AUGUST 2019

Hello Book Lovers!

Bookshare met last Thursday night at the home of Maryann Stevens.  I wasn't able to be there, but I did get the list of books from those who were in attendance plus I added my own.  Here are the books that were reported on:

SUE DE MARTINI

THE MAGNOLIA STORY by Chip and Joanna Gaines with Mark Dagostino. This is the couple that appears on HGTV "Fixer Upper." They tell the story of their personal background, how they met, how the came to be doing what they do, how they have felt led by Heavenly Father throughout their lives. I would rate it 3.5. It's an easy, quick read.

"THE FARMER'S SON: CALVING SEASON ON A FAMILY FARM by John Connell
This is a memoir by John Connell who returns after a 10-year absence to his family's farm in Ireland to help his aging parents with their cows and sheep. It is so well written. I give it a 4.

BETH HEDENGREN

A GENTLEMAN OF MOSCOW

by Amor Towles

Count Rostov is tried by the Bolsheviks in 1922. Because of some poetry he published in his youth which has been popular among the Revolutionaries, he is not executed, but rather sentenced to house arrest in the Hotel Metropole, where he has been living for several years. He must move to an attic room and never leave the doors of the hotel, but he follows his father's maxim: "You must master your circumstances or be mastered by them." Rostov lives a full and productive life, always kind and mannerly within the Metropole for over 30 years. His story is charming and warm as he makes dear friendships and discovers what matters in life against the backdrop of the early years of the USSR. 5 stars

PS the reader of the audio book is perfect.

MARYANN STEVENS

"THE SHORTEST WAY HOME" by Pete Buttigieg  5 stars

"BORN A CRIME" by Trevor Noah  4 stars

GERI CHRISTENSEN

LIGHT OVER LONDON by Julia Kelly

This is a wonderful story set in two different time periods, both Second World War and present day. It is a wonderful historical account of a "Gunner Girl", something I had never heard of before, and her experiences during the war taken from a journal found by a young woman working for an antiques dealer who found the journal while clearing out a house to get ready for an estate sale. Both of their stories and lives are fascinating. I thought it was well written and very worthwhile reading. I highly recommend it.  4.5 stars

THE TIGHTROPE WALKER by Dorothy Gilman

This is one of my favorite books by this author and I have probably read it about 4 or 5 times, but I never tire of it. It is the story of a young girl in her early twenties who has lost both parents and she buys a funny old antique shop in Trafton, Pennsylvania. In the shop is a hurdy gurdy or a street organ and in it she finds  note that says, "They are going to kill me soon...in a few hours I think. --And somehow they'll arrange it so no one will ever guess I was murdered."  Then she sets out to find out who this woman was and what happened to her and, in the end, finds her killers. It is a great story that moves quickly and satisfyingly to a a wonderful happy ending. 4 Stars

THE WOLF AT THE DOOR by Jack Higgins

This one was not one of my favorites of the books I have read by this author, but it was still an excellent story of intrigue and mayhem. The main character, Sean Dillon, is a familiar one for readers of this author's books. This one concerns an old Irish church in London and some of the people in the IRA who are bent on taking out some of their enemies and Dillon is sent to see that it doesn't happen. It is fast-paced and well-written, as all of this author's books are. 3 stars.  

MARLENE MATHESON

CALL THE NURSE, True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. MacLeod 

Mary, her husband, George, and two young sons wanted a calmer life than what they had in a busy city in the south of England.

They moved to a small island in Scotland where they joined the residents in a hard life. Mary became the district nurse and tromped

all over the island making house calls. The chapters are individual stories of her experiences which range from amusing, to sad and tragic. 

Non-fiction. I rated it 4.

VINCENT AND THEO, The Van Gogh Brothers by Devorah Heiligman

A Young Adult Book which received two awards. 

It contains photos of many of Vincent's sketches and paintings. 

The 658 letters that Vincent and his brother exchanged throughout their lifetimes, provided insight into their personal lives which is 

not usually seen: their joys but mostly their struggles. They look very similar. Theo, a successful art dealer living in Paris, supported 

his older brother both emotionally and financially so he could focus on his art. Vincent became so obsessed with it that he did nothing 

else and didn't eat properly. He had an emotional breakdown and spent some time in an institution, where he continued to sketch and

paint. He devoted his entire life to developing his talent, yet lived such a meager and lonely existence. He eventually shot himself at

the age of 37.

The book is long and a bit slow, but contains many details because of their letters.  

Non-fiction. I rated it 4.