Title: Unbroken
Isbn: 9780679603757
Subtitle: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Publisher: Random House
Subject: Biography & Autobiography : World War II
My Rating: 5 Stars!!

I wish I could just chant: "Read it! Read it! Read it!" and you would. Would you?? This book is stunning, inspiring, thought provoking, motivating, incredible. Do you need more than that? Okay, here is a review then. I haven't written one for so long. Let's see if I even remember how to type.

Set during the chaotic times of World War II,this is a true story about Louis Zamperini before the war, during and then after. Drifting from the difficulties of adolescence, to becoming an Olympic athlete in 1963, a WWII bomber, and then stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean just to be rescued by the Japanese who made all the previous hardships look like a play date in Central Park on a sunny day. Zamperini ended up in some of the harshest POW camps of Japan, where life was only a breath from death, a breath that would just as soon be taken if it meant some extra food for the taker, or a little more respect from anyone.

Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabuiscuit shows that it was no fluke she is already so well known. Unbroken is an amazing read, one that will keep the reader hoping for the best and astonished at the endurance and determination of these heroes who served so long and hard, and with such courage.

I can't say enough about Unbroken, I can't. It is hard to read because of the intensity of the POW treatment, and yet hard to put down as well. Zamperini is a master at living, at survival, and proving that odds do not matter and the reader will fall completely in love and cheer him through the whole way. There is nothing better than a life well lived, and a past that does not keep one from living the future in full expectation of something good. I loved this book and I'd bet you would too. The Husband read it as well and was amazed by it, so it is definitely a crowd pleaser if we both loved it. Stellar, stellar, stellar.

Here is a short clip about Unbroken:

If you do buy this book by clicking on the Powells link I will get a small percentage of that sale, however I purchased my copy and have no agreement with author or publisher to sell books.

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I used to say Uncle Tom's Cabin was the ultimate story- but now I have been enraptured by a brit classic. Jane Eyre is so ravishing that I think I found myself drooling several times from leaving my mouth wide open in surprise. I was dumbfounded by what Bronte wrote from cover to cover. It is a story of love, of the truth of love- that it is not a passion or a movement of happiness, or a self-fulfilling experience, it is incredibly more than all of that.

Out of complete ignorance, up until now I had lumped Jane Eyre into an Austen group, clueless until my good friend said she thought I would like it. And she was very wrong. It is the best read I have ever had! Bronte spoke to so many little places in my heart.If you too have mistakenly  included Jane Eyre into a silly-romancy-classic of a book group, you too are very wrong. From the first page there was a big difference in the quality of writing, the quality of the storyline...it is just so stinkin' good.

I'd hate to ruin such a book for you, but I will give you a little taste of its beauty. Jane is an orphan who is shuffled around and mistreated in many ways. When she gets a little older and is no longer of age to be a burden on her keepers she moves on to become the governess of a young girl. Jane is completely clueless as to what mysteries her life will unfold, she bears it all with courage, faith and as if a part of a higher class that would never claim her. That is all I will say. And it is a crime to leave you at that, but it would be an even greater crime to give you any more details.

What should I read that I will love as much as Jane Eyre? Oh, I wish there were some book , somewhere that I would love as much!!

ISBN: 9780955881800

Author: Bronte, Charlotte

Publisher: White's Books

Subject: Romance , Historical, Classics

Edition Description: Trade Cloth

Series: Fine Edition

Publication Date: June 2010

Binding: Hardcover

Language: English

Pages: 439

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Tyger, Tyger is the first of the Goblin Wars trilogy by Kersten Hamilton based on  Celtic Folklore or Mythology. It is Chronicles of Narnia meets Hunger Games with creatures scarier and even more mystical. Hamilton pens fear to life and sheds a shadow over a world that while just like ours,  it is awake to the dreamlike and nightmarish creatures that most humans know nothing of. Just as I felt after reading books from the masterminds of  Tolkien and C.S Lewis who created worlds where I that submerged me, Tyger Tyger holds its own in the fantasy arena. Beware though that even as an adult you will find yourself trapped by what awaits you inside these pages.

Hamilton does not shy away from the spiritual implications on either end of the spectrum. I know that could make some people uncomfortable, but it is written as fantasy, in which you will see characters that resemble reality but aren't fully real. Although Kersten Hamilton is a christian, she longs for this book to go out mainstream and minister by way of storytelling, or a parable-like approach to our world. Too often we are afraid to mention the power of darkness, so as not to cause fear, disturb anyone. But as followers of Jesus Christ we strip Him of His power when we don't acknowledge what we are battling in His name.

On an entertainment can-I-put-it-down level, I tore through it, in a day or so. And then I was mad. Why? Because I hated for it to end and now I 'get' to wait a year to read the next and I don't want to (read that in a VERY whinny voice)!! I want to keep reading in that world,to know what happens to Tea and Finn.  I am thinking about it while in the garden, while washing dishes long, LONG after the last page was turned. It is the type of book where I am now spending the evening wandering around looking for another one that could satisfy this craving. I pick one up, look at it and then set it down. Repeat. Repeat.

Have you felt this way about a book? Oh, it is a love hate relationship I have with books that make me do this. I love them, but hate them for ever ending. This is the kind of book that makes reading fun again. This is one of my absolute favourites of the year!!! (It is available on Amazon right now, or wait until the 15th of November and it will be in other bookstores too!!)

