$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is not a book about how to live on $2.00/day, but about who is living on that amount or less. The cases cited are tragic and memorable, and at best it is disheartening to read about the poorest of the poor, but in reality the book simply exposes how little government assistance is being received and proposes it should be more. The policy recommendations are thin and are incredibly outdated. This is almost laughably out of step with current trends in policy discussion.

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Silent Souls Weeping: Depression—Sharing Stories, Finding Hope by Jane Clayson Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic book for the LDS community, whether you have depressions or not. Checkout the book from the library and after reading it I purchased my own copy, which I have twice loaned to others. I also own the audio book which I recently finished, and am now reading the hardbound book a second time. I don't have depression, but experienced it several years ago and have friends and family members who have dealt with it. This book is tremendously helpful. I can't think of a better recommendation than the fact that I am now on my 3rd reading.

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The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alice Hoffman writes beautifully, no matter the theme or subject and this is no exception. Centered around the tragedy of WWII in Germany, with Jewish characters fleeing to survive while others in the resistance fight against the Nazis, this is a novel that mixes reality with magical elements and brings unforgettable characters to life. I loved this book.

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The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THIS BOOK.... wow!
It is fascinating and well-researched historical fiction which gives a vivid portrayal of life in the copper mining country of upper Michigan, early twentieth century. It is a compelling, entertaining, and educational read. As with Mary Doria Russell's earlier novels, the writing is excellent with a prose style full of nuance, and realistic memorable characters based on actual persons. One of these, the heroine of the story, is Annie Klobuchar Clements ("Big Annie"), dubbed America’s “Joan of Arc” for staging protest marches against the C&H Mining Company. She founded the Women’s Auxiliary No. 15 of the Western Federation of miners, which consisted of wives and widows of striking miners. Another is Mary Harris Jones, known as Mother Jones, called the Miner’s Angel by union men.

The tragic events and power displayed by the mining companies in this novel are nothing short of shocking, and the part played by the miners' courageous wives during the strike is a little known story. The novel is followed by an author's note which explains what is actual history and what is fiction. As she states regarding the strikers' wives, "the role of women...was remarkable and has been underrepresented in most historical accounts." As with other good historical fiction, I am prone to find myself on Google in order to learn more about the people, places and time period. This book was no exception, and I am a better person for having read it. though some have found fault with the less than rosy conclusion, I especially liked the honest, realistic ending.

Quotes:

“ 'This is the price of copper,' she says in that clear, quiet voice. 'A dead man. Every week. Month after month. Year after year.' ”

“Stand up, straight, Anna. Hold your head high. . . That’s your strength. You are tall for a reason. When your head is high, you can see farther than anyone else.”

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Strangers by Michaelbrent Collings
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My first horror story....and likely my last because the author, Michaelbrent Collings, is such a great suspense writer that I couldn't sleep until I finished it, and at its conclusion I had to employ all kinds of mind distractions to not dream about it. This is a gut wrenching, jarring, intense plot with believable twists and turns. I kept picturing actor James Spader (NBC's The Blacklist) as the stranger. I highly recommend this book to readers who love suspense filled thrillers.

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Say When by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 3rd book I've read by Ms. Berg, and I've really enjoyed them all, but did not love this. Written from the betrayed husband's point of view, this novel is a tender reflection on the joys and frustrations of marriage and it rings true to what many couples experience as their relationships age. The story confronts the reader with the questions: When is love not enough? When is it not worth saving? What happens when love goes untended? Why is it so hard to let love die? These are serious questions but parts of this book made me laugh out loud. I felt the ending was underdeveloped and am not sure the resolution accords with reality. One is left wondering what will happen.

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Watching You by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really enjoyable thriller. It is not only a whodunnit and a whydunnit, but also a who-is-the- victim and it is a smashing read. The author weaves a web of intrigue and misdirection, which plays on classic tropes and our assumptions. I loved the fact that there was such a large cast of characters, each overlapping and opening up cans of proverbial worms everywhere. Lisa Jewelli is an expert at knowing what makes us all tick and has an instinctive understanding of teenagers with the result being a consummate piece of entertainment.

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The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

arghh......I really don't care for this genre, but it IS well written and I actually stuck with it to the end so am giving it 3 instead of 2 stars, but I won't read the rest of the series....I hate it when the end of the book leaves you just hanging with no real resolution.

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Atomic Marriage by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a liberal agenda-driven 58 minute vignette about a bored wife who is ready to commit adultery with an arrogant and flirtatious yet unappealing man. Curtis Sittenfeld is capable of beautiful economic prose that immediately captures the reader's attention, but I've yet to read anything of hers that is uplifting. This is truly unfortunate because she has so much talent as a writer. This is the sort of romance story I would have expected to read 30 years ago in "Woman's Day" or "Ladies Home Journal." It was an audible freebie for January and Diane Lane, the narrator, with her gorgeous voice was fantastic.

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My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Historians know there is not much written by, or of, women at the birth of the U.S. Because of this the daughters' and wives' stories of our founding fathers have been told primarily as supporting characters which was consistent with cultural norms for almost 200 years. In the case of Mrs. Hamilton, she may not have written about, or even destroyed evidence of, her private thoughts and feelings regarding the peaks and valleys of her life story. Nevertheless, she continued to shape her city and nation long after the founding fathers were laid to rest. These authors have taken what is historically agreed upon, woven in custom and culture of the period, and used intuition and imagination to depict who Betsey, Eliza, and Mrs. Hamilton may have been and how she may have processed all to which she was a witness. Her charitable works that still continue today prove she was more than a survivor. . . she knew what it was to thrive. Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, the authors, balanced it all eloquently. I especially appreciated the notes from the authors, both prior to and following the story, separating many of the facts from the fiction. I felt it started out slow and didn't enjoy it as much as America's First Daughter but truly it is an excellent account of a woman to be admired.

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