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Title: A Column of Fire
Author: Ken Follett
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Viking
Publish Date: September 12, 2017
Source: Publisher
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "In 1558, the ancient
stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by
religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between
Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clash, testing
friendship, loyalty, and love.
Ned Willard wants nothing more
than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on
opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes
to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe
turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the
country’s first secret service to give her early warning of
assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans. Over a turbulent
half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism
sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings to her
throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of
resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.
The real enemies,
then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those
who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would
impose their ideas on everyone else—no matter what the cost."
My Two Cents:
"A Column of Fire" is the third book in Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series. I have not read the first two books but after reading this one, I really want to go back to read those two books as well as some of Follett's other books! That being said, this book works rather well as a standalone book. Standing at over 900 pages, you are in Follett's very capable hands so the pages fly by! This is a historical fiction epic.
The book takes place during a tumultuous time in England's history: the late 1500s and early 1600s. The country is going through a major identity crisis as to whether it is a Catholic or a Protestant country. Should everyone be in the same mold or can they have more freedom? Who is the rightful ruler of the country? Who can that ruler trust?
This was a time period that was familiar to me but what I appreciated is that for the most part, Follett's characters are just on the edge of history. We meet rulers through them like Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots. We see how calculated each move must be for even these edge-of-history characters in order to be on the "right" side at the "right" time.
This book is action packed and kept me on my toes. In some ways, it reminds me of a soap opera. There's a huge cast but each character has their own unique story. Large casts can often be an issue for me because of the likelihood of characters blending together but Follett really does a good job of creating different storylines that intertwine in surprising ways.
This was a great read!
Title: Glow
Author: Megan E. Bryant
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Albert Whitman Company
Publish Date: September 1, 2017
Source: PR
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "When thrift-store
aficionado Julie discovers a series of antique paintings with hidden
glowing images that are only visible in the dark, she wants to learn
more about the artist. In her search, she uncovers a century-old romance
and the haunting true story of the Radium Girls, young women who used
radioactive paint to make the world's first glow-in-the-dark
products—and ultimately became radioactive themselves. As Julie’s
obsession with the paintings mounts, truths about the Radium Girls—and
her own complicated relationships—are revealed. But will she uncover the
truth about the luminous paintings before putting herself and everyone
she loves at risk?"
My Two Cents:
"Glow"
is a dual timeline story about Julie, a young artist with a penchant
for finding interesting things in thrift stores, and three sisters
living during World War I who all get jobs painting dials of clocks for
the troops overseas. This practice uses radium, which at the time was
seen as actually having health benefits although we recognize it as
being quite harmful these days.
There has been a crop of books
that have come out over the past few years that have been about the
infamous radium girls. In this book, the historical story of the sisters
working in the factory takes a backseat to the modern story of Julie
discovering the historical mystery. While we get to hear directly from
Julie in a more forward fashion, the story of the radium girls in this
book is told through letters and diary entries, which while interesting
made the history feel further away. I wanted to know so much more about
the sisters and what they thought about what they were going through in
the factory and about the choices they made even when those choices
could prove to be dangerous.
Although the focus on the modern
day story does takes precedence over the historical story, there is
still some really interesting historical facts. I just wanted more
there. I wanted to get to know the historical characters better and
wanted more detail about their lives and the difficulties they faced
from working in the factory.
This book is geared for young adult
readers and while mystery lovers will enjoy how Julie uncovers the
secrets of the past, this book only gives you a tiny taste of the story
of the radium girls but that taste is still good.
Title: The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For
Author: David McCullough
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Publish Date: April 2017
Source: Library
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Over the course of his
distinguished career, David McCullough has spoken before Congress, the
White House, colleges and universities, historical societies, and other
esteemed institutions. Now, at a time of self-reflection in America
following a bitter election campaign that has left the country divided,
McCullough has collected some of his most important speeches in a brief
volume designed to identify important principles and characteristics
that are particularly American. The American Spirit reminds us of
core American values to which we all subscribe, regardless of which
region we live in, which political party we identify with, or our ethnic
background. This is a book about America for all Americans that reminds
us who we are and helps to guide us as we find our way forward."
My Two Cents:
I didn't realize what
"The American Spirit" was about really when I picked it up but David
McCullough is one of my very favorite historians and he is definitely on
my automatic read list. This book is filled with speeches that the
author has given everywhere from in front of Congress to commencement
speeches in front of college students. This book is filled with
inspiration and stories of parts of American history that it was good to
be reminded of as well as stories that I was unfamiliar with.
