Better to Have Loved by Christy Jackson Nicholas

  Based on a true story (the author's story actually), Better To Have Loved by Christy Jackson Nicholas is a tale to remember.
  It's 1967, and Julie is searching for something. Whether it's herself, a companion, or her future is unclear, but Julie knows that she won't find it at her home in Michigan. She travels to England, California, Spain, Scotland, and Denmark in search of whatever she needs to find herself...and love.
  Kirsten, Julie's daughter, is searching for her father. The man who has been missing her entire life. Without Julie's knowledge, Kirsten delves deep into Julie's history to see if she can find any trace of this mystery man. But if she finds him, will he be everything she had hoped for in a father?
  Unexpectedly, Better to Have Loved was a very memorable story. During the week, if I had to put my Kindle down, I found myself thinking back to Julie and Kirsten's story, wondering what on earth was going to happen. Would Julie end up happy? Would Kirsten find her father? Was something bad going to happen? I had no idea. But that intrigue had me positively begging for more.
  This book isn't perfect. Julie's character had certain traits that made me twitch (such as her way of speaking for a young American in the 60s), and it is possible for the reader to get lost with the different plots running parallel with each other. But anyone and everyone can find flaws with what they read.
  I'm very glad I was approached to do a review of this book, because I don't know if I would have picked it up if it weren't for the review request. I highly enjoyed this book. That's 2/2 now with Ms Nicholas' work, and I'm certain I will enjoy future work of hers as well.

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Matt & Zoe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

  In one second, the life Zoe Welch knew like the back of her hand was gone. All it took was one freak accident to kill both of her parents, and leave her, an Army Sergeant currently stationed in Tokyo, and her eight year-old sister, Jasmine, orphans.
  Now Zoe has to leave Tokyo, rescue her sister from temporary emergency housing, and become a parent to her only living relative.
  Matt Paladino has a deep, dark past that is better off staying hidden. The chapter of Matt's life which closed when he was eighteen must stay closed. Forever. But will meeting and falling in love with Zoe Welch dredge it all back up again? If Zoe learns the truth, will she and Matt be able to create a future together?
  Or is all lost for Matt and Zoe?
  After being a long-time fan of Charles Sheehan-Miles, and after reading seven novels and two novellas written by this magnificent author, I am confident and comfortable in saying that this story is much different from his previous work. (For the better, or for the worse is up to the reader.) Just as it was in Charles' Thompson Sisters series, Matt & Zoe (the book) concealed certain irresistible aspects to keep a reader guessing. (Zoe's military background, Matt's mysterious upbringing, their serendipitous way of meeting, etc.) These were all little drops of magic that didn't come as a surprise, coming from a Charles Sheehan-Miles story.
  Unlike Charles' Thompson Sisters series, I feel almost as if Matt & Zoe didn't have that final ingredient to leave me gasping and wanting more. I was satisfied when it ended, much like my satisfaction with any contemporary romance with a happy ending. When I finished it, my emotions were a complex combination of being disappointed that this wasn't another "My life will never be the same" story (as I felt with his previous novels), and thinking that I shouldn't be surprised with the overly sweet ups and downs that one typically finds in romance novels.
  Perhaps it was me, and I unrealistically expected something beyond a simple, sweet love story. Sometimes that's all one needs in life. A love story to make you worry for the couple, to make you sigh when they have their first kiss, and to make you swoon when they finally realize they're meant for each other. If you go into Matt & Zoe knowing the genre, you will not be disappointed. It certainly satisfied in that field.
  Certain parts of Matt and Zoe's story caught my attention every time I came to one of its chapters. (Zoe's veteran group, and Matt's family's past were my FAVORITE part of the book.) Charles Sheehan-Miles has not lost his umph--the bits of Charles that make his work as remarkable as it is. But Matt & Zoe are certainly a change from the action-filled political intrigue I am used to from Charles Sheehan-Miles.

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Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

  Career of Evil, the third installment of Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike saga, must be the most terrifying installment yet. At least in my opinion.
  Robin, Cormoran's assistant, and co-investigator in Mr Galbraith's previous mysteries, has just received a severed leg in the mail from an unknown psychopath. Who it belongs to is a mystery just as puzzling as the identity of the perpetrator who sent it.
  But one thing's for sure. Whoever singled Robin out has a desire for revenge that cannot be sated, until they come face-to-face with their biggest enemy...Cormoran Strike.
  In Career of Evil, Mr Galbraith places you in the killer's POV many times, to give you an insight into just how mentally unstable this character truly is. He does a very good job of it too.
  I have read many disturbing plots. I've read about many murders, mutilations, and violent acts. Although those are twisted and hard to get through in their own way, Career of Evil has truly reached a new level of the shock factor. This book and the killer's acts were so disturbing, I have to applaud the author for giving such a realistic insight into this gruesome mystery.
  Please don't get me wrong, this book is not horrible. It's quite the opposite. It's brilliant. Disgustingly, disturbingly brilliant. Career of Evil makes you want to catch the villain almost as much as Cormoran and Robin do. Career of Evil makes you feel. It's fast-paced, terrifying, horrific, and oh-so wonderful.
  This book has made me fall in love with this series even more. It has made me long for more of Cormoran and Robin's story. It has proven the brilliance that Robert Galbraith is capable of writing in the future.

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Flights of Angels by Cindy Brandner

  I have told my fellow readers many times that Mermaid in a Bowl of Tears by Cindy Brandner is my favorite Exit Unicorns book. That was the book that clicked for me. I got sucked in more instantly than I did with Exit Unicorns, and its story was the one to prove to me that Ms Brandner's work is truly exceptional.
  That being said, Flights of Angels, book three in the Exit Unicorns series, sold me for good. This book in particular has taken the Exit Unicorns series off my "favorite series" list, and put it near the very top of my "exceptional series" list. The list that contains such authors as Susanna Kearsley, John Green, Diana Gabaldon, and yes, even J.K. Rowling. (Of course J.K. Rowling will always be my end all be all, but there are some authors who come pretty close to her status in my book.)
  Cindy Brandner's storytelling in Flights of Angels (Jamie's story in particular) sets the bar higher than ever before. Now, authors I read will have to prove themselves if I am to compare their writing to Ms Brandner's.
  As I look back on my read of the series, I stand by my previous statement (in my Mermaid in a Bowl of Tears review, I think), that her writing has gotten better, more advanced, and her stories have grown into a stunning masterpiece. There are many books I read and review on The Literary Connoisseur that I truly enjoy. I find them fun, charming, and satisfying to a reader's mind. I read many books that reach that standard of mine, but Ms Brandner's Exit Unicorn series is truly exceptional. She has bypassed the "favorite review requests" category in my head, and has proven what she is capable of.
  Cindy Brandner's books deserve to be the first thing you see as soon as you walk into Barnes and Noble. When The Reading Room, or Book Riot posts "books to read to bring you out of your reading lull," Exit Unicorns should be front and center.

  These are the "It" books. The Exit Unicorns series ages like a fine wine, it only gets better with age.

  

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The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse

  The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse was suggested to me by a close friend, as part of my "Recommended Reads for 2016" project. Of course, blindly going into a book without any knowledge of what it's about can be a bit intimidating, but I really should have known that I was in good hands.
  Sally Nicholas has just inherited a small fortune from a distant relative. Not surprisingly, Sally is a bit blindsided by this sudden increase in her bank account. But after some thought, this American girl decides to travel abroad and explore Europe.
  There she meets Ginger, an odd, flame-haired, eccentric young man. Sally thinks that once she leaves Europe, she'll never see him again, but life has a lot in store for Sally, and her adventures have only just begun.
  The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse is undeniably charming. I won't lie, it took me a while to adjust to Mr Wodehouse's (almost hundred year-old) storytelling. But my solution was simple. Funnily enough, I started to read Sally's adventures in a Downton Abbey voice, and my brain quickly adjusted.
  In addition to the older-style narration, I can see readers stumbling on the drawn-out build up of The Adventures of Sally's plot, but I will tell you that any "dry" parts in the story will be well worth it in the end. Without spoilers, everything came together, in whatever neat little package Sally was capable of achieving.
  This book is positively charming. I came out of this reading experience delighted and even, yes, giggling. I adored P.G. Wodehouse's story of Sally and her adventures (or misadventures). This was certainly a successful book recommendation.

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I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

