The Girl Who Rode the White Lion

     A literary fiction based on a true story deepens the involvement a reader has with the characters and overall outcome of the book.  I found this to be especially true when reading the novel, The Girl Who Rode the White Lion, by Yishay Ishi Ron.  

    Yishay Ishi Ron is the son of a Holocaust survivor and an Israeli writer. His story is based on the true story  of the Althoff family who ran a circus and used their unique opportunity to safeguard Jews during the Holocaust.  Yishay Ishi Ron took the reality of the horror of war and  created a story of love, survival and well served justice.  True heroes chose to protect the persecuted through "Moral Charity" (as stated in the acknowledgements portion of his book). 

    Set in Germany, 1938, Sarah Frank a young Jewish girl and her family are routed from their home through the obsession of an SS. officer, Hauptsturmfűhrer Hubert Zimmer of the Third Reich they had thought was a friend.  Separated from her husband, Ruth Frank is on the run with her young daughter to hide from the evil.  Needing refuge and respite for a few hours Ruth finds that Adolf Frei's Magical Circus is in town and a perfect location to hide from the Nazi's while giving her young daughter a bit of joy.  Ruth finds her persecutor in the crowd and sends Sarah to the circus manager, Adolf Frei for refuge.  Thus sets the stage for a life of hiding as a part of the circus.  Next we meet Dr. Mark Spencer,  a veterinarian for the New York Central Park Zoo in 1957. Dr. Spencer is called in to perform an autopsy on an aged white lion, named Christmas. While teaching a younger veterinarian, Dr. Spencer discovers an odd item within the white lion's intestines.  A Nazi SS officer's silver skull ring.  From this time forth, the reader is taken on a journey of survival for Sarah Frank and a mystery to solve for Dr. Mark Spencer.  

    Yishay Ishi Ron does a masterful job of weaving the two timelines together to create both intrigue in the mystery as well as fear for the life of young Sarah.  War is ugly and the reader feels this truth within the book, The Girl Who Rode the White Lion. I began reading the story assuming it was a purely fiction based tale.  It wasn't until the end of the book that I found in the acknowledgement section that the story was based on truth. This made it so much more powerful. 

    I sincerely hope that  Yishay Ishi Ron's book soars in popularity so many may revisit the tragedy of evil and how it effects many.  We must remember and not repeat.  I have included a web source below to further educate the source of the story. 

The Girl Who Rode the White Lion by  Yishay Ishi Ron  and translated from the Hebrew by Yardenne Greenspan will publish June 16, 2026 through Soncata Press. Please take the time to read this wonderful novel.  I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Girl Who Rode the White Lion through NetGalley in exchange for an honest reivew.  Thank you again NetGalley for the opportunity to discover diverse voices in literature. 

 https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories/althoff.html

#NetGalley #TheGirlWhoRoadtheWhiteLion 

The Memory Bookshop

Life is full of difficult memories and some we visit often, but do we remember the memories accurately? Do we harbor regrets when we should focus on relationships and joys? The Memory Bookshop is such a story.  It is a story about the interconnectedness of human life and relationships.  

The Memory Bookshop is a story about a young woman who has been grieving the loss of her mother for a very long time. She  even considers suicide as she gets lost in the void of missing her mother and feeling guilty for the time she did not spend with her.                  Kim Jiwon-nim seeks help with a doctor to deal with her debilitating grief of her mother, seven years prior. The doctor's answer was to prescribe a medication. She leaves the clinic with her prescription and runs into a man yelling, "Help! Help!, Someone's dying!" The encounter upsets her and she feels her 5 minute encounter with the doctor and his prescription accompanied by the frantic man is a sign that she needs to throw away the medicine. She does, but she can't get the man out of her mind. She knows his existence must be important, he had acted as if he was in a dream...or a memory. 

Three weeks later she wonders whether she has made the right move with the medicine as her grief and insomnia continues. She goes out for a walk when she gets caught in a sudden rainstorm. She seeks shelter in a tattered building called the Giyeok Bookshop. Giyeok is the Korean word for memory. Everything begins to become clear as she peruses the store to find her favorite childhood books with well worn pages and other books with pristine pages that are catalogues of all  her memories throughout her entire lifespan. She meets Manager K, proprietor of the shop and finds that indeed the bookstore is filled completely  with books containing all of her life's memories. Manager K tells her that  she may revisit three moments of memories from her life.  If she makes a change then she will get to live with that new change, but each memory may shorten the time she has left on earth. And she may only travel further back each time, not forward in time.  She takes the opportunity and begins her journey back through some of her memories with her mother.  It is difficult, but she learns and grows, and each encounter does affect change.  

