49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards

 Four days. Two hikers. One killer.

The plot:  Cousins Katie and Aster have always been close. Until last year. But Aster is hoping their 4-day backpacking trip among Utah's red rocks and slot canyons will help heal both Katie and their relationship. But their 49-mile hike in the desert brings some unexpected surprises:  an illness, a storm, running low on water & food, an injury, and two strangers. Riley and Finn might be a perfectly nice couple, but something feels off. Katie is suspicious and fearful of Finn, Riley is acting nervous, and Aster isn't sure what to think. When Riley and Finn vanish into the desert night, Katie and Aster know they need to go for help. They just need to survive the last 23 miles.

My thoughts:  It's no secret that I love hiking and wilderness survival stories, so I was immediately drawn to this book for that reason. Plus, it's set in the scenic red rock backcountry of Moab, Utah; and I always enjoy reading books that are set in my own home state. And I definitely had fun reading this one. It's fast, has good tension, builds suspense, and really immerses you in that isolated desert environment. Katie and Aster were relatable characters that I also liked. And I appreciated Katie's personal journey as she overcame her fears and past trauma to stand strong at the end. It's a solid 4-star adventure.

Happy Reading!

The Next Everest by Jim Davidson

 

First line:  We climbed the deadliest section of Everest at night.

From the blurb:

 "On April 25, 2015, Jim Davidson was climbing Mount Everest when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake released avalanches all around him and his team, destroying their only escape route and trapping them at nearly 20,000 feet. It was the largest earthquake in Nepal in eighty-one years and killed about 8,900 people. That day also became the deadliest in the history of Everest, with eighteen people losing their lives on the mountain.

"After spending two unsettling days stranded on Everest, Davidson's team was rescued by helicopter. The experience left him shaken, and despite his thirty-three years of climbing and serving as an expedition leader, he wasn't sure that he would ever go back. But in the face of risk and uncertainty, he returned in 2017 and finally achieved his dream of reaching the summit."

My thoughts:  I read Jim Davidson's previous climbing memoir, The Ledge, several years ago and have never forgotten it. It's a gut-wrenching and emotionally powerful read. His chronicle of climbing Mt. Everest is equally compelling. I love reading these kinds of books. And this one is richly detailed and descriptive, and honest, too. Davidson weaves in moments from his past that taught him valuable lessons that helped him on this difficult adventure. He writes about the importance of patience and persistence, hard work, inner resilience, dealing with grief and loss, choosing confidence over fear, and "focusing on the climb, not the drop". I highly recommend it. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

 

"I have a hard time not blaming myself for what happened. I wish I didn't. I wish this was not a cautionary tale about what happens to girls who wander off in the dark. Who are made to learn there are bad people everywhere. That the truth is these people are not strangers. They are the men who you sleep with, the men you work with, the men you raise. I wish this wasn't what it means to be female--it is not a matter of if something bad will happen, but when."

Two years. Two weeks. One day. 

That's how long Ellie Black has been missing when she stumbles from the Captiol State Forest near Olympia, Washington. She's thin, bruised, clearly traumatized, and wearing a sweatshirt spattered with someone else's blood. Ellie's disappearance was Chelsey Calhoun's first case as a detective. Now she's hoping to find Ellie's abductor and arrest him. Only Ellie won't answer any of her questions, and it's clear she's keeping secrets. When Chelsey learns that the blood on Ellie's sweatshirt is from another girl who went missing before Ellie, Chelsey fears there are more missing girls out there still being held by the man or men who took Ellie. And she's determined to find them. 

"Ever since Ellie Black's disappearance, Chelsey has volunteered for any case involving violence against women. She always has plenty of work to do. All those beaten, all those bruised, all those maimed women are welcomed on Chelsey's shores. It is a type of atonement, Chelsey understands. She could not save (her sister) Lydia. She could not solve Ellie's case. ... A lump rises in Chelsey's throat, and she gulps it back. She won't allow the tears to come. All these girls. These bright, bold, beautiful girls. All that potential wasted. All those possibilities snuffed out. What could have been. The question stretches to infinity. She pulls one of Lydia's Beatrix Potter rabbits from the bed and screams into it with a shimmery, impotent rage."

