Obsidian - Flights of Fantasy Challenge

This one really didn't fit into my Pop Sugar reading challenge.  I am also doing Flights of Fantasy - my goal is to read 50 Fantasy books this year.  Shouldn't be a problem for me since it is one of my favorite genres.  I have already read 10 out of 50, including this one ( Obsidian, Rise of the Dragons, Golden Son, Moth, Never Never, Falling from Grace, Speaker for the Dead, Bird Song, Black Halo, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend).

This one was your typical YA supernatural romance.  It had it's moments and the relationship building between the characters was quite good. The author does an especially good job developing the tension between Daemon and Katy and also the friendship between Katy and dee.    I found the story line to be original, which is always a plus.  I read this purely for the brain candy.  It was a quick and easy read that kept me entertained.  Mission acommplished.

I gave it 3/5 stars because I found Daemon at times to be overbearing and obnoxious.

Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman

   This was the book that I chose based entirely on it's cover.  For whatever reason, the peacock really spoke to me.   This is the story of a man, Jack, whose duty it is after the end of World War 2 to guard the infamous Treasure Train in Budapest.  Inside the train, wealth and treasure that was taken from the Jews by the Nazis.   Jack falls in love with a girl who is broken inside.  She can't love him the way he wants and eventually he returns home with a single talisman from the train,  a golden pendent with a peacock on it from the girls hometown as a reminder.

On his death bed, Jack feels guilty about having the peacock and asks his grand- daughter, Natalie, to try and return it to it's rightful owner.  The rest of the story is about Natalie's quest and what she finds along the way.

This was a really interesting story about a part of history that I really didn't know a lot about.  I, of course, knew that the Nazi's had taken treasure and possessions from the Jews but I didn't really realize that they weren't the only ones.  Even our allies were guilty.  I also didn't know about the political power struggle to gain ownership of the treasure nor of the struggle of militarized jews to have the nation state of Israel created.

I loved the symbolism in this book - peacocks being a symbol of disaster and bad luck.  As the history of the pendant is traced back through untold atrocities.... the symbol is always there.  It's a deep book and certainly not a quick read but very interesting.  I'm glad I read it.  4 out of 5 stars.

Fly by Night by KM Peyton

I read this book for the category " a book from childhood".   My youngest daughter and I read it together   I was so pleased that it held the same magic for her that it did for me.  I remember reading everything and anything by KM Peyton that I could get my hands on.

What struck me the most about this book the second time around is how real it is.  Ruth has a lot of worries, mostly about money and relating to the care of her pony.  The book really demonstrates just how badly Ruth wanted a pony and how hard she worked to achieve her goals.  I think that it an important life lessons is that things don't always come easily but those things, those achievements, that we have to work the hardest for, mean the most in the long run. 

Since KM Peyton is a British author and most of her works are out of print, getting hands on some titles is difficult.  Just scored a first American edition of The Team ( sequel to Fly by Night) for my youngest.  I hope she enjoys it.   

All The Bright Places

I will put this one under the category - book that made you cry.  A truly great story is one that makes you FEEL something and this book certainly does that.  It's the story of Theo Finch and Violet Markey.  They meet on the bell tower of their school where they are both, for various reasons, committing suicide.  Violet is grieving for her sister who died in a car accident.  She is living a half life - refusing to get in a car - quitting all the things that mattered to her out of misplaced guilt for what happened to her sister.  Until she meets Theo Finch. 

They end up doing a geography project together where they have to explore Indiana.  Through these "wanderings" they learn about life, each other and especially themselves.  I loved all the symbolism in this book - the blue holes, the cardinal story and especially the names.  The author took such great care with the names that I knew it couldn't be an accident.  She mentions two birds prominently here, so I looked up the symbolic meaning of Finches.  I was not surprised to learn that a finch is both symbolic of happiness and enjoying the journey; whereas, ultraviolet is the color or mourning.

Don't miss this book.  It's the best I've read so far this year.  I loved it from start to finish.  Take the time to also read the afterward by the author.  If I could give this one more than 5 stars, I would. 

Inherit the Wind Book #23

This was book #23 for the Pop Sugar reading challenge.   This category was a play.  The story is actually quite interesting - based on a true story.   The story was the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trail.  A high school teacher was arrested for breaking a local statue against teaching Evolution.    It was probably one of the greatest and most sensational trials until that time.

I expected a little more from the courtroom battle between the Defense and the Prosecution.    I wanted more drama.  Maybe something is lost when reading in your head versus actually seeing it performed?  At any rate,  I enjoyed the play and I am glad that I read it. 

My literary plan to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

As an American of Irish decent, I always get a yearning this time of year for that lyrical storytelling of the Irish.   It's the rapid approach of St. Patricks day, I suppose, coupled with the impending sow storm.
At any rate, I came up with a brilliant idea.  This year, to honor my heritage, I am going to focus on Irish and Irish- American writers during the month of March.  I am listing the books i plan to read here - so I don't forget.  I think my March looks very exciting!  What do you think?  Will you be reading any Irish writers?

a brilliant story of a girl who finds a mysterious book that seems to contain her future.

This book has been getting a lot of buzz.... can't wait to read it! This is a story of childhood set during the Troubles.....

 The tale of Whitey Bulger and the Irish Mob in America.

 The story of three generations of Irish women.

Gillian Flynn's first novel.

What St. Paddy's day would be complete without a story of the Fae?

Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick

  

This had been on my TBR pile for a while.   I read A Reliable Wife some years ago and absolutely loved it.  Then I read his memoir, The End of the World as We Know It, and while it wasn't great, it was extremely well written.  When I saw this book, I put it on my TBR pile and there it has sat for some time.

Then the challenge came along and one of the categories was "a book on the bottom of my TBR pile" so this one finally came off the shelf and was read.

Like all his books, this one is extremely well written.  He uses an absolutely beautiful turn of phrase and paints beautiful pictures of his characters and the setting of his books.  This one is tragic.  It's about a young man coming home from the war with nowhere to call his own and nothing but a pick up truck and a suitcase full of cash.   He's looking for something wonderful and thinks he's found it in wanna be starlet and married woman, Sylvan Glass. 

For a while, I thought that something bad was going to happen to either the little boy or the dog.  It didn't ( Good thing because for me, if the dog dies, the book is OVER).  I can't say that this was predictable, but it just didn't resonate quite the way that A Reliable Wife did.  Still, 4 out of 5 stars for his stunning writing.