You know those books that have such great characters that they crawl into your heart and settle there? The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline is one of them. Spanning years and distance and set against the backdrop of British colonization, it tells the stories of three women on the receiving end of that brutality.Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna are memorable for their stories, but they tug on your heartstrings even more so because they are based on real people. There’s Evangeline, a governess sentenced to prison after her pregnancy is discovered; Hazel, a young midwife also sentenced for a minor infraction; and Mathinna, an orphan ripped from her home as an experiment in “taming the natives” by the wife of the new … Keep Reading
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Recent Reviews
‘Midnight Library’ and the Power of Regrets
Do you ever think about where you’d be if you did that ONE thing differently? If you, say, changed your major to match your passions, rather than your expectations? Or if you’d taken that leap of faith and moved to that far off city where you knew no one? The possibilities for how your life could have unfolded are endless, and it's hard not to think about them, sometimes. That's the premise of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and it's a good … Keep Reading
‘The First Day of Spring’ is a Powerful Debut Novel
When Chrissie was 8, she killed a little boy. Twenty years later, she’s a mom trying to do what’s best for her daughter. But how do you forgive yourself for something so awful? Or are some acts so terrible that there’s no coming back? Do the standards for redemption change if you killed someone as a child, rather than adult?Equal parts disturbing and heartbreaking, The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker is told through alternating points … Keep Reading
‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ Infuses Freshness Into the Familiar
Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. My last few books have been duds so I was nervous about continuing my “losing streak”, but this one hit the spot. On its face, the story is tried-and-true: girl meets boy, boy has secrets, girl seeks truth and surprises abound; but Dave infuses freshness into it by going in an unexpected direction. Her approach strikes a balance between the familiar and the … Keep Reading
From the Archives
“Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks” by Juliet Eilperin
This will be a really short review because "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks" by Juliet Eilperin is the type of book that someone will either want to read or immediately dismiss because they aren't interested in sharks. And although I could spend hours upon hours trying to convince you why sharks are so important, I won't do that here.So, with that said, I love this book! The author made sure to cover all sides of … Keep Reading
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Book Review)
This book has been on my to-read shelf for a good number of years and I finally got around to reading it at the recommendation of a classmate. Short and filled with life lessons, I can understand why The Alchemist is an international bestseller and has a worldwide following of its "teachings." This type of book was probably pretty exciting back when it was published in 1988 but in today's age of spiritual bestsellers (The Secret, Eat, … Keep Reading
CTC Book Tour: Living Again by L.L. Collins
Confession: I've read a lot of Nora Roberts books in my lifetime. Despite her predictable story lines, she usually manages to bring me into the fold of the story to the point that I am just as invested as if it were the first time. So when I first read the summary for Living Again by L.L. Collins I thought I was going to be getting another pleasantly and predictable storyline.Wrong. This self-published and brand-spaking new book is so much … Keep Reading