Julie's List - 2015

[julie]

I Am Sophie Tucker - *****

 

I have to admit, before reading this book , I had never heard of Sophie Tucker. I am so glad to have found this book! What a treat it was .
It was quite refreshing to see that a "plus-sized" girl with a bigger than life voice could make it so big in the entertainment world.
The book was interesting, as it also showed many photos of Sophie and many other famous people of the time mentioned throughout the book .
If you enjoy memoirs, read this book . You won't be disappointed !

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Morning and the Evening

 

It's been quite a long while since I've read a good Southern book ,but I found one today . A very melancholy story about a small town in Mississippi , in which the main character, Jake , is mentally disabled to some extent, but no one really knows how much he understands, since he is mute . The book seems to bring out many emotions in the telling . You are saddened by the treatment he receives by most of the townsfolk, and the betrayal that is done to him ,but in the end, you feel that maybe some of them learned their lesson the hard way .
A very good but yet very sorrowful story .
Thank you to Net Galley for the free copy of this in return for a review .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

 Good to 'see' you Julie. 

Thanks Chrissy ! Good to see you too   

[julie]

Whiskey and Charlie

 

This book was a stunningly beautiful portrayal of twin brothers , Whiskey and Charley ,who are best friends when they are small , but as they grow older, they begin to drift apart and have very different personalities . It seems the gap widens as they become adults ,and eventually, they have almost drifted completely apart .
A freak accident , an unexpected reunion, and many other ups and downs occur throughout the book. There are parts that are heartbreakingly sad ,and a cliffhanger towards the end . This book definitely earned my 5 Star Rating. What a GEM !

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Barton Murder

 

This was a very "quickie" true crime about a murdered lady from back in the early 1900's who was found by 3 little boys under a tree . The lady was never identified and neither was her killer . It would have been more interesting if it would have been included in a book of shirt stories about several cold cases , but it was ok if you like true crime books .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Midwife 's Revolt

 

 

I'll give this book 3 stars, for two reasons : the story seemed a little too predictable and the other is that I usually don't like books with much romance in them . It doesn't have a lot, but leaned more in that direction than I usually like, although I'm sure others would really enjoy it .
I liked the time the story was told from ( Revolutionary War times), and liked the ending ,so all in all, it was a good story . People who like Historical Fiction with a little romance tossed in would really enjoy it I think .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Undertaker's Daughter

 

 

Ever wonder what it'd be like to be the Undertaker's child ? If so , then this is the book for you . It's a memoir about a girl growing up in the funeral home, of having to be quiet during the viewings and funeral services. She longs to be close to her dad, and since he is usually busy with his job, she becomes interested in most of the "behind the scenes" things done before and during the deaths of the local citizens . There are personal issues in their family , but the main part of the book tells of the funeral business ,but by the end of the story, the author opens up a bit more about her own family and the personal struggles they each had . A very good book, highly recommended.

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

Young Blood Murder in the Woods

 

 

What a waste ! 4 young teen boys. One has a grudge against another because of a girl . 2 of the boys lure the other 2 out into the woods ( they only planned on taking the one, but the other came along for the ride, not knowing what would happen ).
This is a very short book, so I can't tell much more or you'll know the whole story without reading the book. Let's just say the writing was good, it was a very senseless crime and in different ways, 4 lives were ruined that day by one stupid idea.
I always wonder about these young teens who commit such horrible acts of violence. How do they feel when they turn 30, then 40, then 50, knowing what a STUPID thing they did when they were young ?
 Anyhow, good quick read if you enjoy true crime books .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Wrong Man The Final Verdict on th Dr Sam Sheppard Murder Case

 

 

