The Readers Block

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book by Penguin's First to Read program, and I must say I am grateful. I remember seeing small clips of the war in Rwanda here and there on the news in 1994, and thinking, "Why isn't anyone helping? Why aren't we helping???" All these years later, I still don't understand why the world just sat back and did nothing. I can't imagine what Clemantine and Claire went through to survive- even after reading their story, but I am thankful they are here to tell it. I have hope that one day we will live in a world where we will never have to ask why again, where people will have learned from stories like Clemantine's and Claire's, and Elie's and just make all the hate stop. View all my reviews

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova My rating: 4 of 5 stars My thanks to Netgalley, Scout Publishing, and Lisa Genova for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I thought I had an idea of what having ALS meant, I mean, who hasn't heard of Stephen Hawking? Reading this book has shown me I knew nothing about this horrible disease and what it means to live with it. The medical descriptions of the attacks on the body, and the quickness with which it robs its victims of their quality of life, are just devastating. This is another heart-wrenching, well written novel by an author who has definitely opened my eyes and heart and given me a little more understanding of the struggles, hopes, and realities of the families dealing with diseases like this. I just can't find the words to express the feelings I got while reading this. *I wrote this review before Mr. Hawking's passing, and would like to express my condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. His life wit