This mystery is both page-turning and haunting. It alternates between Ellie's and Chelsey's POVs. I could understand and sympathize with Chelsey's intense determination to learn the truth about what happened to Ellie, and to keep it from happening to any other girls. And I liked the way Ellie's story unfolded bit by bit over the course of the novel. It kept me guessing about what secrets she was hiding. And there's a good, very unexpected twist, at the end. This is a very compelling thriller, as well as a sad commentary on the bad things that can happen to young girls in our society.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Tap Code by Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris (Ret.)

 

The epic suvival tale of a Vietnam POW and the secret code that changed everything.

Shot down on April 4, 1965, Smitty Harris was the sixth American captured in the air war over North Vietnam. I'm sure you've heard of the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Smitty was there, as well as in seven other prison camps. For eight long years he suffered torture, solitary confinement, hunger, humiliation and abuse. But through it all, he never lost his belief in God, or his own integrity and honor as an American soldier. 

In the midst of his captivity, he remembered an old, long-unused World War II method of communication he'd once learned--the Tap Code. It's based on a 5x5 grid of numbers and letters that allowed him and his fellow POWs to covertly communicate with one another while imprisoned. And that ability not only unified these men, but enabled them to strengthen and support one another and help each other to survive their long ordeal, their "misery made bearable by camaraderie."

Meanwhile, back in the States, Smitty's wife, Louise, never gave up hope that he would come back home. As one of the first MIA wives, she had to learn to be her own advocate, as well as to be strong and optimistic for her three young children as she raised them on her own. Her memories of that time period are equally captivating. 

This is an incredible story of faith, resistance, hope and survival. And one of the best nonfiction books I've read all year. It's so good! Here's just one of my favorite quotes from it: 

"When times were really bad--and especially during those times when I feared I might not survive--I prayed frequently and fervently because I had nowhere else to turn. I knew I needed help. And help came. No, I didn't experience a personal miracle. The torture didn't stop. I wasn't free and back home. But I gained more than I even knew to pray for. After prayer, I knew I was no longer alone. Prayer gave me renewed strength to continue resisting a brutal enemy. And all those miracles I prayed for came true--just not on on my timetable, but on God's. Now I feel that I have everything I could have ever wanted. Through the difficulty of my years of captivity, I found a renewed belief in a Supreme Being--God, my Father--who looked after me then and still does today."

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Happy Reading!

 

Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven

 Storm strands amusement

park employees who form tribes

and go Lord of the Flies.

The framework of this novel is a journalist investigating the events that occurred at the Fantasticland amusement park in the aftermath of Hurricane Sadie when over 100 college-age employees were killed at the hands of others. It's told through a series of first-person interviews with the various survivors, from the older Mole Men hiding in the tunnels, to the Shop Girls and their deadly archers, and even the leader of the violent tribe of Pirates. Each eye-witness account offers a different perspective on what happened, and why things went so wrong so fast. The stories are haunting and horrifying. I thought it was an interesting way to tell a story, and one I ended up liking a lot. And I always love that amusement park setting. If you're in the mood for some suspenseful psychological horror that unfolds like a documentary, give this book a try. I gave it 4 stars. 

Happy Reading! 

Similar amusement park read:  

    Hide by Kiersten White

Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells

 "Bad things happen in the wilderness--and sometimes they're not accidents."

An abandoned glamping campsite near Precipice Lake in Sequoia National Park. Two missing campers. Who were they? And what happened to them? Park ranger Ferdinand "Hux" Huxley suspects foul play. But it's up to Special Agent Felicity Harland to investigate. But with no witnesses and sparse clues, it's not going to be easy to track down the truth. 

What I liked best about this mystery:

• Getting to know Felicity and Hux. These two characters have interesting back stories, and they work well together. Hux is a former Navy Seal with a talent for finding people; Felicity is recovering from a devastating accident and travels with a cute dog named Ollie. I look forward to reading their next investigation.
• That beautiful National Park setting with its isolated wilderness, icy blue lakes, mountain peaks, and forested trails. It's always a favorite of mine.

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Another favorite read by Claire Kells:  Girl Underwater

One Last Shot by Susan May Warren

 

From the blurb:  "When country music star Oaken Fox joins survivalist Mike Grizz's new adventure show in the Alaskan wilderness, he just wants to boost his fan base. But when tragedy strikes and Air One Rescue must save them, Oaken wants to quit. Too bad his producer has other plans--signing him on with Air One Rescue as a recruit and making a reality show.

