Book Review: The Ghosts & Jamal by Bridget Blankley

The Ghosts & Jamal“It had been good to climb, as good as anything he had ever done. It had not been so good to fall, but he would recover. All in all, he thought, it was worth the fall, just to have climbed the tree.” – The Ghosts & Jamal

Jamal is a thirteen year old boy in rural Nigeria whose favorite drinks include Fanta and Sprite. He seems like everyone else except that he lives with epilepsy. His epileptic episodes are misinterpreted by his family as “bad spirits” coming upon him. So Jamal lives apart from his family, in a separate hut on the outskirts of his village. This isolation will ultimately save Jamal’s life during a terrorist attack on his village. I read Jamal’s story in one sitting. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I was worried for this young man – for his health, for his safety, and for his feelings – as he set out on his own to try to escape the attackers and to find his grandfather, or anyone else who survived, and might be able to help him. I feared for him and wanted to help and protect him. Continue reading “Book Review: The Ghosts & Jamal by Bridget Blankley”

Book Review: Surprise Me By Sophie Kinsella

Surprise Me
Cover art copyright of Random House Publishing Group

Just after my last blog post, our family lost someone very special to us. My father-in-law received a stage four cancer diagnosis in January. He lived this last year of his life like he always did – enjoying life. He spent a lot of time with family doing the things he loved. On Thursday, November 16, 2017, he passed away peacefully surrounded by family.

In the days following his passing, I tried to write a new post and keep reading. But I found myself unable to concentrate. Before I knew it, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday had all passed me by. After a few days of sadness and grief, once the “dust settled” so to speak, I found myself able to once again take comfort in reading.

Reading has always been an escape for me, and it was nice to pick up a new book by one of my favorite authors and disappear into a new, wacky world for a little while.
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Book Review: The Writers’ Retreat by Indu Balachandran

The Writers Retreat
Cover art is copyright of Jacaranda Books

I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book from Jacaranda Books, so I owe them a big thank you! I requested a copy of this book after reading the synopsis which sounded right up my alley. A woman named Amby is fed up with her corporate life at a bank and decides to pursue writing full time. Sound familiar? If you’ve read any of my past blogs about my decision to leave my corporate life to go back to school in pursuit of my degree in writing, then you understand why this resonated with me. I had to read this book!
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Book Review: Small Admissions: A Novel by Amy Poeppel

Small Admissions
Cover Art is copyright of Atria/ Emily Bestler Books

I ran across Small Admissions on NetGalley, and the publisher stated that fans of Sophie Kinsella should enjoy this book. I do love Sophie Kinsella’s work and not just her Shopaholic series but her stand-alone novels as well for their fun, quirky, relatable characters. So I was excited to receive an early look at Small Admissions and hopefully discover a new favorite author.

Well, Ms. Poeppel has introduced some fun, quirky, and relatable characters of her own in what proved to be a light, enjoyable read that kept me entertained. I found myself relating to her main character, Kate, (and no, it’s not just because she has a fabulous name!) as well as her minor characters of Chloe and Maureen. This book was filled with familiar situations (who hasn’t had a broken heart or a rift with friends or been nervous starting a new job?) and relatable characters. Keep on Reading!