Did he or didn't he ?
In 1954, Marilyn Sheppard, wife of Dr. Sam Sheppard , was brutally attacked while sleeping . Her husband had fallen asleep downstairs and heard her yelling for him, so he came up to help her . He was knocked unconscious . He insisted that day that he had nothing to do with her death .
The entire investigation , trial, etc was a disaster from start to finish. Everything that could go wrong ,did .
Sheppard was tried and convicted of murder with no evidence linking him to the case .
He wasn't really a very likable sort of fellow. He had a "cold" personality ,and had multiple affairs during the marriage ,so he didn't find many people sympathetic to his cause .
He spends 10 years in prison, then a young ,new lawyer called F Lee Bailey became involved with the case and fought hard to get a new trial , A new judge looked at the case and aid he felt that they should have a new trial,
At his second one, he was found not guilty and released . His life was ruined by this time. He had another marriage that failed, he tried being a surgeon again but had several botched surgeries. He began drinking a lot, and finally died at the age of 46 .
Years pass, and his son decides to come back and get his father's name legally cleared of all charges, Another trial was had, but he lost the case ,
A new suspect shows up during this time ,and a lot of the evidence seems to point in his direction . I'm not convinced  myself. I've read all the books I can find n the case and I think it was someone else . This guy was a possibility, but he seems to be too much of a scapegoat to me .
Anyhow, most of the original players in this are all long gone at this point.
An interesting book with many twists and turns. Very well researched .
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this in exchange for a review .
 

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Bullet

 

 

Probably best of the year so far .

 

How would you feel if you were in your mid 30's and discovered you were adopted ? Add to that the fact that your Dr found a bullet lodged in the back of your neck and you had no recollection of ever have even been around anyone who owned a gun !
This story started out with a unique story such as this ,and kept on building from there .
I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait til the author writes her next one !
Read it and see what you think .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

A Wilder Rose

 

 

This is the background story of how the "Little House " books by Laura Ingalls Wilder were first written. It seems that her daughter Rose , played a big part in their writing .She was an accomplished writer of her own . Her and her mother had a very difficult relationship ,so it was hard for her to work with her to write the books when Laura REALLY didn't think she needed the help, but found that she didn't quite have the talent on her own to write them.
The book told a lot about Rose's life ,which was certainly different than her mother's . She had some female and male affairs , one marriage , and one child who died at birth. she seemed to spend most of her life searching for happiness, and it sounds as if ,in the end, she did find things that made her happy. The LAST place she wanted to be was stuck on the family farm, being married and tied down ,but for several years she was, mainly due t her guilt and feelings of duty to help her parents.
A good ,interesting tale of the REAL story of Little House on the Prairie .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Returned

 

 

The writing in this book is good, but the subject matter is just not my cup of tea. I'm not into sci-fi or fantasy or the undead and zombies . Just all a little too unbelievable to me .
It starts out interesting, but just gets weirder the further along you read .
Apparently some of the people in this town that have died previously come back to the town .Some of their family and people in town are glad to see them, and have trouble believing they are back and among the living again... ( huh, I can't understand WHY .... )
Some of the zombies (?)who come back are wanted by their families, while others are evil and just take up doing evil as they did while they were alive.
I don't know, not to be rude, but this was just a bit too much  for me . Graphic and disturbing in parts ... I wish I could think of more good to say about it ,
As said previously, it just isn't my kind of book, but I'm sure for horror fans and such, they would probably enjoy it .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

Lacy Eye

 

 

What a good tale of suspense this was ! The story of a couple who had an intruder come into their bedroom one night while they were sleeping. Her husband was bludgeoned to death and she was very close to death, with brain and facial damage . At the trial , her youngest daughter's boyfriend was found guilty of the crime .
After several years go by, and an appeal is coming up ,with the possible chance of a new trial, her daughter suddenly reappears in her life .
A very suspenseful story, told just right. By the last few chapters, you are turning the pages faster and faster to find out how it will all end .
Very good book !