"EMT Boo Kingston did not join Air One Rescue to train a celebrity. But she's a rookie to the team, so yes, she'll train Oaken and keep him alive and not for a minute pay attention to his charm.

"Then five women go missing from a resort during a bachelorette weekend gone wrong. Now, Air One and the rescue team will have to use all their skills and manpower--including Oaken--to find them before a blizzard settles in. But can they work together before tragedy strikes?"

My thoughts:  Ashley @ The Rustic Reading Gal, who recommended this book, said I would love it...and she was right. The compelling action starts on page one and continues throughout the book. But there are also quiet moments with Oaken and Boo and the other members of the rescue team--moments of heart, humor, redemption, forgiveness, and faith. I loved all the rescue guys, but I especially loved Oaken and Boo and how they slowly came together over the course of the story. And that Alaskan wilderness setting is always a favorite of mine. All the rescue scenes felt very realistic, and were nicely suspenseful, too. And I loved the positivity and the happy ending. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series when it comes out next month. 

Happy Reading!

Just a Regular Boy by Catherine Ryan Hyde

 

First line:  Remy Blake was five years old when his father drove him away from Pocatello for the last time. 

The plot:  Raised in isolation by his survivalist father in the far northern woods of Idaho, Remy learns to hunt and fish, but not how to live in the real world. He's taught to fear it instead. Then his father dies, leaving him all alone in the wilderness. Only eight, Remy struggles to survive, but the threat of starvation finally forces him to seek out the nearest town for food. When authorities finally find him, he's badly injured, traumatized, half-starved, and mute. That's when Anne and her husband, Chris, enter the picture. They've already adopted two children. But Anne is determined to give Remy a safe home, too. No matter how difficult the next part of his journey may be. 

My thoughts:  My heart went out to Remy. He's one tough little boy. His narrative was my favorite part of this book. All of his struggles, both survial-wise and emotional, were so gripping.  His story alternates with Anne's narrative. Her struggles to be a good wife and mom weren't quite as compelling, but I still liked her, especially all her interactions with Remy, as she tried to help him work through his past traumas and validate his feelings. This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. And it raises some interesting questions about fear and how people choose to respond to it. All in all, this turned out to be a 4-star read for me. 

Happy Reading!

Similar read:

The Good Dream by Donna VanLiere

Drowning by T.J. Newman

    Will stared at the water-filled cabin, wondering two things. What happened... ...What now?

    The plane had been sinking. Everyone had thought this was it, they were done for. Then the water had stopped rising and no one had known what to think. Then out of nowhere--BAM--the plane had slammed into something. It was loud. Violent. Everyone thought, This is the end.

    But as the seconds ticked on, they realized the plane was still sealed and the air pocket was still intact. Somehow, they were still alive.

When Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean six minutes after takeoff, Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter, Shannon, end up trapped in the sinking plane two hundred feet below the surface with ten other passengers. Their hope of rescue lies with the Coast Guard, the Navy, and with Will's ex-wife, Chris, a professional diver and deep sea welder. 

What an adrenalin rush! This was one propulsive page-turning thriller. The premise of being trapped in a submerged airplane is a scary one. And Newman's past experience as a flight attendant shines through, giving this book a level of authenticity that makes it even more suspenseful. I liked almost all of the characters, from the older couple celebrating their sixtieth anniversary, to the woman who wears her life preserver all the time because she doesn't know how to swim. But I especially loved the relationship between Will and his young daughter, and his wife's fierce determination to save them both. I also appreciated getting to see this disaster from both the passengers' and the rescuer's POVs. Drowning was the last book I read in August, and a perfect way to end my summer reading.

Happy Reading!

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

 

The plot in brief:

Adelaide Henry has a secret--a dark family secret she keeps locked in a large steamer trunk. If it gets out, people will die. Like her parents. Which is why she had to leave California. She heads to Big Sandy, Montana not only because it is far away and no one knows her there, but because in 1915, Montana is one of the only places that will give land to a single woman to homestead. Even to a black woman like Adelaide. 

