I Wanted You to Know by Laura Pearson, A Review

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Book Description

Dear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew. But it wasn’t to be.

Jess never imagined she’d be navigating single motherhood, let alone while facing breast cancer. A life that should be just beginning is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations, and the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her.

Propelled by a ticking clock, Jess knows what she has to do: tell her daughter everything. How to love, how to lose, how to forgive, and, most importantly, how to live when you never know how long you have.

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

 I don't worry about dying....except for the fact that dying  now- would leave my child without a mother. And I don't say that because I believe I am the greatest mother of all time - but because I can't imagine not getting to see my son grow up. I want to celebrate all the milestones with him. Sure he's twelve, but I don't want him to be motherless. So being able to empathize with Jess on that plane was emotionally crushing. 

One of the best books I've read this year.  I was reading this (in the bath one night) and sobbing.Of course my husband comes around the corner to see if I'm okay. And he wonders why read a book that is going to make me cry. I have no good answer. I do know that Pearson captures motherhood in this book and it just reaches in and grips you, in the tightest, best way. I loved watching Jess learn motherhood alongside her mother trapped in mothering and letting go. 

I gave this book: ★★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

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Book Description

From the author of the multi-million copy bestseller, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, comes the new novel based on an incredible true story of love and resilience.

Her beauty saved her life - and condemned her.

In a Siberian prison camp, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she makes an impression on a woman doctor, Cilka is taken under her wing. Cilka begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions.

Cilka finds endless resources within herself as she daily confronts death and faces terror. And when she nurses a man called Ivan, Cilka finds that despite everything that has happened to her, there is room in her heart for love.

*Check Goodreads for the full book description.

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

What would you do to survive? 

Heather Morris begins to explores this theme in her first book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz but dives in wit with the follow-up Cilka's Journey. There is so much to unwrap in this story: Cilka and the story itself as well as controversy surrounding the book. I'm not going to address the second part - you can search that out on your own if you are interested. I strive to avoid drama; I read a few discussions about it. I have neither the time nor inclination to research it further and form a deeper opinion. My opinion is I'm tired of people taking works of fiction and expecting them to be picture perfect representations of history. It is not hard, nor troubling, for me to take a book, inspired by a "true story" or "real life events" or even based on a historical event, and know that it is fiction yet still glimpse what the reality of that moment in time was like.  Fiction is not non-fiction and we should stop treating it as such and expecting it to function as non-fiction. 

Okay, now back to the book. We first meet Cilka in The Tattooist of Auschwitz and learn that she suffers repeated rape there. That she takes advantage of her circumstances to to survive and to gain favors for those close to her.  I expected this book to shed more light on what Cilka experienced while in the Nazi concentration camp, which is does through flashbacks or memories. Having not read the description, I was shocked to learn that Cilka was judged harshly by those who "freed" her for her actions - many forced on her - and sent her to a Russian gulag, or prison. 

This is one of the reasons why I love reading: I never realized that so many people who had already suffered horribly in World War II faced even more discrimination, mistreatment and imprisonment following the defeat of the Nazis.  I'm not sure why I'm so shocked that Cilka would have been convicted of working with the enemy. She was sixteen when she went to Auschwitz. What sixteen year old girl would be able to physically refuse the attack of a man? It's so easy to stand on our side of history with safety wrapped around us and say that "I would never do that." 

And yet, until we are faced with it, how would we know what we would do? And I wonder if the people who are appalled by Cilka and how she used the advantages that came her way are the same people who ignore that existence of sex slaves in our world today. That question how it is possible for someone to be walking around in the world and yet be caught in that evil trap. 

There are no easy answers to these questions. It is important that they are explored. As Morris notes at the end of the book in the author notes: rape has long been a part of war and oppression. We don't like to think about it and we like to talk about it even less. But it is time to take the step that Cilka took - throw off the shame and guilt. 

Well. That is certainly not where I thought this review was headed when I sat down to write it. 

I found this book riveting. Who knows how Cilka mentally and emotionally survived the concentration camp and the gulag? I think Morris does a good job at exploring what existed and enabled her to do so.

