Paris by Edward Rutherfurd (Goodreads Author)

Paris by Edward Rutherfurd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story of 6 families and their intertwined lives from before the French Revolution through the 1960s.

Brilliantly told and vividly painted life in France from the view of the poor as well as the rich and powerful. The bigotry against Jews and their persecution, the horrors of the guillotine, World War I and the French Resistance during World War II are all brought to life inside the pages of this book.

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Cemetery Road by Greg Iles (Goodreads Author)

Cemetery Road by Greg Iles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Greg Iles has redeemed himself from the last horrible book he wrote. Almost didn't read this book as the last book in the Natchez Burning trilogy was so bad. Glad I gave it a try, this is reminiscent of his earlier work and is set in a fictional town in Mississippi.

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Marshall McEwan is back in his small childhood town to run his family's newspaper while his Father slowly dies from a combination of medical ills. When he begins an affair with his childhood sweetheart he realizes if they are caught it could cost him his life, but Jet has dark secrets that even Marshall doesn't know.

Then his surrogate Father and mentor Buck Ferris is killed when his archeological passion takes him to the proposed site of the new paper mill. The Poker Club is afraid that Ferris' find will nix the paper mill deal and two of the members take matters into their own hands and decide to silence Ferris forever. Unfortunately someone caught them on camera and sent the photographs to Marshall.

Jet's mother -in-law (Sally) put up with a lot over the years but when she discovers Max and Jet's dirty secret she is determined to protect her son (Paul) and the boy he believes to be his (Kevin) at all cost. Confronted with a fatal illness she unearths enough dirt on the Poker Club to put them all away and ensure that they will keep Max from ever claiming Kevin as his own. Now the Poker Club is out to find out who Sally entrusted with the cache and kill whoever threatens their survival.

Confronted with his wife's infidelity, as well as his Father's willingness to kill him in order to claim his wife and son, Paul must rise above the hurt in order to save what remains of his family and the man he considers his best friend. Only by being as ruthless as his Father and claiming control of the Poker Club can Paul save them all.

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Family Room

 I was really pleased with how well the Camel Colored Couch and Chair-n-Half look with the Flood Tide Walls and the Urban Sunrise Trim. These teal pillows look nice on the couch but...

This pillow really accents it nicely as it has all the colors in it. Wish I could have found more of them.

 I toyed with which ottoman to use in here the gray or the teal, the answer was neither.

I found this pink ottoman and knew it would be perfect, it's just the right size too.

This pillow did look good with the gray ottoman though.

Not so much with the teal, it has wound up on the couch. I do love my ottomans not only are the comfortable seating but they are great for storage. The green one is now at my desk and the grey one is in the bedroom.

And hip hip hooray the horrible 80s spindles are being replaced.

The Girl in the Castle by Santa Montefiore

The Girl in the Castle by Santa Montefiore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think it should have been called The Girls in the Castle as it follows the life of three girls born in 1900.

Kitty Deverill the Anglo-Irish lass who fights with the Rebels to free Ireland from British rule. Michael Doyle will destroy her life when he burns Castle Deverill killing her Grandfather. When she confronts him he brutally rapes her and tells her that her boyfriend Jack O'Leary will be arrested as Michael betrayed him to the hated Tans.

Bridie/Bridget Doyle - daughter of the castle's cook and Kitty's best friend. Her secret love for Jack O'Leary destroys her friendship with Kitty when she finds out that he loves Kitty not her. Turning to Bertie Deverill (Kitty's Father) for comfort she is devastated when he cast her aside when she tells him she is PG. The nuns at the convent where she gives birth tells her, her daughter died and take her son from her. Bridget's brother Michael takes the baby from the convent and leaves it on Kitty's doorstep. Kitty raises little Jack as her own and eventually marries her tutor, Mr Trench in order to give little Jack a Father believing that Jack O'Leary will never get out of prison. When he does Kitty's world is turned upside down and she begins an affair with him, but he wants more. And Bridget Doyle's return as a wealthy woman wanting "her son" back further complicates the situation. We also learn that little Jack's twin sister is alive and living with a wealthy family in Connecticut in the Epilogue (Bridget inherited the old lady she was lady's maid to in New York's estate when she died, then she married an elderly neighbor)

Celia Deverill - The English Cousin who loved her summers at Castle Deverill. When Bertie sells the ruins Celia and her husband Archie Mayberry buy the estate and Celia vows to rebuild the castle.

