I was down a rabbit trail that lead to Audible and I ended up seeing a book that looked interesting and I ended up getting it.  I have this problem.  If Audible says, “Fans of The Nightingale and Lilac Girls will adore The Things We Cannot Say.”  I am a sucker and will get the book because I loved The Nightingale. You all can probably relate.  It was one of those moments when I should have been doing something else but ended up on the computer instead.  Anyway…this is the book I got, The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer.

This ended up being a VERY good book.  The book is written in present day from the story of a granddaughter and toggles back to past with the story of the grandmother who lived in Poland during WWII.  This book format is often done but to date, I don’t tire of it.  The granddaughter in this case is a mom of a 10 and 7 year old.  Her boy that is 7 has autism.  Her story really got to me and I’m sure anyone who deals with autism could connect to her story.  The grandmother’s story is touching as well.  The book talks so much about commitment and for me, I can never hear enough about people who are willing to give to others even at the sacrifice of themselves.  I aspire to be that kind of person.

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I just finished up one book focusing on abuse and I picked up another.  If you’re a reader, you know how it is….you read one book and another book is suggested to you.  That’s how I got The Little Ghost Girl by Maggie Hartley.

I don’t want to say that I enjoy books about abuse.  No one does.  But I get a lot out of the books.  Children are typically saved or they save themselves from their situation.  I feel the books give me strength to fight on through the, in comparison, small things I deal with every day.  I also feel that, as a human, I can respect someone by listening to their story.  Reading or listening to books from people who were abused also helps me keep my eyes open to see or be aware to watch for signs of abuse.  Isn’t that the ultimate thing we can do to honor them…work to not let it happen to others?  On with the book…

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I’ve been reading a lot of heavy books….books about abuse, the Holocaust and other type things.  As much as I appreciate reading those books, I need a break from time to time.  A good mystery was what I needed and I thought I found one, The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald.

The book was very interesting.  It was told from the perspective of Olivia, the daughter, and her single mother, Abi.  When Abi’s story is told she starts telling from the day Olivia fell.  When Olivia tells her story, she starts about a month or so away from the time she fell.  Slowly the two stories come together and the mystery of Olivia’s fall is finally revealed.  I didn’t guess what happened until about a chapter from the end.

Here’s what Amazon had to say: Continue reading →