Jubilee Trail (Gwen Bristow)

Why I have this book: I read the print edition back in 2008 as part of a book club, but when the Kindle edition was available for $1.99, I bought that version so I could get rid of the paperback. (Trying to keep my bookshelves under control.)

I remember liking the book when I first read it, but not as much as some other "pioneer" type books. This time around I feel the same way. It's interesting because I did not remember a lot of this book. The one scene I thought I remembered never happened, so that's kinda weird (or a testament to my age).

***ETA: I just found an email where I wrote to a friend about it. This is what I said, "I just finished Jubilee Trail.  It took quite a while to get ultra hooked, but once I was... well, I fell asleep in the tub a couple of times while reading, because I just didn't want to stop, but it was late!" So maybe I liked it even more than I remember...

You can tell this book was written in the 1950's. The dialog is evidence of that: "Why, yes, John. That's exactly what happened." That's not an exact quote from the book, but I can't even begin to estimate how often a sentence started with "why" in that way. The way she wrote about Native American "Diggers"  was completely unacceptable by today's standards.

All in all, the book kept my interest and could have been awesome with a little more depth of character and better dialog. It's also very long (560'ish pages) and it probably could have been at least a hundred pages shorter.

There are a couple of handfuls of "mild" swear words. The book includes prostitution and murder, but it's all very "wild west" in nature. Nothing descriptive or sensationalized.

Between Shades of Gray (Ruta Sepetys)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after a friend recommended it to me.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads. It's not always an easy one to read (as it deals with war crimes), but it's definitely worth it. It's written as a YA book, so it's probably "softer" than it would be if adults were the primary audience.

I've read a ton of books about WWII, but I've never heard of this particular part of history. It deals with the Russian invasion of the Baltic States.

Even though the subject is difficult, the overall theme includes the humanity that often comes out during such horrible events.

This book is mostly clean, although there are typical war crimes described (not graphically) and a few swear words.

The Holy Secret (James L. Ferrell)

Why I have this book: Our son actually gave this book to his dad, but I listened to it on my Deseret Bookshelf audio app. (Loving the audio option! I never thought I would say that!)

I really liked this book. I'm not sure that every conclusion discussed in the book is absolute truth, but it gave me a lot to think about. It was inspiring and interesting. The author read the story for the audio version, and he did a great job. I do recommend this book, and probably even recommend the audio version more than the book.

I do wish the author would have written about how Albert was reconciled to his wife and made his way back to his covenants. Maybe I missed it in a moment of distraction (one challenge with audio books for me), but if it really isn't in there, I think it should be.

Clean.

The Secret of Pembrooke Park (Julie Klassen)

Why I have this book: I bought it on Kindle a few years ago when I had some birthday Amazon cards.

I enjoyed this book a lot — until the end. And even then, I still liked it.

I could hardly get my nose out of the book. I was so intrigued by the secrets and mysteries in the story. It was a great escape and I admit to neglecting other duties to read, read, read!

The ending fell a tiny bit flat for me, and the religious aspect seemed like the author couldn't decide whether it was a religious book or not. (I noticed it was by Bethany House after I finished it, so it was supposed to be a religious book.) The protagonist went from not really being a church-goer to sharing the gospel . . . but I never really "saw" her conversion.

Some on Goodreads said some situations in the love story don't mesh with "propriety" of the era, and I can see their point. I'm not that invested in that concern, so I didn't really care. I can see, though, how there was a modern slant to their behavior.

If I could, I would have given this about 3.7 on Goodreads, but since my choices are limited, I gave it a 4.

Clean... unless you are bothered that a courtship of this era has a few passionate emotions going on.

Larkspur Cove (Lisa Wingate)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library on the recommendation of a friend.

I liked this book. I found myself highlighting several thoughts in the book, and liked that it was clean and uplifting while still having some emotional depth. I'm looking forward to the other books in the series.

*Clean.

A Sound Among the Trees (Susan Meissner)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library because I've enjoyed other books from the author.

I liked this one, as well. I was pretty sucked into the story and was curious to see what would happen. It wasn't a perfect book. I would have liked to know more about Caroline's journey, for instance, and I'm not sure it explored Adelaide's feelings enough, but it was good. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

Clean. I don't remember any swearing, but I can't be completely sure on that. One character writes to her aunt about the physical relationship she shares with her new husband, but it's nothing graphic. More just an observation of how it made her feel emotionally.

Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me (Howie Mandel)

Why I have this book: I borrowed the audiobook from the ebook library after seeing a clip of an interview where Howie talks about his OCD.

I did not finish this book. It has too much disgusting stuff in it. Too much profanity, too many stories of what an obnoxious punk Howie can be... There is nothing inspiring here. I was hoping it would move into more about his OCD and treatment — something more mature and substantial. I checked on Amazon and according to the one-star reviews, it never gets there. It's just about him, him, him and his "shenanigans." But then, he does point out multiple times (in just the little bit I listened to) that he is super needy for attention even if it's negative attention.

I had neutral feelings for Howie Mandel prior to listening to the little bit I heard in this audiobook. Now I'm definitely not a fan. I kind of just feel sad for him. It would be one thing if he outgrew his immature behavior, but the Amazon one-star reviews indicate that he really never has.

Not clean at all. I don't recommend this book.