sunshineandpages

[sunshineandpages]

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein caught my eye because of my love of historical fiction, as well as my love for strong leading ladies. How could a book about a female pilot and a female spy, navigating their way through life during WWII together, disappoint? Well let me tell you, despite my critical approach, it did not. I am so glad that I checked this book out of the library, and even more glad that there is a companion book for me to add to my to be read list: Rose Under Fire. What I Liked I loved Verity and Maddie/Kittyhawk's characters. I'll admit, I did not love Verity at first, but she grew on me exponentially. These ladies embody everything that I know and love about women during WWII. They took on great responsibilities for their country and assumed positions usually reserved for men despite the dangers that accompanied them. Turns out the author is a real-life pilot, which made the descriptions of the various aircraft and flights in the book just come alive to another dimension. I admit I don't know how to fly a plane, but my dad is a recreational pilot, so I have many fond memories of flying. Although I am predisposed to love flight, Elizabeth Wein could captivate anyone with her exciting and realistic descriptions. I love a good redemption story. At one point I just couldn't see where the plot was going because it all seemed so bleak. But, the second part of the book, which takes up about the last third of the pages, made me realize just how brilliant the first part of the book had been! Lo and behold, there was hope where I saw none, and there was a strong woman where I saw a girl who had succumbed to her captors. What Wasn’t My Favorite This may be toeing the line of a spoiler, but I didn't like that I was duped by an unreliable narrator. I have read many books with an unreliable narrator, but I was always aware that the character was sketchy. In this book, I was completely surprised! It worked out for the better, but it made wading my way through the first part of the book a little harder. The first part of the book did not captivate me. I was interested, but not incredibly invested. Like I have already explained, I felt hopeless about the situation, and I was disappointed in one of the main character's actions. The Verdict I would absolutely recommend this to someone who enjoys historical fiction, or less-than-traditional narration. If you love impressive female protagonists, this book is also for you! Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 https://sunshineandpages.com/code-name-verity-by-elizabeth-wein/

[sunshineandpages]

November Road by Lou Berney was my September Book of the Month Club pick, and I make a commitment to complete my BOTM Club book in that month (add-on books are another story – stay tuned for a future post about that!). In September, I failed. I did not finish November Road in September. In fact, it wasn’t until halfway through October that I decided to push through and I got into the last third of the story. I can honestly say that I like this book, but it was not what I expected and it took quite a while for me to get past that.

What I Liked

I loved the epilogue of this story. The way that it looks back on the impact of the events of 1963 on the lives of the characters in 2003 tied up the loose ends for me. Seeing where the characters that I became attached to ended up giving me closure.

Also, I loved the strong female characters of all ages: Charlotte, Rosemary, Joan, and even Seraphine. These ladies all had resilient personalities, intriguing stories, and me rooting for them.

What Wasn’t My Favorite

The description of the book, as well as the book’s cover, place the JFK assassination as the context for the book. However, the book really does not focus on the JFK assassination itself. Instead, it is more of a background happening. That is completely fine, but it had me a little disappointed that this book was more fiction that takes place in the past than historical fiction centering on the JFK assassination.

I just couldn’t get behind the male characters that this book follows, Guidry and Barone. These gentlemen were tangled up in the mob, and I had a hard time cheering for either of them when I felt like they got themselves into this mess with their own poor life decisions. I’m not exactly sure why I felt that way about the choices these men made, but not the choices Charlotte made, but either way, I can’t change how I felt about them.

Rating 3/5

https://sunshineandpages.com/november-road-by-lou-berney/

[sunshineandpages]

I chose Winter in Paradise for my Book of the Month Club pick in October, because we got our first snow in September and the sunny beach on the front cover caught my eye. When I read the description I was hooked: an Iowa gal, Irene, who finds out her suddenly and mysteriously deceased husband had a secret life on the island of Saint John. I love me a good mystery.  Also, one of the things that I love about Book of the Month Club is that it exposes me to authors that are new to me. This was my first Elin Hilderbrand read, but it certainly won’t be my last. https://sunshineandpages.com/winter-in-paradise-by-elin-hilderbrand/

[sunshineandpages]

Yes!

When you walk into a bookstore on payday: