The Missing Matisse

the-missing-matisse Author: Pierre H. Matisse

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: November 1, 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A breath-taking memoir that accounts many hair raising escapades during World War II in France.

Pierre Matisse was born into an artistic family. Many people know of his grandfather, Henri Matisse, who was a famous artist. Pierre loved his parents and his younger brother, but once the war started, his family began to be torn apart. He was forced to take another name to become Pierre Leroy and was no longer part of his family, at least on paper. This began a personal vendetta against Adolf Hitler and the Germans so that he could one day finally be reunited with his family and no longer be missing.

Pierre’s memoir recounts his time as a young boy in France as well as Spain including the Spanish civil war led by General Franco. He then returned to France with his family as the German Nazis started to occupy France. He was part of the evacuation of Paris and even helped his father in some of the French underground’s activities. He was transferred between boarding schools in his mother’s attempt to keep him safe and was eventually sent to Normandy to live with his “grandparents on paper” just days before D-Day and the Allied forces arrived. Needless to say, trouble finds Pierre without a problem.

This book was a really interested look at World War II history from the French side. The majority of the book is based around the WWII time frame, but does have some time before and after. Needless to say, Pierre was a very interesting person. The history that is presented really takes you to the time and place. There is a lot of raw emotion of tragic events that befall Pierre and his family, so beware before reading.

I felt like the end of the book was a little rushed. There was a lot of time spend from 1939 to 1946 and then very little devoted from then until present day. I bet he had a lot of grand adventures, but just had trouble figuring out which ones to share with everyone.

I recommend this book for anyone who loves history or memoirs!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Quality of Silence

the-quality-of-silence Author: Rosamund Lupton

Publisher: Broadway Books

Release Date: November 15, 2016

Rating: 3 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An interesting tale with much potential that didn’t live up to it.

Yasmin’s husband Matt has been off in Alaska studying the wildlife for a documentary. She and her daughter Ruby, who is deaf, are supposed to meet up with him at Christmas. But after a phone call leaves her with an uneasy feeling, she decides to take the trip early. When Yasmin and Ruby arrive they find out that the village he has been staying at has burned to the ground and everyone has died in the fire. Yasmin refuses to believe her husband is gone. And with no one to continue the search, she and Ruby set out on their own to traverse the deadly Alaskan winter. As they journey forward, they encounter the worst Alaska has to offer, not only in weather but also with those around them trying to keep them from finding Matt and the truth of what happened in the village.

I really thought this book was going to be geared more toward a YA audience focusing on Ruby and her lack of hearing. While it did go from her view point occasionally, it went from others as well and can’t fully be classified into the category of YA. The story itself was interesting and had great potential, it just didn’t live up to that potential. After a little bit, the characters became boring when they should have been anything but. Then there is the setting, yes it is Alaska with an unending tundra terrain, but it quickly became repetitive and made me lose interest. The other downfall was the back and forth between past and present day. I understand the style and what the author was trying to do here but again, it could have been done much better. The last fifty pages or so the tension really picked up. It would have been even better if Lupton had made better use of section or chapter breaks to quicken the pace. Ruby being deaf was an interesting aspect to add to the story and gave it a different vibe, which I enjoyed. I just wish I could say that was enough to make me recommend to others.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Gates of Hell

the-gates-of-hell Author: Michael Livingston

Series: The Shards of Heaven #2

Publisher: Tor

Release Date: November 15, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Livingston’s second shard novel is even better than the first!

Time has moved on. Augustus Caesar has had his triumph over Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. Their daughter Cleopatra Selene has been wed to Juba II as a show of triumph for Juba, even though he wants nothing to do with his adopted brother Octavian. Fortunately, Selene and Juba fall in love with each other making their union a blessed one. However, prior to the wedding, in an effort to thwart Octavian, Selene convinced Tiberius to sneak her into the Temple of the Vestal Virgins to recover a statue that had been taken, but she was actually after a shard from heaven. Once she touched it, she managed to use its power, but ended up creating many questions from Tiberius. Together can she and Juba manage to stay away from using this power to destroy Rome?

