Lynn's List (March 30, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• We Were Strangers Once by Betsy Carter
• Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks
• See Me by Nicholas Sparks
• Going Off Grid (States of Love #37) by Sjd Peterson
• Lust: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel (The Seven Deadly Sins #1) by Victoria Christopher Murray
• Stand Your Ground: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray
• Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
• Just in Time by Marie Bostwick
• Plain Confession by Emma Miller
• High Risk (High Stakes Ser. #3) by Simona Ahrnstedt
• Sweet Vengeance by Fern Michaels
• The Promise by Susan Lantz Simpson
• Redemption: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Last 31 Hours by Joseph Rosenbloom
• With One Shot: Family Murder and a Search for Justice by Dorothy Marcic
• Be a Good Girl by Tess Diamond
• Tim by Colleen Mccullough
• Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
• Follow the River: A Novel by James Alexander Thom
• One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf
• John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit by James Traub

Review: Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit by Chris Matthews

Title: Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit
Author: Chris Matthews
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 31, 2017
Edition: Kindle (416 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• History

Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit by Chris Matthews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Chris Matthews, MSNBC’s Hardball anchor, has written another book about the Kennedy family. This time, a biography of Robert Kennedy. The book, I think, captures the spirit of Bobby Kennedy throughout his life--his beliefs and his humanity--and how he managed to help his brother run for political office and serve as President of the United States, and yet still remain his own person.

This is the best biography of Robert Kennedy I have read to date. Not only does it paint a vivid picture of the man, but also of the times in which he lived, especially of the 1960s. For those of us who lived through the 1960s, it is impossible to forget them, and equally as impossible to forget Robert Kennedy. I was a young girl in 1968, and I cannot overstate how proud I felt when I listened to him speak about the need to help all Americans, and how I admired what he did as he traveled across the country to see how people lived and to see what he could do to make things better.

If you want to learn about this man and understand his spirit and vision, I highly recommend this book.

Review: Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner

Title: Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall
Author: Nina Willner
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Edition: ebook (416 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• Germany
• History
• Memoir

Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Nina Willner chronicles her family's story of their separation by the Iron Curtain that lasted forty years. As a little girl she wondered about her grandparents and why they couldn't be with her on Grandparents Day. When she question her parents, she learned that her mother had escaped from Eat Germany, but her grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins were still there, behind the Iron Curtain. Despite this, the family kept in touch. And this is their story.

I cried my way through this awesome book. I, like so many others, watched the TV coverage, in November 1989, when the wall came down and reunited Germany. But I didn't think of it in terms of family reunification. It was about freedom and freedom of people oppressed for decades under communist rule.

This book illustrates the triumph of the human spirit and its longing for freedom. I highly recommend it.

Lynn's List (March 23, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner
• Anytime Soon by Tamika Christy
• Vanished by Wil S. Hylton
• John Adams by David Mccullough
• Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump by David Corn and Michael Isikoff
• The Color of Light by Emilie Richards
• The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by Jason Sokol
• To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship by Jeffrey Kluger and Ruby Shamir
• The Burning House: Jim Crow and the Making of Modern America by Anders Walker
• Accidental Heroes: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• Reluctant Warriors (Reluctant Warriors Ser. #1) by Jon Stafford
• Death of an Intern (Laura Wolfe Thriller Ser. #1) by Keith M. Donaldson
• The Eloquence of Desire by Amanda Sington-Williams
• When the Crickets Stopped Singing by Marilyn Cram-Donahue
• The Orphan's Tale: A Novel by Pam Jenoff

My review: Forget Her Name by Jane Holland

Title: Forget Her Name
Author: Jane Holland
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: January 25, 2018
Edition: Kindle (346 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Psychological Thriller

Forget Her Name: A gripping thriller with a twist you won't see coming by Jane Holland

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Catherine is happily preparing for her wedding to Dominic. The death of her older sister seems not to haunt her life so much. She's volunteering at a food bank, and her life seems nore or less normal. But, suddenly, she receives a package that plunges her back to that old life and Rachel's death. Is Rachel really dead? Who is behind this? The consequences are unimaginable.

