2018 Top Five!

As the clock winds down to close the year 2018, I'm grateful for the adventure this bloggy blog has taken me on with all of you! I surpassed my own expectations for this new platform and I'm excited to keep it going.  The blog provided me with an accountability to keep reading as well as helping me write and process so many different themes and ideas.  I learned a lot about myself through reading and gained new perspective while taking on new genres and authors.  It's no surprise that the top five most viewed blog posts of 2018 are probably the best books I read all year.  I loved all of these books so very much and I hope you will add them to your list in 2019.  Cheers to another year of getting lost in a plot and forgetting to do laundry while I finish just one more chapter!

Here are the Top Five of 2018:

5. In Safety She Sings: "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah

4. The Mystery of War: "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

3.  I Go With You: "News of the World" by Paulette Jiles

2. When Art Echoes Life: "The Winter Sea" by Susanna Kearsley

AND..............drum roll, please!

1. To Books & Our Friends: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" 

by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Happy New Year and Happy Reading in 2019, my amazing, geeky lovelies!

-R

For Whatever Time We Might Have: "The Witch's Daughter" by Paula Brackston

#Rayloween2018 has been long-anticipated in my world. First and foremost, I HEART Halloween. It is my favorite holiday besides my birthday and the 4th of July. This year I knew that I needed to make it super special because last year was ultra sucky. So, as a part of my Halloween festivities (which started in the last week of August) I decided to broaden my reading horizons and tackle a witchy thriller.  Little did I know that "The Witch's Daughter" by Paula Brackston would fit this description well beyond my imagination I would love it so dang much all the while being a bit scared out of my knickers.  But, it wouldn't be Halloween without a little adrenaline rush, right?

The main character of "The Witch's Daughter" is Bess Hawksmith. Bess comes from a very tightly knit family from early 17th century England.  Her mother is a dedicated healer and by any other definition a witch, but chooses to use her powers only for good. She and Bess experience great sadness when 3 of their family members die from the Black Plague.  Bess' mother can't bear to lose her only daughter and she sacrifices herself to a local warlock who in turn gives her the powers to save Bess from dying. The trade off for this decision is ultimately death because she is discovered to be a witch and is hung. It's really intense from page 1 and I knew If was headed for a really gripping plot once Bess' mother was hung for witchcraft. In exchange for the warlock giving Bess' mother the power to save her, she is required to turn herself over to him and become immortal and a witch herself.  The remainder of the book is sections of her life as she is living in present day and as alter-egos in other time periods.

What I didn't expect was not only some solid time travel, but time travel that would ultimately connect to present day in such a way that had my mind reeling for days.  This entire book was exceptionally written and I found myself making time to read more because I didn't want to leave in the middle of a time travel section because I might miss something good.  Probably my favorite time travel section was set in late 19th century London. Bess' is a doctor who works in a local teaching hospital by day and in the evenings she runs a back-door entrance female clinic for women who have become pregnant through illegal means. The majority of her clients are prostitutes and she shares really intimate and tragic details about her interactions with these women. This section really touched my heart because she knows that she can't change their outcomes, but she also knows that they need the medical help more than anyone because of their chosen professions.  This section gave a very real description of how the lives of women have drastically changed over the years. This was also the section that I was drawn in the most emotionally so when the gripping element manifested itself I almost threw my book across the room because I was so shocked at how everything transpired. Let's just say the laundry didn't get done that afternoon because I was too busy reading 75 pages in one sitting.

One of the many elements I loved about "The Witch's Daughter" was Bess' commitment to using her powers for good. She never sacrificed dignity and honesty for the sake of being a witch. I liked that a lot.  How many times do we have the opportunity to use our voice or our powers for good and perhaps take advantage of it in a bad way? How often do we see this manifested in the public arena, especially with politicians.  I'm always so inspired by people like Will & Kate and Harry & Meghan because they know they are popular, but use their influence for the absolute best they know how.  That is what life should be all about. We should do our best to make use of whatever time we have in life. Doing good should be our primary goal always. This ongoing theme in "The Witch's Daughter" was so inspiring. We see throughout the book, that Bess struggles to do good in the face of evil and almost pulls away from showing emotion because she knows she might hurt mortals.  In spite of the difficulties though she still lets herself be vulnerable and it was moving to read.