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Rush of Heaven

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Book Description

“Ema, give me your hand.” These were the words Jesus spoke to Ema on Christmas Eve before He straightened her crooked foot, hand, neck, and spine, and restored her mobility.

Easter weekend, eighteen years earlier, an ordinary workday turned into a nightmare when Ema McKinley passed out and was left hanging upside down in the storage room.

Rather than improving, Ema’s body became progressively bent and disfigured. Doctors diagnosed Ema with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), an extremely painful trauma-induced disease which led to Ema’s hand and foot deformities, painful sores, insomnia, gastrological distress, curvature of the neck and spine, heart and lung failure, and permanent confinement to a wheelchair.

Once an athletic, powerhouse woman with multiple jobs and volunteer positions, Ema became a modern-day Job who lost everything except her faith and desire to trust God more fully. Ema wrestled with pain, anger, and unforgiveness, but now takes the reader on a healing miracle encounter of Biblical proportions.

Rush of Heaven will ignite readers’ passion for Jesus and help them walk hand-in-hand with Him through life’s darkness. It will open hearts to embrace the impossible.

 “Jesus gave me this miracle for you too!” — Ema McKinley

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

What an incredible story!

Ema had a deep faith before her accident and the daily struggles after push her into the arms of Jesus even more. I already knew God was real before this book; as a Christian though, I am in awe of Ema's constant faithfulness to Jesus. Her love for Him, her trust in Him, never faltered. She is an example to us all in how we should be seeking His counsel and strength. I do not face the trials and physical pain that Ema did, but I do have trials and pain in my life - thank you for helping me grow in my faith!

If you enjoy seeing the faith journey of other Christians,  this is a winner!

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

The Hive by Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden

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(shortened) Book Description

Cassie McKinney has always believed in the Hive.

Social media used to be out of control, after all. People were torn apart by trolls and doxxers. Even hackers - like Cassie's dad - were powerless against it.

But then the Hive came. A better way to sanction people for what they do online. Cause trouble, get too many "condemns," and a crowd can come after you, teach you a lesson in real life. It's safer, fairer and perfectly legal.

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

I rated this book 4 stars, not because I thought it was executed well but because it was an...intriguing...read. I share the main character's name and so was pre-disposed to like her. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I think this book could have been much better had it been given more editorial time. In my opinion, when books or movies reference a President, the reader shouldn't be able to tell automatically if they are a portrayal of a particular President or party.

There are certainly things I had issues with as I read this. The number one thing I did not like about Cassie was her attitude and treatment towards her mom. While she does come to appreciate her mother, I think there are other ways the author could have illustrated this without Cassie's disdain for her and perception that she was stupid.
 I also felt the teens are portrayed in very stereotypical shallow ways. Cassie, along with others, make stupid remarks. And others laugh at them. The joke Cassie makes about the President's daughter's baby is in poor taste. Many will say that this causes "political issues" for conservatives who think it is a reference to Trump/Ivanka. Perhaps it was. I found it distasteful because I do not support abortion. This is a horrible thing to say to anybody, just being opposed to them as a political or public figure doesn't make it okay. It is not a stretch to imagine this in the real world; we see people on social media saying things, especially young people whose brains are still developing, or making comments that are rude, offensive and insulting. Young people today are growing up in a culture where we see all sorts of posts or videos go viral, which is usually seen as a positive outcome for them. While I may have wished for better character (or character development) I do appreciate the story line which can open up conversations with young adults about social media practices. I am personally horrified by many comments I see people make on social media, which lead to cheers from some of the population and jeers from the other half. I especially find jeers that can lead to a person's physically safety or mental state of mind being threatened.

I gave this book: ★★★★
Not because of mechanics, but the premise was so interesting that I keep thinking about it.

