A Bookworm's Book Reviews

The Summer We Ran – Audrey Ingram

Title: The Summer We Ran

Author: Audrey Ingram

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Plot: In the summer of ’96, Tess’s mom took a job for an affluent lady in Virginia. Her mother reminds Tess to be on her best behavior. The neighbor lets Tess work in her garden. While working, Tess meets Grant Alexander, son of a prominent politician. They hit it off instantly, despite their own broken pasts. Both of their mothers caution them in their summer romance. Then tragedy after tragedy strike. The two are separated, not by their own doing. In 2021, both Tess and Grant run for governor in Virginia. No one in their lives knows what happened that summer all those years ago. Tess is sent an anonymous email with a photo of her and Grant from that summer. She starts to panic and tells her campaign manager the bare bones of what happened that summer. Tess finds Grant and tells him what’s going on. As the campaign continues, both parties try to find out who’s blackmailing Tess. The more they learn, the more things unravel in their personal lives. Can both families survive? Will the truth come out? Or can Tess and Grant keep that summer a secret?

Rating: 3.6 – a interesting look at politics and consequences of hiding the past

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoyed getting a behind the scenes look at politics without the book being too political. I don’t mind politics so long as it’s not the main focus. The dynamics of Tess and Grant’s relationship seem pretty realistic. Not all relationships about people from different worlds work in the real world. While this wasn’t the happiest book I’ve ever read, it’s realistic. There are consequences to our actions or lack there of. Not everything in life can be forgiven. While what happened in the book was heartbreaking, it seems more realistic. I do wish the ending had been a little happier. Or at least one or two of the characters had come to justice by the end of the book. Their fate seemed like a loose end in the book. Overall, this was an interesting book. It kept me interested throughout. I kept hoping the characters would get the ending they deserved. I recommend this book who wants to see a different side of politics and family dynamic.

The Last Speakers – K. David Harrison

Title: The Last Speakers

Author: K. David Harrison

Genre: Memoir

Plot: K. David Harrison talks about his journeys through the wilderness and remote villages to document and record the world’s dying languages. Over the course of the years, he’s found hot spots of the highest risk of disappearing forever. He talks about how people who speak a dying language have struggled to show their language and knowledge with younger people. The younger generations have less interest in learning their ancestors languages. It’s easier to learn the predominant language in the area. In the past, the speakers of dying languages have been made to feel ashamed of their first language. It’s made them hesitant to speak with others and teach others. K. David Harrison talks about how he’s lived among the people and gained their trust in order to learn more about their language and culture. He talks about how much knowledge and culture we’re losing when they disappear. While it looks bleak, there is some hope because there’s starting to be a revitalization of some of the dying languages.

Rating: 4.0 – a deep, insightful talk about language and how they’re important

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I liked how much details about the languages that are included. There’s so many interesting facts about dying languages and their cultures. There’s so much local knowledge and history recorded in those languages. I understand that it’s easier for the younger generation to learn the main language in the area they live in. They want to fit in with the language majority. But there’s so much tied to the culture within the language. There’s so many different ways to understand the world when you speak another language. The author says he’s received letters about the simplicity of only speaking one language and how everyone should speak the same language. But you lose so much culture, knowledge, and understanding when you speak more than one language. But I understand wanting to be accepted by the main stream culture and language group by only speaking the prominent language. I can see both sides of the argument with local languages wanting to protect their languages. They don’t want outsiders to change or get rid of their language. But language is adaptable and can survive if the speakers are willing. They can find their own words for modern things. There are so many things to unpack in this book. It’s a great book for any language lovers. A family I work with gave me this book as a gift and I love it. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about languages.

Just for the Summer – Abby Jimenez

Title: Just for the Summer

Author: Abby Jimenez

Genre: Romance

Plot: Emma and Maddy are traveling nurses deciding on where to go next. They find a Reddit article about a guy, Justin, who’s got a ‘love curse.’ He says after every relationship he’s in, his partner’s next boyfriend is the one she marries. Emma replies that the same thing happens to her. They start hatching a plan to meet up, date, then break up. This should break the curse, so they think. Emma convinces Maddy to make their next work place in Minnesota, where Justin lives. Emma and Justin hit it off right away. Then Emma’s toxic mother, show up to complicate things. To make matters even more complicated, Justin has to take custody of his siblings. Justin and Emma try their best to work through everything. It starts off well, but Emma’s mother continues to make things worse. Can their relationship work? Or will their situation and past get the better of them?

