And the other Pulitizer Prize winner for the year.....

   Wow! This book is truly amazing.  It's a bit of a slow start, but so very worth any effort to get into the story.  Doerr masterfully winds these individually beautiful stories into a true tour de force.

This is the story of Marie - Laure, a sixteen year old blind girl living in Paris during the Nazi invasion.  She and her father are forced to evacuate to the home of her great - uncle, Entienne.   I love how Doerr creates such a rich and colorful cast of characters.  There were not just one, but several who I could relate to and cheer for.

It's also the story of Werner, a young boy who wants to make something of his life who ends up in the German military.  He's an orphan and his story line also has a bevy of rich and wonderful characters.  Some are good and some are truly everything that is horrible about humanity.  I have to say that Frederick was my favorite.

The beautiful ways these stories come together - masterful.  It's been a long time since I have read a book this well written.

If you have not read this book, you are truly missing out on something wonderful.  Do yourself a favor and read it.  

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

   This is the story of a family presumably doing their last vacation together as their daughter has just graduated from highschool and will be off to college.   It's an interesting cast of characters.   First their are Franny and Jim - the parents.  Things have obviously gone terribly awry in their relationship.  Somewhere along the way, they got caught up in the rest of their lives and lost one another.  During this vacation both will be deciding whether they can go forward - together.

There is also their adult son and his girlfriend, Carmen.  Bobby has lost his job as a real estate agent and has been working at the gym where his girlfriend is a trainer basically selling memberships.  He is on this vacation because he wants something from his parents.  Will he find what he needs and finally become an adult?

Sylvia, the daughter, is counting the days until she gets away from her family.  Her big goals for the summer include brushing up on her spanish and losing her virginity.  I did love the comic relief that she provided to the rest of the family, especially the contentious relationship she had with her mother.

Finally, there are Lawrence and Charles a homosexual married couple trying to adopt a baby.   Charles is Franny's best friend and that is how these two have been included in this adventure.  I could definitely relate to Lawrence and his quest to have a child.  He is probably my favorite character in the book.

As far as I am concerned, the big star of this book is Mallorca, Spain.  The descriptions definitely made me add this spot to my list of places that I want to see.  All in all, the book is well written, the characters well developed.  It was a quick easy read and while I found it entertaining it really didn't move me on any level.   I give it 3 out 5 stars.

Pines: A Wayward Pines Thriller by Blake Crouch

   I read this one for the PopSugar Reading challenge book made into a TV series.   And wow,  just like that, my reading rut is over.   I just finished a group of just average books and then I read this one.  It's a blockbuster!

A friend on Facebook recommended this book for this category and since I had already read Game of Thrones, this looked interesting.  I'm so glad I picked it up.  It's the story of Ethan Burke, a secret service agent who is investigating the disappearance of 2 other agents.  He is involved in a car accident and wakes up in a town called Whispering Pines, where absolutely nothing is as it seems.

So many twists and turns and I, for one, never saw this one coming.  Very creative and original story lines.   I loved the message in the book, though you have to really wait for it.  After a string of 3 and less stars.... this one is a 5 out of 5!   If you like thrillers, you will enjoy this one.   And with Matt Dillon in the series, I may even check that out, too.  

Some Thoughts on Memorial Day and Books to Read

I was talking to my daughter the other day about the importance of flag etiquette, every day, but especially on Memorial Day.  She's young and though very bright, doesn't always understand.  She said, "It's just a piece of cloth, it doesn't really matter.".   That's the way a large portion of her generation thinks, but it's so much more than a piece of cloth.  It represents an IDEAL of what the world could be, it's a representation of the FREEDOMS that we believe and hold so dear that many have been willing to die for that flag.

It got me thinking about books that celebrate real heroes and make why we celebrate Memorial Day just a little more clear.   It was hard to think about the books that I wanted to be included, there are so many.  Here they are, in no particular order:

  The true story of American hero Luis Zamperini.  He was an Olympian and a flyboy.  He and his crew mates still hold the record for longest survival at sea - 43 days adrift before being captured by the Japanese.  This is a story of heroism, courage and endurance.  If you haven't read it yet, it's a MUST.

  I love this book because it presents the precursors to the war from both sides and honestly.   It's a true and harrowing tale of American Naval Airmen and the things that they endured during the war.   I especially loved the story of George H.W. Bush and his desire and ultimate decision to become a Navy Torpedo bomber.  

 This is the true and courageous story of the team who engaged in possibly the greatest rescue mission ever.  I love this one because it's set in the Philippines and not only does it discuss the bravery of the soldiers but also those Filipinos who helped them.  A true story that reads like a novel.

