Trust Fall by Lynn Painter

Cute fall YA romance!

Julia Lowell, brand new resident of New York meets lifetime resident, Damion Rutledge, and it’s loathe at first sight. Damion believes that the Lowell family swindled his great uncle Remington out of his home. The Lowell family can’t believe that their elderly friend Lou left them his house in his will. There’s confusion and mixed emotions all around as Julia and Damion sort out what’s happening with the house situation. On top of that, Julia is mercilessly bullied by rich teens at her school, since she’s obviously an outsider. Damion ends up tutoring Julia to get her math scores up and he uses that excuse to dig deeper into how the Lowell’s ended up with Uncle Remi’s house. Julia is unsure of Damion because sometimes he’s rude but other times, he sticks up for her when she’s being taunted and she has no idea if he can be trusted.

Likes/dislikes: I love the line from page 136, talking about reading, “Because there was just something about getting lost in another experience, in forgetting all about your life while riding along on someone else’s journey, that was the sweetest escape.” Also, this statement from Damion on page 163, “When it comes to film and books and the arts in general, you’re rewarded when they make you feel…” This is such a fun book! I love the descriptions of New York and Julia’s hometown in Nebraska, as seen through the eyes of the two main characters, Damion and Julia.

Language: R for 300 swears and 60 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for teens drinking and smoking cigars, passionate kissing.
Violence: PG for fighting and bullying.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson

Perseverance and Strength Shine Through Sachiko’s Story!

This nonfiction book takes us back in time to show us what life was like for Sachiko and other Japanese families during World War II. The historical facts include racism in America, Japan and Germany, information on Japanese Internment Camps, the treatment of prisoners of war by Japan’s soldiers, the reason for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the dropping of atomic bombs in Japan. I could only read this in bits because of the horrific results of the bombs on the citizens. Sachiko was at the site of the Nagasaki atomic bomb explosion and her family died one by one because of the short term and long term effects of the bombing. After Japan’s surrender, American soldiers became a large presence in the Japanese communities. I learned quite a lot from this book that’s just a little over one hundred pages; the stifling of information concerning the atomic bombs, propaganda after WWII, the research coalition set up to gather information about but not help the bomb survivors and the statistics of long lasting radiation sickness. Perseverance and strength shine through Sachiko’s story and I’m grateful to have read this inspiring book that teaches us to strive for peace. 5 stars!

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Food for thought!

Nora feels like her life is pointless and that she’s useless. She overdoses and ends up at the Midnight Library, an in-between place where she looks at her large book of regrets and chooses different lives to try out, all from choices she makes differently in her past. As soon as she feels disappointed in each life, she’s brought back to the Midnight Library to choose a different path. A fascinating read that gave me much to ponder.

Quote- “You don’t have to understand life. You just have to live it.”

  • Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
  • character quote by Mrs Elm

Food for thought, 5 stars!