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

Hissing Cousins

 

 

What a couple of interesting ladies ! I have to say, I knew very little about either of them at the beginning ,but the title interested me, and I love history and biography type books , so this one was right up my alley .
It was well researched and must have taken quite a long time to compile, with so much information .
Eleanor and Alice were first cousins who were playmates as children and seemed to get along ok when they were small, but as they grew up, their relationship was strained .It was quite an odd one, because in times of tragedy, they came together and supported each other . I kept trying to figure out what the seed of the problem was between them.
In my opinion, Eleanor was just a GOOD person. really kind and caring and always trying to help out those less fortunate than her .
Alice was exactly the opposite. She was number one, she was spoiled rotten ( by herself if no one else was around to do it ) and had quite a barbed tongue about almost everyone . No one was safe .
Oddly ,they both had so many similarities in their lives : both had mothers who died when they were children, both had stepmothers who were difficult to get along with. Both married philandering husbands , both stayed with them . Both who had husbands in politics, both had mother-in-laws from the Black Lagoon .
The book mentioned both their LOOKS in their younger years, so I had to search for pictures of them both on their wedding day. I thought they were both handsome women, but neither was stunningly beautiful. Neither one aged well ,so I think they both came out even in that area .
Alice was pretty wild for her times and didn't seem to care what she did, or what people would think of her .Eleanor was just the opposite, being very conscious of her decisions, making good choices, and just being a good , nonjudgmental person who was in a position to help others, and DID .
I think, in the end, it boiled down to the fact that Alice would have liked to live in the White House forever and always be the center of attention . Once her father, Teddy was replaced, she HAD to move out ,but was always hoping to make it back there to live someday. Her husband never succeeded in becoming president, but Eleanor's did , therefore, the jealousy came into play. It was mentioned in the book that Alice was actually interested in Franklin in their earlier years, but I doubt that marriage would have worked any better than her own did. She would have at least made it back to the White House ,and that would have made her day !
This was a fascinating look at a family that I now want to read more about ,so shall do so .
 

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

One More River

 

 

I wish I could say I liked this book, but it was a bit too disjointed for my liking . I guess the idea for the story was ok ..
The main character is Mickie Moe, who starts out the story in Vietnam during the war .
Then it goes back to how he and his wife first met, her family's disapproval of him because he didn't know his Family's background .
His mother never told him anything .
He seems to think that he needs to do this before marrying his girlfriend ,since her parents want more information on his family before giving their permission .
He goes off on a quest to find out his family history and finds out quite a few surprises. He finds out in the end that his father wasn't a saint, but he did the best he could with what life gave him . The whole story of the father was a bit too unbelievable .
This all happened down south, and had a lot of racial issues thrown in ,mainly the treatment of the Blacks and Jews .
I just thought the whole story was sort of pointless. Not written in a manner that was easy to follow, it kept jumping around from one time frame to another . Too disjointed to follow well .
I guess,in the end, it made no sense to me that these 2 young people were apparently so in love. The girl was 20 --she ran off with him twice . It would have made a lot shorter book if they would have just ran off and got married instead of all the rest .
Sorry, not that impressed with this one .
 

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Safe Room

 

 

What a pleasant surprise this book was ! It was a quick read ,about an old house that was a part of the Underground Railroad. The story is told by the 17 year old girl who lived in the house at the time, and also by her great,great,great,great  Granddaughter , whose Grandmother is getting work done to the house to donate it to the Historical Society .
It's well written and easy to follow the story, as each girl tells a part of her life story . There's a mystery, a possible murder, a ghost ,and old diary that gives clues to what happened 150 years previously .
I enjoyed the book ,although some might find it a little unbeleivable. I thought it was a good book .
 

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Winter Family

 

Blood and guts and gore, Oh My !  I'm sorry. I tried. I really did .
I like Westerns, I like Civil War stories, and I read true crime frequently.
Something about this book just didn't do it for me .
Too many characters, who were too hard to keep track of .
Parts of the story made little sense to me. Kinda like the author poured a bunch of words in a tin bucket, then threw them all over the floor .
 It just wasn't my cup of tea .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

The Miracle Girl

 

 

