5 stars- An excellent way to start my year in books.

3.5 stars- This book is depressing. There are so many flashbacks included in the lives of the main characters, that it can be a bit overwhelming. In the process of building each character, the author goes to extremes to explain why they are the way they are. All are connected through the centuries by this one stupid book. It is really a child's book written by a man for entertainment for a child who is dying. Supposedly this book can prolong life as the one listening fights to survive until the story is finished.
I have come to the conclusion that the covid years did something to people. I know we all lost someone we love. We were locked away from the outside world and told that it wasn't safe. Some people reached for Bibles because deep down, everyone knows that is the ONLY true answer you are going to get, whether blue skies or gray. There were some, though, who retreated into themselves instead of taking shelter and counsel from God. This isn't the first novel that I have read that was written during this bizarre time. They all seem to be a distorted dystopian freakish genre.
I found it interesting that this perfect make-believe land that Aethon is seeking reminded me of a real city that will one day be my Home. I also found it painful to get associated with people who have thrown the truth away to choose instead to be "comforted" by a fairy tale.
I think this would make a good book to discuss with a book club, if you can find one that the members are willing to invest enough time to read six hundred and twenty-six pages.
I am going to end my review with the Truth. We all go through hard times. We all suffer in one way or another. Nobody gets through life without scars, whether physical, emotional, or both. At the end of the years allotted to us each, we can look back and see some beauty in our time here. It might be fleeting for some but it is still there if you take the time to look. This book DID point that out in the end, that is the only reason I gave it over a 3 rating.
When this part of our life is over, we all go onto the eternal destination that we each have chosen while in this flesh. We were created to worship God, through the choice of the first man created, to willingly put himself in the place of God, we are all not worthy to walk in His presence. He created us to fellowship and live with Him. In this failing of our flesh, He made a way for us to be back in that fellowship with Him. God's Son took on the flesh that He created so that He could be a sacrifice for the sin that separated us from God. In our place He died as fully God and fully Man. ONLY He could do this. He was the perfect sacrifice because in Him there is no sin. To receive this gift of salvation from our sin, all we have to do is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died AND rose again from the dead to open the way for us to be in fellowship with God. I guarantee that belief will change your life! For all Eternity. You still will suffer while you are on Earth. We live in a fallen world that has been fractured by the sin of man. The difference for the believer in Jesus is that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is not the end and we have the Holy Spirit as comforter to remind us that we were not created for wrath. One day, by either our death in the body or the shout of Jesus that the place He has prepared for us is ready for us to come dwell with Him, we will be in a place that we will never suffer and be in pain again. There will be no separation from those who love Jesus and put their faith in Him. We will be in the presence of God forever.
There is a lot more to the life we live here on Earth before we go to be in His presence but I think you get the point. Reading a story about the sufferings of people who have no hope but a fairy tale is depressing. Knowing that the "comfort" they receive is a distraction to last until they take their last breath is a tragedy. It really makes me sad. This book is not about anything but temporary survival. Period.
Anyway, there was some good in the ending of the book. I finally got interested, beyond just finishing it, around page three hundred seventy-six. There was a shift at that point as we were finally reaching the climax of how it came to be possible for the people to all connect.
One final thing, I am going to include here the REAL future for everyone who chooses to accept Jesus as God and make the decision to live their life for Him. It is far greater than we can comprehend, the things that we have in Christ Jesus. You can find the complete passage from the final book of the Bible.

Rev 21:1-7, 10-27 (NKJV) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them [and be] their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light [was] like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred [and] forty-four cubits, [according] to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was [of] jasper; and the city [was] pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city [were] adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation [was] jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates [were] twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city [was] pure gold, like transparent glass. But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb [is] its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Rev 22:1-5, 12-14, 16-17 (NKJV) And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, [was] the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each [tree] yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name [shall be] on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward [is] with Me, to give to every one according to his work. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, [the] Beginning and [the] End, the First and the Last." Blessed [are] those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

3 stars- They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I have to admit that was probably the main reason I purchased this book. As James Taylor sang, "Greens and blues are the colors I choose." It has the most beautiful cover; I can almost feel the slight breeze from the open portal contained within the covers. Almost. There is so much in this book that I didn't bargain for. I had no idea how much manipulation and violence would take place. While we are on the downside of the review, I also wish the characters were fleshed out a bit more. I feel like we received a lot of information about the tragedies they went through, but very little about them in truth. The entire portal was rather clumsy; I wish it had as much development as the domestic abuse. The almost ending was rushed without giving us a vivid description of the actual result. It did wrap up the characters in their "they all lived happily ever after" scene. I just didn't feel satisfied. I also started flipping pages just past the middle, wondering how much more before I finished. If I don't trade it in at Half Price Books, it will be for that beautiful cover.

