Lisa Francine
Once again Galbraith, a.k.a, J.K. Rowling, kept me guessing and kept me interested in the lives of her main characters Comoran Strike and Robin Ellacott! Compared to the other books in the series, it seemed a little long - but I was involved with multiple work library projects, and reading other books this past month as well - which may contribute to it feeling longer to me.
3.5/5
I was fascinated with the story, and the main characters, but found the passages that involved an explanation of the science decreased the suspense and hindered the narrative.
“Luke lied. You lied. Be at the funeral.”
And so begins a current day triple murder investigation for Aaron Falk in his hometown of twenty years ago; while simultaneously remembering the death (suicide? or murder?) of a childhood friend (Ellie) of both Aaron's and Luke's. Harper kept me guessing through the entire novel!
Ruta Sepetys has done it again with Salt to the Sea which exemplifies the best in historical fiction writing: captivating characters, bittersweet events, meticulous research, and the ability to tie these all together in a narrative prose that keeps the reader engaged at all stages of the story! This little known WWII tragedy is retold with compassion and clarity. One is reminded of the many victims of war, especially children, when reading Salt to the Sea. Thank you Ruta, for giving voice to the voiceless victims of war.
Powerful and poignant! Alan Gratz shares the humanity, and inhumanity of our history by immersing us in stories across time and place: Josef (1930s Germany), Isabel (1994 Cuba), and Mahmoud (2015 Syria). Listening to Refugee I became so invested in knowing the outcome of these turbulent family stories that I would switch back and forth between the audio version and the e-book version. I predict that this book will be read in classrooms across the country, and as One Book reads in public libraries and towns. Kudos to Gratz for this compassionate and timely book!
A thank you to Edelweiss+ for an eARC of the book.
4.5 stars
Captivating, courageous, and compassionate. Bausum brings the Gay Rights movement to life for all of us!
Zak says,
“When I was a kid, I never questioned what I heard at home or at school or at the mosque. Bigotry just slipped into my system along with everything else: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Pi equals 3.14. All Jews are evil, and homosexuality is an abomination. Paris is the capital of France. They all sounded like facts. Who was I to differentiate? I was made to fear people who are different and kept away from them as much as possible for my own “protection.” Bigotry is such a maddeningly perfect circle — I never got close enough to find out if I should fear them in the first place.” p. 79