Loving to Read the Story: 2025 Reads and Reviews

1. The Little Liar by Mitch Albom (audiobook)

Completed: January 19, 2025

Rating: 10/10

Review:

2. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Completed: February 7, 2025

Rating: 7.5/10

Review: In 1932, Odie and his brother are orphans that have been sent to live at the Lincoln Indian Training School, a residential school, even though they are not of First Nations descent. Odie hates it there and he frequently is at the receiving end of the superintendent's wrath. For silly "crimes" and rebellion he is often locked in a shed where his only friend is the rat sharing the space. When something tragic happens when Odie is trying to escape punishment yet again, he and his brother Albert, along with Odie's best friend Mose, break free along with a little girl whom the superintendent wants to adopt. Heading to St. Louis, where they think they have an aunt who will take them in, the four runaways go from Minnesota's Gilead River to the Mississippi in a stolen canoe in the hopes it will be harder for them to be tracked if they are on the water. On their journey they run into a variety of folks from desperate farmers to faith healing evangelists who either help them or hinder them. Who to trust becomes a challenge they must overcome even as they learn to trust themselves and their friendship is tested to the limit.

This book came highly recommended to me. Set during the Great Depression, the story is told through the eyes of 12 year old Odie, who along with his older brother, find themselves sent to a residential school after their mother and father have both died because there is no where else to place them. Odie's life is not easy at the school and there are many portions that were hard to read due what he and other children endured at the hands of the school administrators. Once they leave the school, their lives are up and down as they struggle to survive during their journey. There are many heartwarming moments of friendship and coming of age and also many ones of suffering as they learn some hard lessons along the way to find their aunt. There are many deep things and issues of the time woven into the story that makes the reader think. Odie struggles throughout the story believing in a God who would let these bad things happen and this plays into the story throughout different parts. Character development was excellent and I came to care for and really hope for all the main characters. The story is very atmospheric and the author's description of the areas takes you right there. It is a longer book at 444 pages and though I did like the story, I did find myself starting to skim in parts and wishing it would wrap up. So while I'm not loving it as much as others seemed to love it, it is a good book that drew me into the lives of the four young friends trying to find healing for hearts and a place to belong.

dnf at page 47- could not get into the story telling style. Didn't capture my attention.

3. The Year of Less by Cait Flanders (audiobook)

Completed: February 21, 2025

Rating: 7/10

4. Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

Completed: February 23, 2025

Rating: 9.5/10

Review: In 1921, Marian Arnold's family built their fortune in the brewing business. But after her parent's death, and prohibition demolishing the business, Marian goes to live in her mother's summer estate which is the only thing left to her. But when she is there Marian starts experiencing frightening visions. When the milkman is found dead in her mother's beloved butterfly house, things take an ominous turn in Marian's life. Then when her cousin Ivo, shows up, Marian is excited as she has always looked up to Ivo. But Ivo does not come alone. He shows up bringing a fiance and friends in tow and Marianne is no longer sure of his intentions. The group doesn't seem to care that prohibition exists and are only too eager to break out the drinks each night. When another person turns up dead, chaos ensues and Marian no longer knows who to trust. Fearing she is next, Marian turns to her childhood friend Felix, a war veteran, who lives on the estate with his mother. But is he enough to protect her from what is happening?

In the present day, Remy Shaw has taken a job as a research assistant with a popular biographer. She moves into his sprawling home which is the former manor of his latest person of interest to write about, Marian Arnold. The house is odd, with many strange hallways and rooms and a layout that makes no sense and Remy is given a bedroom off a little room where it is rumored Marian Arnold was killed by the infamous Butterfly Butcher serial killer who was never identified or caught. As she starts to dig into Marian's life and the mysterious murders linked to the mansion, out of the blue, Marian's great-great grandson turns up wanting to protect his ancestor's legacy from anything Remy and the author may find.

I really enjoyed this book. Though not a huge fan of being scared, this author blends just the right mix of creepiness, mystery and great story telling that also takes on a serious subject. The era is interesting as I have not read many books that deal with the effects on the lives of people who were affected by prohibition. The main characters and some of the relationships really drew me in and all the emotions are brought out in the reveals as the story moves along. The pacing was excellent and kept me wanting to pick up the book and keep going to find out what was going on.

5. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

Completed: March 8, 2025

Rating: 10++

Review: Frederick Fife is 82 and on the edge of homelessness. Since his beloved wife died of cancer, his life has just dissipated to nothing. Using up all their savings for her medical care, Frederick is now being evicted after not being able to meet his rent payments for months. Though they tried, Frederick and his wife were childless so there is no one to borrow from, no one to turn to. When out trying to figure out if he should go to a homeless shelter or where he is to sleep that night, odd circumstances cause a case of mistaken identity that Frederick tries to correct but can't seem to get anyone to listen to him. As he finds himself all of a sudden having a roof over his head complete with meals at a nursing home, it becomes harder and harder to get anyone to listen to him. And as he makes friends with other residents who can't believe the change in him from a grumpy old codger to a kind, caring gentleman, he begins to wonder if he can get away with borrowing the other man's life and can he live with himself doing it. However, one of the nurses is suspicious. But with major problems in her own life she is dealing with, Dennis Simms just doesn't deal with it. Sometimes walking on egg shells trying to sort out his new life, Frederick learns to navigate the landmines blending who he really is with the man they think he is. But always in the back of his mind is the fact that there will be a day of reckoning.

This book, I'm sure, is going to go down as one of my top 10 reads ever. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. It's sweet and heartfelt touching upon every emotion. There were laugh out loud moments and times where I cried. The author actually was a social support worker in a senor home in Australia so the story was very insightful and respectful of what living in a senior home is like and I found myself hilariously thinking who in my Mom's senior home matched up with which character. I loved the characters and their development throughout. It touched on all the things I love in a story: great characters, witty, real emotions, found family, forgiveness, redemption and just a feel good story all around. I quite a few times paused in my reading just to say out loud or to my husband what a good book this was. Kudos to the author for this great debut novel. I rated it a 10+/10

6. A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Hunt

Completed: March 25, 2025

Rating: 9.5/10

Review: In 1860 London, Clara feels it is her job to protect her family, a heavy load for a young woman of her age. But if it were not for her totally misjudging the intents of her ex-fiance, her family would not be in the predicament they are now. But getting hurt in the way she was and her ex's recent actions has made Clara not just mistrust her ex, but she also has her guard up to every person who comes into their lives. As her ex spreads rumors of insanity in her family, Clara is kept on her toes trying to quell such stories even as her quirky family seems to be going out of their way to make it so. When her grandfather brings a total stranger into his clockworks shop as an apprentice, Clara's senses are on high alert and everything in her is screaming that it is yet another spy that her ex has hired to get evidence to prove the rumors he is spreading. The apprentice, Theodore Kingsley has grown up being told what a disappointment he is to his father and after the war which physically and emotionally damaged him, his father declared him dead. Coming back to England to try and start fresh he has changed his name to Arthur and hopes for that fresh start doing what he loves in Drosselmeyer's Clock shop where no one knows his past. He doesn't understand the deep disdain his new boss's granddaughter has for him. When Drosselmeyer disappears in an flying owl machine he invented, leaving only a small clue to Clara urging her to come find him and her dreams of adventure, both Clara and Theodore blames themselves personally for all this happening. Together, along with Clara's mother, they go in chase of the trail of clues that will lead them to her grandfather. But there are also others giving chase to find the flying owl for their own selfish purposes and the group find they not only need to figure out the clues but also stay one step ahead of those who wish to use the flying owl for nefarious purposes.

What a fun adventure this book was. Whimsical, funny, a sweet romance with magical realism it touches on some pretty deep themes of guilt, shame, acceptance, God's love, and redemption. The adventure is reminiscent of Around the World in 80 Days to my mind. The character development is well done and while frustrated with some characters at first, loved them by the end. I especially loved the quirky, animal loving activist of a mother that Mrs. Stanton was. I was thoroughly engrossed in this charming adventure of a story.

7. Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

Completed: April 26, 2025

Rating: 9.5/10

Review: In 1727 Caroline is living the life of a granddaughter of a huge plantation in South Carolina. Her mother left her to be raised by her grandfather, who now, as is the custom of the day wants to choose whom she will marry. But Caroline feels stifled by all the rules and she definitely doesn't want to marry her grandfather's choice. Adding to that is the deep secret that Caroline holds. She also has a life in 1927 as the daughter of a very famous preacher whose fame is becoming international. She is confused by what is happening to her and in an attempt to find answers she comes across a letter hidden and written to her by her mother in which her mother also seems to be living a double life. In a desperate attempt to find the truth and her mother, Caroline runs away from the plantation and disguises herself as a cabin boy to gain passage to the Bahamas where she thinks her mother is. But when pirates take the ship Caroline finds herself sidetracked from her quest.