3 stars- This book was better than I thought it would be. I wasn't expecting much after reading a few reviews. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a mystery in a mystery in a mystery. I liked the style in which it was written. I was extremely dismayed to see so many typos! Where have all the proofreaders gone? This is the second book in a row that has had quite a few typos that should have been easy to catch. My rating of three stars is actually to do with all the typos. I feel it is a solid 3.5, but there were too many issues with the print not to notice, and for it to take some pleasure from the reading.
I imagine I will visit this author again in the future. Hopefully, she will find a more qualified proofreader for her next work.

1 star- You would think that after giving "The Midnight Library" a three-star rating on here last year, I wouldn't have been so excited to read his newest book release. Wrong. I actually asked for this as a Christmas present. While the premise was unusual and thought provoking in the above mentioned book, this one just had the author's name on it to make me desire to read it.
Though I can't prove it, I fully believe this book was written by AI in its infantile stage. It's that bad. It is pointed out near the end of the book that something one of the characters says sounds like a fridge magnet. Bingo, we just summed up the writing in this book. Then there is the subject matter(??) of the book. I draw a blank on that one. Again, I'm guessing, type a few ideas into infant AI and see what the little guy puts together.
A sort of self-help book mixed with alien worship and misuse of the Word of God. On page 182, for example, the priest discerns, after being in the ocean, that John 1:5 talks of the Light that shines in the darkness. If you read in context, there is only One Light that can possibly be. John 1:1-5- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Jesus is the Light. He is the Word. He is the Creator, Protector, and Sustainer of ALL creation.
Then there is that pesky little ditty repeated throughout the book. So much is continually repeated throughout the book, it boggles the mind! The "we are not eternal", though, really stuck in my craw. What a shame more research wasn't done beforehand.



On page 170, Grace laments that she wishes she had gone to church more in recent years. "She had been playing hard to get. With God, I wanted Him to come to me. To prove He was there." She realizes that we make our own faith and believe in what we want to believe in. God came down and died in our place so we could be in fellowship with Him. All we have to do is to believe that Jesus is Who He says He is and believe it. We confess our belief to others because it is too good to hide away from a lost and broken world. You can choose something intangible to put your faith in, but faith in Jesus Christ is far from blind faith.
Then we have the environmental element that the book is built upon. I can't go into details because it will ruin the climax, but this alien power doesn't seem to have it all under control.
Romans 8:19-22 says, "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." Simply put, one day, all this will end. When God says enough, He will judge and pronounce sentence on all that rejects Him. Then creation will be restored. He came to save it all.
The times we are living in are full of deception. There is only one God, and He is the only one who WILL restore all creation to the way it was before sin (willful disobedience and turning from Him) entered this world. Anything else is a lie straight from the lips of Satan. Who is also a created being who transforms himself into an angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11:14.

Anyway, the book stank, and I highly recommend skipping it. Hopefully, Matt Haig's next work will be readable. I only finished it because I have stopped reading a couple of other stinkers already this year. I really hate doing that.

3 stars- One person's saint is another person's demon.

2 stars- As a rule, I don't like sequels to books written decades after the original novel was released. This book was no exception. What was contained between the covers of this book was a mishmash collection of short stories that were told in no particular order for the sole purpose of making the ending of this book possible. I felt like I was reading a cross between a Bailey White and Philip Gulley novel written by a fifth grade girl in a spiral notebook covered with unicorns while she was lying across her bed. She was chewing gum as well and blowing massive pink bubbles.
It was all I could do to make it to the hundred page mark. I thought, "Oh, we have finally got Bud on a train, now it will finally start." Nope, more flashbacks. I'm not sure who actually gave the manuscript to the publisher, but I'm pretty sure they dropped it on the way into the office and just gathered the pages up, in no particular order, and stuffed them back into the folder.
Even picturing Kathy Bates didn't help that storyline seem one bit real. I finished it in a day, not because it was riveting, but because I couldn't stand the thought of seeing it on my nightstand the next morning.

3.5 stars- I love a good scavenger hunt. I loved mysteries. I really love bookstores. I kind of sorta figured out part of the mystery early on, but seeing it unfold slowly through the summer was a treat. I honestly didn't put the book down except to sleep.