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Michigan vs. the Boys by Carrie S. Allen, A Review

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Book Description

When a determined girl is confronted with the culture of toxic masculinity, it's time to even the score. Michigan Manning lives for hockey, and this is her year to shine. That is, until she gets some crushing news: budget cuts will keep the girls' hockey team off the ice this year. If she wants colleges to notice her, Michigan has to find a way to play. Luckily, there's still one team left in town ... The boys' team isn't exactly welcoming, but Michigan's prepared to prove herself. She plays some of the best hockey of her life, in fact, all while putting up with changing in the broom closet, constant trash talk and “harmless” pranks that always seem to target her. But once hazing crosses the line into assault, Michigan must weigh the consequences of speaking up --- even if it means putting her future on the line.

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

What an enjoyable YA read! I married into a family that enjoys hockey so I thought I would give this a read when I saw it over at Netgalley. YA books tend to be hit or miss for me and so I went in with "middle of the road" expectations. Allen's story of Michigan and her fight to continue to play hockey exceeded those expectations. I did not want to put this book down, which is saying something for me and a YA book. 

While it seems hard to believe that a school in Michigan would disband the girls' hockey team, even with budget constraints, that is the scenario that Michigan and her teammates encounter. While the girls find other alternatives, Michigan is left with only one option: try out for a spot on the boys' team. I found Michigan to be believable as a young woman. As an athlete, she is tough and determined while also typically being interested in a cute boy and clashing with her mom. It was a little unbelievable how detached her parents seemed but set up certain situations in the book. While I found this annoying and puzzling, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. 

Michigan faces hazing that ranges from ostracization (difficult and not the best but not horrible) to sexual harassment (appalling). I want to believe that boys don't act like this but then I remember that they are not adults and are prone to making poor decisions. (And yet, how did they get to the point where some of their actions actually seemed okay to them). And I am completely lost when it comes to the coach's response. 

Overall, Allen's book takes a hard look at equality in sports and hazing providing insight to those subjects. Michigan is a girl you root for; her journey to valuing herself, standing up for herself and not allowing the captain and his crew to mistreat her leaves you cheering. 

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

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Book Description

Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage—as her older sister Alix has done, moving to  England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir, Alexander, and once he ascends the throne, becomes empress. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie—now called Maria—must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.

Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has led her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

Well I quite enjoyed this book. After reading some of the scathing reviews, I'll attempt to formulate a coherent reason as to why.

Many of those reviews point out that the history is faulty and there seems to be a lack of research.

I can't speak to the historical accuracy but I certainly had the impression while reading that the author had done due diligence in research. At the same time, I read it as fiction. So much of what happens in the book takes place in private and while the author can make educated guesses to thoughts, motivations and conversations, accuracy may not be entirely possible. I have no idea what private papers are available which led me to read the book with a 'here's a good guess' point of view. Do I walk away  with the impression that every moment is historical fact? No. But I do walk away with a sense that the author depicted the dynamics and personalities and events in a reasonably logical way.

One review I read mentioned an excessive talk about jewels as being a negative; there was a lot of talk about jewels throughout the book. I personally love to look at royal jewels and will admit to grabbing my phone to google jewels and palaces as they were mentioned. The point the reader made was that they were so wrapped up in fashion and jewels that they were oblivious to the plight of the peasants. My interpretation of her point was that all the talk in the book was frivolous and didn't speak to the sufferings at that point in time, almost as if that needed more focus in the book. My perspective is that this absolutely shows how out of touch the aristocracy in general and the imperial family specifically were. Even with some of the family's desire to improve life for the common people and their charity work, they still had an attitude of elevated status that should render them revered and untouchable. While Marie knows that her daughter-in-law will push the people away, she fails to realize how much their family will come to be despised. Even when she references that they have much to lose, I don't believe she ever imagined that they would lose the throne, their fortune and the love of the people.

It is no easy task to cover such a wide span of history marked with major turbulent events. And yet, Gortner did so.

I gave this book: ★★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Code 7 by Bryan R. Johnson

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You can read for free with Kindle Unlimited (as of August 2019)

Book Description

Life at Flint Hill Elementary School may seem normal, but seven friends find themselves on a path to crack the code for an epic life. Whether they're chasing their dreams on stage, searching for an elusive monster fish, or running a makeshift business out of a tree house, can these heroes find a way to work together to change their community?

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.

I read this book back in 2017 so I don't remember details but I do remember reading it.

