en-US Wed, 14 May 2025 18:39:37 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9426071164 Wed, 14 May 2025 18:39:37 -0700 /review/show/7569969039 Janet wants to read I Seek a Kind Person: My Father, Seven Children and the Adverts that Helped Them Escape the Holocaust by Julian Borger
]]> ReadStatus9425953822 Wed, 14 May 2025 18:06:22 -0700 /review/show/7569888552 Janet wants to read The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
]]> Review7546693653 Wed, 14 May 2025 09:35:49 -0700 /review/show/7546693653 Janet gave 4 stars to Shelterwood (Paperback) by Lisa Wingate
I ended up liking this book more after I finished reading it. Historical fiction is a favorite genre. The parallel stories, past and closer to the present, came in short chapters so there is a lot of back and forth. The historical research was obviously very well done, and the author does a good job of presenting the villains and heroines. ]]> Review7514058411 Mon, 05 May 2025 15:25:56 -0700 /review/show/7514058411 Janet gave 4 stars to His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope (Paperback) by Jon Meacham
2025 is not a particularly hopeful time in American history. Being reminded that John Lewis's activism in the civil rights movement was religiously inspired can give hope to people of faith. When we see injustice we have a moral obligation to speak up and to work toward the ideal of beloved community. The path of nonviolent resistance is the only way.
Martin Luther had this to say about the lives of the saints: "in these stories, one is greatly pleased to find how they sincerely believed in God's Word, confessed it with their lips, praised it by their living, and honored and confirmed it by their suffering and dying." (p. 15)
After four girls were killed in the Birmingham church bombing of September 15, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. preached at a funeral later that week. From the pulpit he said, "God still has a way of wringing good out of evil. . . . in spite of the darkness of this hour, we must not despair. We must not become bitter, nor must we harbor the desire to retaliate with violence. No, we must not lose faith in our white brothers. Somehow we must believe that the most misguided among them can learn to respect the dignity and the worth of all human personality." (p. 229-230)
We have millions of the most misguided in our midst now; how can their hearts possibly be changed? ]]> Review6796613266 Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:05:08 -0700 /review/show/6796613266 Janet gave 4 stars to Familiaris (Hardcover) by David Wroblewski
A generous four stars because I love dogs and historical fiction. Set in Wisconsin, even better. Quirky characters are also okay. The love story feels true. But really, absolutely no need for this to be almost a thousand pages. The recordkeeping/dog categories in John and Mary's system was seriously overdone and repeated many times. But no mention of whatever happened to their second SON?? The cross country road trip near the end cannot be plausible. I guess it fits with "Suppose you could do one impossible thing." ]]> Review7455233663 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 19:05:01 -0700 /review/show/7455233663 Janet gave 3 stars to The Way of All Flesh (Modern Library 100 Best Novels) by Samuel Butler
Sometimes a list of best novels can lead you astray! My choice was influenced by a remark by William Maxwell, a critic and novelist I greatly admire. Anyway, I persevered and finished. ]]> Review7383337205 Sun, 16 Mar 2025 09:42:05 -0700 /review/show/7383337205 Janet gave 3 stars to Bewilderment (Paperback) by Richard Powers
Empathy is a word used frequently in the blurb reviews of this book. Believe me, I have empathy for a single parent raising a child who doesn't fit into neat categories. But a parent's main duty is to keep your child safe, and Theo did not. Astrobiology and the other science is beyond my comprehension, and the ending really bothered me. ]]> ReadStatus9157753452 Fri, 07 Mar 2025 07:15:55 -0800 /review/show/7383312014 Janet wants to read Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
]]> Review7289517969 Wed, 05 Mar 2025 17:06:11 -0800 /review/show/7289517969 Janet gave 4 stars to John Adams (Hardcover) by David McCullough
Admiration is the first word that comes to mind, both for the author and the subject. McCullough had vast resources in the Adams Papers and scholarly works of history; his judicious selections and sparkling style brought all to life in a mere 651 pages. American history is vital to knowing what our country is supposed to stand for!

Besides the standard sources, McCullough immersed himself in 18th century writers John Adams read and loved. I appreciate this method of getting into someone’s mind. Who knew that The Expeditions of Humphrey Clinker, by Tobias Smollett, is enjoyable enough to read twice?!

John Adams was a New England farmer, classically educated at Harvard, who became a successful lawyer. He returned to reading Shakespeare and the Bible all his life. He was a clear thinker and writer. The political achievements are common knowledge, but the insights into relationships with Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson were especially interesting.

He and his wife, Abigail Smith Adams, were perfect loving partners. She managed the farm and the children and the extended family with amazing energy and competence during John’s long absences. She was as politically astute as her husband and a prolific letter writer. From her 1818 obituary: “In the storm, as well as the smooth sea of life, her virtues were ever the object of his trust and veneration.�

]]> Review4701287447 Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:42:49 -0800 /review/show/4701287447 Janet gave 4 stars to Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Paperback) by Eric Metaxas
Well worth reading. Bonhoeffer came from two distinguished German families and earned a doctorate in theology in 1927 at age 21. He could have had a strictly academic career but also enjoyed parish ministry. While tracing Bonhoeffer's life, the author quotes extensively from letters and writings. Opposition to the Nazis came early on, leading to the founding of the Confessing Church when the state church required clergy to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler. Ultimately, of course, Bonhoeffer became involved in the resistance and was imprisoned from 1943 onward until his execution in April 1945. What is somewhat jarring at times is the author imposing his own fundamentalist/evangelical viewpoints into debates that occurred a century ago. I don't think Bonhoeffer would find that intellectually honest. ]]>