4.5 It is so easy to read the sorts of books that you expect to like, but I was looking for something different to read. I can't even remember how I stumbled on this book, but the setting of this book is one that I have never read about before. It was refreshing to learn about life on steamboats and how they brought jazz up and down the Mississippi river towns. I love a mystery, but found much more than that in this book. The characters felt very real and didn't do what I was expecting, which was refreshing. It was a book that I closed with a big sigh, a grin, and a bit of a tear as well.

WOW! I was not surprised that this novel was a tough read, given the subject matter, but it was so good! The author made rural Georgia in the 1930s come alive with her descriptions of daily life and the struggles to make ends meet. The characters were well developed, as the story was told from varying viewpoints. The selfishness of human motivations were laid bare in this book, sparing no one. I loved how the truths in the story were revealed slowly, in layers, reaching backward and forward in time, until it was a fully formed yet imperfect flower. My mind keeps going back to The Twelve-Mile Straight and the lives lived and lost there.

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I gave a satisfied sigh when I closed the cover. I do like books with multiple time periods but often one story is more interesting than the other. In this case both stories were equally engrossing. I found it well written and filled with lots of the elements that draw me into a book: antique journal, crumbling family home, mysterious deaths, odd coincidences, magic and folklore. It put me in mind of The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, but it had a charm all its own. Highly recommended.

I have read a number of WWII novels and The Nightingale is one of the most powerful stories of the group. It comes close to one of my favorite WWII novels, Jenna Blum's 'Those Who Save Us'. The novel seemed to start slowly for me and the writing made me feel as if it were written for a younger audience. But as the story progressed, the horrors of war were not sugar coated. This is not a novel for kids. As horrific as some of the things the sisters went through were, I know there were millions who suffered far worse. I found myself drawn into the lives of the two sisters and was amazed at their endurance and bravery. Through the many plot twists I kept wondering what I would have done had I been in their situations. This book will stay with you for a long time, and I imagine it will be a wonderful discussion book for reading groups.

I don't think I have ever read a book that had so many dysfunctional situations going on in one family. It was so unbelievable and yet Lisa Jewell pulled it off. I honestly felt like I knew the characters and cared about them. I think she really got to the core of the hoarder's motivations which I found fascinating. It was for me quite a delightful book, and in the end left me with warm feeling for the Bird family. Recommended for book discussion groups.

I really enjoyed reading Where Monster's Dwell. I don't usually read murder mysteries because I prefer Historical Fiction. But Where Monster's Dwell was a good mystery blended with history and travel. I visited Trondheim with my family when I was 10 and could imagine the city with the view of Munkholmen Island. I found the murders pretty gruesome, but the mystery was intriguing and the characters were believable. I got very caught up with the two story lines and suspected all the wrong people – but that's OK because I like to be surprised! While I usually don't recommend murder mysteries as book club books, I think there were multiple topics that could lead to lively discussions.

This isn't a book that I can recommend. While there were some great moments that had me chuckling, it wasn't enough to make it a good read for me. The humor did not match the general dark tone of the book. I didn't find any of the characters likeable and the end left me feeling flat. I did, however, enjoy the writing and I think the author could have redeemed the book with a more positive spin on the storyline.

I found A Dual Inheritance a slow but rich read. In some ways it reminded me of The Emperor's Children in that it seemed to have a thread of humor and irony running under the surface of the story. I found myself drawn into the times and places of the characters' lives and reflecting on my own life and how choices and circumstances have changed me. At times it felt that there should be more explanation behind the character's motivations, but the way it is written makes it a book that would lend itself to lively book group discussions. Recommended!

I found The Woman at the Light a fun easy read, and found myself drawn in quickly to the story. I enjoyed learning about the keeping of the lighthouse and the history of Key West. The pace of the book was good and it kept my interest, but somehow I felt a bit detached from the narrator. I would have liked to feel her emotions more deeply. So many tragic and beautiful things happened to her but they were told a bit too matter-of-fact. She was still a strong woman, and I could admire her for how she dealt with all the challenges that came her way.

I highly recommend this book to anyone one who enjoys magical tales. The story isn’t fast moving, but each scene was so vivid that I just savored every word. It was highly creative and the story was well put together. I read it every chance I could get, yet I didn’t want it to end.

This book started a bit slow for me but quickly got my attention. I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book enough to look some facts up on line. While the author did a good job of making the city of Sienna come alive to me, I found that the story was somewhat predictable. If the characters had been more multi-dimensional, it would have allowed for some more interesting plot twists. It was a quick and enjoyable read, but I did not find myself thinking about it much after I was finished.

This is a solid historical mystery, but for me it wasn’t what I would call an historical thriller as the cover claimed. I enjoyed the history of the book which sent me more than once to look up facts online. While I liked the narrator and felt that I connected with him, I found myself having trouble keeping the other characters straight in my mind because there were so many of them, they just didn’t come alive to me. It was as if the mystery was hidden because there were too many story lines rather than clever plotting. There were some story lines I would have wanted expanded a little more. I think fewer, richer characters would have made the story a fuller, more satisfying read.

Gifts of War was a surprise read for me. I thought I could tell where the story was going to go based on the book cover description. But the book is much more than the relationship between Hal and Sam. It is an examination of the meanings of love and of family. I enjoyed getting a taste of what it was like to live in England during World War I, and to see the changing roles for women in that time I didn’t find either of the main characters especially likable, but as the story unfolded I found myself drawn to their situation and the dilemma the future would bring. The ending is very powerful and will stay in my mind for a long time.