlighted to share here. “Plans change in mid flight,/like birds who move south for the winter./Keep your vision as you adapt to the elements/and nest in the new beginnings and endings…”—Plans Change, “There’s always been music perhaps,/I just didn’t hear the symphony in the background./There’s always been color, but maybe I was in a dark place and/never looked up to see…”—There’s Always Been Music, “Silence births unspoken words/longing to find a home,/where noise is drowned,/sitting quietly amongst the redwoods…”—Root Like the Redwood, and “I breathe in the morning as it breathes into me./Slowly, savoring the moment between sleep and wakefulness,/lingering in the pause…”—Morning Prayer. This was poetry I connected to in many ways and can easily recommend this for all poetry lovers!
The Other Side of the Looking Glass
Kate wakes up in a hospital room unable to remember anything about her past. Soon she learns she’s married to a man she doesn’t feel anything for. Laim her husband is a character I grew to hate completely while feeling for Kate. I liked how it was told through more than one POV which made some of it chilling reading. Some twists completely surprised me, but I don’t want to give anything away. I rooted for Kate and loved her strength in the worst of situations. This was a hard book to put down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. A great psychological thriller where murder is as easy as ordering a pizza, but with love weaved in there the unexpected happens. A story I can easily recommend.
BEELITZ-HEILSTÄTTEN: Where Ghosts Never Die
A newly married woman’s tour of the hospital where she was born quickly turns into time travel. Marion ended up in Germany in 1918 at Beelitz-Heilstatten. With a bump on her head, she is taken into the nursing program to care mostly for soldiers. She mingles with the people of this time with ease but feels repulsion for one patient for good reason. Her thoughts of what to do with a pillow to that man would have crossed the mind of any person who has seen the outcome in modern times. There is a relationship she develops with a doctor who she is drawn to. The attention to historical details is the jewel of this story and made this a page-turner. The descriptions and setting made this feel very real at times to me. There was a twist that pulled the two times together in a way I didn’t see coming. I can’t say enough about the research that had to be involved in writing this but it certainly held my interest in one of our darkest historical times. A story I can easily recommend.
Run for the Roses (The Hat Book 8)
by C. S. Boyack
I love the Hat Series and always look forward to diving into this masterfully created world. Lizzie and the Hat mingle with some familiar faces and new ones. Lizzie is worried about paying the rent and bills and needs to work when the headless horseman asks for their help. It seems a witch is terrorizing the horses so she can pick the winning horse at the track. I immediately worried about the horses and hoped they would find the witch soon. As in all the stories, the humor is strong, especially between the Hat and Lizzie. That is a favorite part for me, along with the strong and flawed characters. Another story element to appreciate is how the music is woven in so naturally with the Hat as the manager of them. There’s a nod to a few missing bodies from the past that made me smile. Another great addition to the series that I read during a long plane flight, and it made the time speed by. This can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend going back and reading it from the beginning. It’s worth it!
“She Who Comes Forth” first reminded me of a historical mystery that veered into the paranormal with a big twist. Twenty-one-year-old France is accepted to work at an archaeological dig in Egypt in 1962. She takes clothes, her precious cello, and the emerald ring given to her by her step-grandfather and heads off on an exotic adventure. She handles an older man’s unwanted attention, a jealous wife, and a nuclear physicist who intrigues her. Along the way, she questions her grandfather’s past and things that happen around her that make her question what she believes. A favorite part of this story was the setting and detail of the history. It brought the story to life. One of the gritty directions surprised me the story took, but I still found myself captivated, wanting to know what happened next. This is a story I can easily recommend for those who love paranormal mysteries.
NOTE: Watch for tomorrow’s post and my exciting news 🙂
Embrace your inner child by reading a great book! Next week is the Creative Perspective Challenge. D. L. Finn (Denise)
