SNAP by Belinda Bauer

Snap by Belinda Bauer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Personal Rating: C

I don't have too much to say about this one. It was hard to follow at first and then Catherine was just such an unbelievable character that I lost interest. The most interesting part of the story was Jack's survival intincts but there wasn't enough believe things in the book to make it work for me.

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THE BOOK OF LONGINGS by Sue Monk Kidd

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Personal Rating: A+
I cannot gush harder about how much i adored this book!!!

When my friend suggested we read the book I wasn't sure what to think. I was immediately intrigued by the spicy take of Jesus having a wife, it gave me vibes of THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant (which I LOVED), and I think Sue Monk Kidd is an amazing author (See THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES). So I jumped at opportunity to dig into this one.

Let me start by saying that I'm not a religious person but I grew up in a strict religious christian household and my husband is catholic - so I do have a background of understanding what this book means to some. My husband was offended by the concept, so I get it. However, I am also someone who understands that fiction is fiction, and no matter what your beliefs - sometimes taking the "what if" can be fun - even if you believe it couldnt be true.

What I didn't expect was that this book would be so respectful of religion and so acurate to the historical time period. She didn't step into the areas where different religions conflict. She stuck to the story of this brave and amazing woman, and while Jesus was important to the story - he was also not the focus. It was so beautifully written and everything that i didn't know I needed in my life right now.

Being brought up in a Christian household I was not aware of any Jewish traditions or terminology and this book had me so intrigued that i spent the first few chapters googling everything to get proper background. What I read on google about the timeline of the story was accurate to historical events (and where she changed things she noted in the authors notes).

The characters were so well developed and their stories were touching and vibrant and tragic. I even cried during the scenes leading to the crucifixion of Jesus. This book made me feel so many amazing feelings, i cannot say enough good things about this wonderful book.

If you are even remotely interested in the idea of this book - READ IT. You will not be disappointed.

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THE DAUGHTERS OF ERIETOWN by Connie Schulz

The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Schultz did a great job of getting the feel of the generation that she was writing about. When I realized that this book was actually published in 2020, I was amazed. When reading this book, regardless of the Era that you were reading about, you really felt like you were back in that time and place.

I read this with friends for a book clud and I didn't really know what to expect from this story. I was pleasantly suprised that I liked it more than I thought I would going in. I thought the Characters were as well developed as the time period but what missed for me was that the story was predictable (as it was probably meant to be). It actually read more like really good Non-Fiction to me, which I believe is telling of the authors talent, but being predictable is just not what I want out of my reading these days - so it missed a little something for me. That said - I can see where others would give it 5 stars.

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THE FIVE: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Personal rating: B-

Let me first say that this book was very well done and super interesting. Hallie Rubenhold made it very clear that simply labelling these women as protestutes is short-sighted and incorrect (in several of the cases). I learned so much about London in the time of Jack the Ripper, as well as about these women themselves and at times it didn't feel like Non-Fiction. These women's lives were very interesting, each one unique and tragic in their own way. But i have to admit by the time I got to Mary Jane I was a bit burned out on information. And this is why I do believe that my rating may reflect more about how I read it and I will read it again one day - what I think is the right way - and update my review at that time to reflect.

To Explain:
There is a TON of information to absorb, all relevant and important to the time and these women's lives that it deserves proper time and reflection. when I re-read this book I will read it a chapter at a time over a longer period of time. Taking time to absorb and reflect before moving on to the next woman. when I re-read I will purchase a physical copy so that I can highlight, note, tag as needed within the book itself. I don't think that I will ever go back to the highlights in the kindle book for reflection.

I am still very happy that I read this book and were introduced properly to these interesting women.

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The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Personal rating: B+

I was looking for Creepy, Scary, all the eerie vibes that I could find when I suggested this book as a buddy read with my friend. And although, the Creep factor never fully developed, there were some glimpses of it, and I thoroughly enjoyed this read without it. Especially the parts of the book that were from Sara and Martin starting in 1908. I could have read the whole book about them and Gertie - so good.

This book was more supernatural and less scary than I thought going in, but still an excellent storyline with a great dark atmospheric vibe. There were a lot of characters in this book and I struggled at times to keep them all straight - i do think a couple of them could have been dropped from the story (Candace) and it would not have negatively affected the story.

Jennifer McMahon is now a go-to author for me. I plan to read the Drowning Kind this year and I am so excited to read more by her.

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