Last Train to Istanbul
by Ayse Kulin
Jews and Turkey--A Lesser Known Story (9/2/2013)
The Last Train to Istanbul gives readers a glimpse into life in Turkey as WW II presses on the country's doorstep. It is the story of an open-minded family that will confront their daughter's decision to marry a Jewish boy only to cause Selva and her husband Rafael to move to France where they hope to find happiness.
In France, the Nazis are escalating their efforts to round up Jews. Faced with the possible loss of her husband, Selva turns to the Turkish Consulate for help to save her family.
The White Forest: A Novel
by Adam McOmber
Love a good mystery-alas this was not it (7/31/2012)
While Adam McOmber's The White Forest is dark and it is a mystery, it left this reader needing more. The plot seem to plod along at much too slow of a pace. This might have worked if the reader was hooked by the characters or an intriguing plot. Unfortunately, Jane, Mandy and Nathan needed more depth and personality; they lacked depth that would allow a reader to either want them to succeed or fail. And, while the premise of the book that combined the supernatural with human desire had great promise, in the end the story seemed forced and proved to be unsatisfying.
A Simple Murder
by Eleanor Kuhns
Add this book to your summer reading list (4/1/2012)
For Will Rees chasing after his son, David, ends up in a Shaker village called Zion. Not only does Rees have to resolve a broken relationship with his son, he also becomes enmeshed in solving a murder that takes place in the village.
While the story is somewhat predictable, the characters are engaging in this easy to read mystery. Not only does the mystery get solved, but several of the characters overcome personal issues and challenges that have been festering for some time. As you plan your summer reading list, A Simple Murder is worthy of a day of reading at the beach.
Half-Blood Blues: A Novel
by Esi Edugyan
Jazz, Germans and Being Black (2/13/2012)
Imagine being in Berlin and then Paris in 1939. Then imagine being a black man who is German and several black Americans all trying to play jazz in these two cities as the war nears. All the Hot Time Swingers (a German American band) wanted to do was play music.
This novel weaves a tale between survival in 1939 and a documentary that was being unveiled in 1992. This novel unwraps the story how a group of jazz musicians had to consider their own lives, the lives of their fellow musicians and surviving an ever growing presence of Nazi's in 1939.
This novel is a peek into a side of pre-WWII that most of us have not considered.
Falling Together: A Novel
by Marisa De Los Santos
Sometimes you need to lose something before you can find it (8/29/2011)
This is a book about friendship, un-friending, facing your demons in the closet and accepting change. It is the collective story and individual stories of Will, Cat and Pen as they go through ten years of their lives; sometime they go together and sometimes apart. This a story where the dialogue between the characters is witty, poignant and sometimes dismaying. This is the story of characters that are believable, well defined and approachable. This is a story for people who have had dear friends in the past and who have dear friends today. In Falling Together, you will take a journey with Will, Cat and Pen; it is a journey we have all lived in some way, shape or form. It is a journey about friends. This book is a journey worth taking.
In Search of the Rose Notes: A Novel
by Emily Arsenault
Slow going (5/26/2011)
I've always felt you should give a book at least 100 pages to get the reader wrapped into the plot; sometimes it just takes awhile for the writer to get the pieces of the story in place. Alas, even well after 100 pages of In Search of Rose Notes the book left this reader wondering if the book would ever gain momentum. I did stick it out to the end, but it was only out of the commitment to read and review the book. This mystery simply did not deliver - the plot was slow and the characters lacked much dimension.
A Lesson in Secrets: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
by Jacqueline Winspear
Amazing Maisie (3/6/2011)
As the world inches its way toward another war and zealot new groups in support of Hitler are on the rise, Maisie is asked by the British Secret Service to help with surveillance at a college in Cambridge that is committed to promoting peace. Not long after her arrival at the college, a murder occurs that puts Maisie at the center of new investigation that has all the twists and turns readers have come to expect and enjoy. Balancing this new assignment with several personal projects and her ongoing relationship with James, fans of Maisie Dobbs will continue to be more than satisfied.
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