more than letters on a line today

  Before You Knew My Name Jacqueline Bublitz   4.8 stars         Jacqueline Bublitz introduces us to Alice Lee and Ruby Jones, 2 women drawn together by the death and life of Alice. It is a beautifully written book that captures you with the poignancy of a short life, of choices made, and the connection between people (dead and alive). A now wise Alice, slowly unwinds her story to the reader and to Ruby. From beyond the grave she brings her murderer and her survivors to an understanding that life is about learning, trust and love. With prose that is so haunting that you feel the loss of unwanted love, it will be difficult to put this book down. 'No one lives just one life. We start and finish our worlds many times over. And no matter how long or short a time we are here, I'm beginning to realize we all want more than we get.' There are many other touching characters, lending a reminder of the heart wrenching catastrophes that can come our way but also that...

  When We Had Wings Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner 3.5 stars         I have read a lot of books about WWII, but this is the first one set in the Philippines and the battles that ensued there. With the writing from three established writers (all new to me) I had anticipated more depth. Granted I did learn more about Corregidor, that the Philippines was originally a Spanish colony, and that the military and civilians were pretty much left to their own devices for their survival. The three nurses, Eleanor, Penny and Lita all ‘escaped’ their individual difficult lives and headed to a war that did it’s best to destroy them, physically and emotionally. Their friendship as the centrepiece for their survival is commendable but I did not feel the attachment to the characters that I expected. There were also instances when the dialogue was more congruent with current times, too casual and flippant. That in itself, stopped the flow of my reading, as it jus...

  The Picture Bride Lee Geum-yi 3 stars I realize that this book was a translation, so be prepared for the stilted language that did not flow, sentences that are choppy and it took some resolve to work through. Although aspects of the Korean independence were an important part of the background, I was not able to assimilate that story and found it quite confusing. It was interesting to know that many Asian people chose to settle in Hawaii and how difficult it was to establish yourself to gain any kind of affluence. The history of descrimination held true and is always difficult to hear. The female characters were interesting enough but if I had borrowed this book from the public library, it would have gone back early. If you have some prior knowledge and/or interest in the Korean culture, you will likely be more inclined to persevere. This book was a slog for me. The deceptions told to secure a young bride, is saddening of course, but not entirely surprising. The emotion that was r...