The Atlantis Code -- Charles Brokaw

Thomas Lourds is a linguistics professor who finds himself in Alexandria as a guest on a British TV show. Lured there by the hopes that he might find something intriguing in Alexandria, instead he unwittingly finds himself embroiled in the hunt for the lost city of Atlantis and the secrets held there. He and several others find themselves traipsing across Europe and Africa following a trail of instruments engraved with a language not even he has seen before. But they are matching wits with a ruthless cardinal who seeks the power hidden in Atlantis. A man who will stop at nothing, even murder, to fulfill his egotistical dreams.

***I had a really hard time getting into this book. It eventually picked up, but never really was "can't put it down" good. And I don't agree with some of the review on the cover... There were a lot of things I found to be fake about this book, and I felt that the author included a lot of superfluous details (like the food they ate -- and I'm a foodie, so that's saying something that I thought it was rather pointless to include). This was another of those books I put on my to-read list when I worked in a library and came across it during work. Years later, I finally crossed it off my list. And it's definitely one I'd have stopped reading if I was smart enough to stop reading books that don't grab my interest... ;).

The Hiding Place -- Corrie Ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom grew up in a house full of love with her three siblings, her parents, and several aunts. Bible-reading was a central part of daily life for the ten Boom family; as was love and kindness. Yelling in anger was not a part of their household. Service to others less fortunate, though they themselves were not wealthy and several members of the family even suffered from serious health issues, was a way of life for the family. And so it was that many Jews found refuge through the help of this family during World War II when Germany occupied Holland.

Corrie ten Boom, her father Casper, and her sister Betsie -- all three of them still living in Corrie's childhood home -- soon found themselves central to an underground effort to help Jews to safety. Over the course of many months, they helped to save many lives and witnessed miracles they were sure came from the Lord. But eventually, they were found out and all were arrested. What followed were horrors most can only imagine. Yet with faith and hope Corrie continued onward, learning the lessons she felt God would have her learn and helping the people she felt He would have her help. Through it all, she learned about love and forgiveness, and then she taught what she'd learned: that when God commands us to forgive, He also sends with the commandment the forgiveness, which comes through Him.

**I'll admit it did take me a while to get into this book. A couple of chapters. But once I got into it, I loved reading it and wanted to read more. Amazing true story about turning our hearts over to the Savior and how He can heal us. It was amazing to me how Corrie spoke so highly of her sister and acknowledged her own downfalls when I can't help but admire Corrie for her strength and faith. I have a lot to learn about how to be better as a person!

The Help -- Kathryn Stockett

Life was not easy for black women in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s. Life was predictable, though: a black girl would grow up to become a maid for a wealthy white family. She would raise white children, clean white homes, serve white women. Some were treated well. Most were not.

The rest of the nation was facing unrest about civil rights. Violence was spreading, and if you were a white person who sided with equality for all, you could expect serious repercussions. So when Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a wealthy white girl who herself was raised by a black woman named Constantine, approaches her friend's maid Aibileen with an idea, it is at a great risk -- though Skeeter doesn't know just how great the risk is. Aibileen does, though. As does her friend Minny, who eventually joins Skeeter and Aibileen in telling the true story of black women working for white families in the South. They share their experiences -- both the bad and the good, the heart-breaking and the joyful. Eventually, they all realize the risk they are taking as they join efforts to share truth. But they also feel strongly that it is a truth which deserves to be told. And so they tell it, despite the consequences.


***I loved this book. I watched the movie first, so I knew what was coming for the most part. But I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is hard for me to imagine things as they were in the 1960s, but I have an appreciation for those who experienced those times; and I'm grateful the world has changed a lot since then. Because I know amazing women of all races and color, and I'm glad I've not been raised with the prejudices others had been.

Undoing I Do -- Anastasia Royal

Claire meets German Tobin and a whirlwind romance ensues. Within 4 weeks they are engaged, and she is head over heels in love. They share a passion for each other. But after 10 years and 2 children, their marriage ends. And Claire is left to pick up the pieces of her life. She is crushed at the loss. Destroyed by an event she didn't even want. And it takes all of her to survive every day and slog through a 4-year divorce before she can even begin to hope to heal and move forward.