My thoughts:

I don't know why, but I thought this book was going to be a darker, supernatural horror story. It's not. There is a supernatural element in it, but it's more about Adelaide and other lone women like her trying to make a life for themselves in the American West than anything else. And I was underwhelmed by what emerged from the locked steamer trunk. But maybe that's because Lavalle wasn't going for eerie and atmospheric with his writing; his prose is strong, but more straightforward. He does an excellent job of capturing the time period and depicting the setting and the lives of Adelaide and the other women. And the story is interesting. I was just hoping for suspenseful and chilling. So I didn't end up loving this one, but I would still recommend it. 

Happy Reading!

The Secret Gate by Mitchell Zuckoff

 

Homeira Qaderi is a mother, author, celebrated activist and champion of rights for all Afghani women, and outspoken critic of the Taliban. When the United States announced their withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Taliban regained control of Homeira's beloved country, she knew her life was now in danger. But she was determined to stay in Kabul and keep speaking out against the Taliban. Until her family finally convinced her to try and escape. 

Sam Aronson, a junior diplomat with the State Department, was on vacation when Afghanistan devolved into chaos. He quickly volunteered to help with the refugee crisis and ended up being sent to the airport in Kabul to try and vet the thousands of Afghani citizens desperate to leave their country and escape the Taliban--especially those who had done so much to help the Americans over the last twenty years. But it's all the ones he's forced to turn away that begin to give him nightmares. That's when he decides to try and bring as many people as he can through the airport's secret gate before it closes for good. Homeira Qaderi and her son are two of the people he helped save. 

My thoughts:  This incredible true story is both riveting and heartbreaking. Thinking about what happened in Afghanistan in August of 2021 still makes me angry and sad. And this book captures all of  those emotions. The masterful way that Zuckoff interweaves Homeira's and Sam's eyewitness accounts lets you see the harrowing and tragic events taking place on both sides of the gate. Sam's determination to save lives was inspiring. And Homeira's love for her country deepened my understanding of Afghanistan and it's history. For me, this was a 5-star read! 

Happy Reading!

Similar, and equally good book:

The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters

 

From the blurb:

"Oksana Masters was born in Ukraine—in the shadow of Chernobyl—seemingly with the world against her. She was born with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep, and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias.

"Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of what would be their child’s medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at age seven when Gay Masters waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances.

"In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Determined to prove herself and fueled by a drive to succeed that still smoldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four—winning against the world’s best in elite rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and road cycling competitions. Now considered one of the world’s top athletes, she is the recipient of seventeen Paralympic medals, the most of any US athlete of the Winter Games, Paralympic or Olympic.

"This is Oksana’s astonishing story of journeying through a series of dark tunnels—and how, with her mother’s love, she finally found her way into the light. Her message to anyone who doesn’t fit in: you can find a place where you excel—where you have worth."

My thoughts: 

Wow! This is one of the best books I've read this year. Oksana's story is both riveting and moving. I cried for her because of all the hard things she had to endure, and I cheered all of her breakthroughs and successes. She has such tenacity and grit and determination; I really admire her fire to win and her never-give-up attitude. 

"Ugly things happened to me. They. Are. Not. Me. No matter how ugly I feel, how much I hate my body, how much I hate my memories, I'm still worthy of love. Of a good life. This is what I wish everyone who's experienced physical or emotional  trauma could grasp: You are not the product of where you came from. You are not what happened to you...there's beauty in you."

 This amazing and emotional book is truly a memoir of courage and triumph! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks

 

The Plot:  

Darby Graham is a forensic linguist. Or was. Lately she's been struggling with PTSD from a case that cost her almost everything. Now she's been sent to Idaho to stay at the exclusive Mule Shoe Dude Rance for a vacation...and to look into some recent incidents of sabotage that has the owner worried.

Bram White is a Deputy Sheriff investigating a string of fires in town. He hopes Darby will help him analyze the letters left by the serial arsonist. In return, she asks for his help at Mule Shoe when things escalate and people start getting hurt.

My thoughts:

I liked Darby a lot. And I found it fascinating how she could draw so many clues and truths just from listeining to a person's words. And her fight to deal with her PTSD triggers felt very real. I thought Bram was a good guy, if a little shallow at times. His interactions with Darby were sometimes awkward, sometimes cute, sometimes humorous, and always fun. 