Anabelle is a 7 year old girl who goes with her Dad one day in the car. A drunk driver hits their car, injuring Anabelle seriously. Her parents are told that she has had severe brain injury and she is in a coma. They have no information on whether she will ever come out of it or not .
What follows is the story told by her mom, who insists on giving her care at home rather than putting her in a nursing home type place. Her father, who just can't handle the situation ,and feels helpless. so he leaves and wanders from place to place ,always thinking about his wife and daughter from afar ,and even small parts are told y Anabelle herself ,as she was before the accident .
Somehow, word gets out that she can heal people and help them with their problems, whether it be illness, family problems, or many others . Soon, there are crowds lining up at their door each day. Then the news gets ahold of the story . All this time, the crowds grow larger each day. Her mother lets people in, one at a time to see her , not knowing is she believes that her daughter has any special powers , but she feels sorry for the people who have so many unresolved problems of their own.
Eventually, the Catholic church steps in to study the situation . They draw up a report close to the end of the book about whether they think this girl was a "true Miracle Girl " or not .
I liked the book because in some cases, people's prayers were answered , maybe not because of any divine guidance, but by having HOPE .
A good book that makes you question these things yourself .
 

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[Signor Finzione]

Wow, Julie, you've been busy! The Returned sounds great. I always wanted to watch the TV version but the husband doesn't do subtitles.

 

Glad you've enjoyed the majority of your recent reads.

[julie]

Southern Haunts

 

 

Interesting little short stories and photos of a few haunted houses down south. Just wish it would have been longer.                  

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

Wow, Julie, you've been busy! The Returned sounds great. I always wanted to watch the TV version but the husband doesn't do subtitles.

 

Glad you've enjoyed the majority of your recent reads.

Thanks

 Yep, been reading my BUNS off lately .....

 

I hear The Returned is a pretty popular show ... Not quite the type I'd watch ,but I bet lots of other people like it !

[julie]

Don't Look at Me in That Tone of Voice  !

 

 

What a cute book this is ! I think the author is a bit younger than me, and from England, but a lot of her growing up years sounded like mine, especially the really bad hairdos (thanks to Dear Old Mom ) and the stupid looking clothes that she picked for me .Only thing missing were the "Dame Edna"  glasses.  
This book was so hilarious. I'm going to purchase the others in the set now , This author should be a stand-up comedian if she's not already !
Hilarious stories about her whacky mom, her dad's desire to "decorate" the house in as many colors as possible , and her funny little baby brother.
What a HOOT !

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

To Soften the Blow

 

This memoir is written by a woman who grew up in an extremely abusive household . On the surface, they probably looked normal to everyone , being a Catholic family, having 6 kids ,both parents worked respectable jobs and were married . Underneath, there was alcohol abuse by the Father and some insanity issues to compound the problem .
It was a very in-depth and eye opening look at life inside an abusive home, where no one is safe and abuse comes from everyone. The family had become abusive to each other ,because of one person abusing them all , and the mother doing nothing to stop it .One night it all came to a head with disastrous results .
The story is told by the second  to youngest daughter ,She tells mainly the story of herself trying to come to grips with the abuse and learning how to deal with all she has been through in life ,and how to come out on the other side ,a much more emotionally healthy person .
She also tells of the struggles of the remainder of her family and how each one copes with the effects ,
It was a very interesting book. At times, I felt it could have been a bit shorter , but by the end, I think the author felt as though she needed to purge all of this from inside her ,and writing the book was her way of doing that .
I hope she is now at peace and happy in every area of her life .

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

Don't Tell My Mum !

Part 2 of the continuing adventures of a girl growing up in the 70's . In this book ,she is in her teens ,so she talks a lot about high school , friends, dating, and more funny antics with her family. Another really cute book !

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie

[julie]

Gone , Just Gone

A good idea , but poorly executed . I love reading about these unsolved mysteries ,of people who disappear and are never heard from again , or people whose bodies are discovered and no one ever identifies them. So very sad for the victims and their families ,but interesting to try to figure out what happened and why .
I'd say this book had maybe half the book of stories I found interesting, most of them ones that I'd heard of previously. Some of the cases chosen were just plain boring .
The writing needs some work . It drives me bonkers to read a book with misspellings and this had several. Another thing that irritated me was that they would write a few sentences, then put in parentheses , every single source they got their info from. That's fine to show where it came from, but it would have made the book much easier to read if these would have been placed at the end of the chapters or the book .
 

Edited April 17, 2015 by julie