All the Glimmering Stars by Mark Sullivan

 “The medicine man also told me that our spirits come from stars and return to stars when we die. So, when you look up at the stars, Anthony, you may also be seeing the spirits of your ancestors and the souls of your children shining back at you.”

     -George Opoka, to his young son 

 "He bowed his head and wished to God that all the glimmering stars in the sky, the souls of his ancestors and the spirits of the unborn, could come together to show him the right direction to take."

     -Anthony Opoka, remembering his father's words

I've read 2 historical novels by this author and enjoyed them both. In selecting this one, I surely didn't know what I was getting into!

Based on a true story it begins in Uganda in the late 1980's when the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is wreaking havoc in the country under the leadership of maniacal Joseph Kony. 

Two teens are kidnapped from their loving families in two different villages and forced to become soldiers in the LRA. Anthony Opoka is an outstanding student and athlete while Florence Okori, also an excellent student, dreams of becoming a nurse. The situations they are forced to endure among other "child warriors" makes for difficult reading. In the course of 400+ pages, one wonders if they will ever be able to escape but one keeps reading and hoping.

When Anthony and Florence meet and fall in love, there is some joy---briefly, but they remain slaves to Kony, called the Great Teacher, whose cruelty is horrifying. By the time the couple have two sons, they become desperate to get away. Memories of their good upbringing helps them survive. And Anthony's chance meeting with Mr. Mabior, a dying man whose last words to Anthony are very wise and inspiring make a huge difference for him through some terrible times.

The story was compelling but far from enjoyable, so I am rating it a 4. The story of Anthony and Florence Opoka is an amazing one, to be sure, and it is interesting to read Sullivan's notes about how he discovered it. I can only hope it brings attention to the use of children in combat because that horrible practice should be banned across the globe.

Snow Creek by Gregg Olsen

 

"I think of how I'd dreamed of a big case as I waded through the property crimes that marked my routine. I'd wanted more than anything to make something so very wrong, right. And now this. In the mostly undisturbed magnificence of the Pacific Northwest is a spate of murders, dark and ugly as any could imagine."

     -Detective Megan Carpenter, from the novel

I selected this from Amazon First Reads and at first, I liked it. The setting was interesting, a very isolated area of the Northwest with cultlike characters, two of which turn up missing. When the missing woman is found dead, Detective Megan Carpenter at first speculates the husband killed her and took off. She couldn't be more wrong. 

After a while multiple characters come into play, and I found it hard to keep up with who was who. Not only that, it becomes clear that Megan has a mysterious past of her own. 

The novel was well-written and kept my interest for quite a while, but I found the ending very dissatisfying as the author leaves so much unresolved. I surely prefer a murder mystery that stands alone and does not try to impel you to read a sequel. This one only rates a 3. I likely will not read another in this series, but I won't rule out others by the author.

Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde

"The world will still be a place where people do terrible things. But here's the thing about despair. We fall into despair when the terrible gangs up on us and we forget the world can also be wonderful. We just see terrible everywhere we look. So what you do for your friend is you bring up the wonderful, so both are side by side. The world is terrible and wonderful at the same time. One doesn't negate the other, but the wonderful keeps us in the game. It keeps us moving forward. And, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Raymond, but that's as good as the world is going to get."

          -Mrs. G, from the novel

I loved this novel! After a few books with intense themes and disturbing plots, it was breath of fresh air. It rates a 5 from me.

Teenager Raymond Jaffe has two families and doesn't have a sense of belonging to either. When he learns his best friend is moving away, Raymond is devastated. But around this time, he meets Mildred Guterman, a blind 92-year-old neighbor when she asks him the title question, "Have you seen Luis Velez?" He soon learns Luis was a caregiver for Mrs. G and has been missing for several days. Because it's obvious that Mrs. G has been isolated and unable to do necessary errands on her own, Raymond takes it upon himself to replace Luis in helping her to the bank and market and even taking her out to eat. As the two bond, Raymond is compelled to try to locate Luis Velez. It is quite an undertaking since there are several men of that name in the area and not knowing an address, he must contact them one by one.

I began with a quote from Mrs. Guterman, but it was hard to choose just one. A Jewish immigrant who barely escaped the Nazis, she shared much wisdom with Raymond who, in turn, encourages her.

This novel is an endearing story of a surprising friendship. I will find another novel by this author. I look forward to hearing reactions of the other Page Turners. More after the meeting....

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When Page Turners met, 14 gathered plus one participating by phone. The book was well-liked earning an average of 4.5. This is the highest rated of the year by our group. I think everyone loved how Mrs. G and Raymond helped each other and how many other characters in the story were so kind and helpful to them. Although a couple of participants found some of the story unbelievable it was still very heartwarming. Some felt the novel could be very beneficial for young adult readers.

Toward the end of the story, there is a jury trial where racism raises its ugly head. This brought forth some good discussion of privilege, seeming to segue into our next book selection: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy by Robert P. Jones.

I believe most of our group would recommend the novel. 

A Monk Swimming by Malachy McCourt

 

"Now I’m resolved to try it, I’ll live on a moderate diet,

 I’ll not drink and will deny it, And shun each alehouse door, 

For that’s the place they tell us, We meet with all jovial good fellows, 

But I swear by the poker and bellows, I’ll never get drunk anymore. 

A man that’s fond of boozing, His cash goes daily oozing,

His character he’s losing, And its loss he will deplore.

His wife is unprotected, His business is neglected, 

Himself is disrespected, So I’ll not get drunk anymore."

     -OLD TEMPERANCE SONG, quoted in the memoir

This was a free eBook which I selected because I am such a fan of Frank McCourt, Malachy's brother. I must admit it produced some laughs, but I didn't appreciate it as much as Frank's memoirs. Of course, since they grew up together, their background is the same---growing up Catholic and poor in Limerick, Ireland with a drunken, no-good father and making their way to America as young men. 

It seems to me, Malachy squandered much of his early adult years with drunken philandering and gallivanting the globe smuggling gold. His vocabulary was rather amazing---I learned some new words, but the editing of the book was poor. It was sometimes hard to determine if something strange was his Irish lingo or an error in the publication. His story is irreverent, even sacrilegious at times. The quote above came late in the book, if only Malachy had followed that advice much sooner! According to the Author's Note, he turned his life around in later years.

I am left wondering: what does the title mean? There is no monk and no swimming!  I mentioned earlier, the memoir was quite humorous, and the style was unique, but I wouldn't look for another by this author. My rating is 3.