Rating: 4.3 – a more realistic Hallmark style romance

Opinion: This was a great book. I liked that this romance felt pretty realistic, but still sappy. That finding love can be in the middle of the doing the most ordinary things with someone. Saying ‘I love you’ can be in the middle of a conversation and doesn’t have to be a profound statement. I also like how in depth and realistic the mental health and past trauma felt. It makes sense that people carry their past with them in subtle ways as an adult. It made the book and characters more relatable. It also was a nice difference to see that the characters didn’t feel like they needed help, at first. Some of them never got the help they clearly needed. That also made the book feel more relatable. I love that the characters also made the realization that they needed to put their current relationships on hold so that they could get the help they needed before returning to their relationships. They saw what they were doing wouldn’t be good for the people around them and did what they needed to do to make it better. I liked that this book was a little cleaner than some other romance books I’ve read. There’s still some smut, but it’s only one time versus up to four times in other books. It was nice that a healthy romance was promoted in this book. I also didn’t realize that this book is connected to another book, Part of Your World. Overall, I really liked this book, it’s longish but an easy read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Hallmark style romance.

Only the Beautiful – Susan Meissner

Title: Only the Beautiful

Author: Susan Meissner

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Rosie Maras has just lost her family in a train accident in the 1930’s. Her parent’s boss, Celine and Truman Calvert, take her in. Rosie is taken from the vineyard, the Calvert’s own and becomes a maid in the household. Then an accident happens and Rosie becomes pregnant. The Calvert’s send her to an asylum for that and because she can see colors with sounds. The asylum tries to ‘cure’ her. Then she’s forced to give up her child after gives birth. Will Rosie ever be free of the asylum? Is it possible for her to be reunited with her child?

Truman Calvert’s sister, Helen, returns to the vineyard from Europe after World War 2. She was a nanny and teacher there during the war. Helen finds her brother’s been killed in a training accident. Her sister-in-law, Celine, is angry with everyone because of what happened with Truman and Celine. Helen travels California to find Rosie and her child. Is it even possible for her to find the child and Rosie? Or has her search been in vain?

Rating: 4.0 – a story of family and history

Opinion: This was an interesting book. It makes you think about what the US did people in asylums in the 1900’s. It almost feels tame compared to some of the things I’ve heard on the Discovery Channel, but still sad. It talks about the darker side of happened to the people that went out of sight. We hid people because they’re different. It was easier that way. It was horrible how the doctors treated the patients in the book. Part of me hoped they’d lose their license, but I knew they wouldn’t because of the times. For how sad it was, I was glad the redeemable characters got their happy ending. You could kind of see where the ending was going, but it was still a good read and a good ending. The characters in the book are relatable. They make realistic choices. Though, the odds of them finding each other were against each other were high, I’m glad they did. Overall, this was a great book. I highly recommend it for anyone who wouldn’t mind reading about the darker side of the 1930’s and ’40’s.

My Next Breath – Jeremy Renner

This book may be gory graphic for some readers.

Title: My Next Breath

Author: Jeremy Renner

Genre: Memoir

Plot: Jeremy Renner tells his story about his snowplow accident on January 1, 2023. He talks about the events that led up to that day and why he and his nephew were out using the snowplow and truck that day. There’s talk about why he did what he did and what went through his head in the moments before, during, and after the accident. He takes responsibility for the event and the effects it had on his family. He talked about his hospital stay, the surgeries, the in hospital recovery, and out of hospital recovery. Lastly, he talks about the continuing recovery two years later and returning to work.