The mystery itself has lots of  different threads, from the random problems at the lodge, to the arson, to a missing artist, to murder. The way Parks weaves them all together with both suspense and good writing makes this novel very readable and engaging. And there are two dogs, Holly and Maverick, that Darby rescues at the beginning of the book that I totally loved! I'd give this one 4 stars.  

Happy Reading!

A good read won from Goodreads....

 

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris

Harris has created a fun alternate timeline in this book, where the assassination of FDR and an influenza outbreak back in the 1920s caused the United States to fracture into five distinct countries. It's also where magic meets the Wild West, a very crazy and fun mash-up.

While I definitely appreciated Harris's inventive world building, I absolutely loved her main character! Gunslinging Lizbeth Rose is independent and fierce, and at just nineteen, she's one of the best gunnies in Texoma. She'll risk her life to protect her clients. Even when her clients are grigories, two Russian wizards who need her help to track down a direct descendant of Grigori Rasputin. Lizbeth has her own reasons for not liking wizards, but she needs this job. And before their journey through Texoma to the border towns of Mexico is over, she'll have more than earned her money protecting her clients from ambushes, bandits, magical traps and enemy wizards. 

This is one fun adventure: compelling, gritty and immersive. I didn't want to put it down! I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway last year, and the fact that it was such an entertaining read makes me feel even luckier. I can't wait to read the other books in this series. 

Happy Reading!

The Perfect Predator...

...A scientist's race to save her husband from a deadly superbug. 

From the blurb:  Epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee and her husband, psychologist Tom Patterson, were vacationing in Egypt when Tom came down with a stomach bug. What at first seemed like a case of food poisoning quickly turned critical, and by the time Tom had been transferred via emergency medevac to the world-class medical center at UC San Diego, where both he and Steffanie worked, blood work revealed why modern medicine was failing: Tom was fighting one of the most dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world.

My thoughts:  This memoir reads like a medical thriller! I got so caught up in Strathdee's and her husband's story I didn't want to put this book down. It's scary to think that something as small as a bacteria can be so deadly. Did you know that more than 150,000 people die of a superbug infection in the United States each year? And apparently there are at least a dozen different strains of bacteria that have now evolved into these kinds of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. I learned a lot reading this book. And I found Strathdee's quest to find a treatment for her husband completely compelling. She writes so well; even the way she describes the science of it all is readable and easy to understand. This is a fascinating book. I loved it enough to give it 5 stars.

Happy Reading!

The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette

 

From the blurb:  "The whateverpocalypse. That’s what Touré, a twenty-something Cambridge coder, calls it after waking up one morning to find himself seemingly the only person left in the city. Once he finds Robbie and Carol, two equally disoriented Harvard freshmen, he realizes he isn’t alone, but the name sticks: Whateverpocalypse. But it doesn’t explain where everyone went. It doesn’t explain how the city became overgrown with vegetation in the space of a night. Or how wild animals with no fear of humans came to roam the streets.

"Add freakish weather to the mix, swings of temperature that spawn tornadoes one minute and snowstorms the next, and it seems things can’t get much weirder. Yet even as a handful of new survivors appear, life in Cambridge, Massachusetts gets stranger and stranger."

My thoughts:  This book is an entertaining mix of science fiction, mystery, and survival. Doucette's imagining of the end of the world is a unique and unexpected one. He writes well and does a good job of weaving together the narratives of the seven different characters. I liked all of them from Pastor Paul, to Win and her horse, Elton, to Ananda, the MIT astrophysicist. Most of the novel centers around Robbie, Carol, who's blind, Touré, and thirteen-year-old Bethany. These four team up near the beginning of the book and are a fun combination of contrasting personalities. The mystery behind the apocalypse is a little crazy and out-of-this-world, and the ending is definitely a bit mind-bending, but I still enjoyed this one. And I'm curious to see what else Doucette has written. 

Rating:  3.5/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

Hide by Kiersten White

 Fourteen competitors.

Seven days.

An abandoned amusement park.

A sinister game of hide-and-seek.

And a horrific secret.

This is another one of those summer popcorn reads that's not exactly literary or deep, but is fun. Fourteen strangers, all in their 20s, are pitted against one another in a contest, each hoping to win $50,000. But this game isn't about taking the others out, it's all about hiding from the seekers in the ruins of Asterion's old amusement park. And I have to say, the park was my favorite part--very creepy and labyrinthine! Each day, two competitors go missing. And though their disappearances aren't described, it wasn't exactly hard to guess that the mysterious 'seeker' hunting them down was something supernatural. 