This book was probably so intense and gripping for me because I literally experienced all emotions while reading it. The author explored some really heavy themes along with witchcraft and it was some goooood reading. Towards the end of the book I had to take a time-out or two because I was stepping into plot that might lead to some overly vivid dreams. But, it ended in a powerful manner that I loved. I'm also happy to report that their is a sequel and I plan to read it in the next couple months. It will most definitely be featured on the blog as well.

My recommended reading group would be age 18 and above.  It's a Rated R read with heavy adult themes including sex, execution by hanging, prostitution and witchcraft.....isn't that a depressing line-up all in one sentence? I promise it's not all together at the same time, but if this stuff bothers you, just know that each of these topics are legit and come up multiple times in the book.

The moral of the story: Make the most of the time you have. Be kind and use your power for good. Good will always win over evil. Always.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!

Like what you read above - purchase this book by clicking the Amazon link below! Thank you for reading The Thrifting Ginger.  

Oh, to Love One's Opposite: "The Marriage of Opposites" by Alice Hoffman

As the days become shorter and the air is crisp, my level of crazy is much more apparent. This means my reading patterns change. I always go for the happy, beachy reads, but during the fall and winter, I like to mix it up and throw in some darker-themed books. Sometimes I regret that decision while reading late at night, alone in my bed; but overall I like it.  This week's book was one that I thought might be a little darker than it was, but it made up for it in emotions and themes. "The Marriage of Opposites" by Alice Hoffman was a book that left me speechless at times and pondering about loving one's true opposite.

Earlier this year I read another book by Alice Hoffman that totally blew my hair back with its dark and twisted theme about a museum of social misfits. (CLICK HERE FOR POST) Alice Hoffman is known for her magical, gothic, dark plots so I expected "The Marriage of Opposites" to have those characteristics. I wouldn't say it was twisted, but it definitely addressed really hard issues such as loving outside of one's race or social station.

The setting for "The Marriage of Opposites" is the island of St. Thomas. The main character is Rachel Pomie. She comes from a family of wealth and good fortune overall. However, she dreams of living her life in a much different way than her parents expect. She has the passion of an artist and spends her nights on the island dreaming of Paris and the many adventures she could be experiencing there.  In spite of her dreaming, she is still forced to abide by her parents' wishes and finds herself married to a wealthy, but much older widower (with children) and she is young and wondering what she's let herself undertake.  This is the beginning of a long chain of events that will tug at your heart strings from every turn. This was the section of the book that I could not put down. I was also sicker than hell so reading 100 pages in a day was about the best I could do for myself.

In Rachel's course to be different she has befriended a beautiful soul who is a different race than her. She is soon faced with the awful reality that race matters at this time in history and she watches her friend suffer a great loss at the hand of her own mother's influence. Nothing reminds a person of their station quite like forbidden love and Rachel promises herself that she will always support her friend and love her for who she is as a human, not based on her skin color.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the beautiful imagery the author used to describe the surroundings. At times I felt like I was on St. Thomas with each of the characters. Alice Hoffman is a champion at imagery and the other book I read was just as spectacular in this department.  She also describes her characters very well so you can have a mental picture of who they are and what they might look like.

I will be honest, this book was a tiny bit disappointing at about the half-way point. Rachel's life takes a very substantial shift and she finds herself in a beautiful love affair after her first husband dies suddenly. I felt like this aspect of the story was so important and didn't get nearly as much plot development as it could have. While it was a bit steamy, it also brought out some really important themes including going for the one you love even when the whole town thinks you're crazy and sticking close to those who matter most. I felt like it skipped over really great opportunities to dive in to these subjects more and moved right along in the plot so the book could span multiple decades in under 375 pages.  In spite of my picky plot expectations, the author did a spectacular job at tying all the loose ends and providing closure for all of the main characters. I definitely didn't lose interest in this book, I just wanted it to be written a little different. Again, a bibliophile snobbery alert for you.

My recommended reading group would be age 18 and above.  It's a solid PG-13 read with reference to sex and adult themes.

The moral of the story: Loving our opposite can be seriously painful at times, but then the heavens part and it's pure magic and we forget about the messy stuff.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!

Like what you read above - purchase this book by clicking the Amazon link below! Thank you for reading The Thrifting Ginger.  

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