“And I’ll tell you another thing: I’m sorry you and Gus McCrae ever met. All you two done was ruin one another, not to mention those close to you. Another reason I didn’t marry him was because I didn’t want to fight you for him every day of my life.” Clara Allen, "Lonesome Dove"

The above quote is from one of the best books ever written. I am by far not a Larry McMurtry fan, but Lonesome Dove will stand the test of time for capturing a season of American history. While this quote from Clara went through my mind many times through the reading of "Firefly Lane", the historic Americana feel did not capture the time at all. I spent quite a bit of time wondering why so many references were given in detail throughout this book. When it finally hit the 2000s, it seemed to have lost all semblance of order of time.

I hated Tully. I also didn't care for Mrs. Malarkey. What kind of mother sacrifices her own daughter? Katie was already a tender soul when the book introduced her. She ended up living in the shadow of an addict her entire life. Everything bad about Katie was brought on by Tully. Katie's desire to be a homemaker is a noble decision for any woman to make. Tully's influence on Katie and then Marah was a trainwreck. Who names a child Marah anyway? It is the Hebrew word for bitter. That could explain a lot as well. Katie never felt like she was enough. She was forced by Tully AND her mother to choose steps in her life that would take her places that she didn't want to go. She didn't get to enjoy her family as she should, because she lived with the thought that she had to do everything to matter to anyone.

The above quote from "Lonesome Dove" sums up TullyandKate's life. Tully needed help that she truly never received. Katie would have survived if they had parted ways at the get-go. The enabling of Cloud by her mother and then her daughter was just a shadow of what was going on with Tully. Nobody ever dealt with her at all.

I'm guessing that before the funeral was over, Tully had already decided to seduce Johnny and take possession of "her" family. Marah will be as shallow and useless as her fake mommy. The twins will end up womanizing alcoholics. Johnny will die embalmed in grief for betraying his wife after he told her he would never go to Tully.

I'm glad Kristin Hannah's books are usually better than this one.

3 stars- "Back When We Were Grown Ups" is still my favorite Anne Tyler book, and the reason that I pick up new releases by her. While this is a simple story, it does carry a lot under the hood. Seeing the thoughts of the main character is the jewel of Anne's writing. Raw and honest, without any apologies for not seeing the plank in their own eye.

4 stars- After reading Until We Reach Home, I just couldn't bear to close my time immersed in Lynn Austin's world. I absolutely loved that book. This one took me a little bit to get into, as I started it an hour after finishing the above mentioned book. Once I sat down without interruptions, I entered this world. This is a really good book. It gives you both sides of very controversial subjects. While these issues are part of our history, they are dealt with in an unbiased manner that makes you think deeper than what you learned in the history books. There are two quotes from this book that stood out to me. The second one is honestly something I think most Christians struggle with the most. You can change things on the surface by working for a cause or running for a political position, but true change only comes in a heart that has been transformed by the deep faith in Jesus Christ when you accept Him and start nurturing that relationship that is above all others. No amount of good works for any good cause can give the peace that is only found in Him. Working with Him in whatever capacity He has for your life, is where true contentment comes from. One day we will be able to see from the other side all the whys of the way things played out.

First quote: "She had made a wrong turn and had wandered onto the pages of a tragic fairy tale."

Second quote: "It isn't our calling as Christians to write laws that force people to live moral lives. As much as our communities might need it, and as bad as things are, imposing our morality on others isn't the answer. It doesn't work. People may be forced to give up alcohol, but they are still going to Hell. That's our calling- to bring people to Christ- not to force them to behave the way we want them to or to solve their external problems.

2 stars- I hoped to like it. I watched the Disney+ series Loki and it was much better rendered than this book. Loki was definitely more entertaining.

We are created as three parts of a whole- soul, spirit, and body. The fact that we live in a simulation isn't surprising to anyone who has studied Scriptures. I wish I could articulate in an easy to understand commentary why we know this is so, but alas, I have not the words. That's okay though because God in His infinite wisdom has given to His followers different gifts to carry out the mission laid before us.

Chuck Missler has been gone for a few years now but he is honestly the most intelligent man I have ever come across in modern times. His gifts of knowledge and wisdom have made technical things of our massive universe easier to comprehend.

I am including two different videos for anyone who would like to delve deeper into the truth behind what this book could never understand or explain. I hope anyone who reads this review and has an interest in this subject will take the time to listen/watch these videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhjI6...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9986o...