Meanwhile in Alexandria, Lucius Vorenus has returned to seek out his old friend Didymus to discuss the possibility that the Ark of the Covenant is losing its power. After the meeting, he is targeted by a group of people who overhead about who he is and what he has. The attempt fails and he is reunited with an old friend that the thought dead. Together they travel to the Island of Elephantine where the Ark is currently being housed and protected by Caesarian and Hannah. When they learn of the breach, they decide that it may be best to move the Ark. Unfortunately, Kush decides to attack Rome at this time and burn the Island of Elephantine. Can they manage to get away with the Ark before it is too late?

If you enjoyed the first novel in the series, then you will love the continuation. This book really dives more into Selene and Juba’s relationship and the potential power that the two of them have with the shards they have collected. Octavian has also taken on more of a melancholy role, but his stepson Tiberius reprises the role of villain throughout portions of the story. I was very excited to read this novel and I couldn’t find time to stop until I had it finished.

The book follows four main story lines: Selene and Juba, Vorenus, Caesarian and Hannah, and Thysallus. Each is somehow connected to the shards and/or the Ark (which is technically a shard as well). One of the things I love most about this series is how Livingston is blending history as well as fantasy. There are times that I have to go back and read up on a particular event to see how it parallels to the book. Granted, I also love the fantasy part as well. Without the shards of heaven, it would just be a good story. With the shards, it is a great story!

There is some mild language in one or two places as well as a rape scene. I would recommend this book for mature YA readers up to adults.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

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Good Behavior

good-behavior Author: Blake Crouch

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Release Date: November 15, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Unusual protagonist, twisted experiences, and now a new TV show.

Meet Letty Dobesh. She’s fresh out of prison and already thinking about hitting crystal meth again or taking on a new con job. Now she’s pilfering from hotel rooms in Ashville’s Grove Park Inn and making a pretty good job of it, until one of the room’s occupants comes back while she is still in the room. Hiding in the closet, she overhears a contract take place to have a man’s wife killed. Suddenly having an internal struggle with her conscience, she feels that she needs to tell the police, but she only knows the woman’s first name. Not to mention that she would have to implicate herself to save this woman. Is her freedom worth the life of someone she doesn’t even know?

From the mind of Blake Crouch comes the book Good Behavior, which is actually a collection of three short novellas that Blake wrote about the character of Letty Dobesh. If you have ever read any of his work, you know that he can quickly draw you in and take you for a wild ride. This is no exception. These are stories that he has written in the past and Letty manages to get into some pretty screwed up situations that most readers will never see coming. Each story is concluded with a note from Crouch on if the story is picked up as an episode for the TV shows (WHICH STARTS TONIGHT ON TNT) and what modifications were made to it. The way that he introduces Letty to you makes you sympathize with her through all of her escapades even though she is a user and a thief.

This book is definitely for mature readers (as is the TV show from what I’ve seen) as there is quite of bit of harsh language, violence, drug use, and some sex scenes, though not very graphic. I also wanted more. Novellas are great ty-ins, but I was sad when each one was over because I wanted the story to continue. I think having a TV series to continue Letty’s adventures is going to be beneficial so that I can continue to know and understand her more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

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End of the Roadie

End of the Roadie.jpg Author: Elizabeth Flynn

Series: A Mystery for D.I. Costello #3

Publisher: Lion Fiction

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Intriguing and suspenseful! I couldn’t put it down until I found out who the killer was!

A young detective constable is out on a date with his boss’s, Detective Inspector Angela Costello, step daughter. They got to a popular concert act featuring Brendan Phelan, who uses guns and whips as part of the act. It was a phenomenal show and after it is over, his date wants to try to get a look at Brandon from the alley. Suddenly, Gary hears a gunshot and rushes by the bouncers only to find one of the roadies has been shot. After calling D.I. Costello to the case, they begin to unravel several different scenarios of why the roadie, Oliver Joplin, was shot. They find out that Oliver was connected to drug trafficking, blackmail, and even ticket fraud. The problem isn’t who would want to kill him, but who actually did. The further they press, the more they find they may be in for a smoke and mirrors act if they can’t find the smoking gun.

