2013 Book Reviews

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford (Audiobook) & Giveaway (Paper copy-US only)

October 10, 2013 by Darlene

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford is one of those books that captures your heart from the first page and doesn’t let it go even after you’ve turned that last page. Set during the Depression era 1920’s and 30’s Songs of Willow Frost is a touching and emotional tale of a Chinese American young boy and his mother. It is a quietly told and beautifully written book that I won’t soon forget.

We first meet twelve year old William who is living at the Sacred Heart Orphanage for the last five years of his life. He had watched his mother being taken away and never saw her again. On their birthday the nuns take the boys to the theatre and while there William is sure that the picture of the actress Willow Frost that he sees is his mother. He runs away from the orphanage determined to find her and find out why she left him. What he learns has the power to change his life forever.

This is such a powerful novel and one that brought me to tears. As the story alternates between the 1920’s and 30’s and you learn who Willow was and why she made the choices she did you find your heart breaking. Ultimately you find that the bond between a mother and her child is truly an unbreakable one. My wonderful library had the audio of Songs of Willow Frost which is narrated by Ryan Gesell and he has a wonderfully quiet tone of voice that lent so well to the telling of this story. I truly enjoyed his narration and loved this book!

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford is on tour with TLC Book Tours so be sure and check out the other tour stops. Jamie can be found on his website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. You can purchase your own copy of Songs of Willow Frost at Amazon or Amazon Canada.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS (US only)

I have one copy of Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford to share with my US readers. To enter…

Leave a comment for 1 entry into the giveaway.
Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog for 2 extra entries.

This giveaway is open to US residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Oct 25/13. Good luck!

Source: Review copy provided by Publisher however audiobook was a library copy. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

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Forgetting Tabitha: The Story of an Orphan Train Rider by Julie Dewey & Giveaway (Open Int’l)

October 8, 2013 by Darlene

Forgetting Tabitha: The Story of an Orphan Train Rider by Julie Dewey is an emotional and realistically told story of the lives of children who boarded the orphan trains bound for new homes. I have read about orphan trains before but that didn’t make the impact of reading of them again any less horrific for me. The thought of all of these poor children without homes just broke my heart.

Tabitha starts out her life happy growing up on a farm with her mom and dad. That is, until her father dies. Tabitha and her mother move to the Five Points District in New York City. Needless to say this is no place for a young girl to grow up with the brothels, thieves, and more. Yet Tabitha is happy enough as long as she has her mom even though they struggle just to survive on a day to day basis. When her mother becomes ill and dies, Tabitha is left alone on the streets of New York stealing in order to have food to eat.

It is there on the streets that the Sister of Charity work to find the homeless and destitute children and send them off on orphan trains to hopefully find homes. This is where Tabitha ends up, alone and scared. She was instructed, as were the other children, to forget her past entirely- her name, religion, and family. They were given new identities and Tabitha became Mary. The trains stopped at various towns and the children were paraded like farm animals to be chosen by families – some looking for kids to love but more often than not looking for kids to work on their farms in exchange for room and board. As Tabitha is ten years old she isn’t the prime age for families to pick her but eventually she is chosen and that is where her story really begins.

The novel has several other characters other than Mary who I thought was brave, strong, and independent. She wanted a better life but never wanted to forget where she came from. My interest in the story was the orphan trains and the lives of the children afterwards. Not all these children end up in good living environments. The author writes this novel in a blunt and real way, much like I imagine the way life was at the time. Just a note that there are some graphic scenes which may bother some people. Ultimately Forgetting Tabitha is a story of courage and hope; one worth reading!

Forgetting Tabitha by Julie Dewey is on tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours so be sure to check out the other tour stops. You can connect with Julie on her website and Facebook and you can purchase your own copy of Forgetting Tabitha at Amazon and Amazon Canada.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS (Open Internationally)

I have one copy of Forgetting Tabitha by Julie Dewey up for giveaway and best of all it’s open Internationally! To enter…

Leave a comment for 1 entry into the giveaway.
Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog for 2 extra entries.

This giveaway is open Internationally and I will draw for the winner on October 23/13. Good luck!

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

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The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes (Audiobook)

October 7, 2013 by Darlene

The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes is the She Reads Book Club Selection for October and what an excellent choice! We have yet to have a book that isn’t good over on She Reads. That’s a great track record I’d say! The Girl You Left Behind is a story of true love, romance, and the mystery of a painting all set against the backdrop of World War I and the present time.

The year is 1916 in a small village in France where Sophie lives with her family having seen her husband Edouard off to war. When the town falls to the Germans all of their lives are thrown into turmoil. When the new Kommandant decides that he wants Sophie to cook all of his soldiers meals she knows she has no choice despite her immense hatred of these men. Then the Kommandant notices the painting that Sophie’s husband did of her called The Girl You Left Behind and he becomes obsessed both with her and the painting. Eventually Sophie risks everything she holds dear to her heart in her hope to secure her husband’s safety.

Fast forward to present day London and we meet Liv, a young widow still trying to put her life back together after the sudden death of her husband. Liv was given a painting as a wedding gift by her husband and it just happens to be none other than the portrait of The Girl You Left Behind. After her husband’s death this painting took on an even deeper meaning for her and she treasures it above all else. Which is why after she meets Paul, the first man to interest her in a long time, she is horrified to learn he actually tracks down stolen paintings and unfortunately hers is one of them. Liv is shocked but even more than that she refuses to give up her painting. This sets Liv on a path to learn just who Sophie was and it changes her life.

