Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kambili and Jaja, sister and brother in Nigeria, are in a privileged family. All is not as it seems as they have a father who is a religious fanatic and does not stop at extreme punishment for them and their mother.

Luckily they have their auntie to go to and who is very kind to them. She has her own problems with being a widow and raising three children of her own.

A story about the political turmoil in Nigeria. Very sad with very little brightness in the story.

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Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very entertaining. The first in a four book series about Harry Clifton. The story opens with his mother, Maisie, having a quiet, afternoon affair with someone other than her fiance'. This little afternoon has far reaching implications.

Harry is a very intelligent boy, the outcome of the this affair.

Looking forward to the next installment of this series, The Sins of the Father.

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Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

Stella Bain by Anita Shreve
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stella Bain is found in a hospital in France where she has lost her memory. After her body has healed somewhat, she works as a nurses' aide and ambulance driver. When she has earned leave, she makes her way to London where she believes she will be able to recall her past. Stella is not what she seems.

An interesting story regarding WWI and introduces the concept of shellshock or PTSD in troops and people witnessing war.



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Claiming Georgia Tate by Gigi Amateau

Claiming Georgia Tate by Gigi Amateau
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A nicely written story about a twelve year old girl, living with her grandparents in the south. Her grandfather is a preacher and she is very happy living with them. She has been told that her mother died when she was young.

Her father, who has been out of the picture since she was a baby, has come to take her for the summer, and he and his new wife take her to Florida where things start to go very wrong for her.

Georgia Tate is wise for her years.

A satisfying read.

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The Escape Artist by Diane Chamberlain

The Escape Artist by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A woman, Susanna, whose husband has remarried is fighting to keep her baby son. The new wife can't have children and a lawsuit to prove Susanna as an unfit mother has been launched.

When Susanna loses her case, mostly because both her husband and new wife are lawyers, she decides to take the baby and go on the run.

An intriguing story with just enough twists to make it an excellent read.

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Ritual by Mo Hayder

Ritual: A Jack Caffery Thriller by Mo Hayder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another winning episode with Jack Caffery and Flea Marley. It opens with a pair of hands being found in the river and leads to rituals and superstitions originating somewhere in Africa.

A very gruesome story.

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The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I started this book and literally could not put it down. This is a first in quite awhile for me.

It opens with a doctor, waiting for his plane to fly out of Salt Lake and of course there is a bad snow storm grounding all the planes. He finds a small private plane that will fly him to Denver and he decides to invite a woman that he had met in the airport who was in the same predicament. She was trying to get home for her wedding.

The elderly pilot has a heart attack enroute and that is where the story of survival starts.

I am so glad that this was a monthly choice for the senior citizens group on goodreads. Thoroughly enjoyed this read.

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Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Brick Lane by Monica Ali
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A bride comes from Bangladesh to London. A day to day of the lives lived there. Her husband has such high hopes of being promoted, but it never happens for him.

It made me sad to think that they come with expectations and dreams and find discrimination and problems.

An interesting read.

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North of Boston by Elisabeth Elo

North of Boston by Elisabeth Elo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had many mini stories within the larger work. Perio's mother committed suicide when she was young and was the owner of a perfume company, which Perio now works in. Her father remarried years before.

When the story opens, Perio has been on a fishing boat that had been rammed by a larger boat. The owner of the boat had apparently drowned but Perio managed to survive, which was a miracle in the very frigid waters.

She has a good friend, Tomassina, who has a son Noah who is also the son the the fisherman that drowned.

We also touched on whale cruelty and I thought it was absolutely amazing how this author was able to bring all these topics together and make sense, and be very entertaining and also informative.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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