Marianne is a sixty year old German woman stuck in a loveless marriage and tries to kill herself. She is saved by three homeless men and her husband commits her to a mental institution. She escapes and ends up in a quaint town in Brittany, France where she makes herself a happy life with friends and joy. When her husband tracks her down will Marianne take him back and go back to her former life? Read a find out. I recommend this book. It was an easy read and you really root for Marianne’s happiness.

An emotional read, with insights into the meaning of friendships, the bonds we make with others, and the process of grieving. A shout out to Art Therapy.

I don't like rating political books. Nothing in this novel was surprising to me, anyone could see the decline in the President and I think it was more about what people would justify of our leaders to prevent an outcome they didn't want. I read this book because I think it's important to hear from all sides about the truths hidden and manipulated to us from people in power. I also recognize the divisiveness of politics now and I don't want to contribute to that so if this review isn't posted, I completely understand.

This story is set in China during the 1800s. The fate of girls and women were tied to male society. During that time mothers bound their daughters feet. Generally, the feet of girls born in the country were not bound. This story is about two young girls: Little Flower and Lingjing. Little Flower’s mother bound her feet to give her a good chance of marriage. Lingjing’s father interceded in the binding of his daughter’s feet so she was released from the process. When Little Flower’s father dies, her mother needs to make a deal for her daughter’s future. The fate of both girls is sealed. The look at Chinese culture as well as twists and turns in the life of the two girls was fascinating. I could not put this book down. I was engaged in all the twists and turns in little Flowers’ life.

The bodies of the Pine family, mother, father, sister and little brother are found dead in their vacation home. Two sons have survived one, a college student, who couldn’t attend the trip because he had classes, and one a prisoner for the murder of his girlfriend. What happened here, and why. An intriguing story. Very suspenseful.

I really enjoyed this short (170 pages) collection of humorous essays by Nora Ephron, screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally. She deals with topics such as aging, body maintenance, and parenting in a witty, relatable way. Her essay "I Hate My Purse" made me laugh out loud several times as I recognized myself.

If I had not recently read Anne Frank's diary and visited the exhibition I would not have read When We Flew Away. It is difficult reading a book that is part fiction based on fact when you know the ending unless the story is compelling. When We Flew Away was not that compelling.

My new favorite book series. The TV series Tracker is based off of these novels and if you like the show, you will love the books. This one was very exciting with some thrills, twists and turns in the plot. Thre characters have a lot of depth to them and I highly recommend you start at the beginning of the series as their is a continuous undelying story that takes place throughout each of them.

Ok so I'm not a huge space fan, to be honest it scares me but I am a big Taylor Jenkins Reid fan so I had to give this one a go. On the surface, as a reader I thought I was getting a novel about women in NASA's Shuttle Program, but that was only a piece of what this story was about. Pros: I'm going to be honest, I usually don't go for this kind of romance but it worked and I liked both of the main characters. I loved the dual storyline with Barbara and Frances as it added depth to Joan's character and who she was. I also loved the NASA aspect and the nods to history. Cons: I wanted more of the space aspect. The book started off on such a high note but then it dragged in the middle. Thankfully the last quarter of the book really picked up. Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Wild Dark Shore is a climate fiction novel that intertwines the themes of climate change with personal and emotional journeys. It is a very “heavy” novel with both environmental issues, and emotional issues. Lots of triggers in this one. It is set on remote completely isolated frozen, Shearwater Island. The Island was set up, with labs and homes, (in addition to the lighthouse that serves as home to the Salt family) to save seeds so that in case of a catastrophe they can be planted to provide food to the world. The Island is being overtaken by the ocean, the facility is decaying and no longer viable. The scientists have all left. Only the Salt family, dad and three children remain on the Island to pack these seeds to relocate them. The story explores the dynamics of the family left on the Island and Rowan, a mysterious woman who washes up on the shores. The novel explores ethical actions in the face of climate change. It also explores themes of life, death, grief, love, suicide, sacrifice and mental illness. Wild Dark Shore examines the interconnectedness of life and death, hoping, I think, to encourage readers to consider the moral responsibilities humans have towards the environment and each other.