5 stars- If I were able, I would rate this book higher than five stars. I started it around five o'clock on Tuesday afternoon. I finished it last night around ten. It has been a while since I read a book that quickly. I remember the first time I devoured a book of this length; it was Jaws, and I accomplished that milestone in one day. Oh, the bliss of free time in youth!
Kristin Hannah was introduced to me through a local library bookclub that I attended. I started following several authors through those years, as my diet came to feast on genres that I had never sampled before that time. Her book, "The Nightingale" is in my top ten books of all time. She always delivers on dark subject matter. I have been through WWII, the Great Depression, and the wilds of Alaska through her eyes. The Great Alone was a hard book to get through. I realized while reading it that Alaska is definitely not in my "I want to live here someday" list.
Now I have been to Vietnam. I have to admit, I honestly didn't know much about this time in history. I was born in the early 1970s, so I could use the excuse of being a wee lass during the time. It was glossed over in school, but I only learned enough to ace the tests. While homeschooling my own children, we delved pretty deeply into several wars. Vietnam was not one of those wars. I have never watched movies about it either. I found myself thinking about this fact as I was driving this morning. Maybe I have never delved into this time because it was too close to reality. I glossed over the modern wars that I do remember while homeschooling my children. It is something to ponder.
This book runs the gamut of emotions. Negative mostly. Wars have been a part of culture since Genesis, but PTSD was not diagnosed until the 1970s. War has always been atrocious.
God Himself set the rules of who should not have to serve in war. In Deuteronomy 20:1-9, it says, "When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying: ‘What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it. And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.’ The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’ And so it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people."
We were never meant to take another's life, but something changed with the way we do battle. We went from throwing rocks and stabbing with spears to dropping chemicals that melt the flesh. We went from fighting for our families and their protection to fighting enemies that we have no beef with, all because someone who doesn't have to get their hands dirty decides we need to show someone else our "bigger stick".
Defense of your country is extremely important. Men who risk their lives to give us the freedoms we all take for granted are precious jewels that should be honored. That should be a given. They are not the ones at fault when the people in charge are unfit to be in charge. The draft shouldn't exist, period.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about this timeframe of history, who wants to see the battle that went on through the eyes of not only a medical perspective but the perspective of a woman. Frankie draws you in with her innocence and keeps you there as she goes through the war of self-destruction after coming back to the States. Every character is fleshed out in this book, and their arcs all come full circle. From a secular view, this book ended as I wanted it to from almost the beginning. From the perspective of knowing there is never completion in anyone's life apart from having a relationship with Jesus Christ, this book ended with wanting Frankie to find true healing.

When I saw the trailer for the movie, I was intrigued. I mean, it has Loki in it. I don't believe that I have seen anything with Tom Hiddleston in it that I didn't enjoy. But alas, it wasn't playing in my area. I figured I would have to wait until it streamed on Amazon to see it.

Then one day, while browsing through Half Price Books, I saw this little blue book sitting on the "new" shelf. I have never read a Stephen King book. I did purchase several about twenty years ago. They were a quarter each at a yard sale, and I bought a stack of them. I sold them all on eBay for a nice chunk of change.

Anyway, I picked up this little book and read the inside flap. I didn't even know this was a story from a collection. The hook that got me to purchase it was the dancing. I loved the children's books that had a picture come to life when you thumbed quickly through the corner of the pages. Seeing that tiny Chuck dance was all I needed to know that this book belonged in my life.

It's a super short read. Told in reverse, because, that is the best way to see the beginning from the end. It had some good quotes, as I am sure all Mr. King's books do. My favorite was, "fascination is fear's twin brother."

I enjoyed the book. Its message was strong. Whether you know how you are going to die or when you are going to die is irrelevant. No one is getting out of here alive. We should enjoy the days given to us. I always feel sad though when I see someone come to that realization but have no One to give thanks to. Eternity is in all of us and for all of us. This life in this flesh is for such a short time. There is so much more in store for us after we take our last breath here.

God is real. He is not an afterthought. Every story ever written is found in the words of Scripture. There is no plot you can try to come up with that separates God from the equation. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to Earth to restore the relationship between man and God. Because of that gift, you can spend Eternity dancing, eating, exploring, and smiling in the presence of all that is good, while your new flesh will never wear out and die. Or you can refuse God's gift and spend that same Eternal time separated from everything that is good.

It is a choice you make. The same as the choice you make each day to live like it is your last. You can live like this is as good as it gets, or that there are far better things ahead than any you will possibly leave behind. Jesus is the answer to what lies after the book is closed, but you must choose Him before you finish the last line.