Audiobook Review: The Four WInds, by Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds was a mesmerizing book about the Dust Bowl, once it got going.

The characters were amazing, the setting -- well -- unbelievable. The Four Winds puts you in the middle of the dust bowl, but also in California, where thousands of people went to find work during The Depression. As you can imagine, it didn't work out well for them.

It's one of those "I can't believe this happened in the USA" stories. And they keep bringing up that point as they are living through the horrors. You get an interesting take on Communism and the Red Scare, as these "Communists" tried to unionize the workers to help them get a living wage. I mean, they literally could not survive on what they were paid, even when the men, women, and children were all picking. The huge growers would cut wages on a whim. They had their own company stores where people could get credit, and of course, they could never get out from under the debt.

Elsa was an amazingly strong woman and no one could not become attached to her and her family. My only complaint is that the beginning was slow. There was too much time spent on Elsa's childhood and life with her parents. I get that her background makes her who she is, but I still thought it went on too long. So the message is:  don't give up. This is a minor complaint, and it is well worth the effort to get through that part. I also would have rather had a different outcome for Elsa. That's all I'll say.

I would recommend The Fours Winds to anyone. The audio version is excellent, although my listening kept getting interrupted by audiobooks that I had on hold at the library. (You only get them for three weeks.) So when another one became available, I borrowed The Four Winds book from my sister and read the last 60 pages.

Published by St. Martin's, 2021. Audio by Macmillan
Audiobook purchased from libro.fm
464 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Capital Gaines, by Chip Gaines

I don't read many biographies, but Capital Gaines caught my eye because I'm a fan of Fixer Upper and wanted to hear some of Chip's crazy stories. And it was cheap.

Chip does tell some stories, but mostly he writes an encouraging story about how he never gave up on his dreams (once he figured out what those dreams were) and that the reader shouldn't give up either. You get some inside scoop on their business and how it grew. And comments about juggling family and work. And, of course, his relationship with Joanna and how that developed. The story of how they have learned to work together, even though they are opposites in many ways, is a lesson for all couples.

There is some stupid stuff, as the title implies, but mostly he's a really smart guy who learns from his mistakes, is willing to take risks, and never gives up.

It is also a very quick read. My son has his own carpentry business, and I've recommended he read Capital Gaines. If you are any kind of entrepreneur, you should consider it.

Note that I listened to the new paperback edition, which includes an extra chapter with an update for 2019.

Published by Thomas Nelson, February 26, 2109
eBook purchased
224 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Secrets of the Casa Rosada, by Alex Temblador

Secrets of the Casa Rosada is a riveting, mysterious story of a teen who is dragged kicking and screaming into a Hispanic heritage she knew nothing about. 

Martha and her single mother have had a hard life picking up an moving often, so when her mother tells her they are going to visit her grandmother, she assumes they have been evicted again. But a grandmother? Sixteen-year-old Martha knows nothing about her mother’s family. And she's never lived anywhere in the South. She is totally overwhelmed when they arrive in Laredo, Texas. For one thing, it is unbelievably hot all the time. But worse than that, her grandmother doesn’t speak English, and Martha doesn’t know any Spanish. She is stunned when her mother starts communicating in fluent Spanish. This is not the mother that she has known. And while she is totally confused by her surroundings, Martha’s mother suddenly says goodbye and leaves her with her grandmother. 

Things move very quickly and while Martha is still disoriented, and hating her grandmother, she is enrolled in school, attending church, and learning about her extensive extended family. The more she learns, the more she realizes that there are many secrets that her new family is keeping from her. She is also learning that her grandmother is a highly respected curandera--a healer. Her grandmother drags her around to her appointments, and Martha is confused about what exactly her grandmother does.  Is it magic?

Complicating her life is the fact that she has a mortal enemy at school, and she has no idea why she is hated. This girl thinks Martha's grandmother is training Martha to be a curandera. And this girl, for some reason, thinks she should be the one being trained. Another mystery...

All Martha cares about is finding out about her mother -- why she left and what secrets Laredo holds. Coming from my white perspective, the Hispanic experience seems authentic, but how would I know? Martha’s quest to find out her mother’s secrets is what keeps the anticipation building. Martha is sympathetic and easy to root for. The ending is quite dramatic--even life-threatening--and includes a spiritual/supernatural element. I would recommend this one to teens who enjoy family mysteries that will keep you guessing. It is a quick and captivating story.

Published by Pinata, 2018
Copy obtained from School Library Connection Magazine
160 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The War Outside by Monica Hesse

The War Outside is a unique, compelling story about life during WWII that has never been told.

Margot and Haruko have been uprooted from their lives along with their families.  WWII is raging, and these families have been taken to a Family Internment Camp in Texas because their fathers have been accused of spying for the enemies.

