Flowers in the Attic, Petals in the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews This series is one that I was actually re reading. I read it many years ago when I was probably a pre teen. I can see the appeal to a teen with the sex the scandal the trauma, but as an adult I don't know it wasn't quite as good as I remembered it being. The series follows the Dollanger family. 4 children, two teens and two younger children who are twins. The father of the family dies and with no where to go the mother takes the four children back to her childhood home. The children had never been there before and the grandmother and mother send them to the attic in the middle of the night when they arrive. The children learn their grandfather knows nothing about them and the mother tells them she has to win back his love before they can leave. This is supposed to be for days or weeks but turns into years. During those years the children suffer all sorts of abuse and become their own sort of family with an incestuous relationship forming between the oldest two. The second book follows the children's lives when they escape from the attic/ grandmothers home although much has changed for them. At this point only 3 of the 4 remain and we now follow them through trying to make their life goals and dreams happen. This is the part that bothered me was that after all they had gone through it was so simple for them to then simply get what they needed and wanted next. The third book follows the two young sons of the main character, Cathy and how all the family secrets and history affects them. The fourth book is about the whole family when Cathy's children are grown up and they have inherited the home the Dollanger's once lived in the attic of. The last book is a prequel and tells the young adult story of the grandmother who was an evil character for all four of the first books but is now the main character whom the reader finds sympathy for.
The Silver Star by Jeanette Walls I really like this author and though this book was not on my to read list, when I saw it at the library I grabbed it immediately. The story if of two sisters, one 15 and one 12, whose mother essentially abandons them and how they get themselves to their uncles home and then their coming of age story during this hard time. I liked the overall story and plot line but I couldn't really get into the story and I don't think I liked the ending as it just seemed abrupt and like there should have been more.
Becoming Sister Wives by The Brown Family This is the true story of the Brown Family. A husband with 4 wives. They have a show on TLC. I like the show a lot and didn't know they had a book so when I saw it at the library I checked it out. I liked the book, divided into different sections with a chapter by each of the wives and also by Kody, the husband. I think like everyone else I find the concept of polygamy fascinating and while the FLDS religion and practices makes me sick, I see the Browns as a very loving family with just a different belief system then my own, and I should clarify they are not part of the FLDS. I didn't learn a whole lot from the book that I didn't already know from the TV show, but there were some stories I didn't know and they went into much greater detail of their stories of how they all met one another. I also didn't know that one of the wives had actually somewhat left the family at some point and was considering making that permanent. I'm glad that didn't happen and that they were able to work things out. Overall not the best book I've ever written but a nice break and interesting to learn a little more about this TV family.
Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon This is the story of a 6 year old child who is abducted by someone wearing a rabbit suit. The only witness, the main character Rhonda, watches as this happens. The story weaves in past details of Rhonda's childhood and suspicion of who could have been in the rabbit suit is moved from character to character. Overall I like the suspense this author creates, but I don't think I liked the ultimate ending of the story. And while there were several stories really going on at the same time, they never really felt like they wound their way back to connecting to each other.
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian Loved this book. Love this author. This story goes back and forth from 2012 New York, with main character Laura who is Armenian, to 1915 Syria where a war is going on. The story moves back and forth giving just bits and pieces at a time with the reader frantically turning the pages to get the next piece to the puzzle. As a reader reading from what is present day, we sometimes get pieces to the puzzle before switching back to the past events story. I really loved the way Bohjalian told the women's story and realities of war and love. Great read.
Divergent by Veronica Roth This is the first in yet another teen series about the future where the world looks very different. This is about Beatrice who lives in the area that used to be Chicago in the future where her community is divided into factions. There are 5 factions and at age 16 every young adult takes an aptitude test of sorts to see which faction they are best suited for. They still then have the choice, at a choosing ceremony, to decide which faction they will ultimately choose. It's rare for the teens to choose a faction outside of their own though since it means they will have very limited contact with their original families as the factions don't tend to be involved with one another. This was the first of a trilogy so I'll have more to say next month when I finish the other two.
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