  You've heard her name.
  Malala Yousafzai. The young girl who bravely fought for what she believed in, and received a heartless retaliation from the Taliban. After the Taliban infiltrated the Swat Valley in Pakistan (her home town), Malala and her father together decided to fight against their enemy, the only fool proof way they knew how.
  With the power of a pen and paper.
  The Taliban did not care for their resistance. They proclaimed that Malala and her father were now a target in their eyes, and that they would douse water on the burning flame that was Malala's passion for education.
  One day, as she was on her way to school, members from the Taliban stopped her school bus, and shot Malala and her two friends. What surely was certain death has only made her stronger. Malala survived, and she's even more powerful than ever. Now the entire world knows her name. The world knows that Malala is fighting for what the Taliban so desperately tried to take away from her. Education.
   You can feel her passion in I Am Malala's pages. You can feel the change she wants to make in the world, and the fact that it is slowly making an impact on those hearing her story.
   The book itself may not appeal to everyone, in that it's not all action and fighting. This is an inspirational autobiographical story, not a fictional novel. If you go into it expecting to hear the nitty gritty details of the horrid day Malala was shot, and only that, I will tell you right now that you will be disappointed.
  I Am Malala tells the story of Malala's life, and how she was raised. How her family provided her the loving home and support required to grow into a strong, intelligent, powerful woman. It tells the story of her beautiful home, and how it was destroyed by hatred. It tells the story of Malala's desperate attempt to cling to the life she had, before the Taliban. When you read I Am Malala, you read Malala's life. Not just that one incident that almost took her life. You follow along with Malala as she retells her story and all of the details that made her who she is today.
  One of my favorite aspects of I Am Malala (there were a lot--I rated it five stars), was her father's contribution to her life, her education, and his dedication to making the world a better place. Ziauddin Yousafzai is one of the best characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about in a novel. Only, he's not a character. He's a man; flesh, blood, and all. It won't be difficult to fall in love with him when you read I Am Malala. He is a remarkable human being. One who is dedicated to his family, his career, and the world he'll leave to his children one day. Bless Ziauddin Yousafzai.
  This book is incredibly moving. Be sure you go into it with the right expectations. This is a young girl telling the story of her life, not a ghost writer making up new and exciting things in each chapter to keep readers interested. Read this book, and read it with an open mind.
  Read it like Malala Yousafzai is right next to you, telling you about her life, her school, her friends, and the home that she longs to return to some day. Let her tell you of the world she longs to have. A world where girls around the globe can attend school without question, and contribute to the world as much as boys do (or even more).
  Let Malala Yousafzai tell you her story.

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The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan by Jenny Nordberg

  A few months ago, I published a status on my Facebook page requesting that my friends each suggest one book for me to read in 2016. I am recommended countless amounts of books every year (more like every month). For 2016, I decided to give every book recommended a chance. Each book would take priority, and would, no matter what, be read by the end of December.
  I had to know that putting my trust (and my To Be Read list) in my friends' hands could be troublesome, but I had already written my status, so it was too late to back out now.
  I wrote my friends' recommendations down (some were romances, some were children's books, some were non-fiction, and so on, and so forth), cut them into little strips, and placed them all in a bowl, so I could blindly choose my first suggestion.
  The first slip I picked out was The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan by Jenny Nordberg. It is a non-fiction novel divulging Ms Nordberg's time in Afghanistan, as she discovers the hidden lives of the bacha posh (girls living their lives as boys).
  Many of these girls are given a life as a bacha posh from their parents, who crave a boy in the family, but have produced only girls. In Afghanistan, it is of high honor to give birth to a boy, and giving birth to a girl is considered more of a disappointment.
  When a girl is born, it is not unusual for parents to decide to "make her a boy." To cut her hair like a boy, to give her a masculine name, to have her wear pants instead of a dress or skirt, and to announce to everyone that they are now the proud parents of a boy. These are the bacha posh.
  And these are the Underground Girls of Kabul.
  Just by reading the description of this book, I knew I was done for. I am a sucker for non-fiction, and have recently taken a huge liking to reading about Afghanistan and surrounding countries. (Thank you, Khaled Hosseini.)
 The Underground Girls of Kabul was positively fascinating. Jenny Nordberg's in depth information about these girls' and women's lives was addicting. The more I learned about the bacha posh, the more I craved learning even more about what occurs in their lives on a day-to-day basis.
  But with great detail, comes great truth. This book does not glide over the gritty details of life in Afghanistan. Ms Nordberg truly gives you a deep perspective into what awaits in a girl's future in Afghanistan. It can be not-so-enjoyable to read about, but it is the truth.
  At times, Ms Nordberg's writing can tend to be a bit lecture-ish, almost as if she is speaking in front of an audience as opposed to writing a book. These moments didn't last long, and they didn't sour my taste of the book in general.
  This book brings enormous awareness to each girl's life, safety, and possible future in the middle east. Anyone who ventures to pick up The Underground Girls of Kabul will certainly come out of their reading experience more enlightened (and in some cases, like mine, more empowered and passionate about making an impact in the education and future of girls and women), and more educated about this movement.
  I am so very thankful that this book was recommended to me, because, in all honesty, it opened my eyes to things much larger than the world surrounding me.

 For more information, read more about the bacha posh here.

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