 Ki Jiwon-nim  finds healing for her grief, leaving the guilt and regrets behind and enjoying the positive memories and her future ahead of her.

The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeong was first published in 2024 in Korea and will be released July 7, 2026 in its English translation by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.  I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. 

I wasn't certain exactly What to expect when I chose this book from NetGalley, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The story is a great reminder to revisit past memories but be careful to not dwell on the negative events and regrets for things that can not be changed.  Focus on the joy and love you remember from a lost loved one, and take that joy forth into your future.  

I give The Memory Bookshop four stars. 

#NetGalley #TheMemoryBookshop

Picky by Julie T. Kinn

 With a title like Picky, I didn't know what to expect the book to be about.  Julie Kinn  surprised and enchanted me with her characters in her book Picky being published July 1, 2026 from Kennedy Creek Press.  

Zillah, a twenty-three year old woman lives with her mother in Chicago.  Zillah feels trapped in her life.  She desparately wants to get out on her own, but her mother must approve her decision and declare her ready before she is "allowed" to move.  Zillah is picky.  She is a young woman who only eats 10 basic foods. Much like a young child.  She follows her mother's edicts and lives in an anxiety filled state. As the story progresses, the reader learns that it may not be Zillah who is truly the culprit to the life she is living. Her mother is troubled as well.  With spunk and bravery, Zillah faces her challenges to come out stronger and more independent in the end. 

Not wanting to include any spoilers to the book, I left out MUCH in the synopsis.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading Picky for many reasons. It is filled with humor.  Humor in how Zillah  struggles with mental illness and finds ways to live a fuller life. She is virtually betrayed and or abandoned by all the adults in her young life, which allows her world to be one of pleasing others by meeting their expectations in lieu of creating her own. 

Kinn's book gives a "real" picture of what living with generalized anxiety can look like.  Zillah lives it in a smaller dose, her mother lives it with all it's manifestations. I could relate to the story.  I have always lived with anxiety, from a small child onward. I could relate to the characters. Thankfully I connected more with Zillah than her mother.  It is a heavy burden to bear, and can rule your life if it is allowed to take hold.  Finding healthy coping mechanisms are important. It is very easy to create unhealthy habits to deal with the illness.  The story includes some therapy techniques that are presented through a friend also battling mental illness. I an thankful that those are woven into the text.  I have sought help and I could recognize the interventions and appreciate how helpful they are.  

After reading Picky, and looking up Kinn's biography, I found out that she is a licensed therapist with a P.H.D, specializing in multiple disorders such as OCD, GAD, panic disorder and many others.  Here is her website.  https://www.juliekinn.com/

I did not know what to expect when I requested an advanced reader's copy of the novel Picky, by Julie T. Kinn from NetGalley.com in return for an honest review.  I liked the cover and it sounded intriguing.  Having read the book, I am so thankful I did.  Through Kinn's engaging sense of humor I took a peek at my own anxiety as I read and learned about her character Zillow's.  I related to her overcoming some of her fears and learning to live with her other ones.  I grew up with a parent who also struggled with anxiety, and multiple other family members do as well.  I am hopeful that others might read the book and find help and encouragement through doing so.  

Look for Picky to be available July 1st, 2026, from Kennedy Creek Press!

#NetGalley. #Picky

Everything to the Sea

 Loss is a concept that every human can understand.  It essentially is the essence of being human.  The mortality of man and living with that eventuality.  Everything to the Sea, by Alicia Upano is a new novel centered around the lives of many Hawaiian Islanders following the wake of a large tsunami. In the course of mere minutes, the people on the island of Hilo lose everything to the sea and must learn to live with the ultimate loss of family and home. Though the story is fiction, the fact that the island of Hilo Hawaii did suffer tsunamis in 1946 and 1960 makes the story real for the reader .

Two main characters, Jane and Kenji are young adults, enjoying a summer fling and staying on Oahu  when a tsunami caught their home island of Hilo unawares, killing their families and destroying much of their island.  Each deals with the tragedy and their grief in completely different ways. Kenji returns to face the devastation and rebuild, while Jane runs away to save her sanity and her remorse over not answering her mother's final phone call. The novel follows their lives as they weave together new worlds both together and apart and find forgiveness and love in the process. 

