The title of the book is based on a story that Clementine's nanny, Mukamana, would tell her. It was about a beautiful, magical girl who roamed the earth, smiling beads, and it was her favorite story. How ironic that Clementine ended up roaming the world.

The references to different books throughout the memoir is interesting. Clementine read many she could relate to: Night by Ellie Weisel, Sula by Toni Morrison, Infidel by Ayana Hirsi Ali, The Natural History of Destruction and Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald. Each of these books helped Clementine to feel she wasn't alone in her thoughts and heartaches. So many times as we read a book we can relate to the characters or the situation and feel a little bit better about ourselves and life. It is a comfort to know we are not alone and Clemantine felt the same. Someone finally understood.

One of the most moving passages in the book is found on pages 94-95. It begins "The word genocide cannot tell you how I felt…" Such a moving and heartbreaking excerpt. Her description has remained with me. (The passage was too long to write here.)

I found this book extremely hard to read. The descriptions of Claire's and Clementine's living conditions are beyond my ability to comprehend or even imagine. No human being should be subjected to the circumstances these two girls lived through. This is a book that should be required reading in high school so we never forget what happened and it is never repeated. A 5 star book.

Each stanza of the poem by Maya Angelou, "Still I Rise" was a mantra to Clementine. It is beautiful and fitting. Here is a portion that appears on page 213.

   Did you want to see me broken?

   Bowed head and lowered eyes?

   You may kill me with your hatefulness,
   But still, like air, I'll rise.

This psychological thriller is a five star plus plus plus book! I tried to set it aside and get some work done, but it wouldn't let me. It kept calling until I gave in and started reading again. And as I was reading I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on. A number of times I thought I had, only to be thrown a loop by the next chapter. This continued to the very last page of the book and I am still not 100 sure what exactly happened. I think I know, but I question my thoughts again and again.

Alice Feeney is a poetic writer with verses that flow one into another. The chapters are written in three different time periods and this works very well to keep the suspense alive. The descriptions and character development are in depth throughout the book. Especially when Amber is speaking from a coma.

Sometimes I Lie will creep under your skin and not let go. A must read book of the year!

The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve is a one sitting read. Once you pick up the book and read the first sentence, you will not want to or be able to put it down. A five star book of engaging historical fiction.

Shreve transports us to coastal Maine in 1947 where we meet Grace, a mother of two and married to Gene. Her best friend Rosie lives next door with her two children and husband Tim. All summer there has been a drought and now wildfires are raging across the state. Grace and Rosie's husbands have gone to fight the fire and left the women and children at home. The fire is escalating and the women must rely on their instincts to save their children and themselves. At this pivotal moment Grace's life is changed forever. Nothing she knew or depended on can help her when the winds of change come. Grace must now light the fire that has been buried deep inside of her in order to survive.

Grace is a character of deep emotions and resilience. In the beginning of the book she is very meek and quiet. In time we come to see her fierceness and drive that compels her to live. Rosie is another favorite character of mine. She is not quite as well developed, but I loved her from the beginning. She is everyone's best friend and ally. My least favorite is Gene for many reasons. He is a self-centered egotistical man that cares nothing for his family!

Home Sweet Home was an enjoyable read. The references to McCarthyism were enlightening and touched on a topic I haven't read much about. The characters were well developed and easy to like or dislike. There were a few I was not crazy about, but that is true of the people we encounter in our lives on a daily basis; so it was right on target.

The landscape of South Dakota came to life. I could imagine the dry earth and the snow; the smells from the cattle ranch and the many hardships the Kusek family endured living in a rural town.

I struggled to be swept away by the book. I enjoyed the plot, but everything moved a little too slow. There were many, many references to cattle ranching, but not about the trial or the McCarthyism of the time. I would like to have had more clues to the assault on Lance and his family through out the book. Keep the suspense building until the end. The conclusion of the Kusek families trial and Lances attack seemed rushed. Everything ended abruptly for me. It was too slow in the first three quarters of the book and too much was thrown in at the end.

This is a hard book to review since I do not like reading non-fiction. The four star rating is for the exceptional research by Helen Rappaport and her attention to details in the writing. There were so many times I felt that I was in Petrograd. I could hear the gun fire, see the women in the long bread lines and enjoy the architecture of the city. The hardships the people went through amazed me. The wealthy, the poor and the foreigners all suffered extremely. Of course war is horrifying; but being invited to stand and watch at such a close distance is shocking.

A few things jumped out at me as I was reading. I was unaware of the British helping the Russians during the war. (Before the revolution) They held benefits to purchase warm clothes for the Russian soldiers.

The first women's battalion in the world was formed during the Revolution by Maria Bochkareva.

I questioned why foreign citizens and diplomats did not leave Russia earlier than they did.

I wished many times that photograph's had been included in the book.

From February to December, 2017, the city of Petrograd fell. It does not take long for a revolution to destroy the way of life for so many.

[Editor's note - the copy Laurie read was an advance reading copy - produced before the final editing process. ARCs are often missing the finishing touches such as photos and index.]