In 1927, Caroline is busy trying to live the life of a famous preacher's daughter. Though her brothers secretly have lives that would shame her parents Caroline is very much trying to be the dutiful daughter giving no one a chance to gossip. But trying to hold their involvement in corruption during prohibition is becoming harder and Caroline is feeling the pressure. As Caroline tries to find answers to her time crossing in this age, she asks her best friend from childhood who is now a police officer to help her but it will require telling him her biggest secret. As she tries to find answers in the hidden corruption of the speakeasies of Minnesota, Caroline is faced with the choice of knowing the truth or possibly adding to her father's loss of reputation.

Another very fun take on the time crossing series from this author. The juxtaposition of a life of following the strict rules of a preacher's daughter and the life she finds herself in on a pirate ship is interesting as she tries to navigate the two. Unlike the previous books in the series the main character doesn't understand she has a timeline where she must make a decision as to which life she wants to live in when she turns 21 and it adds to the element of urgency and intrigue as I kept hoping she would figure it out and not just end up in the timeline not of her choosing. As usual the author really researches the time periods so well so I really got a sense of the Caribbean pirate life as well as the prohibition era. This installment seemed to lean a little heavier into the romance end to me which was the least appealing part of the story for me but it stays clean and didn't take away from the adventure of the story. In the end, it's a story of forgiveness and redemption and desiring God's plan for life and I always appreciate how the author weaves the two seemingly disconnected timelines together into a wonderful journey of a story.

8. Ribbon of Years by Robin Lee Hatcher

Completed: May 4, 2025

Rating: 10/10

Review: Julianna Crosby finds herself at an estate sale in Boise, Idaho. Usually she loves these sales but she feels restless and discontented with her life. As she roams the old Victorian house she finds herself in a room with a few chairs and a box on table. As she realizes the room was set up for a meeting, she cannot resist the pull to look through the box that curiously has the label "My Life" written on it. Reasoning that the woman downstairs had said everything in the house was for sale Julianna starts to peek through the odd assortment of items. As she a few people start to enter the room at various times and she finds herself immersed in the story of the life of "Miriam" as each person explains what each item means and how it relates to them. What she finds is the story of a young girl with big Hollywood dreams who never made it past Idaho, who didn't always find her path in life an easy one and yet how her eventual walk of deep faith in God touched each person in that room in a profound way. Now Julianna finds Miriam's life, even after her passing, touching hers.

This is one of my all time favorite Christian books. I've now read it probably four times since purchasing it in the early 2000's. It follows Miriam's life from the 1930's to the 1980's. From a headstrong, starry eyed teenager to a woman firmly grounded in her faith who walks out that faith in her everyday life no matter what life throws at her and in a way that touches the lives around her. The author has said her own Mom was the inspiration for the character of Miriam. Though an easy read and one that always compels me to keep reading it, also touches on a myriad of hard life topics, ones where one may wonder where God is in them, each of which is handled in a very real way with real feelings and fears. The author doesn't shy away from addressing them or letting the reader know that the Christian life is not a walk in the park but at the same time showing how a progressive, abiding faith in God walked out daily can carry one through the hardest of times and touch the lives of those around us in profound ways. Though not a fluffy read I always find this story encouraging to keep to my own walk of faith. I will note that this book has now been republished with a different cover but this is the one I have so hence this picture.

9. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff - audiobook

Completed: May 7, 2025

Rating: 10/10

Review: Though I don't usually review books I listen to in audio format because I don't remember them as I do physically reading them, I very much remember this one and I feel this audiobook really needs to done. Told in real time by the pieced together comments and stories of the survivors, witnesses, first responders and those involved when 9/11 occurred including the gov't officials making split second decisions. This is a very important historical accounting of the terrorist event and the days following. It is not commentary by journalists guessing or putting their thoughts onto the play by play events but of the real people who lived through the real events. I learned a lot of things I had no idea about and things that weren't generally released as news items to the public. It broke my heart and I cried throughout and yet it left me with a sense of awe at the people coming together in one of the darkest days of American history. I listened to it on audio which was narrated by dozens of people and it was extremely powerful. I have heard that listening to it while reading the book physically makes it even more so. Everyone should read this book in whatever format and it really should be part of high school history classes. There is so much to gain from hearing it in the voices of those who personally survived the attack.