I was first drawn to Upano's novel by the setting and situation.  I have always harbored a fascination with earth processes and have found tsunamis compelling.  The extreme force of nature and the water is unfathomable to a land-locked Kansas girl.  The oceans and beaches along with the Hawaiian culture provides a rich basis for Upano's story telling and she does an outstanding job of making the story come to life for the reader.  I personally could connect to the book because I have recently faced loss of family members and feel the sting of the separation from them.  I have also been fortunate to visit Hawaii and experience some of the culture, so the story felt very authentic and real to me.  

Due to Upano's strong character development and her voice in her writing, I was drawn into the world she created from the first page and I rushed through the  story to learn what would happen to the characters, simply not able to put the story down until I had finished it. 

I strongly suggest reading Everything to the Sea, Alicia Upano's debut novel being published July 14th through William Morrow Publishers.  

  I want to thank NetGalley for the advance reader's copy of Everything to the Sea, in exchange for an honest review. 

#EverythingtotheSea #NetGalley

Dangerland by Erin Singer.

 I generally like most books that I read. In fact there must be considerable reasons for me to not give a positive review,  and even then I can't persuade myself to give lower that three stars even on books I do not enjoy because I hold the opinion that even though it doesn't fit my tastes , others may have different feelings.  That is the rationalization for my three star rating for Dangerland, a novel by Erin Singer.  I received the advanced reader's copy of Dangerland through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion, which is the reason for the following review.

I tried desperately to  "get into" the book, Dangerland, but it never captured my attention, even though I slogged through it.  Although it was advertised as a funny rom-com like "When Harry Met Sally,"  I do not agree.  I found the book disjointed and confusing.  The chapters did not flow with each other.  I understand when jumping between past and present scenes, the reader can feel in a tug of war of storylines, but Dangerland never seemed to connect from one scenerio to the next.  

Overall, the book features two star-crossed individuals who are attracted to each other, yet fate never allows them to form more than an awkward friendship. The main characters live in Las Vegas and meet in adolescences then remain interconnected throughout their lives. (That's the only similarity I found to "When Harry Met Sally"). Various other characters are included throughout the story.  The inclusion of the additional characters felt like cameos in the overall story.  I was looking forward to a light-hearted read with quirky chuckles along the way.  The stories and characters just made me feel sad for their circumstances.  I didn't find a time when I was invested in the overall outcome of the story.  

I did read some positive reviews, yet I didn't have the same experience these other reviewers had.  I hope there are others who do enjoy Dangerland as I wish Singer the best of luck. The novel just wasn't what I had hoped for when requesting it. 

#NetGalley #Dangerland

A Nantucket Fling by Kathryn Freeman

 With unseasonably warm weather this week and Valentines Day  just a few days away, I treated myself to reading a fun little romcom by Kathryn Freeman.  A Nantucket Fling, being published June 9, 2026, by HarperCollins Publishers, is just the thing for an enjoyable virtual getaway.  

    Olivia Davies is a career driven woman, with no time or patience for pursuing a man or a marriage. She is on the fast track to being CIO for a well known London company. Olivia is competing against Stuart for the promotion she has worked 15 years toward. Fighting the "gold ole' boys club" all the way up the ladder.  A few weeks before her interview process begins she must attend a family wedding across the pond in the United States, Nantucket, Massachusetts to be exact.  As the single younger sister, accompanied by her two older sisters and the wedding party, she is challenged to enjoy a little harmless fling while on vacation.  Nothing serious, just some outings with the hot young chef , Connor, helping to cater the "hen party," and wedding dinner.  What could it hurt to let her hair down and enjoy the attention of a younger man?

Back home in England, she finds herself back in the grind, pursuing her promotion when she reconnects with Connor once again.  The relationship rekindles, but Connor hasn't shared everything about his life with Olivia. His world is more complicated than he has led her to believe.

 Olivia is guarded with her own doubts. How could a virile younger man fancy a career driven woman ten years older than him, and is that man worth changing her plans for? She doesn't want marriage, or a family...her only desire is to meet her goal.  Is the cost too high?

