Archive | August 2019

Last Words by Shari J Ryan

Aug26

Simply Beautiful And Heartbreaking

Last Words by Shari J Ryan is the most beautifully told historical and contemporary story of forbidden love in times of war. The novel is set in Theresienstadt in 1942 and modern day America. This book made me cry and it filled my heart with love.

We do not choose who we fall in love with. For some, just a glance makes a lasting connection. Others may spend a lifetime looking. True love lasts and never dies.

The action alternates between the two time periods after the discovery of a diary from 1942. “Most of the memories were too painful to face, and I had to lock them away in that diary.” The horrors of World War II loomed large. It was a time of unspeakable evil acts committed against the Jewish people. Loved ones were torn apart. You  needed a strong will and a lot of luck to survive.

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Will You Love Me? by Barby Keel

Aug25

The Price Of Love

Will You Love Me? by Barby Keel is the true story of Bailey, a greyhound in need of a forever home.

Barby Keel dedicates her life to animals in need. She has a sanctuary in Sussex. She works tirelessly on their behalf. Bailey was the worst case of animal cruelty and neglect that Barby Keen had ever seen. The descriptions of Bailey will make you cry. Man’s inhumanity to animals beggars belief.

Bailey is a fighter. Barby Keen is a fighter. It was Bailey’s fighting spirit that kept him going. It was Barby Keen’s fighting spirit that both fought for Bailey and battled her own cancer. Seeing all that Bailey went through strengthened Barby Keen to keep going. “I saw his bravery, his ability to trust me even though he had received little kindness in his life.” As they nursed each other back to health, Barby Keen knew she must one day say goodbye. Grief is a part of loving. Barby Keen’s goal was to find Bailey his forever home with people who would love him as he deserved.

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What Happens Now? by Sophia Money-Coutts

Aug23

Roaringly Funny And Honest

What Happens Now? By Sophia Money-Coutts is a very upbeat contemporary novel about the highs and lows of pregnancy. I really enjoyed this honest look at life through the eyes and mind of a single thirty one year old named Lil.

The book opens with a pregnancy test and ends after delivery. The reader ‘travels’ the nine months with Lil. We see her take on situations as she asks the questions all mums-to-be want to ask. Written in the first person the reader becomes intimately acquainted with Lil. I loved her down to earth manner that contrasted with those around her in the birthing class.

What Happens Now? Was not just about pregnancy, it was about good friends, work colleagues and family. Not all families are made up of the traditional mum, dad, two children and a dog but the families are made up of love.

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The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa

Aug22

Leaving

The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa is a fascinating and powerful contemporary and historical novel that is based on facts, surrounding the voyage of the St Louis from Hamburg to Cuba in 1939. It is a dark period of history and the story is one I did not know. It is a story that needs to be told in memory of the passengers.

The novel is set in 1939 (moving forwards) and 2014. It is about life and love and loss. It is set in Berlin, on board the St Louis, in Cuba and New York City. It is about a shared history and inheritance. We need to know our past to be able to plot our present and future.

Being Jewish in Germany in 1939 was terrible, a time of persecution, horror and terror. Death was a daily occurrence. When hope was offered it was seized. The Jewish people found few willing to help them but life and birth and death still went on.

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