This
book is good for both those are familiar with McCullough's work and
those that are not. Those that are familiar with McCullough will
appreciate his special brand of storytelling that his fans are familiar
with. His ability to link stories together into lessons for today and
the future is fantastic. Those not familiar with all of these things are
in for a treat as they experience him for the first time.
The
speeches in this book are really good and touch a lot of different
subjects. This book is good balm for these recent times when things seem
so off kilter, strange, and strained in our country. I enjoyed this
book!
Title: Satellite
Author: Nick Lake
Format: ARC
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: October 3, 2017
Source: Publisher
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "He’s going to a place he’s never been before: home.
Moon
2 is a space station that orbits approximately 250 miles above Earth.
It travels 17,500 miles an hour, making one full orbit every ninety
minutes. It’s also the only home that fifteen-year-old Leo and two other
teens have ever known.
Born and raised on Moon 2, Leo and the
twins, Orion and Libra, are finally old enough and strong enough to
endure the dangerous trip to Earth. They’ve been “parented” by teams of
astronauts since birth and have run countless drills to ready themselves
for every conceivable difficulty they might face on the flight.
But
has anything really prepared them for life on terra firma? Because
while the planet may be home to billions of people, living there is more
treacherous than Leo and his friends could ever have imagined, and
their very survival will mean defying impossible odds."
My Two Cents:
"Satellite" is the story of Leo who was born on a space station. He wasn't supposed to be born there but his mother's circumstances made it so she didn't find out she was pregnant until she was in space and it would have been too much for her and the baby to reenter the Earth's atmosphere. The small space station is the only home that Leo has ever known. Now, his body may be finally developed enough to go home.
This was a really interesting premise. Every once in awhile there seems to be talk of humans someday being able to live in space on various planets (I'm looking at you, Mars). This book takes this idea and turn it on its head. Leo and the twins Orion and Libra are not supposed to live in space but they end up being the first humans to do so and it's not at all what the space agency involved expected.
This is a coming of age story with a twist. Leo thinks he knows the whole story as to how and why he's on the space station but he finds out that there is much more. The adults in his life haven't told the whole story. I really liked how the author was able to slowly drop clues to keep you wanting to read about the true reason that Leo, Orion, and Libra are on the space station. This was a good read that would appeal to young adult readers who like sci fi.
Title: Mischling
Author: Affinity Konar
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Lee Boudreaux Books
Publish Date: September 6, 2016
Source: Library
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Pearl is in charge of: the sad, the good, the past.
Stasha must care for: the funny, the future, the bad.
It's
1944 when the twin sisters arrive at Auschwitz with their mother and
grandfather. In their benighted new world, Pearl and Stasha Zagorski
take refuge in their identical natures, comforting themselves with the
private language and shared games of their childhood.
As part of
the experimental population of twins known as Mengele's Zoo, the girls
experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find
themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once shared,
their identities altered by the burdens of guilt and pain.
That
winter, at a concert orchestrated by Mengele, Pearl disappears. Stasha
grieves for her twin, but clings to the possibility that Pearl remains
alive. When the camp is liberated by the Red Army, she and her companion
Feliks--a boy bent on vengeance for his own lost twin--travel through
Poland's devastation. Undeterred by injury, starvation, or the chaos
around them, motivated by equal parts danger and hope, they encounter
hostile villagers, Jewish resistance fighters, and fellow refugees,
their quest enabled by the notion that Mengele may be captured and
brought to justice within the ruins of the Warsaw Zoo. As the young
survivors discover what has become of the world, they must try to
imagine a future within it."
My Two Cents:
"Mischling" is the story of two identical twin sisters who are sent to Auschwitz during World War II with their mother and grandfather. As they are twins and identical twins at that, the infamous Dr. Joseph Mengele becomes incredibly interested in studying them in the concentration camp. Pearl and Stasha see themselves as two sides of the same coin. It means they share in the good but that they also must share the bad, which makes Mengele's experiments more insidious than they already were (hard to imagine to be sure).
Being the mother of identical twins, this book definitely frightened me and made me think a lot. I really like the way that the author was able to capture capture the bond between both of the sisters. It's through their incredible bond that they're able to protect their minds from all that they see in the concentration camp. It's incredibly powerful and definitely made me sad in a lot of places. This is the first fictional book that I have read that takes on Mengele's experiments and it is frightening!
