Christine's Book Corner

Title:  Flowers in the Attic Author: V.C. Andrews Photo from goodreads.com Synopsis: The Dollanganger family seem like an ordinary family to their friends in Gladstone, PA.  Four children who many consider being perfect, with a loving mother and father.  Nothing could ever go wrong.  Or could it?   Everything changes the day the father dies suddenly in a car crash.  The mother, desperate for money when she finds out her late husband left her with nothing at the time of his death, writes to her parents.  Waiting and hoping that her mother will help her out in her time of need.  The children never heard of these grandparents, but when the mother explains how her parents are rich, the kids can't wait to live a life of luxury.  However, they will soon learn there are many secrets within their family and that their grandparents aren't whom they seem.  When they arrive at their grandparents' house, the children h...

Title: The Burning Author: Jane Casey Photo from Goodreads.com Synopsis: The Burning Man.  He's the serial killer that has the people of London terrified.  Finding young woman, killing them, and then burning their bodies beyond recognition.  With four bodies already found through the course of five months, a fifth body is found.  Is it The Burning Man's work, or that of a copycat killer? Maeve Kerrigan is on the murder task force and has been following the cases of these women.  She wants The Burning man caught before he can kill again.  She wants to show the others on the force that she is more than just a pretty face and that she deserves to be on the force just as much as they do.  With the fifth murder, she hopes that she can break the case and finally be respected.  Rebecca Haworth is the latest victim and Maeve is determined to find the murderer.  She believes it wasn't The Burning Man who killed her....

Title: Wink Poppy Midnight Author: April Genevieve Tucholke Photo from Goodreads.com Synopsis: Wink is the girl no one wants to know from school.  The one that's at the end of constant bullying and from a family that others consider weird.  She isn't described as beautiful and is known as Feral Bell to those who tease her.  Added to her weirdness, she has a mother who does tarot cards and reads tea leaves.  She and her siblings live with their mother after their father had run out on them.  Poppy is the most popular girl at school, every guy fawns over her.  But it's Midnight who's the first guy she sleeps with, only because the guy she really loves, Leaf Bell (Wink's brother) doesn't like her and says she's an ugly person on the inside.  She is one of the characters who is always bullying Wink.  Midnight gets himself involved in a love triangle between these two women when he decides he's had enough of Poppy and how she...

Photo from goodreads.com (370 pages) Synopsis: Jamie Pyke is the first character we meet and we quickly find out he's the son of a slave and a master.  He is on the run after killing his father who was going to sell him to slavery.  At the young age of 13, he runs away for his safety and not to be caught.  It is there when he meets Henry, a slave on the run, who saves Jamie's life.  Years later, the two meet again when Henry asks Jamie to take his son Pan on as a servant.  When Pan's stolen from Jamie a new adventure awaits for him.  Mixed in with his lover, who's married to another man, who is pregnant with Jamie's child, the adventure has many turns for him, full of love, heartache, and new beginnings. My Review: Grissom did a real great job bringing these characters to life.  Jamie was my favorite character throughout this book.  My heart felt for him which each heartbreak he had to endure.  Grissom showed...

Title: Tell The Wolves I'm Home Author:  Carol Rifka Brunt Photo from goodreads.com Summary:  Taken from goodreads In this striking literary debut, Carol Rifka Brunt unfolds a moving story of love, grief, and renewal as two lonely people become the unlikeliest of friends and find that sometimes you don’t know you’ve lost someone until you’ve found them. 1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life - someone who will help her to heal and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart. At F...

Title: Salt to the Sea Author: Ruta Sepetys Rating: * * * * * Photo taken from Goodreads.com Summary:  Taken from Goodreads Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets. Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war. As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom. Yet not all promises can be kept. Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope. My Thoughts: Four secrets.  You know right off that this book is going to revolve around four secrets from four different people that have their paths cross.  You can't help but to wonder what it is t...

Photo taken from Goodreads.com       Title:  Everybody's Fool Author: Richard Russo Rating: * * Summary:  Taken from Goodreads.com The irresistible Sully, who in the intervening years has come by some unexpected good fortune, is staring down a VA cardiologist’s estimate that he has only a year or two left, and it’s hard work trying to keep this news from the most important people in his life: Ruth, the married woman he carried on with for years . . . the ultra-hapless Rub Squeers, who worries that he and Sully aren’t  still  best friends . . . Sully’s son and grandson, for whom he was mostly an absentee figure (and now a regretful one). We also enjoy the company of Doug Raymer, the chief of police who’s obsessing primarily over the identity of the man his wife might’ve been about to run off with,  before  dying in a freak accident . . . Bath’s mayor, the former academic Gus Moynihan, whose wife problems are, i...