Rating: 4.3 – a story of loss and recovery and family and love

Opinion: This was a great memoir. I understand why Jeremy Renner didn’t want to write this book. It’s super hard to write about the traumatic events in your life, especially the recent ones. It can be hard to find motivation to keep going and to keep getting better after a traumatic event when you don’t have something to hold on to. He talks so much about the love he has for his family and friends. That’s the main thing that kept him going. He attributes his family and his life experiences that gave him the ability to survive his traumatic event. It’s amazing that he had such a strong support system in his family and friends. It makes recovery that much easier on you mentally. It was relatable for me because I had a traumatic event in early 2024. It was nowhere near as traumatic as Jeremy Renner, but still traumatic. It stressed me out a little to read the book and hear about his event and his time in the hospital. For most of that, I kept thinking, ‘how is this guy still alive?’ I think my cat noticed that and snuggled with me while I was reading this book. It was nice to hear some motivation for me and others who are still recovering from traumatic events. It may look different for everyone, by you can still relate to what Jeremy Renner talks about. Finding something to hold on to makes recovering easier, whether it’s family, friends, pets, or something else. It may not be the best for squeamish people as there’s lots of talk about some of the graphic parts of Jeremy Renner’s injuries. Overall, this is a great book about finding something to hold onto after a traumatic event.

Sunrise on the Reaping – Suzanne Collins

Title: Sunrise on the Reaping

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult

Plot: Haymitch Abernathy’s 16th birthday hits differently. His birthday is on the reaping day in Panem, and he’s in District 12. This year, he’s chosen in for the 50th Hunger Games in a different way after he’s caught trying to defend his girlfriend. Now he’s off with the other 48 tributes, double the amount of normal years, from the 12 districts. He tries to help create alliances and sneak in a little rebellion, but President Snow and the Capitol are onto him. With everything he does monitored, he has to find a way to make sure everything goes to plan. He tries hard but this Hunger Game is designed to go against him and his allies. Can Haymitch and his allies pull the heist off? Or will the Capitol foil everything? Can he really come out unscathed? Or will be worse for even trying?

Rating: 4.0 – a different side of the Hunger Games universe

Opinion: This was a surprisingly good book. I was expecting a lot more plotting and scheming than were actually in it. There was some, but not as much as in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I enjoyed seeing more of Haymitch when he was younger and why he acted the way he did with Katniss and Peeta. If you’ve read the original Hunger Games trilogy, you know Haymitch wins, but you don’t know the full story. You know he wins, but you don’t see the cost. His story made my heart break. I really wanted him to be able to keep one thing, but that never happened. But it all added to his character depth. I’m glad there’s still some hope at the end of the story. If you’ve read The Hunger Games, you’ll really like this one. I highly recommend this prequel to whoever likes the original trilogy.

The Rose Garden – Susanna Kearsley

Title: The Rose Garden

Author: Susanna Kearsley

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Plot: Eva and Katrina Ward have always followed each other. When Katrina passed suddenly, Eva feels lost and alone. Eva’s asked to find a place to scatter Katrina’s ashes. She decides the best place to do that is near their hometown in Cornwall, at the Trelowarth house. While at Trelowarth, Eva starts to look into the house’s history to help drum up business for her family’s new tea house. Then, somehow, Eva’s drawn into the past, literally. In the early 1700’s she meets Jack and Daniel Butler and their friend Fergus O’Connell. For the first time in a long time, Eva starts to feel at home. She draws close to Daniel. But times are rough, the three men are smugglers and helping the Jacobites when they can. But when Eva continues to jump back and forth in time, can she ever find her true home? Can she help Daniel escape his fate? Or will she lose someone else she cares for?

Rating: 4.0 – a different take on a time travel sappy, romance

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I didn’t that the time travel wasn’t really explained, that it just happened randomly. There were no mechanics or real reason to it, it just happened. It let the author focus more on the plot and characters, which was nice. The characters were relatable and down to earth. They were average people trying to make their way in the world. Then sometime extraordinary happens. I liked that difference in the book. The plot info and historical info was spread out nicely. It was a slow and steady book, but wasn’t too slow. It kept me interested throughout the whole book. The little plot twist fit nicely in the book. It almost felt like a simpler version of Outlander. Overall, I really liked this book. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves Outlander and slow and steady historical fiction with some sappy romance.

The Man Made of Smoke – Alex North

Title: The Man Made of Smoke

Author: Alex North

Genre: Thriller

Plot: Dan Garvie’s close encounter with the serial killer known as the Pied Piper as a child has haunted him into his adult life. He became a criminal profiler to help others. Then Dan gets word that his father, Jack, has died. So Dan returns to his home island to find out what really happened. But going home means he has to confront of his past. And when Dan arrives, he learns that there have been more murders. They’re similar to the Pied Piper’s murders. The more Dan learns about what’s going on, the more he sees the connections to his own encounter with the Pied Piper. What really happened to the Pied Piper? Did he really die? Or is this a copy cat killer? Or is this someone new?

