With 690 books left to log before the end of May, we're reviewing feedback on what this community reading challenge meant to you. Many of you said that this challenge motivated you to read more, to try different things, that you had fun and enjoyed seeing the community work towards a goal. Thank you for your kind words! We're in this together until the end of the month, and don't forget the Grand Prize is a Kindle Paperwhite!
Happy Reading!
By Elsa Hart
This was recommended to me by a friend. I don't usually read stories that involve Chinese history or culture, because I find it hard to penetrate. But she said it was good, so I tried it ~ and it was good. It's a mystery novel set many centuries ago (15th?). I really liked the main character, Li Du.
I think what helped to make it appealing to me is that the author allowed them to use informal language when they were speaking informally, vs. the very formal, nuanced language (which is present in formal settings, but the nuances were explained).
There are 3 books in this series. C/W Mars only has 2, but I am hoping I will eventually be able to read them all.
~ Judi P.
Only Killers and Thieves
By Paul Howarth
This debut novel is an engaging cross between Huck Finn and No Country For Old Men set in the 19th Australian outback. The unfortunate protagonist is a young boy having to grow up much too quickly in a harsh environment. Not an easy read but a rewarding read.
~ William C.
By Martha Hall Kelly
A fictitious telling of some very real people and one horrifying time in history. The character portrayals were intimate and fleshed out. Even the fictitious characters breathed life. What hit me the most was the stark difference of privilege the Americans retained throughout the war, especially the rich. Only added to the shame of us becoming involved only when it involved us personally, and not to save the lives of the German, Polish, Romanian and many other people. I live not too far from Bethlehem, CT and I think I would like to visit 'The Hay'.
~ Krystal L.
By Ben Pastor
The Horseman's Song is an well written historical mystery based in Spain during its Civil War. The protagonist is Martin Bora, a German officer fighting for Franco, who stumbles across a body and begins to investigate. The deceased is revealed to be the poet Frederico Garcia Lorca, Republican sympathizer, who had been hiding out in a village near the front lines of the war. To solve the mystery of who killed the poet, Bora must cooperate with another foreigner, from Vermont, who is fighting against Bora and the forces of Generalissimo Franco. Who killed Lorca and why? Both detectives will be changed by what they learn and by their collaborating to discover the murderer. The mystery is exciting and fast paced, though fictionalized.
~ Mary R.
A Gentleman in Moscow
By Amor Towles
I enjoyed this very much. Good story, well written and I learned a lot about Russia in the early 20th century. Recommend.
~ Patricia A.
Before We Were Yours
By Lisa Wingate
It was heartbreaking and soul filling all in one book. The back and forth between the past and present made for an interesting dynamic that I couldn't put down.
~ Kimberly F.
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