Incendiary by Chris Cleave

A tragicomic open letter to Osama Bin Laden from a young London woman whose husband and son are killed in a terrorist attack on a soccer stadium.  -iBooks

Yes that is really the entire synopsis on this book from iBooks.  How they believe this book can be summed up in those lines at first infuriated me, but now I'm at peace with it.  Short, succinct, and to the point--this synopsis is very similar to the narrator of the book who I grew to love while reading.  Her honesty, pain, regret, and attempt to find solace and forgiveness made her seem as real as someone I'd known my whole life.  The open ended letter to Osama Bin Laden adds an entirely fresh context and point of view, that only adds to her down to earth mentality.  She shares her flaws and enables the reader to understand her on a personal level, and to feel her pain, loss, and regret.  
Forewarning--some crude language and subject matter.


Bell's Rating

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl.  Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together - and he remembers it all.  Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known.  It is a gift and a curse.  For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart.  A love always too short.  Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together.  But just when Sophia finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears.  -iBooks

The premise of this book was really intriguing to me, and the whole thing was pretty enjoyable.  I was a little disappointed that it didn't come to a close at the end--and I found out afterward that it is the first part of a planned trilogy.  It felt a little too much like a young adult novel trying to be an adult novel--and I think I would have enjoyed it even more if it had just stuck with being a young adult one, which is the genre Ann Brashares seems most comfortable in.  All in all, a good story, with a fresh take on true love and some interesting characters.


Bell's Rating

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

In the last months of the Nazi occupation of Poland, two children are left by their father and stepmother to find safety in a dense forest.  Because their real names will reveal their Jewishness, they are renamed "Hansel" and "Gretel".  They wander in the woods until they are taken in by Magda, an eccentric and stubborn old woman called "witch" by the nearby villagers.  Magda is determined to save them, even as a German officer arrives in the village with his own plans for the children.  -iBooks

I really enjoyed this story, especially the chance to learn about what Poland was like during WWII.  Attempting to get the German soldiers out, but worried about the involvement of the Russian soldiers in doing so; it was clearly a stressful and terrifying time in Poland.  I had never realized how affected the country was by WWII either, at least not in these details.  The varying points of view the author uses to tell the story makes it very interesting and multifaceted.  
All in all, a very interesting story--but be warned contains somewhat disturbing material...


Bell's Rating
 

Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton was the first player chosen in the first round of the 1999 baseball draft.  He was destined to be one of those rare "high-character" superstars.  But in 2001, working his way from the minors to the majors, all of the plans for Josh went off the rails in a moment of weakness.  What followed was a 4-year nightmare of drugs and alcohol, estrangement from friends and family, and his eventual suspension from baseball.  Josh explains how a young man destined for fame and wealth could allow his life to be taken over by drugs and alcohol.  But it is also the memoir of a spiritual journey that breaks through pain and heartbreak and leads to the rebirth of his major-league career. -iBooks

Heart breaking and honest, I loved this first person account of the darkness of addiction, as well as Josh's comeback as he overcame and put his life back together.  Another testament to the atrocities of drugs, alcohol, and most importantly the strength of a higher power.  Inspiring and uplifting, I was rooting for Josh from the beginning.


Bell's Rating