March Book Review

The Guest Room was not the first book written by Chris Bohjalian that I've enjoyed. All of his books are so very different but really interesting and never predictable. I like that in a book! This book tackles the sad and tragic subject of sex trafficking. I listened to this book on CD during my commute to and from work, and enjoyed the audio version. The characters were read in a way that I didn't find distracting or annoying. I would have liked to have learned more about some of the family members in this book, but I would highly recommend this. It's not for the faint of heart though, given the subject matter.

I have had the book version of The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers on my book shelf for over a year, so when I saw it on CD at the library I picked it up. I'm glad I listened to this book as the character was totally engaging and shared his experiences in Iraq in a way that really made my heart go out to him. It's obviously not a happy tale, as war stories never are, but it was an important message and I am so glad I read this one!

Jodi Picoult is a favorite author of mine and this may be her best book yet (in my opinion). It focuses on the lives of elephant researches and therefore spends much time focusing on the elephants, which I love! If you read and loved Elephantoms by Lyall Watson, you will love this book. Very different but equally interesting.

I read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children a few years ago with my book club, but I'm including it because I watched the movie while in London one night. Kelly and I weren't sleepy our last night, so we watched this in bed in the hotel room. The movie may have been better than the book and I NEVER say that! I did like the book, but the book did an excellent job of bringing it to life. It's hard to describe but it involves a home for children who all have very odd qualities, and they are kept safe through a time loop, that repeats every day. There are bad guys who want to get them and do away with them, but the boy whose grandfather was once a resident of the home, is trying to save them. It's all really well done and I would recommend both the book and the movie!

Speaking of movies, I hardly ever see them, but on the flights to and from London, we watched Finding Dory, Me Before You, Jungle Book and Allied. All of which I would recommend whole heartedly. So if you're looking for a movie to rent, any one of these will do depending on your mood!

As always, feel free to share your book recommendations in the comments, I've gotten several so far that are already on my library request list!

Enjoy,
Diane