Rating: 4.0 – a different style of serial killer thriller

Opinion: This was an interesting book. It took me a little to get into the book. The nonlinear timeline threw me for a loop at first. There wasn’t always a clear cut time jump between different people and places. It always took me a second of reading to see whose point of view I was reading. I found it interesting that there were five sections that were based on the stages of grief. The pattern followed with the characters and what they learned in the sections as well. I enjoyed the slower build of the book. There wasn’t a ton of violence or graphic scenes. It was different and nice. But it was still good mystery with lots of twists and turns in a good mystery. I liked how Dan figured out and helped solve the mysteries behind the killers. It was nice that it was more of a team effort to find the killer and solve the mystery. I liked how everything was connected to the one moment with Dan and the Pied Piper. Overall, this was a great book with a different style and pacing from what I’ve read of others. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone who likes thrillers and murder mysteries.

Lasting Ever – Rebecca St. James & Cubbie Fink

Title: Lasting Ever

Author: Rebecca St. James & Cubbie Fink

Genre: Memoir, Christian

Plot: Rebecca St. James and her husband Cubbie (short for cub, like bear cub the book explains it) Fink tell about how their faith affected their childhoods. They talked about their music careers. Even though they had their faith, they had fears and stresses. But through everything, they still brought it all to God. He brought them through it all, even though it wasn’t as they expected. Rebecca and Cubbie talked about how God sees us, knows us, cares about us, and loves us. They talked their struggles in their marriage and careers. They brought their struggles to God and saw how God brought them through it. Through everything, they talked with God and sought consul with Him and family.

Rating: 4.5 – a great telling how God can bring you through all things

Opinions: I enjoyed this book. This was a great book about how God can bring you through anything. I liked how honest with the reader that Rebecca and Cubbie were in the book. I liked how they talked about their fears, failures, and struggles. It was nice to know that they talked with other people and God. With everything they did and all of their changes in their lives, they talked to God first. Then they talked with each other. They listened to God and where they felt like He was leading them. They stepped out in faith. When things ended unexpectedly, they prayed and sought counsel. They were clear about being upset but still trusted that God is good. That was refreshing to hear. I liked that they brought up seeing a counselor when things were really hard for them. I feel like it’s still not talked about a lot nowadays in the Christian community. But I feel like Christians are becoming more open about it. It was nice to see that they struggled with similar things and talked about it together. They made it relatable to everyone, even single people. They made it so that single people can know what to look for in a partner. I really enjoyed this book. I liked hearing from both sides equally. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a book about a Christian memoir about keeping your faith through everything.

Six Days in Bombay – Alka Joshi

Title: Six Days in Bombay

Title: Alka Joshi

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Sona Falstaff is a nurse in 1930’s Bombay, India. One day, Mira Novak comes in to Sona’s hospital after a miscarriage. While Mira heals, the two become fast friends because of their shared half-Indian heritage. But her slow healing makes the doctor’s concerned. There’s conflicts between the British and Indian doctors treating her. Then Mira dies from a morphine overdose. The doctors are quick to blame Sona. They let her go. On her way out, she finds that Mira left her some paintings to deliver to her friends across Europe. Sona’s unsure she’s up to the task. Then she finds encouraging messages from her mother and friend and makes plans to go. Can she find all of Mira’s old friends? Will she be able to deliver all of the paintings?

Ratings: 4.0 – a tale of overcoming fear and living life

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoyed learning about the parts of the world you don’t normally learn about, especially during major world events. I feel like it’s normal to hear about it from the British, or European country’s, perspective. It was cool to learn about this from someone with Indian heritage. It means the story is more authentic to what the characters went through in the book. It’s sad to see that some things haven’t changed much over the years in that sense. I liked the story included overcoming fears and finding the life you want to live. It’s terrifying but worth it. I liked that the book talked about that your first love might not be the best fit. You may find someone who better fits for you and you both won’t hold each other back. It was a slow and steady read, but still interesting to read. The ending was fitting for the story and summed everything up nicely. Overall, this was a great book. I highly recommend it for anyone who needs an easier historical fiction book.