Since my last update, I finished 2 books! Interestingly, both books (as well as the book I’m currently reading) are by women named Diane!
I heard from a fellow blogger that Diane Chamberlain is one of her favorite authors, so I picked The Lies We Told off of the library shelf. It turned out that it was just the kind of book I wanted to read – interesting and kept my attention throughout! “Maya and Rebecca Ward are both accomplished physicians, but that’s where the sisters’ similarities end. As teenagers, they witnessed their parents’ murder, but it was Rebecca who saved Maya from becoming another of the gunman’s victims. The tragedy left Maya cautious and timid, settling for a sedate medical practice with her husband, Adam, while Rebecca became the risk taker. After a devastating hurricane hits the coast of North Carolina, Rebecca and Adam urge Maya to join them in the relief effort. To please her husband, Maya finally agrees. She loses herself in the care and transport of victims, but when her helicopter crashes into raging floodwaters, there appear to be no survivors. Forced to accept Maya is gone, Rebecca and Adam turn to one another—first for comfort, then in passion—unaware that, miles from civilization, Maya is injured and trapped with strangers she’s not certain she can trust. Away from the sister who has always been there to save her, now Maya must find the courage to save herself—unaware that the life she knew has changed forever.” The background story of the sisters and their family of origin was very interesting, especially the version of events as told from each sister, as they had never discussed it afterwards together and both had different feelings on what had taken place. The title makes sense, as the sisters had lied to each other by avoiding the topic of their parents’ death for their whole adult lives. The people that Maya met when her plane crashed also lie to each other and the story that unfolds there is compelling as well. One of my friends read this book and in her rating on Goodreads she mentioned that the story wrapped up a little too neatly to be believable, and I do agree with that assessment, as the ending surprised me a bit with how easily things concluded.
Next up, I read Hannah’s Dream by Diane Hammond. I had previously read Hammond’s book Friday’s Harbor, which sequentially comes after Hannah’s Dream. I still wanted to read this earlier book by Hammond as well. “An elephant never forgets . . . but can she dream? For forty-one years, Samson Brown has been caring for Hannah, the lone elephant at the down-at-the-heels Max L. Biedelman Zoo. Having vowed not to retire until an equally loving and devoted caretaker is found to replace him, Sam rejoices when smart, compassionate Neva Wilson is hired as the new elephant keeper. But Neva quickly discovers what Sam already knows: that despite their loving care, Hannah is isolated from other elephants and her feet are nearly ruined from standing on hard concrete all day. Using her contacts in the zookeeping world, Neva and Sam hatch a plan to send Hannah to an elephant sanctuary—just as the zoo’s angry, unhappy director launches an aggressive revitalization campaign that spotlights Hannah as the star attraction, inextricably tying Hannah’s future to the fate of the Max L. Biedelman Zoo.” Like Friday’s Harbor, this book was full of likeable and interesting human and animal characters. I enjoyed once again immersing myself in the world of the small zoo. Elephants are very interesting creatures and if you like them, you’d probably enjoy reading this book!
1. What are you reading? Tell us about it!
Another book by a Diane, actually the same Diane as the first Diane above – The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain. So far, I’m loving it!
2. Library or bookstore?
Generally I prefer the library. Bookstores are too expensive! However, if I just want to hang out somewhere, I like to go to the bookstore!
3. What book(s) have you read and re-read several times?
The Time Traveler’s Wife, A Widow For One Year, the Harry Potter series.
4. What is the first book that made you fall in love with reading?
Probably the Babysitter’s Club or Sweet Valley Twins books!
5. Who’s your favorite author? Tell us so we can binge-read!
Jodi Picoult!
Have a great weekend!