This was the first book in the Angela Costello series that I have read and I have to say that it is a really good read. I haven’t been reading into a lot of books that are set in the London area, but this one was just a really fun mystery to try and solve as I read. When I do read British police procedural novels, I also hope that the DI and DC have a lot of banter between the two of them, but that wasn’t much of the case here. It was more of a senior to junior mentor relationship, but it still worked great. I also really enjoyed the dynamic that the DC was dating the DI’s stepdaughter, which made some situations uncomfortable for both characters.

The plot of this book was written extremely well. It keeps the reader going in circles while trying to figure out who really did it and why. There are plenty of obvious suspects, but the one that actually pulled the trigger doesn’t appear to be the one throughout the whole story, which is typical of the “quiet one in the corner.” Overall, it was a very clean mystery, just the kind I really enjoy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions and views expressed within are my own.

Growing Young

growing-young Authors: Kara Powell, Juke Mulder, & Brad Griffin

Publisher: Baker Books

Release Date: September 20, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

As many church congregations across the nation are aging, Growing Young provides strategies to bring young life back into your church!

One of the challenges that many churches across our nation is facing is the lack of youth and young adults participating in their church body. Many churches have members that have attended for years and are now senior adults. The problem facing these churches is that as these senior adults begin to die off, so does the church, possibly to the effect of having to shut the doors for good. Many of these churches have begun to recognize the importance that these young individuals play in their organization and are taking steps to make adjustments within the church. Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Brad Griffin, all employees with the Fuller Youth Institute, performed a study across several churches in the United States to understand this issue and see what successful strategies that churches are implementing.

Growing Young really works to help people understand the younger generation of millennials to centennials. How they interact, how they emphasize, and why they are so dependent on technology for communication. In addition to this, they really layout potential strategies for church bodies that are serious about making the change to bring in accommodate these younger individuals, which does not include diluting or watering down the messages. In fact, most people want more challenging messages. This book is a great place to start or at least get yourself thinking about the issue. The end of each chapter also provides some really good critical thinking/discussion questions that can help get to the meat of the matter.

I found this book really intriguing. In fact, my husband Jared decided to read it as well, which really generated some great discussion. Jared does a lot of facility planning and master planning for churches across the southwest and he said that he has seen this issue at almost every church that he works with. Many of these churches have aging facilities that they have deferred spending money on to keep updated, mostly because the congregation believes that the money should be spent on missions or activities, which is completely understandable. Then when buildings and systems start to fail is when he gets called out. Then his company and the church leadership team have to have really crucial conversations about the vision of the church compared to their current facilities need. In most cases, this results in a realization of “we need to focus our money on our children, youth, and younger adults because that is the future.” Very similar concept to the book. Many of the facilities are not configured for how today generation is operating as they were constructed to the standards used in the 1950s and 1960s. It is really interesting in how everything is connected.

rowing Young is a very insightful read on this issue. The authors did a great job of explaining the issue and the generations. They also did a great job in laying out the strategies to help make them more successful for those they want to try this out. I also appreciated the examples that were seen at many different churches and that it shows that no matter where you are or what size you are, you can make a difference.

If you found my discussion on the facilities portion interesting or that it may apply to you as well, Jared’s work website is www.team-psc.com.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

In the Blue Hour

in-the-blue-hour Author: Elizabeth Hall

Publisher: Lake Union Press

Release Date: November 1, 2016

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The loss of a loved one is hard and it feels like they never really leave. That feeling lives where we can barely see it, in the blue hour.

When Elise Brooks has a dream about a car accident, she doesn’t think much of it, after all it is just a dream. Then a few weeks later, her husband is killed just like her dream. She blames herself feeling that she missed the signs and could have somehow prevented his death. Now she feels his spirit following her in the form of a raven. There are forces at work beyond her understanding and she turns to both the Native American wisdom she grew up with and psychics, which she has always been skeptical about. Clues lead her to take a journey after finding a mysterious address found in her late husband’s jacket. She puts her trust in a new friend, Tom, or at least she hopes he is a friend, and follows the clues. Tom doesn’t believe in the supernatural but is happy to help Elise on her journey. Together they will both find more than they could have ever imagined.