I thoroughly enjoyed the story.  As a light read to chase off the winter doldrums or perhaps a summer read by the pool, A Nantucket Fling by Kathryn Freeman is just perfect.  I am so appreciative of HarperCollins Publishers for the advance e-proof copy distributed by NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.  I give A Nantucket Fling  four stars, and hope to see it fly off the shelves this coming June.

#ANantucketFling #NetGalley

Bratty Pets, A gift from God?

     My dog is like a little kid. Weighing her options while deciding the value of consequences versus rewards.  But aren't we all. 

    For her, the consequences are doled out by the cat.  There is a great sibling rivalry between my dog and cat. One (the dog) feels everything in the house is hers to have even though she has her own things. The cats toys are hers, the parents are  hers. The parents socks are hers, and she will patiently wait until the cats not paying attention to take anything and drag it under my bed to her den. 

    The cat is often angry because of the dogs possessive nature.  So she plots revenge. She taunts the dog by placing toys in her path to steal knowing full well that an attack is imminent if she goes to retrieve the toys. The cat also places herself in the path of the dog's toys or even in the doorway leaving a room or an exit so the dog must pass by the cat to get where she wants or needs to go.  The cat will chase, ambush or flat out attack the dog, biting and scratching her. 

    The dog knows this. Yet she still lets her possessive tendencies rule her behavior. She will endure the pain of attack to steal another cat toy or cross the path to her escape.  The consequences of the cat may slow her progress, but she will patiently weigh her options and endure discomfort to feed her own wants. 

    How similar we are to  them?

    When you think about it, doesn't this mirror our own sinful natures?  We know certain behaviors are sinful, or harmful, yet instead of avoiding them completely, we weigh the consequences.  How much guilt or discomfort is worth the pleasure we get from the moment of following our own wants. 

     For me this might result in coveting or envy, the act of wanting what someone else has just because I really admire it or, sharing gossip or information that doesn't need to be shared  dressed up as concern.  I can always make a case for the defense of my actions. Yet that doesn't change the true nature behind them. 

    I'm in awe of the ways God puts illustrations right in front of us to remind us of his will for our lives and how we should lead them.  Thankfully, he doesn't often bonk us on our heads and say...I told you not to do that, but He shows us a mirror reflection when we are being selfish, or nosy or prideful.  Sometimes he even puts a dog or cat in our lives to remind us (me) to not be petty and willful, but show more kindness. 

I am thankful for God's love and concern and his will for me.  I am also thankful for the example he gives me through my bratty pets, to remind me to share, treat others well, and get out of the way of myself and others when He directs my paths. 

Tata by Valerie Perrin

 I think my favorite part of reading prepublication copies of new literature from NetGalley is the opportunity to discover unfamiliar authors.  There are so many fresh voices in literature and even if one reads the feeds from publishers and book sites, many can be missed that are truly amazing and worth sharing.  

Valerie Perrin is just such an author.  Her new novel, Tata is set for publication on June 23, 2026 from Europa Editions, and translated from the original French by Hildegarde Serle.  Perrin is a gifted writer who has the ability to give a distinct voice to her characters, creating a story that is unveiled layer by layer through emotion and intrigue. 

In her novel Tata, Perrin's character Agnes is sent upon a journey of discovery as she learns that her beloved aunt, Colette has died, for the second time! She buried her aunt three years ago and her much loved Tata has been resting in peace in the cemetery of Gueugnon, France.  Agnes travels to Gueugnon to identify the body and finds it is indeed her aunt Colette lying in the morgue, so who is buried in the family grave site? And why would her aunt lie about her death for three years, who or what was she protecting? 

Perrin takes the reader through Agnes's childhood and Colette's past as well to answer the questions.  An emotional mystery is unfolded that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.  

Through reading Tata  accessed through NetGalley I learned that Perrin is a popular French author with her previous novels being international best sellers. She has sold millions of copies worldwide including strong sales in Italy. 

Tata would be a great book club selection as it is literary fiction, general fiction and women's fiction. It would create in depth discussions of it's nostalgic, emotional and intriguing social/cultural content. 

I am so thankful to NetGalley for the proof copy of Tata by Valerie Perrin in exchange for this honest review.  I encourage  my readers to place it on their "to read lists" for this summer.  I feel you will be rewarded just as I was, and you'll find a new author to enjoy.

#Tata #NetGalley

Solidarity: The Gift of Community

     I was texting my sister-in-law today, a truly amazing and overall cool person, and I came to a realization, what a true gift community with others, sharing like convictions is for us all.  Not just family, but with similar belief systems.  

