The Mapmaker's Children

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Baker's Daughter, a story of family, love, and courage

When Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, realizes that her artistic talents may be able to help save the lives of slaves fleeing north, she becomes one of the Underground Railroad’s leading mapmakers, taking her cues from the slave code quilts and hiding her maps within her paintings. She boldly embraces this calling after being told the shocking news that she can’t bear children, but as the country steers toward bloody civil war, Sarah faces difficult sacrifices that could put all she loves in peril.
   Eden, a modern woman desperate to conceive a child with her husband, moves to an old house in the suburbs and discovers a porcelain head hidden in the root cellar—the remains of an Underground Railroad doll with an extraordinary past of secret messages, danger and deliverance. 
   Ingeniously plotted to a riveting end, Sarah and Eden’s woven lives connect the past to the present, forcing each of them to define courage, family, love, and legacy in a new way.


I began reading with eager anticipation. This novel alternates between a contemporary storyline and the historical one that revolves around Sarah Brown.  I was disappointed that every chapter alternates with the contemporary storyline and the contemporary protagonist is such a unlikeable character that I began to dread those chapters.  I also didn't care for the precocious neighbor child who acts far to old and knows too much to be a realistic character!

I wish the author had focused solely on the life of Sarah Brown because the contemporary storyline spoiled what might have been a decent book of historical fiction.

I got this book from bloggingforbooks.org

Mother Eden Book Review

When I read Dark Eden I knew I had to get Mother Eden!!

First things first: If you haven't read Dark Eden you REALLY should read that one first. You will not be completely lost in this one if you don't, but you will miss out on quite a lot. The characters tell each other stories about the past.

If you didn't like Dark Eden, then it seems certain you wouldn't like Mother Eden either. In some ways it seems less dismal and creepy but people still say a word twice instead of saying very ("it was dark dark" instead of "it was very dark"...although one time they say "prettier" which seemed a bit out of place to me. They also still have their slang that may rub people the wrong way, like "slipping" for sex, etc.

Now, if you've read Dark Eden and you liked it...get to it, Read This Book!


I'm a little obsessed with Eden... as you can tell. I'm really hoping there is another book after this one. Really, really, there are so many places to go from here. Read this book and then imagine it on a huge screen, maybe in 3D...it would be so amazing. Almost too creepy creepy!



I got this book from Blogging for books! Thanks guys!!

Goodbye, my dear friend

Good friend of mine you have finally been beat by cancer.
 You fought so hard for your baby girl, one thing is for sure Lil' Karen has the Best Guardian Angel there ever could be.👼

I may not have known you in person and that doesn't mean anything at all.
You were there for me when no one else was, when others left, when others didn't believe me, you did.
No one believed you when you said your head was hurting, if your mother would have listen to you they could have caught and treated it and you would be here still.
We had some great and funny moments and some scary ones to.
 I remember you telling me you were having a baby and she would be healthy, you went threw hell with your pregnancy, but you made it through.
You were my writing buddy, I even made you a character in my book.
I knew you for 4 years, you started calling me Lil' sis and I called you Big sis because we felt that close to each other,
I could talk to you about my health problems, I could tell you how I was feeling that day, and not feel judged,  you did the same.  
You were in So Much Pain and now You Are Not.   Which makes me feel so much better.   I will miss you so...

Thanks for being my friend, my writing buddy, my counselor, my Big sis, I will Never Ever Forget You!

R.I.P Becca, love you so much!💕

Viper Wine (A Novel) Review

I was very intrigued by this book at first because I love historical fiction. Viper Wine is set in the 1600’s yet is written with anachronistic verse.  It’s post-modern historical fiction. On top of that, the cover is so alluring, the book is beautiful!

When reading the novel, I noticed I got bored quickly. It was hard to focus on what was going on and the author jumps time periods a lot. Erye also includes several quotes throughout the book, which aren’t all relevant to the scene. Despite this, Hermione’s writing is elegant and kept me going through the book.

The plot is about Venetia Stanley and how she wants to chase her youth. She used to be the belle in the community, yet as she ages, she feels she has lost the only thing going good for her. She becomes obsessed with looking youthful, and seeks out viper wine.

The story is clearly backed up by a lot of research and it’s an interesting read, although not exactly a pleasure read. I’m sure there are people out there who would like this kind of book, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I was hoping for a good historical fiction read. ~Summer

I Got This Book From: Blogging for Books

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No More Excuses Diet Review

I have read a lot of diet books the past couple of years.  
 I have followed Maria's story rom the beginning,  she truly is a huge inspiration to me!  
  However Maria's book was a bit disappointing to me, it sounded pretty much the same as all of the other diet books I have read.   
 There is no doubt the info will change your life,she has everything you need to get started as I read deeper into the book.    
I found that the book was packed with too much information and then it became hard for me to read and almost boring.   
 I didn't even want to finish it and that is rare for me, but I fought my way through it. I still recommend it if you are  trying to change your life! I have yet to see the results....  ~Summer 

A Fifty-Year Silence Book Review

This is a moving story of family, memories and wartime, that I could not put down!

Miranda Richmond Mouillot pieces together the lives of her Grandparents from their escape from the Nazis, wartime marriage and then a sudden estrangement in the early 1950s.

This story begins as a family history investigation, but evolves into a semi-travelogue, a journey of a race against time and self-discovery.

I love the way she makes lyrical like sentences, that I will savor. Here’s a couple of examples. (my favorites)

“I saw an infinity of forgotten details dancing across history's dizzying expanse.”

“Here the past was everywhere, an entire continent sown with memories.”

Miranda's book moves at a sedate pace, but you become more and more involved with the characters and I was particularly moved by the touching poignant changes in her relationship with her grandfather as the story unfolds.

The final pages give an indication of the possible causes of her grandparents rift which are all the more tragic when you realise the burdens her grandfather was carrying.

This is not your average holocaust memoir, but one that does illustrate how people’s personalities are as a result of experiences of which we are unaware or cannot even imagine.

I know I will read this again most certainly! A Fifty Year Silence is definitely on my top 2015 to read list!

Got this book form bloggingforbooks.org. ~Summer 🌠

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If I Fall, If I Die book review

Christie's book is one of the most beautiful and emotionally evocative book i'v read.  I was deeply moved by Christie's way of portraying The Underpinning a deeply personal the love between mother and son. 

The story is a larger view of a community's social construct, which comprises complex issues of poverty, disenfranchisement, race, abuse and disability that serve to constrict the lives of each character in turn. 

Layers upon layers in this book - and it is written with generous measures of both insight and beauty.  I will reread this book, most definitely, but I have to share with my Beau and Grandmother. :)  That's how good the book is! I Fall, If I Die is definitely top of the 2015 mustreadlist.  

I got this book from Blogging For Books, I love them❤ ~Summer📖

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