Let me start by saying that overall I really did enjoy the story. The way it was written, not so much. The story started with mostly narrative, very little dialogue to move the story forward, and stayed that way throughout much of the rest of the novel. When a reader opens a book to see if it might be worth their time and find page after page of narrative, it can be a turn off. I know it is for me. I think the story would have flowed much smoother if Hall had found a way to portray more of it through dialogue in some way. This type of story does rely heavily on narrative, I get that, but when it causes me to want to skip over parts of the story just to get to something I deem more important. However, had I done that with much of the narrative, I’m sure I missed a few key points that could have caused the ending to be a little less enjoyable, if not a little confusing. The conclusion made me think that perhaps I was missing something from the beginning but it was all there just a little hard to follow at times. It was still an enjoyable read, but not one I will pick up again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Interview with Bonnie Calhoun

After the release of her newest book Storm, Bonnie Calhoun gave Write-Read-Life some insights on the series. We hope you enjoy the interview! If you are more interested in Bonnie’s books, please see our Bonnie S. Calhoun page or visit her site directly at http://bonniescalhoun.com/

What an interesting series, where did the idea come from?

Thank you for that compliment. Part of the idea for Stone Braide Chronicles came from my resurgent love of dystopian literature and the timeless struggle of the human spirit to survive no matter the circumstances. And the second part of my idea is the end times scenario. I’m always wondering and imagining in what form the writings in the book of Revelation will come about and how much, if anything, people here in this country will have to do with it.

I enjoyed all of the characters but have a few favorites, Rylla, Selah, and Mari. Which Characters did you enjoy writing the most?

All of my characters are my favorite…at the time I’m writing them (moms have to say that about all their kids J) But a real favorite was Mari because I made her whole world so unconventional, and I’d love to go back and explore that tree world as a series. Image living in a treehouse community lit up like a fairyland at night! LOL…my home is log, so I think I just have an affinity for trees.

Are there plans to continue the series in any way?

Surge and Storm are the last two stories in this present series. Surge is the FREE digital short story you should read between Lightning and Storm. It gives you a possible solution to a piece of the puzzle that you won’t know otherwise J While Storm ends this present story; it does give openings for revisits to other locations. Who knows what the future holds. I have a million stories in my head J If the series builds enough traction I may write more of them.

What made you set the scenes in the areas you did?

Hmmm, that is a very interesting question! I started out picking Dominion for the first story because I had first hand knowledge of the Dominion building, and Norfolk was a good distance from the present location of Mt. Weather which I turn into The Mountain. I wanted the image of the ruined ancient rollercoaster off the Boardwalk and aforeshadowing dome off in the ocean, so Atlantic City was the perfect location for the second book to start. And for the third book… LOL…locations were chosen for distance I wanted the characters to travel before an incident. I just let my fingers travel over Google Maps and then over the Amtrack route from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest which they traveled by a train run with a steam engine.

What was the hardest part of writing the series?

Ohhh! The hardest part of the series to write was the ending! I have so many other suitable adventures for Selah to travel while she explores her new abilities and finds new pitfalls and more evil enemies! And I picked up several locations like the forest city that I’d love to set whole series. Ohhhh, it was so hard to say goodbye but alas! Parting is such sweet sorrow. J

Were you influenced by any other books or writers when writing this?

No I wasn’t influenced while writing it but I was definitely influenced BEFORE I started writing it by the Hunger Games, the Divergent series, The Giver, and others. These series and their ensuing movies gave new definition to the direction of dystopian fiction and opened a whole Pandora’s box of “what if’s” for me to explore. I like the thought of triumph through extraordinary events and it’s especially compelling when it’s young people. It gives so much hope to the future no matter the timeframe or circumstances.

Night School

night-school Author: Lee Child

Series: Jack Reacher #21

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: November 7, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Ever wonder about Jack Reacher’s military days? Find out in this exciting new book.