    If you read this blog, you are aware that my community is one of Christian believers.  I feel such a sense of support and belonging when I am with those who share my beliefs and participate in study and worship.  Just attending a service where I am surrounded by fellow Christians, raising our voices in song and prayer, being  there to voice prayer requests and lift others up who are on our hearts fills me with peace and comfort.  I love standing at the welcome center, greeting people, smiling at those entering the church and answering questions to make others feel valued and heard.  I like sitting in a room with women who are diverse in their stages of life, yet have commonality in their love of Christ and the church.  Such a blessing.  

     Now, that's just my community.  But today while texting I realized that people can find that sense of belonging that fills them through various  factions.  For some it may be a political movement. Sharing like convictions and working together to enact a change instead of sitting idly by and complaining about the problem.  Just being amongst like minded citizens can fill them with enthusiasm and energy to help create the change they want to see happen.  That gift of community in common goals is a blessing as well.

    Another community might be sharing a similar life situation.  Whether it is a suppport group for a particular personal challenge or illness, or a living arrangement.  As hard as it is to join a support group or make a change in where one lives, the gift of solidarity, of being in a community with others who share the same circumstances is one to be valued.  Those may be more difficult to accept, as often we are placed in those arrangements versus choosing them for ourselves.  Yet over time, the community we are in can become the blessing we need. To be included and loved by others as we receive the care our minds,  bodies and souls must have.   

While I was texting this morning, and doing my bible devotions, all these thoughts of community flooded my mind and I just felt compelled to share them.  My dear readers, if you have not found a community of like believers or those who share your life stage or convictions, I strongly urge you to reach out and try to discover one for yourself.  Your life, your world, will be enhanced and in turn you very well may bless others as you have been blessed yourself. 

Hugs and love....

Dwelling on Beautiful Things

     Today I was feeling frustrated.  In November I had a tear in my right shoulder rotator cuff repaired.  Today marks nine weeks since I had surgery and I still am wearing a sling and  have little use of my arm.  I am doing physical therapy at home everyday and with a therapist twice a week.  Yet I am increasingly aware that this is going to be a very slow process.  I knew this approaching the surgery, yet living the situation is so much more.  

    As I was cleaning the house one handed today (my  non-dominant left hand) I found I was thinking about many things.  I have had much too much time to think the last nine weeks.  I wanted to cheer myself up and I remembered a list I had started on my phone during one of my last frustrated days.  Things that I feel are beautiful.  Not perhaps aesthetically beautiful, but beautiful to me.  I want to share a few of those things here. 

    I always feel hypersensitive to beauty while at church.  Being in my church, any church I have attended, has always been a source of joy to me.  Christmas Eve I was serving at church, at a welcome center, answering questions and greeting members. I felt such happiness watching the small children waiting to go into the service.  Especially the little ones wearing cowboy boots, both boys or girls.  The sound of those small feet tip tapping across the hard floors sounded beautiful to me.  Toddlers in cowboy boots make a noise of pride, they stand a little straighter and walk a bit more purposeful in those shoes, It's beautiful.

    A week or so later, also at a church service, I found something else to make me appreciate pure beauty.  A special needs man, and his father in church.  The man is probably in his 30's and his father looks to be 60's or older.  I see them every time I attend church.  The son sat next to his father, gazing adoringly at him, his hand resting on the back of his father's neck.  He would pat his father's back and just look at his dad with the purest love.  I was touched by his devotion to his father, it seemed as though his father was the center of his world.  It was beautiful.  

    One more instance centers around a man and his dog.  There's an elderly man in our neighborhood.  I really don't know anything about the man.  I think he lives in a rental duplex a few streets south of me.  I don't know him, but I have seen him many times walking his dog.  I like to make up storylines in my head (imagine that)  and in my mind he is a retired farmer. He dresses like one to me. Anyway, the man is elderly, probably in his 80's, and his dog is elderly too, with a very gray face and muzzle.  Both get out almost everyday and walk together, looking like best friends.  Two old guys keeping each other company.  It's beautiful to see.

    There are so many things of beauty around us all the time. I have been noticing more lately.  I do feel frustrated with the forced sedentariness of my circumstances this winter, while waiting for my shoulder to begin healing.  But I can value the opportunity to think and look at the world around me. Definitely something beautiful to dwell upon.