Join me for my five-book reading wrap-up!
“The Four Winds”
(click photo below to go to Amazon)
Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage was a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.
By 1934, the world has changed: Millions are out of work, and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land, and their livelihoods as crops fail, and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.
In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa―like so many of her neighbors―must make an agonizing choice: Fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
In this book, you will meet Mae Tuck, her husband, and her two sons. You will also meet Winnie Foster. The Tucks are immortal because they drank water from a magic spring in the forest. Winnie, on the other hand, is a normal girl. Winne comes from a wealthy family, and she is protected from the outside world. Winnie decides to explore the forest that contains the spring one day and comes across one of the Tucks drinking from the spring.
The Tucks will do anything to protect the secret of the spring, and to do so, they kidnap Winnie and take her back to their home.
The Tucks and Winnie develop a friendship. They come to care for each other. As the story progresses, you meet Winnie’s family, the law of the local town, a toad, and an unsavory character that attempts to make a mess of everything.
I found this to be an enjoyable read, and I did find a movie!
I gave this book a 4/5
Fern needed protecting because their mother was a true sociopath who hid her true nature from the world, and only Rose could see it. Fern always saw the good in everyone. Years ago, Fern did something very, very bad. And Rose has never told a soul. When Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart’s desire of having a baby, Rose realizes with growing horror that Fern might make choices that can only have a terrible outcome. What Rose doesn’t realize is that Fern is growing more and more aware of the secrets Rose, herself, is keeping. And that their mother might have the last word after all.
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My Thoughts Before I Read the Book
This was my selection in a book subscription box called Authentic Books. It was listed as a mystery thriller, so I thought I would probably like it.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book—the book centers around two twin sisters, named Fern and Rose. Fern struggles with what they call a sensory processing issue. This issue makes her very sensitive to light, sound, scents, and the list goes on. It seems that she struggles at times, and she finds refuge and solace in her job at the library. Rose, on the other hand, seems to have it all together. She is married and financially sound. Her only problem seems to be her inability to have a child.
The book does have a dual timeline. In the past, you learn about the girl’s childhood and their seemingly abusive mother. You also learn of something horrible that happened in their childhood, this event is a vague one initially, but you slowly learn more.
In the future, you learn about Fern and Rose’s lives. You will meet a very unique gentleman that befriends Fern at the library. I enjoyed their relationship. You will also get to know both girls better as you read on and find that things are not always as they seem.
Good book, I really enjoyed it.
I gave this one 5/5 stars.
Amazon Link Below, just click on the photo…
From the author of the #1 bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky comes a new historical novel inspired by one family’s incredible story of daring, survival, and triumph.
In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans?
The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century. But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime, Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom.
Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West, the Martels’ story is a brutal, complex, and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of love, faith, and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized.
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My Thoughts Before I Read the Book
I love historical fiction, so I decided to give this book a listen on Audible. This story is about a family of German heritage that decides to use the services of “the wolves” to rescue them from the war. I had never heard of the wolves, so I thought it would be a good book to learn about a side of history I had no knowledge of.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
This is a book that centers around the Martel family. It follows their joys and their pain as they attempt to escape both the Stalin rule out of Russia and Hitler’s rule out of Germany. Both options are horrible for this family.
One way to escape Stalin if you are pure German is to utilize the services of The Wolves. The wolves were SS officers from Hilter’s military. These wolves would supposedly take pure Germans to safety to escape the Stalin regime.
The Martel’s did not like what Germany was doing on the world stage, but to save the family, they decided to call on the services of the Wolves. This option also came with a price that nearly destroyed their family.
In this book, you learn of the many atrocities of war as you follow this family through the heart of it. As I was reading, I thought the family was fictional, but I would later learn this is based on a true family and their experiences.
If you want to know a bit more about WWII, this would be a good book for you.
I listened to the book on Audible, but I went on to buy the book because I wanted it in my library.
Is there a book trailer?
Here is a link to a short video by the author
Is there a movie?
I could not find any plans to make a movie based on this book.
I give this book 3/5
Detective Billy Harney is back, this time investigating a notorious Chicago drug ring along with his sister, Detective Patti Harney. Billy’s partner Kate has spent months infiltrating the cartel when suddenly several of its members turn up dead, Kate’s cover is blown, and a key informant disappears. Now the cartel is hell-bent on retrieving a mysterious “black book”: the ledger containing the list of high-profile clients.
The more Billy investigates what’s in the black book, the more he’s pulled into dangerous network of corrupt politicians, vengeful billionaires, and violent, dark web conspiracies. Billy realizes there’s no one he can trust, and every step closer to the truth pushes his family closer to danger.
The Coldest Case is Patterson’s first audio-only thriller, and Audible has filled it with a fully immersive sound design, lightning fast pace, and powerful performances in every role. Each chapter ends with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, making The Coldest Case one hell of a ride.
My thoughts before reading the book
I think what attracted me to this listen was the cover photo. I loved this actor on Breaking Bad, so I thought maybe I would love his character in this reading.
My thoughts after reading the book
KathieyV:-)