Quick read

Lila loves it!

Lila loves it!

I thought these stories were boring.

Having always heard the name Agincourt, a famous England (Henry V) vs France (Charles VI) battle in 1415, I was fascinated by the real and fictional characters, their lives and the actual history of the battles between these two countries. I became very attached to the English characters Nick Hook, an acclaimed archer, and the young French nun, Melisande, that he rescued. Another character and one of the heroes is a monk, Brother Christopher, who befriends and guides all sorts of people with wit and humor. Sir John Cornewaille a knight, author Cornwell says is not a relative of his but is a very heroic figure in this battle. The English won although the odds were not in their favor being outnumbered anywhere from 2-1 up to 5-1. And when the bloody battles went on too long I just skipped ahead to another scene.

For me, this is a strange story told in a genre that I wasn't familiar with. It's the epistolary style. I would have given up if the book weren't a book club choice for August. I had trouble liking the characters at first. By the end of the story, I felt sorry for Bea, the daughter. She seemed the only person who was looking for her mother and who tried to hold her family together. The plot involves around a mother who goes missing prior to a family trip to Antartica. We follow the family and their friends and co-workers via emails, personal letters, police and medical reports, and notes. Bea who's 15 years old and now in boarding school receives all these notes and she tries to figure out where her mother could have escaped to. She's so preoccupied by this turn of events that she's asked to leave the boarding school and persuades her father to take her to Antartica. She wants to find out where her mother has gone to. While on this search, Bea and her father finally managed to have a heart to heart, honest conversation. At the end, she's reunited with her mother. This was a very different type of book that I'm used to. I'm looking forward to see the movie and to the various discussions during the book club meeting.

A detective - murder mystery - story with the added story line of the Muslim religion. Abe's dedication and obligations to be faithful to daily prayers while trying to solve murder case of his niece. Also he has serious drinking problem which is related to all the years he has seen too much death. His wife is trying to help and sticking with him, but how long will that will last.

This was an engaging and enlightening story about institutions/laundries run by the Catholic Church in England, Ireland and the US. Girls were sent there to "reform" them and kept prisoners for years. The characters are endearing and the story compelling. It's not the downer it may seem but a lively story of 2 sisters, their adventures (and misadventures) and people they befriend.

It is a very interesting book about food across the world. I found the recipes and background stories about the food and the countries interesting. I have lived overseas for 12 years and enjoyed cooking some of the food that I had eaten in my own travels. Ms. Martin weaved in her family background and her memories of her travels. She committed herself to cook a meal from 175 countries. I loved trying the recipes and comparing them to those that I had accumulated during my own travels.

Wishtree is an amazing book that explains the importance of kindness and courage.