I thought White did a good job of distinguishing all fourteen competitors from each other, giving me both characters to root for, and to hate, but there wasn't time for a lot of character development and some characters that I would have liked to know more about didn't get much time or attention. Still, I did have my three favorites. And I thought the dark secret behind the contest and the amusement park and the unnatural creature was a good one. Although it does get more told to the reader than shown. Hide isn't what I would call a super scary or suspenseful novel, but it is fast-paced and entertaining. I'd give it 3.5 stars. 

Happy Reading!

A 5-star nonfiction read!

 Question:  How do you dig a tunnel into the most heavily guarded country in the world?  

I remember watching on TV as the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, but I wasn't even born when it went up in 1961. Still, I've always found accounts of it fascinating. And I have to say, this is the best book I've ever read about the lives of East Berliners and their desperate determination to be free. 

In Tunnel 29, Helena Merriman tells the story of Joachim Rudolph, whose family unsuccessfully tried to escape the Red Army in 1945. He grew up in East Berlin, but managed to escape East Germany in 1961, crossing a dark field on a moonless night with his friend. Then he got his mom and sister out. But his story doesn't end there. In May 1962, he and several other university students living in West Berlin began digging a tunnel under Bernauer Strasse that would end up being 135 meters long. They dug night and day for over four months. They dug through thick clay. They evaded Stasi spies and risked their lives. And on Sept. 14, 1962, they broke through the floor of a cellar in East Berlin and helped 29 people escape to freedom. 

I absolutely loved this book! It's eye-opening, informative, heartbreaking, compelling, extraordinary and life-affirming. And it will definitely be on my favorites list at the end of the year. 

Happy Reading!

Similar fiction read:

Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

 The beginning:

"Having been born a freeman, and for more than thirty years enjoyed the blessings of liberty in a free State--and having at the end of that time been kidnapped and sold into Slavery, where I remained, until happily rescued in the month of January, 1853, after a bondage of twelve years--it has been suggested that an account of my life and fortunes would not be uninteresting to the public."

 The middle:

"Oh, how heavily the weight of slavery pressed upon me then. I must toil day after day, endure abuse and taunts and scoffs, sleep on the hard ground, live on the coarsest fare, and not only this, but live the slave of a blood-seeking wretch, of whom I must stand henceforth in continued fear and dread....I sighed for liberty; but the bondsman's chain was round me, and could not be shaken off. I could only gaze wistfully towards the North, and think of the thousands of miles that stretched between me and the soil of freedom, over which a black freeman may not pass."

The end:

"I looked in the direction indicated, and as my eyes rested on his countenance, a world of images thronged my brain .... all the friends of other and happier days, appeared and disappeared .... until at last the perfect memory of the man recurred to me, and throwing up my hands toward Heaven, I exclaimed, "Henry B. Northup! Thank God--thank God!" In an instant I comprehended the nature of his business, and felt that the hour of my deliverance was at hand."

Solomon Northup's eloquent and moving narrative of his life speaks for itself. His story is powerful, haunting, and unforgettable. I've never see the movie version of his life, but I'm so glad I read this book. It counts as my Nonfiction Classic for Karen's Back to the Classics Reading Challenge.

Happy Reading!

From my TBR shelf...

 

Home With the Dead by PJ Dziekan

I like zombie apocalypse books, and I bought this one after reading Dziekan's first book, Walking With the Dead. It continues the story of Sarah and Mick, Ryan and Becca and the others. Zombies are still a threat, but so are other humans. And finding enough food and other needed supplies in order to stay alive is becoming a problem. To add to their worries, Sarah just found out she's pregnant.

This novel is action-packed and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. Sarah, as the leader of their group, is strong, independent, stubborn, and tough. I like her a lot; and I love her relationship with Mick. There's a lot of language and zombie gore in this one, but there's also friendship, family, loyalty, survival, and hope. If you like a good zombie read, this is an entertaining one. (Though you should probably read Walking With the Dead first.)

Happy Reading!

P.S. This book counts towards the Backlist Reader Challenge hosted by The Bookwyrm's Hoard.