Book Review: The Shark Club

Well it still feels like summer out there. Today the car thermostat said 92-degrees as I was driving to work. And since it still feels like summer, why not read a beach novel? 

The Shark Club, by Ann Kidd Taylor is a fun adventure to a quirky beach hotel. Run by Perri, an eccentric grandmother who loves books, each room in the hotel is dedicated to a different author. She hosts book club getaways and even a yearly costume party where the guests dress as their favorite literary character. 

Perri raised her grandchildren, Maeve and Robin after they tragically lost their parents at the age of six. Though they are twins, both children turned out very differently. As an adult, Robin seems lost and unable to find his own path. Maeve on the other hand is incredibly focused and has a distinguished career as a marine biologist. 

Maeve is a leading expert on sharks. She has traveled all over the world to research different species. On one such research project, she meets Nicolas, a fellow biologist, and there is a definite spark. Unfortunately, Nicolas has a messy divorce to deal with, and Maeve needs to face her feelings for her first love, Daniel. 

The Shark Club is a great book thta will get you thinking about what parts of your life need closure. Is there really such a thing as meant to be? Or does everything happen for a reason, but we just need to possess the maturity that comes with time in order to see how things work out for the best? 

Let me know what you think of the book, and what your favorite beach novel is. 

Until next time, 

Kristie

Book Review: A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga

The kids are back in school, which means I have more time to read than I have during the summer. YAY!!!!! I usually get about 2 hours to read/relax in the morning while the baby and my husband take a nap. (He takes the early shift so I can sleep before work.) In the past week, I have finished two and a half books.

The first book I managed to finish was A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga by Julia Whitty. I am not normally a fan of short stories, because I feel like there is never enough meat to the story for me to become attached, or have any real feelings for the characters. This collection appealed to me though, because I am a huge fan of fantasy worlds, and was hoping for some light reading. 

I was very wrong. This book is dark; not quite Edgar Allen Poe dark, but definitely not a Disney fairy tale. The title story, A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga, tells the story of the life of a tortoise who was kidnapped from her home, abused on a ship and then traded to the royal family on the island of Tonga. The tortoise's life isn't bad per se, but it is still sad. The underlying message about how humans impact the environment and force other species to adapt or become endangered and extinct is clear, yet heartbreaking. Facts become mere legend and the humans go on as if nothing has really changed. 

There are 10 other stories in this novel. They have a moral or lesson to be learned. Whether it is the cruelty of places like Sea World, or the dangers of egos and guns, you will not finish any of these stories without looking at life a little differently. 

Definitely a good read, especially if you like to think. 

Tell me about you favorite short story in the book and let's discuss our views. 

Thanks for stopping by, 

Kristie

Book Review: A Stranger in the Woods

So here's a little something you don't know about me: I am an HGTV junkie. I love seeing what people make on Flea Market Flip and I think Zombie Home renovations are inspired. I even watch the Tiny Home shows, although with a family of 7, there is no way I can do that. 

I envy them though, and their ability to go off grid. I think everyone thinks about walking away from the drama in the news and the hate in society. Maybe we are bored with our jobs and just want to get back to a simpler time. I personally would love a trip to the woods, filled with silence, yoga, hiking and book reading. I just don't think I could live that way forever. 

Christopher Knight had every intention of doing just that. In 1986, he simply walked into the Maine woods and disappeared from his life. He settled in a secluded area of the woods and lived there undiscovered for 27 years. Sure he stole food and necessities from area cabins, but in his mind that was the only way to survive and maintain the peace he had found. 

You may remember the headlines of this story from Christopher Knight's capture in 2013, but in The Stranger in the Woods, author Michael Finkel helps you to understand some of the logic behind that solo existence. What is the definition of a true hermit? Could he have truly disappeared for almost three decades? And how will he re-enter society now? Reading this book might not make you want to follow in his footsteps, but it will make you think about another way of life, and seeing the world from someone else's view is something I would recommend to everyone. 

Thanks for stopping by,
Kristie

Book Review: The Island by Victoria Hislop

Since wedding planning is currently in limbo until we decide where we are having our reception, I have turned my attention to honeymoon planning. By planning, I mean looking at ideas for things to do while we are gone, but not putting us on any real schedule other than flight times. Three weeks in Greece is already proving to be not enough time to see and do everything we might possibly enjoy, and I haven't even started looking anywhere other than the area of Crete.

One place I would absolutely love to explore is the Island of Spinalonga. It was one of the last leper colonies in Europe and abandoned in the late 1950s. Archaeologists are trying to maintain and restore the colony building along with other structures from previous settlements. Tourists are able to explore the island and imagine what it might have been like to be relocated there.

The history of Spinalonga is part of the premis to the book, The Island by Victoria Hislop. The novel follows the lives of four generations of Petrakis women, some of whom lived on the island. Through them, the reader realizes that the leper colony was more than a place to go and die. It was a place of strength, love and hope.

If you are looking for something that will tear at your heart strings and allow you to vicariously live a little bit of history, then I highly recommend this novel. I read this book in four days and hated when I had to put it down in order to be a productive human. The characters are well written and easy to get attached to. In the first generation, I was introduced to Eleni Petrakis and her quiet strength and resolve. This is followed by the recklessness of her daughter Anna, and the sensibility of her daughter Maria. These women kept a piece of my heart when I closed the book.

I hope you enjoy The Island as much as I did. I am also always looking for something new to read, so your recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by,
Kristie