Based on true events, this camp was the only one of its type in the country.  Both Japanese and German families were sent here.  The two teens’ friendship is unlikely, since the two nationalities are segregated within the camp.  But Margot’s family, going against the wishes of the camp’s Nazi leadership, decide to send Margot to the Federal High School, which is accredited, rather than the German school.

So Margot and Haruko begin a secret friendship that isn’t easy.  It is difficult for Margot to be honest, and Haruko tells secrets that she probably shouldn’t.  But she needs someone to talk to.  Life isn’t easy, and Hesse does a great job of pointing out hardships, both mental and physical, that readers might not consider.  No one can be trusted, the girls must be secretive, and they both have other stresses that threated their friendship.  Margot’s mother is pregnant.  Haruko’s brother is serving as a soldier in the war, and they don’t know where he is.

The dual narration is expertly utilized. The girls are in an unbelievable situation.  The War Outside isn’t a happy story. The last chapter found my jaw dropping open. But this is a story that hasn’t been told. This camp isn’t like the ones where Japanese who lived on the coast were sent. Yet another story of one of the atrocities of WWII that needed to be told.  Anyone, teen or adult, who wants to learn more about WWII should be exposed to The War Outside.

Published by Little, Brown BFYR, September 25, 2018
ARC obtained from School Library Connection Magazine
318 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist

Most people would not peg me as a lover of zombie books.  But some of my favorite series are just that.  And Devils Unto Dust is going to be added to my list of favorites!

The southern part of the United States has been ravaged by a disease that turns people into shakes (think: zombies) that attack and kill any living thing they can find.  It has only been a decade since the civil war and cities and towns have either been wiped out, or they have built fences around them to keep people safe. All means of escaping to the north have been lost. They are on their own.

Willie (Daisy Wilcox) is only a teenager, but she's in charge of her younger brother and even younger twin brother and sister. Her mother is dead after contracting the disease, and her father is a drunk that doesn't come around very often, and when he does, he doesn't help anything.  They are barely getting by, and Willie needs to pay the monthly tithe to the judge--the man who passes for the law in her town.

Her father steals a huge sum of money from a shake hunter, and Willie is on the hood for his debt.  Her only choice is to follow her father through the Texas desert to try and track him down for the money. She must leave her siblings at home to fend for themselves.

I loved Willie.  She's just a really good person, and you can't help but sympathize with and also root for her. She's in an impossible situation and trying to make the best of it.  She's brave, tough, and unflinching. The people that end up helping her are great characters too (I don't want to say too much about them though.) I loved the historical setting. I loved the story.  Devils Unto Dust was a great mix of action and character building. It certainly qualifies as a page-turner.

Devils Unto Dust reminded me a lot of another one of my favorite zombie books, Rot & Ruin. If I had read the books close to each other, I'd probably say they are too similar. But it's been years since I read Maberry's series.

I've read that Devils Unto Dust has already been optioned for a movie.  If you are at all interested in apocalyptic zombie survival stories, you won't want to miss Devils Unto Dust. Add it to your list.

Published by Greenwillow, April 10, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
496 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy @SarahMMcCoy

While there are many aspects to the plot of The Baker's Daughter, I was totally captivated by this story.

The Baker's Daughter is Elsie's story. In a dual narrative, we are told her story beginning in 1945 in Germany and also in Texas 60 years later.

In Germany, it is war time and Elsie's family owns a bakery. Her family has escaped the worst of the economic disaster that has been caused by the war because of the bakery and the protection of a Germany military officer who wants to marry Elsie.

In Texas, Elsie and her daughter, Jane, own a thriving German bakery. Reba is a reporter wanting to write a story about German Christmas traditions who comes to interview Elsie. Reba and Jane become close friends.

Here are some other aspects of the plot that add so much depth:

• Elsie's sister (in 1945) is part of the Lebensborn Program, a breeding program to take the most pure Aryan women and pairs them with German military officers to have babies to purify the Aryan race. I'm not kidding!
• Reba's fiance in Texas is a border patrol agent who is Hispanic. This causes him some turmoil.
• Elsie, in 1945, hides a little Jewish boy in her room without anyone else in her family knowing.
• Elsie's German officer has his own emotional struggles after shooting another German soldier. I won't give you the details.
• Reba isn't sure about marriage.
• Jane has never been married, but her story is a romantic one.

For the most part, I loved the way The Baker's Daughter was told. I did have some problems when the story in Germany flashed back to how Elsie met the German officer. You have to pay attention to the dates, even within each time frame.

I loved the ending. I'm so glad the loose ends were all tied up. Most people got their happily ever after and you end up feeling good after all the destruction and heartbreak of the story. The Baker's Daughter is just my kind of book and made me want to check out other books by McCoy.

The Baker's Daughter is an adult book, but mature teens who are interested in the time period, and enjoy a story of family, friendship, and romance will enjoy it. I'm certainly going to recommend this to my adult reading friends.

Published by Crown, 2012
eBook obtained from the library
304 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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