Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A thoroughly researched and detailed history of the earliest settlers unlike any of the stories you were told in grade school, this book shares the real history of the Pilgrims, their brutality towards the natives and the bloody war, known as King Phillip's war. At times the book does get bogged down with detail, but it is so well researched that the stories seem to come alive on the page. The story is full of vibrant characters like Mary Rowlandson who was captured by the indians or Benjamin Church, a dynamic military leader who sought to get indians to work along side his troops to win the war. History buffs will love reading this book.
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The Douchebag Chronicles: A novella. by Kageni Wilson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I am not a big fan of serials, so I was somewhat frustrated with the cliff hanger ending of this book. The plot was good, but the characters were undeveloped, as a reader I felt like I knew very little about each character. The story jumps sharply from scene to scene and I felt lost at times trying to understand what was going on. At first I even wondered if this was just a short story collection, but just when the story starts coming together we are left with the cliff hanger ending.
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Five Minutes Late by Rich Amooi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this sweet romantic comedy about Cedrick and Ellie, both very likable characters who meet and are instantly attracted to each other. Of course readers know that in romantic comedies it's never that easy. Ellie works as a librarian, and she is persuaded by her lovable Grandpa to give online dating a chance. Cedrick is a wealthy but humble business owner, who is still grieving the death of his fiancé. The closer Ellie and Cedrick get, the more obstacles get thrown in their path, like a jealous ex-boyfriend, some incredibly bad first dates, a fundraising campaign at the library and a hilarious game of golf interrupted by Samuel L. Jackson. I really enjoyed this light-hearted book, perfect for an afternoon escape from reality.
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Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have to start by saying I am NOT a big fan of serials, so I was disappointed to realize this book is only part of a series of books. This left the story unbalanced and very incomplete. Overall I enjoyed the story of Harry Clifton, a young English boy who faces a great deal of adversity, but continues to excel. The story is told through multiple perspectives, starting with Harry's mother, Maisie who is a hard working single parent, just trying to give her son a better life. As the reader learns more about each of the characters, it is hard to not like Harry and his mother, as well as Old Jack Tar who befriends Harry and take on a mentoring role in his life. Along with the likable characters, we have the unlikeable Hugo Barrington, who places obstacles in Harry's path, for his own personal reasons, that eventually come to light. The main part of the story centers around the mystery of Harry's father and his disappearance. There is of course great irony that seems to be present in all Jeffrey Archer books, although in this case, the star crossed lovers are truly tragic in their forbidden love. I did enjoy the book for the most part, but it felt so unfinished, and the ending with Harry leaving on a ship felt awkward and out of place. This book is not at the level of Jeffrey Archer's typical work, and the cliffhanger ending left me irritated, rather than intrigued.
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