Night Road

Jude Farraday's entire life revolved around her twins Mia and Zach.  In eighteen years,Jude did everything to keep them safe and on track for college. When Lexi Baill, after losing her heroin addicted mother and living in foster home after foster home, moves into the small community, she is welcomed into the Farraday family as one of their own, becoming Mia's best friend and the love of Zach's life. Life has always been easy until one decision rips the family apart and changes the Farraday family and Lexi forever.

In the years to follow, each must face the consequences of those choices and find a way to heal, forget, and live with the choices. The hardest part of that decision is finding that courage to forgive. A heartbreaking novel that captures pain of loss and the power of hope.

I was excited to read this book as I am a fan of Kristin Hannah; of course, this book did not disappoint.  A story that was full of twist and turns as it went on, I enjoyed the plot line and found myself  engaged in the story.  The character's were complex and yet I liked the relationship between Mia and Lexi.  I felt like we got to be let in on their friendship as the reader.  The family dynamic, although over the top, was also believable and as a mother I felt many of the emotions Jude felt in wanting to protect her children (although I like to think I'm not as bad as her).

I did find myself needing a box of tissue at some points in the story and I did feel many times a real connection to the characters. Overall a great book and definitely a book that will stay with me, as will the characters. Not a light read but a great read!!!!  Enjoy it!

I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars!!!!

Happy Reading, and enjoy a book and Tea!

Room

To five year old Jack, Room is his world and all he knows. An 11x11 shed is where he was born and where he has lived with his Ma for the last five years.  It's where he reads, eats, plays, and when Old Nick comes in the night Jack goes to the wardrobe where he is safe.

Although Room is home to Jack it is prison to Ma since she has been held captive there for the last seven years. Her determination to keep Jack safe and create a life for Jack leads her to devise a plan of escape that relies on Jack's bravery and luck.  Told from Jack's prospective, the reader is led into a world that although tragic is also all he knows.

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get through the book when I started because of the way it is written with Jack's pronunciation, however, as  I continued I felt as though I was truly getting a glimpse of the world in which Jack and his mother survived. I was intrigued by what Ma did to keep Jack occupied and I felt her struggle with getting out of the Room but also I felt in incredible desire to keep Jack safe.

Jack's perspective on so many things that are taken for granted hit me many times when I read the book.  "In the world I notice persons are always stressed and have no time," "Also everywhere I'm looking at kids, adults mostly don't seem to like them, not even parents do. They call the kids gorgeous and so cute, they make the kids do all the thing all over again so they can take a photo, but they don't actually play with them, they'd rather drink coffee talking to adults."

Their journey was not easy and was an interesting read and a fast read that did pull you in.  I thought the book was good, but I don't think it was great.  Out of 5 stars I give it 3.

Happy Reading and Enjoy a cup of Tea!
Kara

Same Kind of Different As Me

Denver, a man raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960's, is a man who escaped, hopping a train to wander homeless for 18 years in Dallas, Texas. No longer a slave, Denver finds life hard to deal with and still feels hopeless in his choices.  A godly woman by the name of Deborah and her husband, Ron, come into Denver's life and as the story moves forward no of them will be the same. Deborah's discovery that she has cancer and is facing death pushes her husband to have an unlikely friendship with Denver. This story is an emotional  journey to an incredible friendship narrated by both Ron and Denver and told with both laughter, real pain and doubt in each other and even in the power of God.

I really enjoyed the book and although sometimes it is hard to believe that people can live the way they do, I found it so beautiful how the story was such a wonderful tribute to the amazing light and love that Deborah had in her. She touched so many people by her spirit and her ability to unconditionally love mankind. Denver in spite of himself became easy to like in the book and his wisdom and simplicity at looking at life was given throughout the book.  The big lesson as he talked about his homelessness was to accept life for what it is. 

I thought Ron's candidness with not only his mistakes but also his feelings, not only about his wife and her illness but also Denver and even his judgments, made the story real and easier to relate to these men who most of us would never have the opportunity to talk with or even, in many cases, allow ourselves to.  I cried, I was inspired and  I will always remember the bond that is shared by Denver and Ron and what it meant.  POWERFUL story!

5 out of 5 stars

Happy Reading and Enjoy a cup of Tea!
Kara

The Hangman's Daughter

A historical thriller set in 1660's Germany, after a dying boy is pulled from a river with a mark tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called to investigate whether witchcraft is involved. When more children suddenly start to disappear and another orphan boy is found dead marked with the same tattoo, hysteria threatens to create the witch trials of the past all over again.  Before the chaos forces Jakob to torture and execute  the woman who brought many of the townspeople's children into the world, including his, Jakob must find the truth.  With the help of his daughter Magdalena and Simon, a young physician, Jakob discovers pure evil and that the devil is truly alive in his town.

This book is not a normal read for me and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by not only the pace but also the way the story played out.  I was truly intrigued by the mystery and actually the characters were very believable. I enjoyed this book and felt like I got my money's worth at the end.  I am glad the Pullman Page Turner's picked this and I am glad I got to visit Jakob. 

I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy Reading and enjoy a cup of tea! 

Kara