This one is set during Viet Nam and follows the brave soldiers of Alpha Company.  I love this one because it shows the inner struggles as well as the larger issues.  It challenges you to think and demonstrates the things they carried - not just into battle but after some of them came home.
 Set during World War 1, this book is one that changes you forever.  It stays with you and influences you long after you have finished reading it.  Most of all, it makes you truly understand the real cost of war.

  This one is a true account of a soldier in Iraq.  It isn't the media's version of the war, its just one Marine's account of what it was like, day after day after day on the ground.   Brutal and honest.

And not to be forgotten those who serve without ever being asked and yet they give their lives, right along side our soldiers.....
  This story is, quite simply amazing.  I call it Black Beauty for boys.  It's beautifully written and shows both the best and worst of humanity.  So well worth the read.

And while last, certainly not least....

 The true story of Lucca, a search and rescue dog in Iraq and her trainers.   Heart wrenching and honest.

These stories are what, to me, represent what Memorial day is about.  They show the heroes that flag represents.  If you want to honor them on Memorial day - REMEMBER THEM.... and never forget.

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

   Maybe I'm just not a big mystery reader, though I'm not really sure that is what this book is. There is a death in the book and some investigation.  But the book isn't really about that.

To start, the main character is Addy, a teenage cheerleader.  Most of the story is about her, the girls on the squad and their new coach.   I actually thought that the story was going to be based on the real life murder of a cheerleader recently in Texas, but believe me when I say, this book is nothing remotely similar to that.

I have a new set of standards that I am using to evaluate books -

~  if a book is so terrible that I can't even finish it, one star.

~ if a book has a minimum of correct sentence structure and consistent voice - two stars.

~ if the book has characters that I can relate to - three stars.  I'm the type of person that needs someone to root for, a good guy, if you will.

~ for four  stars a book must have all of that and an engrossing/ original plot.  It's a book that makes you want to read it.

~ in order to earn five stars, the book must make me FEEL something and have a story that is timeless - some lesson or message.  

Based on those criteria, this book is two stars.  I managed to finish it, but barely.  I was really disappointed in this one.

The Price of Freedom

this  is Memorial day weekend, one of my favorite holidays. I love it because it is a time to reflect on what it truly means to be free, and to thank those who have safeguarded those freedoms. 

Today, I especially reflect on the sacrifices of Col. James J. Beadling, my father, PFC Addison Hogue Thomson, my husband's grandfather, and Cpl. Scott M. Vincent, my hero.

Most of you who have read my blog already know a little about my Dad. He was a retired Air Force Colonel. He volunteered for service on the 8th of December, 1941. He served in both World War 2 and Korea. In Korea, he served as a squadron commander flying night air-to-ground support for the Marines. The stories that he told me about the Frozen Chosen will stay with me forever. Addison Hogue Thomson was a medic in World War 2. He was there D-Day plus 1 and stayed with his unit through the Battle of the Bulge and more. ( Now, if you say the Battle of the Bulge to most Americans, they think you mean the war against their growing waistline. Sigh). He told stories about coming ashore at Normandy and how he quickly learned to cover the red cross on his helmet with sand and mud? Why, you ask? Well, the Germans were using the crosses for cross hairs.

Cpl. Scott Vincent is the son of a friend. He gave up his life 11 years ago in the Anbar Province in Iraq. He always wanted to be a Marine and served his country proudly. He volunteered for three tours in Iraq. I promised his mother that his sacrifice will never be forgotten. So every year, on Memorial Day and the 30th of April, I think about Scott and the life that he gave up for Freedom. He was young. He had a smile that could light up the whole world, and a spirit to match. He had so much to live for. A girl, marriage, fatherhood.... so much lie ahead, but instead, he laid his life down for Freedom.



This Memorial day as I celebrate with family and friends, I am reminded of the tremendous gift and enormous responsibility that we all have been given. Freedom isn't free and we must all exercise our freedoms with thought and respect but most of all, we must remember to exercise them. Vote. Be involved. Don't let those who have paid the ultimate price to have given their lives in vain.  

Never Never Part 2 by Colleen Hoover

  The story of Silas and Charlie continues...... Silas and Charlie both have a problem.   They can't remember who they are.  They remember nothing about their lives - not their family, their friends, where they live, not even one another.  They must work  together to figure what has happened, as well as how and why.

This is one of the most gripping mysteries that I have read in a long time.  It's interesting to what Charlie and Silas work through their personal and family problems to find their way back to one another. In this second installment, Charlie is missing and it's up to Silas to find her before they both lose their memories again.  Who is behind it all and why?

I'm a little upset by the cliff hanger ( AGAIN!)  at the end and I can't wait to find out how their mystery is solved in Never Never part 3.   I gave this one 4 out 5 stars.