If I could give half stars, I would have given, “My Dear Hamilton...” 4.5 stars. I wish I had paid more attention in history class! I kept asking myself, “I wonder if that‘s true?” I had to stop and google something to validate what I had just read. I didn‘t realize some of our forefathers were so devise. What a remarkable woman Betsy/Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was who remained semper fidelis through out her long life.

I'm a little mixed emotion about, The Sparrow. I gave it 3 stars but probably would give it between 3 and 5 (see mixed emotion?) The book was haunting, sad, unpleasant, disturbing, yet, you still wanted to read it to find out what really happened on Rakhat. There were places in the book a little slow and sometimes too many unnecessary details were provided... but it did keep my interest to the end...so some where between a good and great read. :)

5/5: 5 Stars! I loved this book; read it in 2 sittings. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell grabbed me from the first pages. Sam Hell was born with ocular albinism, which makes his eyes appear red. He is a target for bullies, but, his mother kept telling him how extraordinary he is. You can't help but love Sam, his mom and dad, and his best buds, Ernie and Mickie. Definitely worth the read ~ a great story.

Lilac Girls is based on a true story of 3 women whose lives couldn't be more different. The more I read, the more I wanted to continue but, admittedly, I was a bit confused in the beginning by the numerous characters. As the book progressed, it really began to hold my interest and I found some scenes, like those in the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp absolutely heartbreaking and riveting. Although the book was flawed, it is worth the read.

My next read...

One of the best books I've ever read. This is one of those sweeping novels that follow the life of a lovable main character, Cyril. Cyril, a gay man, tells the story of his life beginning in rural County Cork Ireland in 1945 where his birth mother was slut-shamed on the pulpit and ends in 2015 (or there about). It was an absolute lovely read, a page turner, a very touching story, that made me laugh and made me cry. Highly recommended.

This is a true story of a murder of a 10 year old girl, Robin Ervin in June 1968 in Maryland. We were the same age and I knew this girl. In the early 80s I moved, unbeknown to me, 2 doors from her home and where the murder took place. The book was written by a retired PG County Police Off who summarized the events, confession and short-lived parole release. The book was a quick read. I told the story to my daughter who found the book.

5/5: A thought provoking historical fiction novel about child trafficking in the 1930s. The book centered around, The Tennessee Children's Home Society, ran by Georgia Tann, which operated from the 1920s to 1950s, and followed mainly, the children of one family. The novel flipped from the 1930s to present day by chapter. The novel runs a gamut of emotions, keeps your interest from the start, and well worth the read.

I really wanted to like this book... heck I really wanted to love this book, after all it won the Booker Award. Sadly, it was a struggle to get through it. Loved the premise, hated the execution, hated the random thoughts from the 166 different characters. Sad to say, for me, the best part of the book -- the end.

Struggling.....

Beartown started out on the slower side but quickly progressed to be a real ‘not want to put down, page turner‘ book. Although the book centers around a hockey town and hockey players, it really had nothing to do with hockey... hockey is just background noise for the setting of this novel. This story was really about the human spirit of the teens (players), parents, and towns people.