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The Princes of Ireland (The Dublin Saga, #1)

The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My only complaint was lack of character development. Of course since he covered such a large period of history he couldn't spend as much time on the characters as I would have liked. In fact if I had, had my way instead of the one large book he wrote, he would have written four or five large books and developed the characters more. They were all very interesting, and I do feel like I have learned a lot about that period of Irish History. Guess I'll just have to make up my own fascinating stories to answer all the questions I have about the characters.

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The Reckoning by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

The Reckoning by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It would have gotten 5 stars but I really hate it when they tell stories out of order.

Pete Banning is home from WWII and his days as a POW and a guerilla fighter are behind him, his convalescence with the wife (Liza) he adores by his side is proceeding smoothly, but alas the happy life he left behind on the Family Plantation in Clanton, Mississippi is unraveling. With no explanation Liza is locked away in Whitfield and Pete is planning to kill the Methodist Preacher (Dexter Bell) that comforted Liza when he was presumed dead.

As Pete and Liza's children (Joel and Stella) reel from Pete's execution and their Mother's institutionalization and eventual suicide they must battle the Preacher's Widow and her greedy lawyer to hold on to the Family Plantation, but when the jury strips them of the only home they have ever known they must make a new life along with their Aunt Florry far away from the gossips in Clanton.

But secrets don't stay buried for long and before Aunt Florry passes away she tells a shocking tale of betrayal, a botched abortion, and the lie that lead to Dexter Bell's death, Pete's execution and Liza's suicide.

I was sorry the book ended when it did. Maybe in a sequel we can have the Bell's losing the plantation they stole from Joel and Stella and Joel and Stella returning to Clanton with their families to reclaim their family's home. I really hope that Stella becomes the famous author she dreams of becoming and that Joel becomes a successful lawyer in Biloxi.

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The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (Goodreads Author)

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book Club Questions for The Immortalists

1. One of the central themes of The Immortalists is the power of belief. How did the beliefs of the Gold siblings impact each of their lives?

By believing the fortune teller's prediction about when they were going to die they made choices that lead to it happening. Simon lead a reckless lifestyle that lead to him dying of Aids, Klare committed suicide, and Daniel tracked down the fortune teller and confronted her leading to him being shot by a police offer.

2. Did you believe the fortune-teller was able to predict the future? If you did, what specific scenes made you feel that way?

No, but I feel that her predictions influenced the children to such an extent it made the predictions come true, even if they had to kill themselves in order to do it.

3. Why did the fortune-teller’s prophecies stay with the siblings? Why did she have so much power over their lives?

They were very young when they went to see her.

4. Which of the siblings did you most identify with? Varya
Which character’s life most surprised you? Daniel
Why? I was surprised about how he died. He was a respected Dr so I totally didn't expect him to commit suicide by cop.

5. In what ways did the different settings in the novel influence the story? Why do you think all of the Gold children left New York City?

I am not sure the different settings influenced the story other than that the children sought out settings that allowed them to follow what they saw as their destiny.

6. What was the relationship between Ruby and Gertie?
Grandmother and Granddaughter
How do you think Ruby’s life turned out? Wonderful, she had plenty of money and the courage to follow her dreams.

7. What do you think happened to Varya? She grew old and died
Do you think she was able to change her destiny? Not really, I think she did start to open herself to new people especially Luke and new experiences but I think her OCD stayed with her

8. How do you think the lives of the Gold siblings would be different if they hadn’t visited the fortune-teller? I think they may have lived longer lives. Simon especially would have probably stayed in New York and made wiser choices.

9. Were you satisfied with how the novel ended? Yes
Were you left with any questions? Not really

10. What does the title The Immortalists mean to you?
It didn't really mean anything to me
If you had to give the book a different title, what would it be? The Children

Honestly this isn't the usual type of book I read (I read it for a book club) and while it was beautifully written and interesting I didn't really like it.

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