Book Review - Let's Make Things Better: A Holocaust Survivor’s Message of Hope and Celebration of Life by Gidon Lev and Julie Gray

 

Let's Make Things Better: A Holocaust Survivor’s Message of Hope and Celebration of Life by Gidon Lev and Julie Gray is a biography about a child holocaust survivor and the life lessons he has learned along the way. On May 8, 1945, Gidon Lev was ten years old when he was liberated from a Nazi concentration after spending four years there with his mother. Gidon had lost twenty six family members including his beloved father and grandparents. He and his mother were the sole survivors.

Gidon was able to rise from depths of hell and despair, and was determined to build a life filled with joy, adventure, and love. He was cheerful and tried to find joy in what he believed in. Gidon also spent his time teaching youth about the Holocaust and sharing his horrifying experience with others. 

I thought the book was an okay read. I was not familiar with Gidon prior to reading the book. The book doesn’t focus a ton on Gidon’s experience at the concentration camp, instead he focuses on his experiences and life story and how he chose to imbue joy. At first I thought it was going to be too happy and go-lucky, but while I didn’t glean tons of “advice” on how to be happy and find joy, I did find some of his stories interesting and entertaining. 

Gidon had spoken about having cancer a few times and how that made him question being happy and finding joy. He spoke about his decision to have his first born child live with his ex-wife. In both situations he spoke with candor about it and didn’t make it seem that he had to be happy about a “bad” situation. He mentioned he had regrets and then spoke on how he moved forward. Sometimes, it is okay if bad things happen. 

I also like the part where he spoke about if you are not happy where you are in your life currently, to figure out where you want to be and then decide on the steps that would help accomplish your goals. I think readers who are familiar with Gidon would enjoy this book a lot more than me, but I do think if someone is interested in living a more joyous life, that they might like this book also.

Book Review - Sweet Pea Summer by Alys Murray

 

Sweet Pea Summer by Alys Murray is about high school sweethearts reconnecting later in life. Eight years ago, May Anderson made the biggest mistake of her life. She broke up with her high school boyfriend, Tom Riley, and watched him leave their hometown, Hillsboro, California, without her. She felt that moment has changed the entire trajectory of her life and it has been one of her greatest regrets. May is unprepared when she finds out that Tom is back home.

Tom would rather spend his time alone but his family’s vineyard is failing. He joins forces with May to organize the prestigious Northwest Food and Wine Festival. He hopes that the festival can help bring business to the winery. However, Tom is having a hard time putting the past behind him and working side by side with May, especially since she broke his heart years ago. May finds Tom even more irresistible than before and she can’t seem to move on. Will the pair be able to work out their differences to make the festival successful?

The book wasn’t for me.  I didn’t really care for any of the characters. I found May to be annoying. She complained that she wanted to leave Hillsboro because her entire time there she only made one friend. And then she left that one friend because of what other people (not friends) have told her. She claims that that was her biggest mistake but then she continues to make the same mistake. She doesn’t trust her friend, Annie, or even her sisters to be open with her feelings or trust them with the truth about her breakup.

I also don’t see why May is hesitant to leave the small town or how she was considered the “town’s sweetheart”, as she just seemed selfish and mostly kept to herself. I haven’t seen any examples of the town being supportive. May’s father said to her that the town was suffocating her creativity and spirit. May’s sisters seemed bland and one-dimensional. I felt like they were barely present in the story and didn’t really add much to it.

I don’t understand why Tom kept May’s secret when she seems to be betraying his trust and choosing her needs over his all the time. He kept saying it’s not his place to tell the secret but, the secret did involve him so, why wouldn’t it involve him? He also said he wanted to tell people the truth and told his grandmother but was very selective later on telling people the truth or even defending himself. 

I also didn’t understand why the two of them were pining over each other for years. I understand that they were friends and were in love but we got no glimpses of that love and tenderness since May was continuously letting Tom be used as a punching bag by the town. The novel mostly focused on their boring romance and the planning of the festival mostly happened in the back end. I felt that the story was repetitive and kept saying the same thing over and over without much happening. I had started reading another book by the author years ago and had stopped reading it because it was boring. I feel like I should have trusted my previous judgment and just skipped this one as well.

