A different voice for WWI literature...

I have had this book sitting on my shelf for YEARS.  Truly.  I have almost given it away a few times, thinking I wasn't going to read it.. then I found that I was out of library books to read, and I didn't want to get back in to Norrell and Strange.. and well, this one seemed like a good idea.

This is a bit of a haunting look at WWI through the eyes of a first nations man from Ontario.  It was brutal, with some raw edges, and about loss, love in many different forms, hope, and ultimately redemption.

Well worth the time to read, but certainly not a happy go lucky feel good book.

A lovely surprise in YA fiction...

Another book that I fell in love with.

Remember being 16, your first crush?  This will remind you of that angst and your younger self.

This is a great book.

Another series in which the second book really doesn't live up to the first or third in a trilogy

I enjoyed book 1, book 2 lost me a bit along the way, and this one was more of a page turner again that kept me entertained for the few days that it took me to read it.

This final chapter of the trilogy was fast-paced, and I enjoyed our three female lead characters much more (Charlotte, Melanie, and Dale).  The gloves were off a little more, more vulnerability, and more growth.  Different folks had learning circles close, and the female relationships were back again at front and center.

I think what I liked best about this series (besides women in leadership roles), was how it was peppered with how hard it is to balance any career with motherhood, and the prices that women pay in this precarious existence. This was fine summer reading for me. With the US presidential candidate nomination races going on - an interesting snapshot in to the political lives of the insiders, especially as a woman could be running for president next year, and given the impact terrorist actions have had in the last decade.

Great recommendation

I love Summer reading. I am not quite sure how it is truly different than Winter reading. Ah yes, curling up on a blanket outside rather than on the couch with a big glass of cold water rather than a coffee. A friend from work recommended this author, and when I checked out more info, folks said that if you liked Diana Gabaldon's type of writing (check), you would likely also enjoy Kearsley (check).

I love finding new authors. I really enjoyed this book.  Well researched, and two time period story lines that were well woven together.  I would have almost liked more of the present day story, but it was a good read.  I apparently like books with a bit of magic tossed in, as well as good, well researched plot and interesting characters. I will be reading more from this author!

A welcome respite

I read the first installment of the "Irish Country" series a year ago, and I am surprised it took me so long to come back to it again.

These are truly lovely reads.  It is truly easy to get lost in the fictional town of Ballybucklebo, Northern Ireland of the 1950s'ish.

This novel finds us following O'Reilly in both modern times and reflections from his experiences as a Naval Surgeon during WWII.  I find the prose easy to read, the characters engaging, and I like learning about past lives and how the 'present' weaves in and out of past events. There are many things to like about these books, and if you are looking for an escape in to another time, where the drama is on a local scale, this is your series.  You finish the book wanting more, and also feeling good.  These aren't dark novels, they are about relationships and the role of your country GP that looks at their patients holistically and how small towns evolve in ways different than that of the city.