Finally - a thriller that thrilled me! This one was good fun. I spent the whole book trying to figure out which character was who. And there were a couple of red herrings that I would be consequential FOR SURE. And I was wrong - and I love being wrong in thrillers! This slightly gothic, very weird book with an ending that left me thinking, "WHAT??!" made for a very fun read!

This novel was hard to put down. I was drawn in by the characters from the first page and didn't want to leave them on their quest for home and family. Set in the 1930s in Minnesota, a group of 4 orphans escape a Native American "re-education" school. They set sail on a river in true Huck Finn style and meet all of the obstacles you would expect children to face. And along the way, they wrestle with finding meaning in their own stories and challenges. This was excellent and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel looks at German civilians during WWII - how did they justify their actions during the war? Were they complacent and followed orders? Did they resist, however fruitless? And, most importantly, how did they live with themselves after the war?

This is Clara's story. Her family ran a lucrative mining company in Essen, which she took over towards the end of the war. The government sent slave labor to her mine to ensure steady production, which was necessary for their troops. Clara advocated for more food rations and better living conditions for her workers, but continued using their labor anyway. As Germany fell, Clara knew she'd be labeled a war criminal, so she fled her home. Two years later, she returned to a city that she no longer recognized.

Living in the shadows, she meets a whole cast of shady characters who help her pick up the pieces of her life. She uncovers family secrets that change her view of her family before the war, which deepens the shame she feels about her own actions during the war.

I didn't find Clara to be a sympathetic character and didn't always enjoy the sections of the book told from her perspective. But along the way, she met an ex-soldier caring for his sisters named Jakob - he was the real star of the novel for me. From Jakob, we learn how truly stuck many Germans were when the war began. And we're reminded how important family is, especially through such a chaotic time.

The German Heiress will be published on April 7, 2020.

Georgia Hunter's family story is incredible. This tale, based on a true story, focuses on the Kurc family. The Kurcs are a Jewish family living in Poland when WWII breaks out. We Were the Lucky Ones chronicles many of their experiences and follows different members of their family across the world as they try to escape Hitler's horrors.

I found I had to read this book in small chunks because I was terrified of what was going to happen next. Of all the WWII books that I've read, this has been the most emotionally difficult for me.

Spoiler

But rest assured, dear leader, the title doesn't lie. The Kurcs were the lucky ones and relief is in sight.

I read this because I'm trying to read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series in 2020. This was a fun adventure and I'm looking forward to seeing how it relates to the rest of the Narnian tales!

I had really high hopes for this book but found it really difficult to get through. This felt like a personal essay that went on about 200 pages too long. Her premise is so promising: step away from social media and news sources who make tons of money on their ability to keep you addicted and replace that with a sense of belonging in nature. YES! I totally agree.

I got lost and uninterested in the hundreds of pages about ancient philosophers and her own anecdotes from her family and her multiple experiences as an artist in residence. This would have been great as a serial in the New Yorker over the course of a year, but didn't quite work so well for me in this format.

There were some great quotes in here (I've shared my Kindle highlights on Goodreads), but I didn't enjoy this overall. In its favor: it was a fast read, some of his advice was solid (show up to do the work), and he tried to be funny. What didn't work for me: this guy is full of bologna (no offense, Mr. Pressfield). I was hanging on by a thread through most of this book, but he completely lost me when he proposed that people get cancer because they're being attacked by their unfulfilled destinies and they'd be cured if they just did what they were born to do. At that point, I couldn't even try to take anything else seriously.

If you're looking for writing inspiration, stick with Bird by Bird, The Writing Life, and Writing Down the Bones.

I am delighted by these mysteries. This one was intricately plotted and left me stumped until the very end. I love how the author can let us know that the mystery has been solved by her detectives, yet still leave the reader scratching her head.

And Cormoran and Robin are some of the best characters in the literary world. I enjoy their relationship and am looking forward to seeing what happens to them next.

I didn't give this 5 stars because this felt a little too long. The mystery was fantastic, but I didn't feel invested in it until about 300-page mark. Perhaps some of the lead-up could have been condensed?

This was my first Christie book in more than a decade and I realized how much I missed Miss Jane Marple! This is the second to last book in the Miss Marple series. Miss Marple is called on by an old friend to solve an injustice -- without giving much more information than that. Off we go on an English Country Houses tour and meet the most interesting cast of characters and visit the loveliest gardens and churches in the countryside.

I would have given this 5 stars but I've been a bit unfair. Despite knowing that Christie is a person from a different time, I was quite surprised at how much this failed the #metoo movement. I kept hoping Miss Jane Marple would be a revolutionary and correct the men in this novel, but alas -- it was a different time!

This was such a funny and quirky memoir. Anne Lamott is so funny and relatable - and this journal of her experience as a single mother with an infant is no exception. This was a wonderful book for any new mother or anyone experiencing grief, she wraps the two up in such a beautiful way.