It’s 1996 and Jack Reacher is still in the army, finding bad guys and righting wrongs. He has just gotten another medal, but before he has any time to celebrate the army sends him back to school. Not a normal school, he is now off the grid. He is paired with an FBI agent and a CIA analyst, each a specialist in their own right and all wondering what they are going to have to do. It doesn’t take long for them to get their orders. A Jihadist sleeper cell in Hamburg, Germany, has a visit from a Saudi courier needing a safe place to stay. Inside the cell is an undercover CIA agent that overhears the courier send a message, “The American wants a hundred million dollars.” More questions are raised and it is up to Reacher and his team to find the answers.

This is the 21^st Jack Reacher novel out and it is sure to be another hit. This is only my second Reacher book to read but that wasn’t a problem since this one is set in 1996 and doesn’t follow the story line of the previous in the series. While it is still Jack Reacher, it is a little less of the Jack you might have grown to love. He doesn’t have some of the same methods and mannerisms readers have grown accustomed to over the years. Several times throughout the story Child goes into Reacher’s size and how big he is. With the newest movie coming out, fans are probably associating Reacher with Tom Cruise, who does make a good Reacher even though he is much shorter than described in the novels. I read through it quickly and enjoyed the story for the most parts. There was a lot of sitting and talking where I would have preferred more action and tenser scenes. This was especially prevalent in the last few chapters. The problems were all solved but it wasn’t as heated of a moment as I thought it could have been. You have to remember while reading this that it is set in 1996, no super computers and internet to make finding information at the drop of a hat easy.

I have pretty high standards for what I rate as top of the line reads, with that being said I wouldn’t rate this as a top read but it was still very good. Fans of the Reacher series will still enjoy this book and the characters they have grown to love. This isn’t suitable for young readers with a few sex scenes and a few instances of language.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

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Madame Presidentess

madame-presidentess Author: Nicole Evelina

Publisher: Lawson Gartner Printing

Release Date: July 25, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Think Hillary’s the first woman to run for president? Think again!

Victoria Woodhull always believed that she had a destiny. After all, the spirits had spoken it to her. Born and raised in poverty, she learned the art of seeking the spirits and fortune telling from her mother. Both her parents were con artists in the 1850s and even had Victoria and her younger sister Tennie participate as spirit seekers until Victoria became so exhausted that she almost died. She then met a young doctor named Canning Woodhull who helped nurse her back to health and then married her. Turned out he was a bit of a con artists as well. Then in the late 1960s, she was presented to Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt for her spiritual services. Through this relationship, she became quite adept at the stock market and even opened her own brokerage firm with her sister. To say the least, it was a bit of a scandal to have a woman owned investment firm on Wall Street in that day. Eventually, Victoria became caught up in the woman’s suffrage movement and was nominated to run for President against an incumbent Ulysses S. Grant. As fate would have it, she became a bit of her own undoing and become known as Mrs. Satan for her views of free love and spirituality. She even wrote an article about the affair of clergyman Henry Ward Beecher for which she was arrested and spent the Election Day in a cell (sounds almost like this could happen today), but still had voters turn out for her. Unfortunately, there has been very little credited to her work and has primarily been excluded from the history books.

I admit that I fall into the category that most probably do in that I had no idea of the history of Victoria Woodhull. I have heard of Susan B. Anthony and several of the other characters included in this book, but not of Victoria herself. Evelina spins a very interesting and well-read tale of her life that includes all of the high (and low) points of her career. She also did a great job of spinning her viewpoints of her platform that could be understood in today’s terms. I often say that history repeats itself, which is why it is so important that we have works that focus on history. Without authors that are willing to research a subject that had significance, but didn’t make the history book cut or was willing blotted out to serve some sort of political action committees cause, we would continue to make the same decisions and possible mistakes over and over again. For those who aren’t huge fans of biographies, this is more of a tale that will be much easier read. Even so, I suggest you do research on Victoria Woodhull independently just to satisfy your curiosity.

There are several sexual references throughout, some which include some mild to strong dialogue that will be uncomfortable for some. There is also some mild language and profanity throughout. I recommend this book to mature readers on the subject matter.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.