The Big White Farmhouse

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#14. BOUNDARY WATERS by William Kent Krueger // ★★★★☆
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Funny, she thought, how little it took to be happy when there was little choice.  She knew she was still learning the lessons of the wilderness.  To breathe, to eat, to sleep, and to do so fearlessly – how much more did anyone need to be happy? (p.346)

This is the second book in the Cork O’Connor series and it was much better than the first one!  Beautiful atmospheric writing with great character development and just enough action and mystery to keep me turning the pages.  (This was also my 1999 pick for the 20th Century in Literature challenge.)

#15. THE WESTING GAME // ★★☆☆☆
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I waffled between two and three stars for this one.  My seventh grade son read it for school and he needed to talk about it with someone, so I picked it up after him!  I don’t know…I think there were just too many characters and I was often confused with who was who.  (This was also my 1978 pick for the 20th Century in Literature challenge.)

#16. THREE SISTERS by Heather Morris // ★★★☆☆
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This book is a tough one to rate.  Three Sisters is a historical fiction novel based on the true story of three sisters, their horrific ordeal at Auschwitz, and what happens after.  I appreciated the exploration of survivor’s guilt towards the end, but found the majority of the book a little too simplistic for such an important time period.  (Three Sisters was published back in October 2021.  Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!)

#17. PURGATORY RIDGE by William Kent Krueger // ★★★★☆
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I seldom, if ever, “binge read” a single series all at once; usually, I’ll read one and then months will go by before I pick up the next book.  March has been a doozy of a month and I sought out an easy, escape read.  Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series definitely supplied that!  I really enjoyed this one.

#18. BLOOD HOLLOW by William Kent Krueger // ★★★☆☆
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Book #4 in the Cork O’Connor series!  Not as good as the previous two (there were a few icky themes), but still a worthwhile read.

#19. LAST DANCE ON THE STARLIGHT PIER by Sarah Bird // ★★☆☆☆
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I had high hopes for this book and learning more about the dance marathons that occurred during the Great Depression.  Unfortunately, I felt that the characters lacked substance and the plot was too unrealistic.  I would have loved a deeper exploration into the dancing too.  A few scenes were shockingly graphic in an otherwise ordinary book.  This one was just an okay read for me.  (Last Dance on the Starlight Pier will be published on April 12, 2022.  Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!)

#20. BOOK SCAVENGER by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman // ★★★☆☆
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We read this middle grade novel for school read aloud.  The kids really enjoyed the clues and ciphers, but we found the main character to be a bit bratty and selfish.