eyreibreathe's reviews
369 reviews

was initially a bit hesitant about picking up Still Alice.  The story of a 50-year-old Harvard professor who learns she has early-onset Alzheimer's intrigued me, but I also know the empath in me struggles with sad books.  I took a chance, though, and picked it up, and I'm so glad I did. One of my favorite things about reading is the fact that you get to see things from a perspective you otherwise wouldn't experience; for a little while, you get to live a life you otherwise wouldn't live.  I feel like this is especially rewarding with Still Alice.  I've known people with Alzheimers, but this is the closest I can come to experiencing this tragic disease without actually having it myself.  It was a lesson in empathy and compassion as I lived it through Alice's eyes.  I experienced the confusion and disorientation of the early stages and the dense fog of the later stages.  It often felt like trudging blindly or waking up to random snippets of conversation, having no concept of time.  I felt her anguish in those early stages as she looked upon her loved ones, knowing that at some point, she would not remember them.  If you have a loved one who suffers from this disease or if you simply want to gain a new perspective, I highly recommend this book.  I finished it a month ago, and I still think of it daily.

I read Harry's Trees a few months ago and absolutely fell in love with it. Set in the forests of Pennsylvania, it is the story of Harry, Amanda, and Oriana.  It's  a feel-good story of healing, of coming out on the other side after profound loss and grief.  What I truly loved about this book was how it felt like a fairy tale for grownups. I don't personally regard this as a fantasy novel - there is nothing that happens in this book that couldn't happen in real life - but the story is laced in magic and enchantment, and it filled me with childlike wonder.  The writing is just exquisite.  For those of you who are nerdy like me and love when librarians show up in books, I have great news for you:  This book features Olive, the spunkiest librarian ever who will have you laughing out loud at her feistiness. I fell in love with her and her library.  This book is one of those rare treasures that will make you feel a whole range of emotions - I laughed out loud, I weeped, I was filled with wonder, and I positively didn't want it to end.  Harry's trees gets 5 big, magical stars from me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was a big fan of Susan Meissner's A Fall of Marigolds and Secrets of a Charmed Life, and As Bright as Heaven propelled her to the status of auto-buy author for me.  This historical fiction novel follows the Bright family as they leave their quiet little town behind and move to Philadelphia to begin a new life.  As they settle into life in a new city where Mr. Bright apprentices under his uncle in the mortuary business, it isn't long before their whole world is shaken.  As the Great War rages around them, the Spanish flu epidemic hits Philadelphia with a vengeance, claiming the lives of over twelve thousand people in their adopted city.  But even in the midst of heartache, in the midst of the loss of loved ones, a single ray of hope comes in the form of an orphaned baby they bring into their home and into their hearts.  I shed more than a few tears while reading this wonderful story of the Bright family.  I especially loved the alternating narratives of the three sisters and their mother, as it allowed for different side stories to play out while all this was transpiring. If you love historical fiction, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

What a ride this book was! From the beginning, I couldn't put it down. I liked how it was told from 3 different points of view, and the dynamics worked so well for this story also - a pastor father, a criminal defense mother, a rebellious 18-year-old daughter, and at the heart of it all...a murder. This book was a roller coaster all the way to the very last sentence.

This book was perfection - a mix between a breath of fresh air and an oversized cozy cardigan.  I love all the literary references and the romance without the raunchiness. The language was poetic and rich, and yet it served to make the storytelling light and airy and captivating, rather than dull or stuffy.  I also loved the feel some of the conversations had - the pace and randomness of the back-and-forth banter reminded me a lot of The Gilmore Girls. This is the perfect book to read while relaxing and soaking up the summer sun.

Three cheers for Roald Dahl! I'm always reading something aloud to my kids, and it's been that way all their lives. They are 8 and 11 years old now, and their favorite author who has stood the test of time is Roald Dahl. They loved him as wee little kids; they love him now. I just finished reading The Witches to them, and there was much laughter and cheering. As many read-alouds as we've done over the years, I've learned (the hard way) that some books just lend themselves better to reading aloud than others do. Take The Secret Garden for example. I absolutely adore the book, but with the Yorkshire dialect, it made for a tedious read-aloud. Roald Dahl books have always been my very favorite to read to my kids. His humor, all the fun characters I get to voice, his bizarreness and charm, the way he creates wonderful stories without trying to simplify language or talk down to kids....I could go on and on. The Witches was one of our very favorites.