***I may give this a little more than 2 stars, but not much. 2.5 tops. I added it to my to-read list several years ago when working at a library. I think the blurb inside resonated with me at that time in my life -- not so long divorced and still trying to move forward. But, though I could identify with SOME of what the protagonist describes, there were a lot of times I wanted to tell her to get over it and be a mom to her kids. Do I understand first-hand the pain of the death of a marriage? Absolutely. It is one of the greatest pains I've ever known -- and probably will ever know. But some of this character's behavior just seemed completely ridiculous to me in the wake of her divorce. Granted, it's fiction. But having read the author's little bio at the end, it makes me wonder if some of it wasn't based on her own life. In which case... Well, I wasn't impressed. It's another one of those "well, I finally got that one off my list" books.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia -- Candace Fleming

The Romanov family ruled in Russia for 300 years. But in the early 20th Century, their reign ended with the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, a man ill-suited (and uninterested) in being the Emperor of Russia; but who initially accepted his responsibility as heir to the throne willingly. Living the lavish lifestyle of royalty, the Romanov family was quite detached from the conditions of the people of Russia -- and they didn't even seem to care. And so was set in motion a series of events that would bring down Imperial Russia and result in the murders of the Tsar and his family and creating a mystery that lasted almost a century.


***I didn't know anything about Russian history before reading this. I learned A LOT. Most notably that the cartoon "Anastasia" was very historically inaccurate. (Haha.) I was appalled by a lot of what I learned. Initially, I felt sorry for Nicholas, who was never taught how to rule by his iron-fisted father; and who was ridiculed by that same father for being "too weak." But as I continued reading and learned of how he behaved with future events (particularly with regards to Rasputin, who was a completely distasteful person), my sympathy for him waned. Not that I agree with how things played out: the murders of the entire family. But I could definitely understand why the Russian people revolted as they did and can't help but wonder how different things would have been if Nicholas would have been a wiser ruler. Overall a good read and an opportunity for me to learn more about some world history to which I was quite oblivious.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox --

When 17-year old Jenna Fox awakens from her 18-month coma, her memory is broken. She can't remember so much of her past, and it disturbs her. What she knows is that she no longer lives in Boston, but now resides with her mother, grandmother, and sometimes her father, in California. She knows she doesn't have friends now. She knows she was in an accident, but she cannot speak of it. And with the help of the videos of Jenna's pre-accident life, which her parents encourage her to watch, Jenna comes to know how very adored she was.

And her memories start to return. Memories she shouldn't be able to remember -- like the time she almost drowned as a toddler, or when she was baptized as an infant. As more memories surface, Jenna starts to realize she is a different Jenna than she was before. Different in ways that aren't legal. Different in ways that may even be highly unethical. But she's still Jenna Fox, right?

Burdened with her newly discovered secrets and all the new questions those secrets raise, Jenna tries to figure out who she is now. A monster? A human? A soul? And what will she do if someone finds out her secret?


***This was an interesting read, particularly in light of today's focus on genetically modified foods and what technology can allow us to do medically. Definitely had me thinking about things. I can't say it was a page-turner, but definitely a worthwhile read.

Die Again -- Tess Gerritsen

A renowned taxidermist in Boston is found dead, his body displayed in a macabre and even ironic way, considering his line of work. Leon Gott, the taxidermist who also cherishes the hunt and has a home filled with mounted trophies, had plenty of enemies amongst the animal-loving crowd. But could one of them responsible for his horrific murder?

Six years ago, a group of seven strangers traveled deep into the safari of Botswana for the experience of a lifetime. Surrounded by beasts who could devour them, their only safety comes from the man with the rifle: their bush guide. But the wild animals of Africa aren't the only ones willing to hunt and kill. There is a hunter amongst them. And only one will walk away from that safari alive.

Horrors on two different continents years apart. And yet, as Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles dig deeper into the investigation of Leon Gott's homicide, the connections start appearing. Could the person responsible for a massacre of seven people in Africa have come to Boston to hunt?


***Tess Gerritsen has done it again! I was sucked in almost immediately and didn't want to put the book down. I really enjoyed the flashback chapters and changing from third-person narrative to first-person. Another skillfully written suspense novel that kept me riveted and leaves me anxiously anticipating her next Rizzoli and Isles thriller!