September Books

After a few chapters of this I almost lost my motivation to finish, but I persevered and the last few chapters on grace made it worth while. It actually had me looking at my own life to see if I do the same things as the main character. Good recommendable fiction. 

This story of a girl (post-civil war) and her mom (slavery / pre-civil war) mostly was catalogued as historical fiction although there are several sci-fi aspects. It's a good look into slavery and will probably do well with all the new black life matters movements going on. Not my favorite but good.

A great lecture series about Britain during Queen Victoria's reign. I learned much and liked the professor's teaching style. I especially appreciated his ability to use the literature of the time to reflect the society at the time. 

Noah Feldman is a lawyer turned author and therefore the book reads somewhat like it was written by a lawyer hoping to be an author. There's a lot of good information but it is pretty dry and somewhat hard to get into. My first Madison, and considering who he was and what he did I will try another one rather than stopping with this account. 

Middle grade novels have become some of my favorites. This one is so good and very poignant at times; there is so much feeling and insight that I wonder if a middle grader is going to absorb it all or if they will simply see it as a good story. Either way it is a highly recommendable story of a family's struggles during the great depression. 

This was completely fascinating. The author takes the journey of our attempts to understand the Polynesian Triangle and its people from early attempts to today (published in 2018). One of the last statements she makes is that we were closer to the answer before we got all the technology but we eventually made our way back; and it's closer to the Polynesian oral traditions than we wanted to believe. A highly fascinating book. The trouble with audio books is the lack of pictures to go with the audio and I ended up being on maps the entire time. 

Rebekah picked this out for me. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be but it was a good quick read. Think airplane read - quick, held interest, but nothing truly thought provoking. 

Highly recommendable historical fiction concerning post civil war age and the late 1980's. The author ended each chapter with a teaser to make the reader want to keep reading; this practice I sometimes find trite but Wingate did it quite well. Also, this was an audio book for me and it was well read as well. 

My third Gill Paul; second one about the Romanov's, first one being The Secret Wife about Tatiana, this one about Maria. I like Gill Paul and while it's not the best things I've ever read, they are highly enjoyable. Think brain candy. The only thing I dislike about her writing is sometimes in the today's portion the narrative the couple (mainly the man) can treat each other (mainly the girlfriend) harshly and I have to wonder why she would sit there and take it rather than leaving, however, maybe that scenario in life is more true than I would like to admit. 

I've read several refugee books lately and this one stood out. Although the author is relatively new, this was astounding. So many emotions. And a serious eye opener to what's going on in our world today. It makes one want to take action somehow.   

It always fascinates me how much I don't know. This account started with Polk and covered congress - mostly the House - throughout Buchanan and even into the Civil War. I was surprised how much Texas, New Mexico, Utah, and California played into the early succession debates about slavery and its expansion. Highly recommendable, although the author's writing style is somewhat dry and not my favorite. The information is worth while. 

It was a good premise but the book eventually fell flat. I didn't care much for the main character or her story. The stories that followed the life and path of the book were not developed near enough and I felt the author depended on sex and violence to keep things interesting. Not recommendable. 

A simple middle grade (I'd say pre middle grade) book about the life of a 4th grade girl, her family and friends. It's good, especially for young girls: there's a section in the book where the grandma talks to the girl about what makes a person beautiful. Very good and highly recommendable. 

This was a second time around for me. Sometimes I feel the weight of all the books I read and need to wait while my brain downloads the information. When I get to that point I tend to cleanse the pallet with Jane Austen or Bill Bryson, fully understanding those two authors are completely different and may be horrified to find themself in a same group with the other, but they are both enjoyable and fall into that brain candy genre. This is a great introduction to Australia and makes me want to visit. It also makes me want to find the book and see if there are pictures. Right now I look the places and things he discusses up on the internet to have a visual. But it's a highly recommendable book. One of my favorites he has written.