The Readers Block

The Emperor of Shoes by Spencer Wise My rating: 4 of 5 stars For all of Alex Cohen's life, he's been taught what it means to be a Cohain. He hears of The Sacrifices his father and grandfather have made to build the family's shoe business from nothing, especially how his father gave up everything, including his wife and family, to make the company successful when he sees an opportunity to move the factory to China. A passive, seemingly disinterested twenty-six year old Jewish kid from Boston, Alex has just signed the paperwork to begin taking the reins from his father when he meets and falls for Ivy, a migrant factory worker who lives in the factory dorms. Through Alex and Ivy's relationship, we see the unfairness and abuse suffered by these workers, and Alex has to come to terms with the fact that his father has turned a blind eye to it all for the sake of profit. Ivy helps to open Alex's eyes to the state of her world as a Chinese factory worker and citizen, fo...

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...

Any one who knows me knows that if I am not reading, I am crocheting. I love to crochet. As a beginner/intermediate level 'hooker" I am always looking for clearly written patterns that I can learn from. This book is great! There are plenty of patterns for circles, squares and projects, all clearly written out and illustrated with graphs. There is a glossary of stitches and terms, so if you are unsure of what is being asked, help is there! I've sampled a few patterns so far, and haven't had any problems. In fact, following a graph has always been a problem for me, but with this book, I've been able to decipher them and work strictly with the graph. Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, and many thanks to Sandra Eng! I will definitely recommend it to all my crochet groups and friends!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have never been to Alaska, though it is on my bucket list, but I felt as if I was there the entire time I was reading this book. I had no trouble imaging the places Leni saw, Cora's voice became my own mother's. the descriptions of the bonds between mothers and daughters, and how fragile those threads can be at times... I can't say too much about this book without gushing over it, and ruining it for someone else, so I'll just say thank you, Kristin Hannah . You have quickly become one of my favorite authors, and this book does not fail to move me as much as the others I have read. I will cross visiting Alaska off my list one day, but I know it will be most likely be on a cruise ship, as a tender-foot, but I will feel as if I've already known it's beauty. #TheGirlfriendGreatAlone View all my reviews

The Haunted Heart of America: In-Depth Investigations of the Villisca Ax Murder House, Myrtles Plantation & Other Frightful Sites by Logan Corelli My rating: 3 of 5 stars If I'm being totally honest here, I have to admit that I skimmed through some of this book. Not because I wasn't interested, but because much of it reads as a log, with detail by detail of what was said and done, and by whom. I, of course, was more interested in the results. But this book reads like a combined paranormal travel guide and a beginner's how-to on investigations, so if I had the money and equipment, I might set off to visit some of these places. The Villisca Murder House and the Logan County Memorial Hospital would be first two stops. Thank you, Netgalley, Llwellyn Worldwide and Logan Corelli for giving me the opportunity to read this book. View all my reviews

I was given access to an advanced reading copy through Netgalley and Llewellyn Publications. First, let me just say this book was right up my alley. I have been interested in the paranormal for as long as I can remember, though I'd say as a skeptic more times than believer. I can relate to the thought that objects, people or houses can be haunted, as I've had some pretty creepy experiences of my own. However, I've always looked for the rational explanation first. Sometimes, though, there just isn't one to be found. That seems to be the case with Norman. Early on in the story, I found my skin crawling as the author begins to describe things that may have been circumstantial, but hadn't happened before Norman came into their lives. It just felt a little too familiar, and I had to take a break. I jumped back in after a day or two, and found myself wanting to know more. This is a pretty interesting tale, though I'd stay away if you have phobia of dolls. The ...