When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner

I had to order this one from Amazon since it wasn't in any of our library options, and I was hopeful it would be worth it, since Ariel Lawhon's Frozen River was such a good book.  We are reading it in our Stonebridge/Monterey book club, hence my desire to read it. The Amazon reviews were pretty good.

But...it's historical fiction with predictable characters, challenges, and romance. It was a hard one to read and enjoy, though, because it's set in the Philippines during World War II, and mostly in prison camps. The starvation and cruelty dominated the stories... And yet it was interesting to learn about these brave nurses who spent most of the war incarcerated. Their challenges were HARD, and they bore up well under them.

The cruelty of the Japanese overseers was tough to read about. Very much like the Germans in another book we read in this group, The Wartime Book Club... This book also reminded me of The Women, and the nurses there who endured very tough conditions in Viet Nam. Hard to read about, maybe good to learn about.

These three nurses were an interesting mix; two Americans and one Filipina. It was interesting to read about the difference in treatment of the Americans vs. the Filipina. I liked that many of these episodes in the story are based on real-life events that happened and are documented, even though these particular nurses and their boyfriends are fictional. Their relationships moves the story forward.

You would never call this great writing. But it was interesting, to a point. I will be able to talk about it at book club, but it's not a book I would ever highly recommend or read again...

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

 I got this book from the library for our Monterey Book group, and I believe it was Lynne who recommended it. I like her, so I hoped I would like her book. I did, but it also really annoyed me and disappointed me.

I love everything I've read by C.S. Lewis, particularly his essays on Christianity and his Narnia books. He transports me and uplifts me and makes me so grateful to be a Christian. I was hoping for some of that aura and shine and feeling to show itself in this story of his relationship with Joy Davidman. Although there were some beautiful landscape descriptions and a few attempts to describe spiritual experiences, they were mostly not inspiring at all. This is such a shame! But perhaps this author has never been transported in that way? I don't know...it read more like a romance. When, oh when, would "Jack" wake up and show his love for Joy? The whole book hinged on waiting for him...Joy went through her own development, but was always waiting for him to come around...And finally, at the end, he did. 

I was also not convinced in the story that Joy really cared as much about her boys as this author tried to show. She left them for months at a time, and when she finally gained custody, she sent them to boarding school. All the heartache and longing she felt for the boys did not feel genuine to me...Of course this is the "fiction" of the novel, and who knows what was really felt or done?

I do like the way the author portrayed C.S. Lewis. He is shown as kind, caring, and very gentle. I liked that portrayal and feel it's probably true. The author listed a lot of sources, so I may delve into a couple in particular, written by one of Joy's sons. His perspective would be interesting. I don't trust this author's interpretation, so I'll find out for myself!

I loved the descriptions of Oxford and would love to go and visit. I didn't realize that C.S. Lewis wasn't as honored there and eventually taught at Cambridge instead. All of his "rooms" and lectures the whole environment made me want to go and visit for myself. Maybe someday...

The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey

 Marcia Oshita picked this book for us to read in "her" book group, and since I typically love myteries, I was intrigued to see what she thought a good mystery was. Well, I almost gave up after the first chapter! But I couldn't, since I had bought the book through Amazon and was invested now...And, I was still curious, so I soldiered on.

Tey has an interesting writing style that includes some obscure allusions, foreign phrases, and distinctly British words and phrases that were wholly unknown to me. For some reason, this annoyed me rather than sending me to Google. But I continued on, and it got better. I could get the drift from context clues after awhile, and was able to discern more of what was going on. 

The character of the Inspector was engaging and it was enlightening and sometimes frustrating to hear his thinking and analysis of the crime. He went over details over and over again, and there were a few characters to keep track of. They were all interesting characters, though, so the story began to be enjoyable to me. I loved how reflective and humble Inspector Grant was, and how he listened to his gut...up to a point, and then he realized at last, how his gut was RIGHT on. So good to have someone's conclusions questioned, and he was a model for how to keep your mind going and how others can influence your thinking.

There was some subtle and wry humor which also made the book more enjoyable. It was set in the 1920s, so hysterical women were described in chauvenist ways. Funny. Would I read it again? Maybe...but right now I'm going to take it down the street to Anne Taylor, who is anxious to read it. I'll be interested to see what she thinks of it!

The Queen's Gambit by Beth Brower

 Beth Brower has won me over with Q and her Unselected Journals. I am dying to read Book 9, but it isn't out yet. So, I thought I would try out her trilogy called "The Books of Imirillia" in the meantime. It's very different from her other work, but I enjoyed it. I was able to check this out of the library and waiting for the other two books.

It was the perfect book to take on the plane and have in Sacramento during my recent trip to see Wren, Eli, Teal, Ann, and Jane. It was delightful and not exactly light, but rather ethereal. It moves along slowly, and the characters are interesting enough to pursue more of how this turns out.

The story revolves around Queen Eleanor and her lovely land of Admogen. We learn about this idyllic country and it's history through this committed young queen's eyes. She's a benevolent leader, and is loved by her countrymen. Enter Wil Traveler, who is secretly Immirillia's crown prince, and these two begin a relationship of testing each other. Their conversations and development feel almost child-like and superficial, but there are some interesting fables and beautiful scenes woven throughout. At the end of this book 1, Eleanor has been taken captive by the Immirillians, and Prince Basaal is trying to figure out how to get her safely back to Amoegen, rally his men against his father's men, and survive himself. He often loses his temper, and so does Eleanor. It's a simple romantic love/hate situation, but sweet. I'm interested enough to read on. Perfect summer reading; at least until the next Unselected Journal comes out~!