Someone reached out and asked if I would be interested in participating in an author interview in preparation for the book's release. I'll post the relevant part of my response below:

To be honest, I was going to pass - but then I finished the book and went and looked up more about Johnson and the Code 7 project. In all fairness, I wouldn't say that the writing is the greatest in the world, but I love the idea behind the project. Code 7, while far-fetched and simplistic, does present key characteristics that, as a parent, educator and concerned citizen, I believe our youth need to develop. The compilation of stories makes it easy to understand those characteristics in a practical way and opens the door to honest conversations between kids and adults. 

Two years on, I still believe this is an excellent book to open up conversations with young readers. And thinking about the simplistic language used in the book, I believe this can be beneficial as it will open the book to readers of all levels. And isn't that what we want from books: to have children connect with the characters and situations and then be inspired?

I gave this book: ★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Interview with Bryan R. Johnson

What inspired you to write Code 7? 

Each night when I was putting my children to bed, I’d make up a story for them on the spot. I always made the children protagonists in the story, and I could watch their faces and see how engaged they were: their emotions and their brains racing. It was fascinating to experience storytelling with them because they just loved it, and I loved hearing how they think, talk, express ideas, and learn. After that, I decided to start write these stories down.

I hoped to write a book that would reach a wide array of kids, and middle-grade is really the “Golden Age” of reading. The characters and settings actually mirrored the ages of my kids and the experiences they were having in life at the time. The book was also inspired by their teachers, principals, and things they were working on, too. 

What is your code for an epic life and why?

Each of the words featured in Code 7 plays a major part in forming my own values (Authenticity, Character, Care, Responsibility, Perseverance, Courage, and Become).

The last word, become, is built upon the idea that we’re at a unique time and place in human history where we can increasingly author any kind of world that we can imagine. This includes, for example, the ability to program computer software, biology, genetics and hopefully soon, neural code - some of the very things that we’re made of! Humans have authorship on a level that we’ve never had before, which raises a really important question about what we want to become because it’s increasingly becoming an enlarged area of opportunity.  I’m really excited about the potential. 

What were your favorite childhood books?

Harold and the Purple Crayon, Berenstain Bears, Chronicles of Narnia, Dr. Seuss, Curious George, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, and Where The Red Fern Grows, to name a few.   

What do you hope children will learn from reading your book? 

I hope that kids feel inspired to find and follow their own purpose. It’s a difficult thing to extract ourselves from the values, priorities and ideas that we each inherit in life.  I want kids to ask themselves: If I could create my own purpose, what would it be? I want them to think about what they care about, not what others care about. 

When I talk to kids who have read my book, I am amazed by how they remember their favorite characters, how they are able to quickly intuit why their favorite story in Code 7 mattered to them. I also believe my readers connect with stories that address relatable themes of friendship, peer pressure, bullying, and identity without it feeling like they are getting spoon-fed a lesson. In the book, seven ordinary children each have their own not-so-ordinary story, and by the book’s end, I believe it inspires readers to ask an all-important question: can I make a difference to myself and to others? The answer is a resounding yes.   

How many things did you fail at before you finally made a breakthrough in your life?

I don’t give much power to the word failure. To me, success and failure is all just one big continuous iteration. 

What’s next for you?

The next frontier of human aspiration. I’m trying to contribute to the creation of a future where we would look back in a couple thousand years from now and be pleased about the decisions we’ve made and how we’ve played our role in contributing to a positive future. 

I think you’ll see more books as well; I find writing to be incredibly enjoyable. 

To see my latest news, follow me on Twitter, Facebook or visit bryanjohnson.co.  To receive email updates about my books, sign up for the email list here: code7book.com/contact 

I would like write you a fan letter or feature you in a book report. How do I contact you? 

Kids, please be sure to read all about me and my book Code 7 at Code7book.com. For more information about the other things I am up to, you may also visit bryanjohnson.co. If you would like to write a fan letter, you may contact me at code7book.com/contact. While I can’t respond to every comment I receive, please know I read every fan letter I get, and your words inspire me to keep writing more books!