The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream - Jeannie Zusy - fiction - three stars - This is about Maggie whose older sister Ginny has had developmental issues her whole life. She is very high functioning, has had a job and lived alone most of her life, but then she falls, and can't take care of herself any longer. Maggie brings her home to back to New York to live closer to her. It doesn't go particularly well. Ginny wants to be back in Maryland, she doesn't follow the rules, she's angry with Maggie. Meanwhile, Maggie is dealing with an impending divorce and empty nest as well as with challenges at work. This one never really pulled me in. As usual, it's because of the characters. They were frustrating and I just never really connected with either Maggie or Ginny. Meh.
Ancestry - Simon Mawer - historical fiction - four stars - I thought this was an interesting book, it's a ficionalized telling of the author's family history. He's done a lot of research and shares images of source documents throughout the book. He traces his grandfather Abraham Block, a sailor in the mid to late 1800's on one side as well as the Mawer side of the family where his father was a soldier who fought in the Crimean war. This was a bit slow in parts, but I loved quite well done and well researched.
Uncultured: A Memoir - Danielle Mestyanek Young - memoir - five stars - Really interesting read about a woman who grew up in the Children of God cult. She spent much of her childhood in South America, but eventually decided to leave the cult with the tacit approval of her family. I thought that was one of the interesting pieces of the story - I think I always assume that cults will do everything to keep people from leaving, but in this case she, and eventually the majority of her family, got out. Scarred and with very little to their name, but they were able to leave. To me this was the most interesting part of her life, how she left, while still high school aged, and had to reintegrate into society - get a job to support herself, catch up on all the learning she did not receive in the cult, and finish college. Post college she joined the military which is the third part of the book. Also interesting, but to me that part of the story very much had an agenda to it, so was not as compelling as the rest of the book. Definitely recommend.
Forsaken Country - Allen Eskens - fiction - five stars - I love all Eskens books. They are not a series in the traditional sense, but they focus on different individuals who are tangentially related. I enjoy going back and revisiting and getting to know characters better. This book focuses on Max Rupert, one of the focuses of the initial book, and I've been hoping to hear more of his story. Max has been living the life of a hermit in northern Minnesota, but is coaxed into investigating the disappearance of a friend's daughter and grandson. This was action packed with a couple of twists and turns that I didn't anticipate. These are very fast reads for me because I have to find out what happens, and then I'm disappointed because I have to wait for another book. Highly recommend this one and the whole series.
Joan - Katherine J. Chen - historical fiction - five stars - This is a fictionalized account of Joan of Arc. The book focuses a lot on her background, how she grew up, what made her the way she was as well as the later life that she was more known for. It's an interesting look at the commoner/poor in 13th century France, which was being fought over between the French and English. At the time, Paris was in the hands of the English. I also enjoyed the look at the political machinations involving different family members as well as the church. Similarly, the book focused on the diminished roles of women, what they could and couldn't do, the power that they could wield or not depending on their circumstances. Great read.
The House in the Orchard - Elizabeth Brooks - historical fiction - four and a half stars - This one I picked up on a whim from the new books shelf at the library. It's kind of a dual timeline story, although honestly it is mostly the previous timeline, told through a diary that Peggy, who inherits Aunt Maude's home, finds there. Maude's brother Frank is her father-in-law, and he wants her to sell the home, he hates it and Maude. Peggy finds the diary and starts to read Maude's story. Maude's parents died while she was still a teenager when Frank is in medical school. None of Maude's extended family wants to take her in, instead per her father's wishes, she goes to live with Kitty Greenaway, who she learns was her father's mistress. Maude is torn between wanting to hate Kitty, and liking her. Frank, who is not a Kitty fan, comes to visit, and becomes smitten with her. Maude is jealous and comes up with a plan to sever their relationship. This one was really only so so for me, I had it pegged at three stars, but there's a pretty interesting twist at the end that still has me thinking and wondering what the real truth is, which kicked it up to three and a half stars (rounded up).
As Fast As Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success - Kendall Coyne - autobiography - four stars - I got this book for the girls last year. Ellie's read it several times (don't think Carina has made it through yet). I'll say the initial chapters were somewhat ho hum for me. I think it's partly the way that the book is written...it's at a level for younger readers, and I was having a difficult time with it, but as I got further into the book, the writing style bothered me less. That's probably because it was such a compelling story. It's pretty amazing the obstacles that Coyne has overcome in her playing career. Lots of unplanned twists and turns, things that normal kids would have been so frustrated by, she just dealt with and moved on. Must read for the hockey girls in your life.
Favorite in December was definitely Forsaken Country, this is another plug for Allen Esken's books. If you haven't tried them, you really need to. Start with The Life We Bury. Right now I'm reading The Book of Goose, and looking forward to another year of reading! Would love to know what you have been reading!
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