Hello everyone I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a productive week. I’ve reached the 30,000 word mark on my latest WIP and I’m excited about it, especially since I started this one over twice. Oy!
I’ve got it back on track and I’m hoping to finish this WIP by the end of the month. I don’t know if I’ll make it or not, but I’m giving it my best shot.
I’ve also been doing a lot of reading because we all know the best writers are also avid readers. I’ve read two books recently that I thought I’d share with you because they were so good in different ways.
The first one is “The Poisonwood Bible.” The cover and blurb are below.
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
My Thoughts:
This book was an amazing story. It was so sad. I believe it’s an accurate depiction of what the people in Africa were going through at that time.
I did not like Nathan Price in this story at all. His zealotry put his family in danger, and it’s unfortunate that his wife, Orleanna was so beaten down by his fanaticism that she couldn’t see clearly before tragedy struck. I felt sorry for her and her girls. They were always hungry and dirty.
This was a tragic tale and there were times I had to put it down because I would get upset with Nathan’s zealotry or Orleanna’s passiveness. I’m a strong advocate for children so the parents’ inability to be good parents really hit home for me.
This was a long read as well. It took me a while to get through it, but I feel it’s an excellent depiction of what was going on in Africa at that time. Excellent historical fiction, but some of the characters were hard to take.
I also read Nicola Yoon’s, “The Sun is also a Star.” The cover and blurb are below.
Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?
My Thoughts:
This was an amazing love story. I devoured this book and I’m looking forward to reading her other novel, “Everything, Every thing.” I loved both the main characters in this story. Natasha and Daniel. I loved how they fell in love. I loved how they dealt with their families and I loved how Daniel stood up to his father and followed his dreams. I also loved the ending and that’s all I’m going to say about that. If you’re looking for a great feel good story this one is for you.
So there you have it. What I’ve been reading lately. How about you, do you have any good book recommendations? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
I loved The Poisonwood Bible Lisa! I read it in 2000 and thought it an excellent book, particularly as I live in Belgium and also the religious aspects. Interestingly I have tried a couple of other books by the same author and struggled with them
That’s interesting, Denzil. I’m glad you loved it. I think it was just so sad for me. I wanted a happy ending and I wanted Nathan Price to feel bad for what he did to his family. I think that’s why I struggled with it. Thanks for stopping by, Denzil!
I’m glad you reviewed this book because it’s the kind of book I’d stay far away from! I get too caught up and emotional and angry and sad. I need more comedy, less “real life”. 🙂
I hear you. It was informative, but very sad and I’d get mad at Nathan Price a lot. He was hard to swallow.
The Sun Is Also a Star is on my To-Read list!! It looks absolutely wonderful, and I’m not really a love story kind of reader. I think it will part of the 2018 reading challenge I’m doing, as it fits quite a few of the prompts! I’m currently reading #telleveryone: Why We Share and Why It Matters for an upcoming month in book club, and it’s fascinating. It looks at the role that social media plays and the connections it does forge (in spite of legions of people claiming social media is damaging connections!) I don’t typically read sociological books, but I’m enjoying it so far.
The book your reading sounds right up my alley. I’m putting it on my TBR pile! Thanks for the info!
It’s super interesting!! I’m about halfway in now- my only hope is that he branches out a little. It’s quite Twitter focused, but in any case, fascinating!
I’m putting it on my TBR pile! Thanks for the heads up!
It sounds like the first book would cause great stress in my life, lol. I’m that person who cannot Take overly stressful shows. I get so worked up I have to leave the room at times!!! The second book sounds so sweet! I might just have to go pick up a copy!! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome and today’s a good day to pick up the second book. The e-book is on sale for $1.99 on Amazon. I don’t know if it’s just today, but it is an awesome read and it really was sweet. You’ll love the ending! 🙂
Cool! Thanks for the tip!
You’re welcome!
Where the heck do you find time to read so many books and write wonderful stories? Wink. Cheers and thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by, Sharon!
Always good to get some recommendations!!!
Thanks for stopping by, Ritu! Glad I could help out!
😁
Loved The Poisonwood Bible, I think it’s one of my all time favourites.
It was an incredible story, that’s for sure. 🙂
The Sun is Also a Star is on my TBR list! Your recommendation may move it up! 🙂 Also, good luck with your WIP, I’m shooting to finish my own by the end of the month as well, and just passed 39,000.
The Sun is Also a Star looks like a good one! I finally starting selling back books I can’t get read. I figure my time is too valuable to make it a “homework assignment.” Ha!
Great reviews!
It was a good one and a fast read! I loved it. Good for you selling back books you can’t read. You’re right. Our time is too valuable to make reading for pleasure a homework assignment. 🙂
I’ve been wanting to read the Poisinwood Bible for a while. I do like historical fiction. I need to find the time to read it.
Yes. It is a long novel and there are many details. It took me awhile, but I’m glad I read it. 🙂
Last I’ve read is a time travel series (2 so far) called Exctracted. It’s from an Indy author out of Englanf (RR Haywood) and I love all his books. Thanks for the suggestions!
I will check him out. Winter is coming and I won’t be going outside very much that’s for sure! Unless I can convince hubby to go X-country skiing! 🙂
His other series is called the Undead. I listen to all of it on audible.com.
The suns is also a star sounds like a great book. Your post reminded me that it is still on my to-read list.;)
It was awesome! I’m totally a Nicola Yoon fan now! 🙂
I really enjoyed reading these reviews. I agree that as writers we do need to do a lot of reading too. Your reviews made me want to read both books and they are ideal reviews in that they tell us how the books made you feel. I wish I could encourage more people to understand that’s all a book review needs to do – I find it so hard getting readers to fulfill their promises to post a review online!
I hear you. It’s hard to get reviews. Everyone is so busy. Especially now that the holidays are coming up. 🙂 Have you tried doing a blog tour for your books? There are usually a few bloggers who’ll do a review for you. 🙂
Huge congrats on your progress thus far! And I’m a big Kingsolver fan as well. Although the lacuna is my personal favorite, I’m pretty sure I’ve read all of her work at least once. I can see how it would help keep the creative juices flowing.
I’ll have to check out some of her other books. Right now I’m reading a thriller. I love thrillers and it’s a good one. Thanks for stopping by!