The twists, turns and surprises in this book are totally unexpected. As a reader, I was never prepared for what lay around the next turn of a page. I don't think I've ever read something quite so unexpected. Definitely a book to keep me reading psychological thrillers.

Lynn's List (March 16, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Ruth's Journey by Donald Mccaig
• The Resurrection of Joan Ashby: A Novel by Cherise Wolas
• Silent Rain by Karin Salvalaggio
• Dark of the Moon (Virgil Flowers Series, #1) by John Sandford
• Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes
• What You Left Behind by Samantha Hayes
• Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
• Last Seen by Rick Mofina
• The Presidency of Barack Obama: A First Historical Assessment by Julian E. Zelizer
• To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration by Edward J. Larson
• Visionary Women: How Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall, and Alice Waters Changed Our World by Andrea Barnet
• The Flight Attendant: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian
• Friend of Sinners: Why Jesus Cares More About Relationship Than Perfection by Rich Wilkerson Jr.
• Baby Love by Catherine Anderson
• City In The Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center by James Glanz and Eric Lipton
• Glass Houses: Congressional Ethics And The Politics Of Venom by Marty Tolchin
• You'll Never Know, Dear: A Novel of Suspense by Hallie Ephron
• A Time in the Sun: An Epic Novel Of The Apaches And The Struggle For Arizona by Jane Barry
• The Chain by Paul I. Wellman
• East River: A Novel by A. H. Gross and Sholem Asch

Review: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Preface by Pat Conroy)

Title: Gone with the Wind
Author: Margaret Mitchell
Publisher: Scribner
Publication Date: November 1, 2007 by Scribner (first published June 30, 1936)
Edition: ebook (1,052 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Classics
• Historical Fiction
• Romance

Literary Awards:

• National Book Award for Novel (1936)
• Pulitzer Prize for Novel (1937)

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This epic novel tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a young woman of sixteen in 1861, when the Civil War commences. And it follows her life through that period of history, continuing into the reconstruction era. At the beginning of the novel, Scarlett is focused on the romantic conquest of Ashley Wilkes, the son of a wealthy plantation owner and friend since childhood. But her plans take a very different turn when Ashley chooses another young lady and the Civil War alters her life in ways she could never have imagined.

This book can be read on so many levels: as a romance; as a historical novel about the progress and aftermath of the Civil War in the south; and, as a chronicle of the perspective of the Civil War from a southern viewpoint.

I first read Gone with the Wind just after graduating from high school. My mom read it when it was first published in 1936, and it became one of her favorite books, perhaps, her most loved book. She reread it often, and we discussed it regularly after I first read it. I don't think I have cried over a book so much before or since. It became a personal and real story to me, even though I knew it was fiction. The characters took on real stature.

I have reread it four times since that first time. This last time, I decided to read the edition with the preface written by Pat Conroy. I thought it would offer me more perspective because he was from the south and a southern fiction writer. It certainly did that, and more. I believe I now have a better understanding of the Civil War than I could have gotten from history books--all because of the perspective Pat Conroy brings to the Civil War and this novel. To say more about this would give too much away. Suffice it to say, this novel is enhanced considerably by Pat Conroy's preface, and I recommend this edition because it will give the reader an eye opening look inside a way of life that is no more. But a way of life that still reverberates in our culture and politics to this very day.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves literature, romance, the classics and history.