Book Review - Storm Singer by Sarwat Chadda

 

Storm Singer by Sarwat Chadda follows a young disabled girl named Nargis, who helps a stranger find his family. Twelve-year-old Nargis is a poor human living in a world ruled by fierce winged warriors known as garudas. The eagle garudas are considered royalty, and their word is law. Nargis dislikes the garudas because she knows they killed her parent, despite everyone else claiming it was bandits.

Nargis is left disabled after a childhood attempt to fly like one of the garudas. She walks with a crutch after the accident. While she appears powerless, Nargis is a spirit singer, capable of controlling the elements through song.

Nargis is persuaded to participate in a kite fight with the son of the ruler village. She attempts to use her powers to win the battle but loses control and is subsequently exiled. As she walks to her new home in the desert, she encounters an injured person. After helping him to safety, she realizes the injured boy, Mistral, is an eagle garuda.

Mistral is on a mission to return home and reclaim the throne from the usurpers. However, he needs allies and the means to get back home. Unwillingly, he enlists Nargis's help for his mission. Both Nargis and Mistral would rather not work together and would prefer to be anywhere else; however, they must join forces if they want to protect those they love.

The novel is an entertaining read, though it lacks twists or turns. I enjoyed the author’s writing style. The world-building was vibrant, and I felt as if I were there. I liked the characters and their interactions. I was curious about what would happen between Nargis and Mistral. I appreciated that this wasn’t a love story, but more about two people becoming unlikely friends in a difficult situation. I would love to read more adventures from the author!

Book Review - The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud

 

The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud is about a group of kids bonding over their love for comics. Makayla has tons of great ideas, but she struggles to put her ideas into a story. Howard loves drawing but he struggles to come up with ideas. His dad also thinks that comics are a waste of time and wants him to focus on other things.  Lynda loves drawing but she focuses on her mistakes and spends a lot of her time making sure everything is perfect. Art loves being creative and trying new things. The four students come together to learn how to make comics, using their imagination and create their comic adventures.

The graphic novel was a quick and fun read. I liked that it was both educational and fun. It was interesting learning details about comics like different drawing styles, how they are made, and other fun facts while reading about the students’ experiences with creating their masterpieces. I liked that the back of the book goes into more detail about the inspiration for the characters and educational tips. I also liked the personal stories from the authors and thought those added a bit of a heartwarming aspect to this lovely comic about friendships.

Book Review - All That Is Hidden by Rhys Bowen

 

All That Is Hidden by Rhys Bowen is about a husband and wife who try to solve the murder of a man who is accused of being corrupted. In 1907, New York, Molly Murphy Sullivan used to be a private detective. She is now content being married to her husband, Daniel, who is a police captain. They live in a small but beautiful home in Patchin Place in the West Village, which is close to her beloved friends. She is also the mother to a happy and energetic toddler, Liam, and adopted daughter, Bridie. Molly feels that she has a good life and her marriage to Daniel works well because they have a partnership where they trust and believe in each other.

On a family walk one day, Daniel surprises Molly by telling her that they will be moving into one of the fancy homes on Fifth Avenue. He also said that he is leaving his police captain job and running to be sheriff of New York. Molly is flabbergasted because she never knew of such a position, and the political party that Daniel is running for is filled with corruption and members taking kickbacks. She knows Daniel is against corruption and has fought tooth and nail to make people accountable. Daniel tells her to trust him, but Molly is unsure of how to feel with their new change of circumstances.

The novel is part of a series, but I was able to follow along and read it. There were some character nuances that I might have missed but it didn’t take away from the story. The book is a cozy mystery read. There would be pages where we would learn about Molly running her household instead of learning more about the mystery. I felt like she didn’t do much, but instead things fell into her lap. I also felt that the series is named after Molly, but she seemed to take a backseat approach to the investigation. The book felt boring to me and I thought that the book didn’t need to be as long as it was. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and could have been more intricate and had more flair. While I did finish the book, I don’t think I would continue reading the series as there are a lot more interesting murder mysteries out there.