I'll leave you with the poem 'The Tyger' by William Blake, which is why this book is titled Tyger Tyger.  In this poem Blake leaves it up to the reader to decide if the creator of the predatory tiger could also make the docile lamb, its victim.

The Tyger

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

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Author Ana Menéndez strikes again with a beautifully crafted and executed work of words. The Last War is the story of the photojournalist known as Flash and her correspondent husband Brando. Flash puts her dreams, plans and desires on hold for a long time without even noticing, to  follow Brando around the world to conflict areas as a freelance photojournalist. When she lingers in Istanbul, entranced by the city and enjoying the tastes and sights of peacetime she is confronted with a mysterious letter incriminating her husband Brando in an affair. From that day her world turns a sour, she questions the validity their relationship, the truth of that letter, her husband and even herself. Could this be the one conflict her lens can't overcome?

I love Menéndez's writing, it is precise and defined, while still doted with description. It is the language of a confident author- but not overly so that she doesn't mind being vulnerable on paper. I did enjoy this novel, I love the stories of photojournalism wishing that one day I could be carried to far off places to capture moments on film in crucial times. I really felt Menéndez had familiarized herself with the life and work of a photojournalist and correspondent extremely well, so well that this novel acted as non fiction and I had to remind myself that it was not!!

If that sounds a little too dark, deep and not something you are interested in- I just have to say, it is all not what it seems. As in life our minds wander, our fears get the best of us and we sometimes begin to live as though life has crumbled from underneath us. Stunning twists and turns make The Last War just one more reason to snap up anything by Menéndez you see. It gets my award- a stellar five chicken book award, reserved only for the best of the best.

What is that clucking about?? You will just have to read it and you'll find yourself clucking about it too.

Title: The Last War
ISBN:9780061724770
Subtitle: A Novel
Author: Ana Menéndez
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Subject: General Fiction
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 256

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A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist: Starting out in 1860, this novel is the story of Anna Ivey's journey west to escape her past but also to give her better chances for her future.  What she doesn't know is that there is a man awaiting her who has paid for her to be brought over in a boat  along with a load of women for the single men in Seattle. Joe Denton is that man. However he thinks that the woman is aware of this arrangement- little does he know that she has been lied to, as have the rest of the women on that boat about why they are being brought west!!

I enjoyed this Christian chick lit, it was endearing and I dove right in to the setting and premise- I mean who doesn't love a lumberjack!?  A Bride in the Bargain is easy on the eyes, light on the emotions and it kept me reading, reading, reading! I recommend it for all you chick lit lovers, for sure.

The other books by Deeanne Gist I've reviewed: Deep in the Heart of Trouble

Beyond this Moment is the second book in the Timber Ride Reflections series by Tamera Alexander, and I knew instantly when I saw it that I wanted to read it. Tamera Alexander is one of my absolute faves as far as Christian chick lit (or historical fiction as some would call it) she really gets me every time. I read the first book in this series From a Distance last year and was itching to get my hands on this. There isn't much overlap, so you don't need to read the first to enjoy this one, however you get more background and I would recommend reading From a Distance first if you have the opportunity.

Beyond This Moment shows how life is formed from the littlest to the biggest choices we make, even when we don't know that we are making a choice. Dr. Molly Whitcomb arrives in Timber Ridge to be surprised by what she finds but it is fitting, as she herself is full of surprises as well. Will her secrets be too much for the old fashioned Colorado Territory to bear? Life is never easy, especially out in the rugged west with everyone against you!

I loved From a Distance (the first book in the series), and I loved this one too. Sure they are pretty predictable, somewhat far fetched and sometimes over-dramatic...but that is all part of the deal in chick lit, and actually for me the attraction. I can just sit and enjoy and love it- just cause.  As far as chick lit (historical fiction) goes I believe Tamera Alexander is one of the best!

The other books by Tamera Alexander I've reviewed: From a Distance

Let them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd was one that I snapped up at the library the other day. I checked out a Sony Reader (e reader) just to see if it was my sort of thing and then went online and borrowed this tender little title from the downloads our lib has to offer. Oh, it was great (and now I want me a e reader)!!

This novel is the first of the French Twist series, Let The Eat Cake is a modern christian chick lit read that I consumed pretty much as fast as I would have one of the cakes on the front cover! For those of you that know me, you know that is QUICK as I am a sugar freak. Here is the short of it: Lexi Stuart has graduated from college with a degree in French, and really she is absolutely obsessed with anything France related. However her current job, translating labels from French to English in a cubicle just isn't doing the trick. When a meander into a little french bakery leads Lexi to dream of cooking a la French- she takes a step back to question what she is doing with her life. There is so much to live up to, standards to meet, people to please and that constant nagging question of: Will I EVER get married?

Loved this one too...yes I am a sucker for chick lit...really I am. Yet I think even if I weren't this one would have done the trick, or shall I say, hit the spot!? I think you'd eat it up! Give it a nibble.

French Twist Sequels (that I am going to the lib tomorrow am to find): Bon Appétit (2008) and Piece de Resistance (2009)

What do you think of this Chick Lit Bouquet Reviews idea?? Do you have a favourite chick lit book to recommend??

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