The author uses a lot of detail which while uncomfortable, gives you a good sense of what people went through with regard to human experimentation. The narrative is divided up by the twins and how they see things a little differently, which I thought was good touch and definitely engaged me.
This book is very powerful and it's definitely a book that I have been thinking about long since I got to the last page.
Title: We Can't Be Friends: A True Story
Author: Cyndy Drew Etler
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publish Date: October 1, 2017
Source: Publisher
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "For the readers of GO
ASK ALICE, TWEAK, and DEAR NOBODY, Etler details her turbulent
readjustment to life at home and high school after spending sixteen
months in Straight, Inc. Advertised as a rehab program for troubled
teens, in reality, Straight subjected Cyndy and her fellow Straightlings
to cultlike brainwashing and bizarre “treatment” methods. There was no
privacy, no freedom, and no room for error. But when Cyndy is finally
released, she discovers she’s living by an entirely different set of
rules than her peers. What new extremes will she go to in order to fit
in?"
My Two Cents:
"We Can't Be Friends" is the story of Cyndy, who ends up in Straight Inc. as a young teenager. Straight Inc. is billed as being a way to rehab kids so that they never do drugs or drink again but the program has a dark side. The program relies on some pretty harsh tactics and the reader is left questioning what cost Cyndy's sobriety (if you can really call what she was doing before an issue) came at.
I felt so much for Cyndy throughout this book. Because of some of the sort of brainwashing she goes through in Straight, she seems to have a lot of issues functioning in the real world once she's there again. She is constantly worried about the people around her and whether or not they are going to lead her back into addiction. This prevents her from making a lot of the connections that are so important to getting through the teenage years.
I had never heard about Straight before this book and it was terrifying. I think we can all agree that rehab is necessary and a good thing to have access to but Straight often seemed to hurt more than help. It was really eye opening to see what Cyndy went through.
I did wish that the book would have talked more about some of the specific tactics that Straight used to better understand some of what happens later on in the book. The Straight part goes by very quickly and the book mostly has to do with happened after. Overall, this was an interesting picture into a world that was unfamiliar to me!
Title: Home Fire
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publish Date: August 15, 2017
Source: Library
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Isma is free. After
years of watching out for her younger siblings in the wake of their
mother’s death, she’s accepted an invitation from a mentor in America
that allows her to resume a dream long deferred. But she can’t stop
worrying about Aneeka, her beautiful, headstrong sister back in London,
or their brother, Parvaiz, who’s disappeared in pursuit of his own
dream, to prove himself to the dark legacy of the jihadist father he
never knew. When he resurfaces half a globe away, Isma’s worst fears are
confirmed.
Then Eamonn enters the sisters’ lives. Son of a
powerful political figure, he has his own birthright to live up to—or
defy. Is he to be a chance at love? The means of Parvaiz’s salvation?
Suddenly, two families’ fates are inextricably, devastatingly entwined,
in this searing novel that asks: What sacrifices will we make in the
name of love?"
My Two Cents:
In "Home Fire," Isma, Aneeka, and Parvaiz grew up without parents. Isma feels like she is finally free from having to care for her siblings and she flees England to go to school in America. Aneeka and Parvaiz are twins and Aneeka very much seems to find her identity in their twinhood and going to school. Parvaiz is looking for something more. He wants to understand his father, who he never knew and who has been branded by the country Parvaiz now calls home as a terrorist. This journey will lead him down a dangerous path where there may be no return from.
This book has so many twists and turns and really kept me on my toes. In addition to the story of the siblings, there is the story of the new Home Secretary and his son. The new Home Secretary is of Muslim descent and is seeking to show that he is tough on extremists. His son is seeking his own life outside of his father's shadow. The Home Secretary's family and the siblings will clash in unbelievable ways that really shake this book up.
This book has a lot of universal themes, which makes for a lot of its appeal. You have the siblings questioning what they will do for family. You have several of the characters questioning their identities and what makes who we are as individuals. There is so much to mull over and this book is one that really sticks with you.
There were a lot of parts of this book that were quite shocking but the ending, oh, the ending. I really, really don't want to give anything away but the ending is one of those that you have to read a few times just because it is so shocking. It doesn't exactly give you closure but in this case, the ending really works well.
