The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini

Another novel in the Elm Creek Quilt series. As always, Chiaverini writes an interesting, easy-to-read book. Sylvia Compson comes upon some old letters in a bureau in the attic. They were written by Joanna. Joanna was introduced in the book The Runaway Quilt. She was a runaway slave and (of course!) a quilter. She had come to Elm Creek Farm through the Underground Railroad with the help of symbols and messages that were embroidered in quilts. The letters take us back to the 1860's and we find out what happened to Joanna. An interesting look back into a time of slavery. And as always there are lots of interesting things about quilting. I'm sure I didn't need to blog this because all of her fans already have this book on their lists of things to read. If you have never read any of this series and you like a 'gentle read', give it a try.

A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal 940.53.Bue

I know - another Holocaust book. This one is a little different from the others. Buergenthal waited a very long time to commit his story to paper. It seemed to me that it was written more dispassionately than the other books. I didn't feel nearly the emotion that I usually do.
One day Thomas' mother, Gerda, went to a fortune-teller with a girlfriend. She took off her wedding ring before going in. Although 27 at the time, Gerda looked much younger than that and was surprised when the fortune-teller studied the cards and said that she was married and had one child. Then she proclaimed that the child was "ein Glueckskind" - a lucky child. She also said that he would survive the future that was coming. Indeed he seems to have been lucky at many times during the war. One of the different twists of this book is the last part of the book where he recounts the story of liberation and the long journey to be reunited with his mother.
Well worth the read.

Clara's War by Clara Kramer 940.53 Kra

There seems to be many books about the Holocaust coming out this year. Although I don't seek them out, I usually check them out when I see them. I somehow need to read and reread to try and understand how some people could be so cruel, some so resilient and some so brave. Like Anne Frank, Clara wrote a diary. Fortunately Clara was one of about sixty Jews (out of 5,000) who survived the war in Zolkiew, Poland. At the age of 15 she went into hiding with her family and two other families. They were hidden in a bunker they build under a house. There they remained for 20 months. She does a wonderful job of describing not only the stress of those underground, but also of those brave people who sheltered them. If you think your life is not great, read this book and you'll be a bit more grateful!

Still Life by Joy Fielding

Fielding always does a great job of very readable books with suspense but no gore! The main character in this novel is Casey Marshall. Casey's parents were killed in a plane crash but they left her to be executor of their large estate. Since Casey's sister Drew is not a very stable person, Casey has put her on a monthly allowance so that she doesn't blow all of her money.
Mostly Casey's life is good - good husband, good friends, good career, etc. Then she is hit by a car and ends up comatose in the hospital. The doctors and her husband are talking about brain damage, ventilators, letting her die etc. But wait - Casey is actually awake inside. She just can't get her body to respond to her. So there she lies and listens to lots of conversations. Of course the burning question is - "Whom can you trust?" Read the book and find out!

The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson 306.874 Dic

The author of this book is also the author of the "Ask Amy" column. This is the story of her hometown and how she has always been pulled back to it. She has lived in London, D.C. and Chicago, but her heart is in the town of Freeville with its population of 458. A great number of Amy's relatives still live there and they've helped Amy through the ups and downs of being a single mother. It is not a book about earth-shattering events or about people who changed the course of history. It is just about people - and people are always interesting! It is written in a delightful way and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good book.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I downloaded this book from Wilbor to listen to it. We don't own the book but we do own the movie (which I haven't watched yet).
This is a hard book to write about. The outline of the story is this - Bruno is nine and lives in Berlin (1942). One day he finds out that his father has been promoted and they are moving. Of course he is distressed to leave his friends with whom he goes on adventures and explores. The new house is far away. With a little exploring he finds out there is a fence and on the other side are lots of people who are dressed alike. Eventually he meets a boy his own age who wears striped pajama and they strike up a friendship. The whole book is told from Bruno's point of view.
The end is not pleasant - just a warning. Not everyone will want to hear/read this story.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

This is a typical book by Sparks - enjoyable to read and a happy ending - at least for most of the characters! It's the story of Logan Thibault who was a Marine He served three tours in Iraq. While there he found a picture of a young woman taken at a fair. He pinned it on the bulletin board knowing someone would claim it. When that didn't happen he put it in his pocket. One of his buddies points out that it seems to be a lucky charm that keeps Logan from harm. Years later Logan is living in Colorado but decides he needs to find the woman in the picture. Using clues from the photo, he decides that he needs to go to North Carolina. He walks - yeah, he walks! That obviously takes him a while! He gets there and meets the woman. You will have to read the book to find out who lost the picture and if there is such a thing as a lucky charm!

The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow 305.4 Zas

Jeffrey Zaslow co-wrote the book The Last Lecture and it was fabulous. He has done an equally great job on this book. It is very well written and reads easily - I read it in less than 24 hours. The amazing thing is that Jeffrey, a male, had the audacity to write about female friendships! I thought that was supposed to be one of the great mysteries that we hide from men. I am sure he got quite the education!
This is the story of 11 childhood friends from Ames Iowa who were born in the early '60s. Today there are 10 of them. They live in different states but what isn't different is their friendship. They have maintain their bond through the decades.
I loved hearing about Ames as they were growing up - they watched "Magic Window" with Miss Mary Jane just like I did! (we weren't watching in the same decades, but still.....). Most of all I related to the idea of friendships that span the years. I have many friends in this category and I think they are the greatest blessing. I'm getting misty just typing this!
Good book!

The Ties Bind: A Memoir of Race, Memory and Redemption by Bertice Berry

I've always been intrigued by African American history, so I picked up and thumbed through this book. The story begins by explaining the background of an earlier fiction novel by Bertice Berry, who wrote of the horrors and struggles of slavery. The villainous slave owner in her novel was a Mr. John Hunn, a name she drew from the old stories her mother and her mother's mother would tell.

But Bertrice, a self proclaimed 'soul sista' from the 70's, had gotten the history wrong. This man she had been told owned the farm on which her ancestor worked on was not the villain she had ignorantly assumed he was. Dramatically, while sitting by her mother's deathbed in the hospital, Bertice watches a PBS special on abolitionists. John Hunn was actually the southern-most conductor of the Underground Railroad. Oops. The book continues with the author telling her life and how the history of her ancestors and the American people have shaped and influenced her through family, society, education and culture, for better and worse. What an eye-opening, insightful read!