Lynn's List (March 9, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• No One Is Coming to Save Us: A Novel by Stephanie Powell Watts
• Obsessed: America's Food Addiction - And My Own by Mika Brzezinski
• Finding Mary Blaine by Jodi Thomas
• What the Heart Knows by Margaret Daley
• The Wife Between Us: A Novel by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks
• While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
• Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me from Myself by Julie Barton
• Final Girls: A Novel by Riley Sager
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (preface by Pat Conroy)
• The Terminal List by Jack Carr
• If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin
• A Court of Refuge by Ginger Lerner-Wren and Rebecca A. Eckland
• The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen
• The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer
• If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
• Hear My Heart by Billy Graham and Rick Warren
• The Woman Left Behind by Linda Howard
• The North and South Trilogy by John Jakes
• Homeland by John Jakes
• Tomorrow Will Be Different by Joe Biden and Sarah McBride
• The Sandman by Lars Kepler
• Close to Home: A Novel by Cara Hunter
• Closer Than You Know by Brad Parks
• Can It Happen Here? by Cass R. Sunstein
• No Other Gods: The Politics of the Ten Commandments by Ana Levy-Lyons
• Broad Band by Claire L. Evans
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown
• Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
• Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy
• Michelle by Liza Mundy
• Battles of Destiny 2-in-1 Vol. 1: A Promise Unbroken and a Heart Divided by Al Lacy

Review: Worth Killing For (Julia Gooden Mystery #3) by Jane Haseldine

Title: Worth Killing For (Julia Gooden Mystery #3)
Author: Jane Haseldine
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: March 27, 2018
Edition: Hardcover (352 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Mystery

Series: Julia Gooden Mystery #3

Worth Killing For by Jane Haseldine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Julia Gooden, Detroit newspaper crime reporter, investigates the death of a city councilman's young nephew, and finds a string of murders going back years. The kidnapping and of her brother, Ben, thirty years ago, is never far from her thoughts. And, in a bizarre set of circumstances, what is happening now may be linked to her past--if she can just fit all of the pieces together and solve the puzzle. But doing so may cost her her life, and maybe the lives of her two young sons, if she isn't careful.

This is the third gook in the Julia Gooden Mystery Series. The better I get to know Julia, the more I like her. She has courage and heart. She is smart and tenacious. She is also quite a risk taker, but that only serves to make her more human. With Julia, there is never a dull moment. Jane Haseldine write stories with unexpected plot twists and turns. You're never sure what is around the corner on the next page.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Revisiting the Zion Covenant Series by Bodie Thoene and Brock Thoene

I am revisiting the Zion Covenant Series by Bodie Thoene. I could reread these books over and over again. They have so much to teach me. I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys WWII related books or WWII history.

Lynn's List (March 2, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances
• Promise at Dawn by Romain Gary
• The Power of Labelling: How People are Categorized and Why It Matters by Rosalind Eyben and Joy Moncrieffe
• National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Ruth Scobie
• My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King and Rev Barbara Reynolds
• Rise: How a House Built a Family by Cara Brookins
• Wildwood by Elinor Florence
• River Road by Carol Goodman
• The New Neighbor by Leah Stewart
• Outside the Lines: A Novel by Amy Hatvany
• The Story of the Amistad by Emma Gelders Sterne
• We Are Not Alone by James Hilton
• The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins
• Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
• Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama by David Garrow
• Ernest Hemingway: A Biography by Mary V. Dearborn
• Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Todd Hasak-Lowy and Susan Zimet
• Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Albert Marrin
• Fairytale: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• Splintered Silence by Susan Furlong
• The Dreams of Ada by Robert Mayer
• W. E. B. Du Bois: Selections from His Writings by W.E.B. Du Bois and Bob Blaisdell
• Private Scandals by Nora Roberts
• Centennial by James A. Michener
• The Cases That Haunt Us by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker
• Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
• Extreme Measures by Michael Palmer
• Hellfire by John Saul
• I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane

My Reads (February, 2018)

At the beginning of each month, I publish a list of books I have read the previous month. By clicking on the links in the list, below, you will be taken to my review of that title. Happy reading!

• All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
• The Ones Who Got Away (The Ones Who Got Away, #1) by Roni Loren
• The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
• Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta, #1) by Patricia Cornwell
• Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham by Patricia Daniels Cornwell