I listened to the audiobook of The Girl You Left Behind which was narrated by Clare Corbett and Penny Rawlins and they do a fantastic job! The different tones and emotion that they both brought to the telling of this story was amazing. The Girl You Left Behind was a great read for me and one I would easily recommend especially to those who enjoy reading novels that span two different time periods with an amazing story to tell. I thought this book was extremely well written and now I can see why so many love JoJo Moyes’ writing because now I’m one of them! Be sure to check out more reviews of The Girl You Left Behind over on She Reads.

JoJo’s website, Facebook, and Twitter
Buy at: Amazon, Amazon Canada, B&N, and IndieBound

Source: Audiobook from my own library.

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The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin (Audiobook)

October 4, 2013 by Darlene

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin is a highly emotional and moving re-imagining of the last days of Christ through his mother’s eyes. This fictional tale is well told and imagined and portrays Mary to the reader as much more human than the virginal image we have of her. I listened to the audiobook of The Testament of Mary and it’s read by the amazing Meryl Streep whom I adore and she brings a beauty to this book like none other. She has one of the most beautiful voices and it fit so well with this story.

Mary is old now and living out her life in the town of Ephesus where disciples of Jesus still care for her by bringing her food and making sure she is ok. However their view of the last days of her son and hers are very different and this story has her remembering the events as she saw and experienced them.

Mary doesn’t believe her son was the son of God and nor does she feel his death was worth the suffering he went through. Mostly she feels regret for not staying with her son as he died and instead fleeing for her own life and also for not speaking up for him although it wouldn’t have helped. In Meryl Streep’s emotional telling of this tale I felt I could feel Mary’s pain, sadness, and regret in her telling of her son’s crucifixion and how she felt afterwards.

The Testament of Mary is almost poetic in ways and is narrated in much the same way by Meryl Streep. I found this audiobook to be very emotional for me as it relates the crucifixion through Mary’s eyes. Ultimately it is a very good audiobook and I can see myself listening to it again as it is fairly short at a little over three hours. For those who enjoy biblical fiction I think The Testament of Mary is one you shouldn’t miss and the audio is superb with Meryl Streep narrating it. The Testament of Mary is a beautifully written book that will haunt your thoughts long after you’ve turned the last page.

Listen to an Excerpt (scroll to the bottom of the page)
Buy at: Simon & Schuster, Audible, and iTunes

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher. No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

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Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (Audiobook)

October 3, 2013 by Darlene

Wow! That is how I will start this review because that is the only word coming to mind as I just finished listening to the audio version of Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. It is narrated by Will Patton and I can’t even begin to gush over the great job I think he did. He was the perfect choice to narrate this book as he’s very talented with injecting the right amount of emotion and excitement into his voice at the right time. As for the book I will say that I didn’t think anything would live up to The Shining for me but I was wrong! I was glued to this audio from the beginning to the end and at 18 plus hours that says a lot. It was utterly fantastic!

Doctor Sleep has us returning to one of the most popular characters that Stephen King created and that was Dan Torrance of The Shining. Dan is all grown up now but he is still haunted by the time he spent up at the Overlook Hotel when he was just a boy. It had affected most areas of his life with him turning to alcohol for solace from the depression and violent tendencies he feels.

After arriving in New Hampshire and meeting Billy and getting himself an AA sponsor Dan’s life begins to improve. When he begins working at a nursing home and using his ‘shining’ to help those pass peacefully in death he feels he’s finally found his calling and eventually they begin to call him Doctor Sleep. When he starts receiving messages on his blackboard from twelve year old Abra and learns she needs help he doesn’t hesitate. A crazy bunch of people who call themselves the True Knot go after those who have the shining and use the steam from it in order to keep on living and what they do to them I won’t even say. When they come after Abra though it becomes personal for Dan. However he can never imagine how it will bring alive all his own demons that he’s been running from for years.

Doctor Sleep is awesome! It is Stephen King at his best and listening to it on audio made it all the better for me. It had my heart pounding and my mouth hanging open at some of the twists and turns and I loved every minute!

Buy at: Simon & Schuster, Audible, and iTunes

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher. No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

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Thread of Gold Beads by Nike Campbell-Fatoki & Giveaway (US/Canada)

October 2, 2013 by Darlene

Taking place during The French-Danhome war of the late 1890’s in Benin Republic and moving into the early 1900’s in Abeokuta and Lagos in South-Western Nigeria, Thread of Gold Beads by Nike Campbell-Fatoki is a novel rich in the life and culture of the people who lived during this era. It is also a coming of age story, a love story, and the story of a woman full of courage, strength, and determination.

Princess Amelia, daughter of the King of Danhome has led a good life in the Kingdom despite all the political upheaval swirling around her. There are also other things going on, whispers and such that she knows have to do with her and when a secret surfaces that completely shatters her life and war breaks out in Danhome Amelia has no choice but to flee with her brother Dare. The two head for south-western Nigeria and it is there that Amelia will find the love of family and God. However not before a journey through many struggles and yet more secrets that shock Amelia down to her very soul. Will Amelia ever have the love and peace she has always wanted?

This is a wonderfully written novel. The characters are well developed and the plot intriguing. I really liked Amelia. For the era she lived in she was a strong and smart woman and not afraid to show it. No matter the adversities she faced she came back stronger and more determined. I also liked Ms. Titilayo who took Amelia in and cared for her like she was her own. Of course there are characters you love to hate but they added to the story as well.

If you enjoy historical fiction that takes place somewhere different from what seems the norm and has some interesting twists and turns, then Thread of Gold Beads is one you should add to your reading list. I really enjoyed it!

Thread of Gold Beads by Nike Campbell-Fatoki is on tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours so be sure to pop in and visit the other tour stops. You can connect with the author on her website and blog as well as Facebook and Twitter. You can purchase a copy of Thread of Gold Beads at Amazon, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, and CreateSpace.